Ellie and Joel entered their house.

The house had already been supplied with the basic necessities. There was a room for socializing just inside the door, a fully stocked kitchen with a circular table, and an old refrigerator that was humming softly. A window beside the table faced the setting sun.

There was a hallway containing a bathroom and a bedroom to the right of the kitchen. The bedroom was already fitted with a worn bed, a dresser for clothing, and a small closet.

Upstairs, there were two bedrooms and a bathroom with a working shower.

Joel set his stuff in one of the upstairs bedrooms.

Ellie settled in the room downstairs. Like Joel's room, it was small. There was a bed with a table on the side. Ellie glanced up and saw small, glowing plastic stars on the ceiling.

After exploring the house, Joel and Ellie sat down on the worn, wooden chairs at the round dining table. Neither said a word. Ellie's eyes continued to scan the room.

Joel broke the silence. "What do you think?" he asked.

Ellie felt like bare wooden walls were starting to close in on her. "It's big," she replied.

Joel looked at the table. "That's what I think," he said. He took a deep breath. "It'll pass."

Ellie continued to scan the walls. This isn't going to pass. There are too many corners. Too many places for things to hide.

Joel grabbed the backpacks and poured their contents out on the table. "You should take whatever you want to keep to your room," he suggested as he zipped up the backpacks. "Then we'll head down to the general store that Tommy mentioned."

They spent twenty minutes sorting through their backpacks. Joel grabbed their remaining medical kit and stashed it in his room. After that, they stuffed the guns and ammo into Joel's backpack to trade later.

Ellie stared at her gun for a moment before reluctantly relinquishing it to Joel. She zipped up her backpack and set it on the table.

Joel zipped up his own backpack and stared at the girl across from him.

Ellie held one Firefly pendant in her hand. The rest still lay on the table alongside her knife, bow, arrows, and a robotic toy.

Joel picked up her backpack. "This is light," he said, weighing the bag. "Are you keeping the pendants?"

Ellie placed her hands protectively around the pendant she was holding. "I need something to remember," the girl said quietly, a hint of regret creeping into her voice. She placed the knife in her back pocket. "The knife, bow, and arrows are staying too."

Joel sighed but seemed reluctant to argue. "It's been a long day. You want to sleep for a bit, or go to the shop?"

Ellie slipped the pendant she held into her pocket and looked up. Get me out of here! "I'm not tired."