Author's Note: Huge thank you to my friend Art for beta'ing this chapter, and helping me make the final section of the second scene not shit :)

October 25, 2037, Midday

Ellie wasn't really sure when she'd fallen asleep, but the way her muscles groaned in protest as she tried to stretch, she had to have been in this position for far too long. Her back was pressed against the cushions of the black leather couch, and her legs were bent slightly in order for her lanky frame to fit. The scent of sweat and lavender made her nose wrinkle slightly. As she opened her eyes, her blurry vision was filled with a wild mess of black hair just inches from her nose.

Her body stiffened as her brain spun on its tracks, cogs that had slowed to a crawl now moving twice as fast. She held her breath, eyes focused on Dina's frizzy hair in front of her. With the girl's body pressed up against her in order to fit on the couch, Ellie found herself unable to move, and her heart was beating out of her chest. She began to pull her arm away from where it had been laying over the girl's waist, and almost yelped when Dina's hand grabbed her own.

She couldn't see the girl's face, but she could almost imagine the small smile she probably had on her lips. That same smile that made Ellie melt every time she saw it, cheeks flushing as she would hold back stuttered replies to whatever Dina had been saying to her. Now, though, she had the luxury of being out of sight behind Dina. She could blush as much as her cheeks would allow, though she was hardly in control of it.

Dina was the first to speak, her voice quiet and warm as she squeezed Ellie's hand without looking back at her. "Good morning."

"Morning," Ellie mumbled, struggling to keep her voice from trembling. She looked over the girl's head with a slight movement, towards the curtained window across her messy living room. Sunlight filtered through the thin veil, and she found herself groaning slightly. "When did I fall asleep?"

"Like... not even halfway through the movie," was Dina's reply, a hint of a giggle following her words.

It had been Dina's idea to sift through the array of films stashed into the cabinet of the TV stand, fishing out movies that Ellie hadn't ever considered watching due to their groan-worthy titles and summaries. She couldn't remember the name of the one Dina eventually picked, but it was some romantic comedy about a guy who moved to New York. Last thing Ellie remembered was the protagonist meeting the girl he'd be destined to fall in love with.

"Ehhh," she groaned slightly as she tried to find a comfortable spot on the couch, failing to do so after a couple tries. "Wasn't that interesting anyway."

"Oh, come on. They kissed and everything," Dina threw the comment with a hint of humor in her voice, only causing Ellie to groan louder.

"Yeah, no thanks." She smiled slightly despite herself. "How long have you been up?" She asked after rubbing the sleep from her eyes, gaze falling towards the girl as she twisted her head to look back at Ellie out of the corner of her eye.

"Not long." She smiled slightly, chuckling. "You know you snore when you sleep?"

Ellie's cheeks burned hotter, smiling merely out of nervousness. "Sorry."

She shook her head once, smiling. "It's cute."

Before Ellie could retort, the door to the kitchen opened with a loud creak, and she instinctively stiffened. She began to lift herself up, Dina following suit, until they were sitting next to each other. Their gazes were locked on Joel as he entered the room, his right eyebrow raising in response. He carried a tray of food in his hands, and Ellie cleared the back of her throat nervously. His eyes bounced between her and Dina quickly as he set the plate down on the coffee table next to them.

"Mornin'." His voice was gruff, yet there was a tinge of warmness to it. A thought began to burrow its way to the surface of her mind, that Joel probably saw them while they were asleep. She looked towards the tray, two plates of eggs and some buttered bread were sat on it. Her stomach grumbled, and she returned her attention to Joel.

"Hey, Joel," Dina had managed to find the courage to speak first, her tone far more casual than Ellie could've ever been able to pull off at a time like this. The way Joel's eyes seemed to narrow slightly, his expression unreadable, did nothing but make her eyes twitch.

"Dina," Joel greeted, sending the girl a curt nod before taking a step back. "Your mother's lookin' for you, but I figured you two'd be hungry, so I made breakfast first."

"Thanks," Dina replied with a smile, grabbing the plate as Ellie slowly made to grab her own. She could feel Joel's eyes on her as she shifted the fried eggs around, preparing to cut into it with her fork.

