This is a side story to Survivor's Guilt, picking up where chapter 16 left off. Originally it was planned as a two chapter POV change, showing Ellie's plight to get Joel to the hospital with the help of Josh, Milo, MJ and Annalisa. Then as I wrote, it just got longer and longer. I felt that would derail Survivor's Guilt too much. I plan to add a chapter of this every time I update SG. This story won't be as long as SG, but fills in the blank spots of the winter section of the story, and ties up some loose ends, but also gives a chance to get to know Milo, Josh, Annalisa and MJ a little better. (I just love writing them in this world! ++ Yes, that is them in the cover.)

As a bonus, I'll share the song I listened to while writing this. In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins. Oddly enough, the song just felt so natural to this chapter.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER ONE

Turn Around

Getting the old guy off the ice wasn't easy. Each of the little ones were given a loaded gun, told to walk ten large paces away from the ice, and stay there. They had to keep watch, and only use their guns on any threats—human or infected. This could go wrong in so many ways. Milo and Josh had already given him up for dead, and with some gentle prodding, they believed Ellie would get there.

Moving very slowly, Ellie made her way across the ice. The body of the cannibal was moved and buried in snow. Not out of respect, to hide the sicko from view to give themselves a head start when they had to flee. Her mind was focused on Joel, first making sure he was breathing. That would be a good start, and at least stop the doubt Milo and Josh were seriously projecting at her. They didn't know him like she did. He had survived much worse. She leaned in close, her cheek centimeters from his mouth. Slow breaths, but it was there.

"He is alive," said Ellie. And that was that.

Both Milo and Josh were tasked with pulling him off the ice and carrying him back down the mountain. Good job the kids had guns, or they'd be exposed. To Milo's relief, there was an abandoned car that he was yet to rig to blow up. They had already dumped Joel in the back, when Josh noticed there wasn't much gas in it.

"How far will that get us?" asked Ellie, looking at the gage. She could barely breath. The back was pretty crowded with Joel, herself and MJ to find somewhere to sit. Clever Annalisa had thought to climb in the front, and sit on her dad's lap.

"Far enough to get to our supplies," Milo replied. "I got a truck ready to go."

Milo was a terrible driver. Or at least by the standards of two kids getting thrown around in the back, trying not to crush an injured Joel. He swerved the car abruptly, didn't even try to drive on steady ground. That could be excused on a mountain weaving around trees, but he was even worse when the car reached the road. Milo actually seemed to enjoy it. As they reached a very familiar street, and pulled up at the very house where Ellie had once nursed Joel the last time he almost died, all the kids practically fell out the car, and dispersed to go puke.

Milo stood there near the car, looking quite pleased with himself. "Oh, how I missed you baby," he told the car.

"You have serious issues," Josh told him.

Milo nodded proudly. "Hey, who says my driving is that bad? All the laws are gone bro, just like the people who wrote 'em."

"Urr… the three kids puking their guts up might have something to say about that," Josh pointed out.

Josh had to take it on himself to herd up MJ, Ellie and Annalisa, to make sure no harm had come to them. All three of them were a bit green around the gills, and seriously didn't want to ever experience Milo's driving ever again. They returned to find that Milo had opened the garage door, to reveal a pickup truck loaded with supplies. He was in the process of heaving Joel out the car—damn, the old guy was seriously heavy—to transfer him to the truck. Ellie rushed to help him move Joel, even though she wasn't much help herself. Her strength was far weaker than that of a full grown man.

Ellie looked away for a moment, turning her head to look at a barrel overflowing with ice. The water must have frozen up fast. Cold, but for the rest of the snowy season, everlasting. Just like her feelings for Riley. Too much time had ticked away for those flickers of a first crush to still fill her with joy, but it was everlasting. She thought back to that moment in the car, imagining what her life could have been, if Riley had never come back.

"Ellie?" asked Annalisa. She held Ellie's hand. "We're getting in the car."

Ellie nodded, following her. Once again, it was a squeeze. With Josh driving, the kids didn't feel the urge to vacate the truck so fast. Though, Milo got a few shots in that Josh drove like an old granny. In actual fact, the speed was quite fast, but not enough to almost send them tumbling off the road in a giant fireball.

"We'll get him to hospital in no time," Josh assured.

"Wait," said Ellie. "We need to make sure those sick fuckers don't come after us."

"Ellie, we can't sit around. Your father will die," Josh told her.

"I got a plan. Just turn around," Ellie insisted.

The truck came to a stop not far from the town line. The sign was entirely covered by snow. She knew it was the place. How many times had she seen it in her nightmares? Heard his voice? Felt the rancid stench of his breath against her skin? Relived those moments when she hacked the life out of him with his own machete? Enough.

Ellie got out the truck, left the door open. Josh grabbed a map from the glove compartment, spread it out on the hood of the car.

"If you're stuck on doing this, here is the hospital…" He marked an X over the location of the very hospital with a pen.

"Alright. I'll meet you there. Don't come back," Ellie replied, grabbing the map and stuffing it in her backpack.

Josh looked to his daughter, who had climbed up into the back to sort out what they might need. "About Annalisa…"

"I'll be fine, Daddy!" Annalisa called over.

"Really Josh, she will," Ellie assured. "First time I met her, she knocked me on my ass, grabbed my gun, blew up a pack of clickers, then turned the gun on me. She'd kept them away from her for hours." Before another concerned father could get on her case, she looked to Milo who seemed hesitant to let his son go. "As for MJ, if it wasn't for him, we'd all either be dead on the floor of the ski lodge, or probably you'd be runners."

Those words seemed to reassure Milo, but he still couldn't hide his worry. After all, it was a pretty stupid idea, and not one she had much time to really think about. Three kids; one who had racked up quite a body count, a kid who had a knack for explosives, and a little girl with the klepto skills of a magpie. At least they were being useful.

Ellie left Josh and Milo to prepare their children, handing them ammo and such, along with hugs of farewells, and promises to see each other again.

She pulled out her handgun, checked the clip for bullets—only one left. That man she saw at the university. He wasn't a grief created figment of her imagination. He had to be the real deal.

He was in there somewhere, the very image of David.

"His brother, or his father, or even his son, whatever you are," said Ellie as if he were right there in front of her. Snapped the clip back into place. "I'm coming fucker, and this bullet is for you."