Part one: Fall
Chapter 1
The sky was overcast, causing the room to be a depressing shade of grey as light came in from the window through the closed and broken shades. It was around ten in the morning, and everyone was up and about. Everyone except for her and the rest of the night shift. They always tried to sleep through the day, to keep their energy going through the night. It never really worked for her though. She always got up around this time every day to visit with other people in the town. Groaning, Ellie rolled over, fighting as long as possible to stay in bed. Finally, more awake than asleep now, she decided to get up. As she got up from her mattress, which lay on the floor in the corner of the room, she walked over to her dresser and put on a grey hoodie and some jeans. As she bent over to slide on the jeans, her red hair went right into her face. It was getting too long, and she knew it would have to be cut soon. Once she got her jeans on, she picked up a string and tied her hair back into her trade mark pony tail.
Finished and now looking at least half way decent, she walked through the house that she and Joel shared into the kitchen, trying to find something to eat. Searching through the cupboards, she found some dried out fruit, and sat down to eat. As she bit into the fruit, the few remaining juices identifying it as an apple slice, she thought about Joel. Once they got back to Jackson after their ordeal with the fireflies, she had insisted on living with Joel, which he agreed to. In the time that they had been together, from Boston until now, he had become nothing short of a father to her. She hadn't known her real father, and barely remembered her mother at all, so it was nice to have someone who cared about her that way. And it went the other way, as well. She knew that he appreciated having something like a daughter again, after losing Sarah so long ago. He still didn't talk about her much, but he seemed to have moved on, for which she, and she had a feeling Sarah too, was glad.
Finishing her fruit, she got up, put her boots on, and walked outside. She was deciding whether to go see some of the other people her age or go see Joel first when she saw Kevin walking down the street. Kevin was a little guy, fourteen and about 100 pounds soaking wet. What he lacked in size he made up for with a big, outgoing personality, of which Ellie was a fan. Back when she was new to the city, Kevin had welcomed her with open arms and a smile even while other kids were still wary of her because of her being new.
That smile was not there now, however. Instead, it was replaced with a look of concentration, as if he had been given something important to think over. And she realized that he wasn't just walking along the street, he was actually walking straight towards her. It wasn't hard for her to realize that this probably meant bad news for her.
Leaning against a wall, she waited for Kevin to get to her while mentally going through things that she had done over the past week to get into trouble. After a good twenty things, she decided to give up on it. She had to pay the piper at some point, and this was probably it.
"How's it going, Kev?" She said once he had finally gotten there. "You look weird."
"Eh, I feel kinda weird." He said, still with that puzzled look on his face. "Tommy just told me that me and you are going to be going on a trip in a little while, and asked me to get you. Strange, huh?"
"Yeah it's weird. I'm guessing Joel is going with to?" She asked, figuring that would be the way it was going to work, like always.
"I dunno. All I know is that Tommy told me to get you, and when I left, I heard Joel and him yelling at each other, like normal."
That much Ellie could be reasonably sure was true. For two brothers, they were always at odds with each other over something. It could get pretty funny at times, especially because she knew that most of the time they weren't actually arguing for any other reason than to argue. She wondered if all siblings were like that, as she had never had any of her own. Joel was the only family that she had ever known, if she was being honest. He was the only person that she could absolutely trust, without any reservations. That was why they insisted on going out on their runs together. They knew and trusted each other better than most partners.
"Well, let's get going I guess. Don't want to keep Tommy waiting." Kevin sounded impatient, and so Ellie knew she had to make him squirm a little.
"Alright. Why don't you wait out here for a second while I go grab my gear." Before he had a chance to argue, she had already turned and started walking. "I won't be long, I swear!"
Getting into the house, she grabbed her backpack from the counter, knowing it had most of what she would need; matches, some duct tape, some spare cloth, and a medical kit. Going into her room, she grabbed an extra flannel over shirt, in case she got cold. Finally, she went to her closet, opened a box, and pulled out her revolver. Her 9mm had broken long ago from old age, so she had to move to this. Not that she didn't enjoy the extra power, but she didn't like the whole six shots thing. Then again, she still had her switch blade, so if she was lucky, she wouldn't even need the gun. Finished, she put on a baseball hat and went back out.
Kevin had been leaning against the fence, impatiently waiting on her. She knew he was trying to hide how excited he was. This was his first time going out on a run, and he was really chomping at the bit. As comical as it might be to watch him squirm, she was anxious to get out as well. It had been awhile since she had left the city, and it would be nice to get out and away from all the people. Motioning to Kevin, she led the way to Tommy's.
As they walked, she had time to take in how busy everyone was right now. Crops were being harvested, animals were being slaughtered, clothes were being sewn and crafted, all in preparation for the winter. Word was, though, that it wouldn't be enough. They had taken on some extra people during the summer, and the amount of food they had might not be enough to feed everyone through the winter.