The fact that she couldn't tell what he was thinking at that moment made everything a hundred times worse. She thought she had a good understanding of how he worked, yet that all flew out the window the moment she and Dina slept on the couch together.

She took a bite of the eggs, savoring the flavor for a moment. He'd gotten better at cooking in the past couple years, though the number of ingredients he had to work with had also increased exponentially while living in Jackson.

"What time is it?" Ellie asked the question tentatively, chewing on a piece of the bread.

"Almost noon," came the reply, which had Ellie's throat closing up.

Shit.

She was supposed to go out on that patrol with Jesse an hour ago. Her gaze fell to the plate, hastily finishing the eggs without looking towards the older man. Dina seemed to follow suit, finishing before Ellie could get to her the rest of her slices of bread. She pulled herself off of the couch in a swift movement, flashing a smile towards Ellie before looking at Joel.

"Well, I'm gonna go see what mom wants, then." She turned towards Ellie again, the glint in her eyes easily giving away what she was thinking.

Meet later?

Ellie simply nodded, mumbling her goodbyes before finishing the remaining pieces of bread. She set the plate back onto the tray as the front door closed behind Dina.

It wasn't long before Joel spoke, his tone stern. "You're late."

"Yeah. I know," was Ellie's reply, a hint of annoyance seeping into her voice. She sighed, pushing herself off the couch and grabbing the tray. "Has he left yet?"

"No. Waitin' on you."

Ellie didn't say anything to that, carrying the tray to the kitchen hurriedly. She could hear Joel following her, but didn't look back towards him as she set the tray down on the kitchen counter.

"Wanna tell me what's goin' on between you and Dina?"

Her body froze, muscles tensing, if only for a moment. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye as he leaned against the counter, arms crossed over his chest.

"It's nothing," she replied quickly, twisting the knob on the sink before grabbing one of the plates, scrubbing it with a sponge that sat nearby.

"It don't look like nothin'."

Only the sound of the water followed his words, Ellie absently scrubbing the two plates before setting them in a drying rack on the opposite side of the sink. Joel shuffled his feet, standing next to her as he placed a hand on the counter.

"Look… people are talkin'. What happens between you two is your business, but ain't everyone gonna see it like that."

Silence.

"Just be careful, is all I'm askin'."

Ellie sighed heavily, still not meeting his gaze. "Okay, Joel."

"… Okay."

Finally, she turned to look at him, crossing her own arms over her chest. When he didn't say anything more, she took a step away from him. "I'll go get ready."

Joel nodded once, the topic seemingly dropped. "Alright, kiddo. See you when you get back?"

Ellie nodded quickly, trying her best to smile. She knew that Joel was looking out for her, so she wasn't really… mad at him, but… She knew that things weren't going to be simple, after everything that happened the night before. Her patrol with Jesse was going to be an absolute nightmare, too. Once Joel had made to put up the empty tray, Ellie hurried towards the door, heading upstairs without another word.

Early Afternoon

The trees had already begun to lose their vibrant green hue, replaced by shades of orange, red, and brown, before their leaves ultimately fell to the forest floor. The wind was colder, and the night's rain had left the layer of leaves beneath her horse's hooves muddy and matted. Ellie had zipped her green leather jacket nearly up to her collarbone, holding onto the reins with one hand as she adjusted the bow slung over her shoulder.

She kept her gaze averted from the other rider on the trail, choosing to let the uncomfortable silence that'd taken over remain. Jesse's usual smile was gone, and he only focused on their surroundings, as if expecting infected to jump out at any second. Whatever he could do not to look in her direction, Ellie assumed. Whatever. They had time to work this out, right? They didn't have to talk while patrolling, it just… made things easier.

Turned out things weren't ever going to be easy, not that she hadn't already learned that lesson before.

The trail led through a narrow mountain pass carving its way between Jackson Peak and Pyramid Peak, which circled around to the north of Jackson. A small lake dominated the middle of the valley between the mountains, accompanied by a run-down ranch that had been looted far before she was born. From the mountain pass, they'd swing around to the dam, then back home to Jackson. The path had been meticulously planned out by Joel, down to the last detail. More often than not, Ellie found herself wanting to explore, venturing out to unmapped areas in the mountains, dragging Jesse along with her. This time, though, there wouldn't be any deviating.

