Young and Young at Heart (The Rewrite of The Walking Dead Game: S2) [TWDG/TWD]

20. New Faces

"Last time a couple of guys offered us food, it ended really badly."

"When was this?"

"Before I met you. There were these brothers called the Saint Johns. They said they would give us food for gas," recounted Clem.

"And they didn't?" asked Christa.

"They were... horrible," muttered Clementine, not wanting to recount that day in detail. "They had a swing too, and when Lee pushed me on it, it felt like everything was going to be okay. But it wasn't."

"I'm sorry Clementine. I wish I could just tell you there's nothing to worry about, but we both know that's not true." Christa looked at Clem, who seemed to look even more depressed than she did a minute ago. "Still, Omid was right, not everyone is out to get us. And these two seem well meaning enough."

"So did the Saint Johns," noted Clem. "It was just a lie."

"You've always got to be careful around new people," concurred Christa. "Still, there are more of us than them."

"There was even more of us when we met the Saint Johns," countered Clem.

"Okay, well..." Christa struggled to think of something comforting to say. "How bout this? Do you think if Lee hadn't pushed you on their swing, things would have happened any differently?"

"No. Why would—" Clem felt her stomach drop as Christa sent her flying with a hardy push. The swing spun around in circles a few times before coming to a sudden stop facing Christa.

"Might as well just swing then," smiled Christa. "Can't hurt, right?"

"I guess not." Clem smirked at Christa.

"All right, now hold on, because—"

"Wait." Clem stood up, positioning her feet on the seat of the swing and grabbing onto the rope like she saw Sarah do earlier. "Okay." Christa turned the swing around.

"Tarzan-style. Just make sure you hold on real tight." Clem watched as the ground shrunk before her as she went flying into the air. Her heart raced as she clung to the rope, wind blowing past her face. Another push sent the whole world spinning, creating an odd swirl of color and shapes. Clem found it dizzying but exciting all at once.

"Your arm's not bothering you, is it?" asked Christa as Clementine swung by.

"No," called Clem as the swing slowly stopped spinning. "I am kind of dizzy though."

Christa grabbed the swing. "You know, if you're really feeling brave, there's another way you can ride a tire swing," she suggested in a playful voice.

"How?"

"Try climbing on top of it." Clem pulled herself up using the rope, seating herself atop the tire. She felt a little uneasy, with nothing beside her she was left with just the rope for stability. She also felt a lot higher off the ground sitting on top of the swing instead of in it.

"You sure this is a good idea?" asked Clem.

"If you don't feel comfortable you can just go back to how you were doing it before," reassured Christa.

"Did you ever ride a swing like this when you were little?"

"Lots of times," smirked Christa. "Used to do it one handed to show off to the other kids."

"You did?"

"Yeah, right until the day I lost my grip and flew off the damn thing," recalled Christa in a more regretful tone. "Maybe you should just come down."