"Probably why we're being sent out." She thought to herself. She had always had a knack for coming through when they needed it, and were probably relying on that luck. Also, it didn't hurt that she had traveled with Joel over hell's half acre on a wild goose chase and came back in one piece. Not that she was at all still bitter about that.
She did have to admit though, Jackson City made the trip worth it. Once she had been around for a little bit, people were actually pretty friendly to her. She didn't have to watch her back all the time, she had people her age to talk to, and she actually had people who would help her just because of the simple fact she was their friend. Back in the quarantine zone, she had to worry about being killed just for having a ration card, and nothing was ever free. But the best thing by far was that she actually felt safe for the first time in her life. When they had originally got there, there was an issue with hunters, but they had dwindled in the past couple years, and now people felt safer than ever. It was quite refreshing to the running-for-your-life lifestyle she was used to. In short, she liked it here, and she would do anything to help it keep going.
They walked for a few minutes they came to Tommy's house in the center of town. It was the oldest, and one of the few not built by the survivors. Walking up the steps and onto the porch, she knocked on the door a few times before she heard someone get up to open it. She was happy to see Tommy's haggard face in the door way, and gave a brief but warm hug. Over the past two years, he had become something of an uncle to her, giving her advice that Joel couldn't, or wouldn't. He ushered them inside and closed the door behind them.
"So how are ya, Tommy?" She asked, trying to make a little small talk before they got down to business.
"Tired. Why don't you and Kevin get on into the living room, where we can talk." He looked exhausted, and probably hadn't slept in the last couple of days. He walked a little clumsily, and his speech was slightly slurred. He seemed to have aged three years since she had last seen him, and she had no doubt that it was his role that was doing this. She'd have to remind herself to get him to take a rest once they got back. Jackson needed him, and she would be damned if she wouldn't help.
The living room, if it could be called that, was occupied by the largest assortment of maps that Ellie had ever seen. Both printed and hand drawn maps covered the walls and the tables, with some finding a home on the floor. They couldn't even sit down for fear of wrecking some of the carefully drawn and detailed maps on the couch.
"So, Ellie. How do you feel about making a run?" He asked it as if it was something she could turn down. She knew that he knew better, of course. Just common courtesy to ask.
"I'm up for it. Where?"
Tommy started to answer, thought better of it, and then went to one wall that showed a map of the surrounding counties. He pointed to a city at the far right corner. "Here. Cross Bridge."
"Jesus Tommy, how far is that?"
"Oh come on, it's only about eight hours." He looked at her, and seemed sorry that he had to ask her to do it. "Look, you're a smart girl. You know about a lot of stuff that you shouldn't, including our food stocks. If we want to avoid a panic, we need to keep this as small as possible. That means no talking to anyone about the food."
"Speaking of that, how are we doing?"
"Not well. At the rate that we are harvesting, we'll only have enough to last half the winter. "
"And that means that people are going to have to go hungry, which will piss them the fuck off." Ellie finished for him. She could see the predicament that he was in a little clearer now. "Alright, so we're going for food?"
"Actually, I need you and Kevin to go there to see if it's been cleaned out already, if it hasn't, how much food is left, and scope it out for clickers. It SHOULD be relatively safe, since we haven't seen a clicker in weeks, but I still want someone to go and check."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Me and KEVIN? What about Joel?" She looked at Kevin and felt sorry after seeing the look of disappointment on his face. She'd have to apologies for that later.
Tommy seemed to flinch at the name of his brother, and motioned for her to go to his room. She would have protested, but now she was worried about Joel.
After closing the door, Tommy sat down on his bed, and it seemed as a great weight was lying on him. His back sagged, and he looked absolutely worn out. "Sit down Ellie, we gotta talk about Joel."
She did as she was asked, and waited for him to speak.
"Well, I don't want Joel going out as much anymore. Not that he isn't capable, because he is. And not because he doesn't want to. When I told him I was sending you and Kevin out without him, he lost it." He stopped there for a moment, a tired smile playing on his lips. "But he's getting old Ellie. He just turned 48 a few months ago, and even back before the world turned to shit, he would have to start slowing down. Now if he makes one mistake, he loses one step because of his age, it might be his last. I don't want him to go, and I don't think you want him to either."
He stopped talking, and gauged her for a reaction. She was honestly relieved that she wasn't the only one who was concerned about Joel's age. She had been planning on talking to him about it soon anyway, Tommy just beat her to the punch. She looked at him and nodded. She didn't want him to die, and this was as good a way as any to keep him safe.
"Alright. But why are you setting me up with Kevin?"
"Because he's never been on a run before, and you need a new partner. Now, I hope you said your goodbyes, because you need to get going like now if you want to make it to town before dark." He ushered her out into the living room, bid them both goodbye, and watched them leave. Inwardly, he had a sinking feeling that he had made a mistake not having Joel go with them.
"Be careful guys." He said to himself.