There was a reason why Joel would lecture the guy every time they ventured out, and she doubted she'd be able to convince Jesse anyway.

They slowed to a trot as the path grew narrower, their horses riding side-by-side. She caught a glimpse of Jesse's serious expression as she held onto the reins tightly, urging the horse to jump over a root growing over the dirt path. He seemed to glance at her occasionally, like he was holding back words that were on the tip of his tongue. As the path branched out once more, Ellie decided to do it for him.

"Look, are we going to talk about this, or just spend the next half hour not looking at each other?" Her words were harsh, but her tone was resigned, calm. As for whether or not Jesse would take the bait and speak up, she didn't really care, as long as they were both on the same page.

His lips twisted tentatively, and his eyes focused on the trees ahead. She let out an annoyed sigh, biting her lip to hold back any further comments she wanted to let loose. Jesse was her friend, despite everything that happened last night. She didn't want whatever was happening between her and Dina to change that.

Finally, Jesse shifted in his saddle, returning his gaze towards her. "I don't want to talk about it."

Her nerves bristled at the tone he'd adopted, lips twitching into a frown. Before she could hold herself back, words flew out of her mouth. "I didn't fucking know it was going to happen, Jesse."

He didn't answer that one, seemingly deciding he was better off not starting a fight while they were in the middle of their patrol. They'd still have to deal with each other afterwards, after all. He rubbed a hand over his stubble apprehensively, looking away.

She didn't try to say anything more, pulling a strand of hair away from her face and placing it behind her ear. The path opened to reveal the lake, its glassy green water stretching across the valley. They followed along the shore in silence, Ellie's eyes lingered on the distant mountain peaks surrounding them. They were whiter than usual, signs of snow that would eventually reach Jackson as the months drifted forward.

As they drew closer to the other side of the lake, the sound of rushing water filled the air, the calm current turning chaotic as the lake opened into a river heading downhill. Jesse prodded his horse to move faster, putting some distance between him and Ellie as the younger girl followed suit, cantering after him. Words hovered on her tongue, harsh things best left unsaid, and she ultimately bit them back.

Instead, her attention was drawn to the house they were approaching: made of polished logs that had long since started to rot, streaks of vines and moss growing in every crevice that they could find. Its roof was pockmarked with holes, large enough to fit the horse through. Trees had sprouted around it, casting most of the structure in shadow. The only evidence that the place hadn't been abandoned for decades longer than it had been was the pickup truck parked out front, its tires rotted beyond repair.

Jesse was already crossing the bridge once she made it to the house, his horse taking each step slowly. The bridge had seen better days itself, and threatened to break apart with every groan each step caused it to make. One day, it was going to give out for sure. By the time he'd made it across, Ellie was reaching the opposite side, stopping her horse with a quiet "whoa."

She twisted her head to look back towards the house once more, though her gaze stopped mid-way as something caught her eye. A movement, slow and seemingly controlled, and her breath hitched once her brain registered what she'd seen.

A body hung from a rope tied around a thick branch of a tree near the house, the wind pushing it enough to send it gently rocking back and forth. It was a man, nearing his mid-forties based on his long, salt and peppered hair. Blood coated his trimmed beard in globs of crimson, a trail that had long since dried originating from his mouth. His brown eyes were lifeless yet remained locked in an expression of desperation, as if he'd tried to escape the noose, to no avail. His crooked nose had a faint hint of blueness to it, as though it had been broken prior to his hanging. His green and white windbreaker had been torn open by a blade, only further evidenced by the ghastly sight of intestines that hung from a sloppy incision cutting across his stomach.

Ellie reminded herself to breathe, adrenaline and fear coursing through her veins for the first time in what felt like years. Her head swiveled towards Jesse in an instant, the older boy turned his horse to look towards her, as if questioning what was taking her so long, and it didn't take long for him to follow her gaze. His face grew pale in an instant.

Without thinking, Ellie slipped off of her horse, hand immediately reaching for the pistol she kept in her belt's holster. A single flick and the safety was off, finger off the trigger while she tightly clenched her fingers around the grip. She took a single step towards the corpse.

"Ellie, wait!" Jesse's voice was hushed and panicked, and she could hear him dismounting his own horse, his feet pounding across the bridge. She stopped twenty feet away from the corpse, turning towards Jesse with eyes wide.

She didn't say anything, words failing her in that moment. They hadn't had bandits out here in at least a year, since Joel had gathered a militia together to draw them out. Whatever this was, it was new. She didn't recognize the man, either, so he wasn't anyone from Jackson. Whoever he was, it was likely the people who strung him up had followed him here.

Jesse stood next to her, and she could feel him grabbing her shoulder, moving to turn her away and back towards her horse. Ellie jerked, pulling herself free. Their eyes met, his look of fear meeting her own look of defiance; the desire to learn more.

When he began to say something, she cut him off, eyes falling towards the corpse once more. "We gotta cut him down. Find out who did this, and why."

"He isn't exactly going to tell us that, is he?" Jesse stated flatly, eyes narrowing as he, too, locked his gaze on the corpse.

"No, but… look, we can't just leave him here."

Jesse seemed to mull over that for a moment, eyes bouncing between the hanging corpse and Ellie in quick intervals. His eyes glimmered with what she could only describe as fear, and his hands shook, like a tremor going through his body. Finally, he nodded once, taking the first step towards the corpse. Ellie followed suit, keeping in stride with the taller boy. Once they were close enough, the putrid smell of rotting flesh invaded her senses, enough to send a wave of nausea washing over her. She held back bile, pocketing her pistol as she reached for her switchblade, flicking it open. Her eyes trailed the rope until it found where it had been tied to the tree, close enough to the ground for her to reach and begin slicing away at it.

It fell to the ground with a sickening thump, and Ellie pocketed her switchblade in one swift motion. Jesse quickly lowered himself onto his knees, searching the man's pockets. The only thing they managed to find was an old wallet in the man's back right pocket, though the only thing that remained inside was a worn-down QZ card. Jesse held the card out to her, and she took it, examining it.

The man's face was printed into the left of the card, and his credentials on the right. Lance Thompson, born in 1995. A FEDRA logo was printed on the top of the card, along with the words SEATTLE QUARANTINE ZONE IDENTIFICATION CARD.

"Seattle?" She read the name of the city aloud, scrunching her nose. Jesse's expression was similar. He pushed himself back to his feet, eyes scanning the card quickly.

"Card's old. He might've gotten out of Seattle before things fell apart there."

"Maybe," Ellie replied softly, reading over the card again before finally handing it back to Jesse. He returned the card to the wallet, laying it next to the man. Her gaze lingered on the body for a moment longer. Blood dripped from the entrails that hung outside of his stomach. Whenever this had happened, it was recent. Her eyes narrowed, and she instinctively gulped. The very thought of them still being-

Her eardrums rang as a gunshot pierced the air, instinct taking over as she rushed for the nearest cover she could find behind the tree. Behind her, Jesse's sudden pained yelp froze her muscles, and she turned to see him stumbling backwards, holding a hand over his upper arm. Blood spilled down the back of his sleeve; the bullet had gone clean through. Cursing, she rushed out of cover, the cacophony of bullets following her movements as she grabbed Jesse by his other arm, tugging him behind the cover of the log house. He leaned against the building, gasping, while Ellie pulled out the pistol from her holster.

She couldn't see whoever was shooting at them, but they were close, towards the other side of the bridge Jesse had crossed earlier. The sudden gunfire had spooked their horses, and Ellie watched as they galloped further down the trail, and out of sight.

"Fuck!" Ellie's back was now against the house, sparing a glance towards Jesse next to her. Wordlessly, they made eye contact. He squeezed the bullet wound tighter, grunting, but otherwise seemed no worse for wear.

Ellie clenched her pistol tighter, nodding once towards her friend before inching her head out from beyond the corner of the house. Movement in the distance caught her eye. Two, no, three men wearing thick coats were rushing towards them, utilizing trees as cover. It was only a matter of time before they managed to flank them.

"Alright… fuck. Jesse, I need you to circle around the house. Get a clear shot on these assholes." She turned towards the older boy as she spoke, just loud enough to be heard over the sound of gunfire and wood splintering. Though his look was questioning, doubtful, he nodded, still clutching his arm as he reached for his own pistol and took off. Taking a deep breath, Ellie peered out of her cover.

She could pick out two bandits hiding in the treeline beyond the river. One was bald, and his coat seemed far too small for him; he was aiming a rifle towards her, pulling back the bolt to let a fresh round into the chamber. His friend was thinner, unkempt black hair masking his features, nearly reaching his collarbone. His pistol was a similar model to her own, likely a Beretta.

As the bandit with the rifle fired, she snapped back into cover, cursing as the shot echoed through the air. She still didn't have eyes on the third bandit, but she assumed he was further in the treeline.

A gunshot from the opposite side of the house caught her attention. Jesse had made it, though his bullet didn't seem to hit anything, the two bandits still firing towards them. Once the smaller bandit hid behind a tree to reload, Ellie aimed towards the man with the rifle, firing off two shots. One pierced the man's shoulder, knocking him back, while the second flew past him. He shouted something she couldn't understand from that distance, the man slamming his back against the tree. In the absence of sound that followed, a twig snapped.

Instinctively, she ducked her head, a deafening thwack sending her heart jumping into her mouth as she felt something whiz over her head. She turned to find the third man, who sported short-cropped hair and sideburns that grew to his jaw, had managed to sneak up behind her, struggling to pull his weapon back out of the rotting wood.

She lifted her pistol with a jerk of her hand, firing towards his knee. The bullet managed to graze his leg, and a howl reached her ears. That only seemed to piss him off, his face contorting as he finally managed to yank his weapon free. Ellie rushed him, intent on tackling him to the ground, but was forced to dodge the axe as he swung it furiously. She hit the ground hard, rolling until her back collided with a nearby tree trunk. She grunted, feet sliding across the ground as she tried to back away from the approaching bandit. She lifted her pistol to fire at the asshole, but he only swatted her hand away, getting on top of her before finally yanking the weapon from her hand.

Sideburns had abandoned the axe in favor of a hunting knife, pulling the weapon out with a yellow-toothed smile. She sent a punch directly into his gut, though it hardly seemed to phase him. His hands arced into a violent thrust towards her chest, and she reached out to stop him mid-way, her voice cracking as she let out something akin to a war-cry. Muscles tensed, growing weaker as the knife drew closer and closer. His smile grew with each passing second, the scar that tore across his cheek seeming to smile along with it.

Once the blade was inches away from her chest, a movement above caught her eye. A tree branch smashed against the bandit's head, and his meaty hands stopped in place, pulling back as he turned his head to face the new threat. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Jesse wielding the makeshift bat, preparing to swing again just as Sideburns yanked his hands away from Ellie's, grabbing the branch mid-swing.

Everything that happened next was based on pure instinct. The bandit's attention had diverted to Jesse, and Ellie reached for her own knife on her belt, slashing the man's stomach with enough force to pierce skin, digging into what lied beneath. Blood spurted out, the hot crimson liquid coating her hands and her shirt. Surprise etched into her victim's face, contorting into pain as he let go of the knife, focusing on her once more. By then, it was too late, she dug deeper into his stomach, grunting as she yanked the blade out.

He slumped on top of her as soon as it was pulled free.

In the moment, all she could see was Sideburns' face, blood beginning to drool out of his mouth as hands clasped around his shoulders, yanking him off. Her senses came flooding back to her one by one, and her rampant breathing filled her ears. The blood soaking her had a sickly warm feeling to it, uncomfortable yet equally familiar. Dirt wafted through the air, kicked up during the struggle, and Ellie coughed to rid them from her lungs. She wiped the blood off of her knife onto the man's coat, slipping the blade back into its sheath before reaching out for Jesse's hand as he helped her up. Once she was on her feet, she leaned against the tree, panting.

Together, their gazes fell to the body, then to each other. Worry lined Jesse's features, and she lifted a hand to stop him from asking anything. She was fine, and he appeared to be okay.

"You get the others?" She croaked between breaths. He simply nodded. "Good." She curled her fingers into fists as adrenaline shot through her veins, which was only just starting to didn't look towards Jesse as she stumbled forward, towards the bridge. "Come on. Let's find the horses."

He didn't say anything, but the footsteps thumping behind her had been the only answer she needed.