Wait. .YOU: Thanks for the support!

rangers123: Thanks! I try to stay somewhat within the game's storyline, but I don't want it to be exactly the same (after all, we have one extra person in the group). I have some things planned for the in-betweens, but any suggestions are welcome.

Madalyn1000: Thank you! :)

Barrissandahsokafriendz: That part is going to be very interesting! I can't wait to write it, but for now we have all the time before that! No worries if you didn't review last chapter either. Hope you enjoy your time away and you will have at least this chapter to read when you get back! :)

AnimeWolfGirl16: Haha, strange thing is that I actually think of the same thing as well!

ShatteringPromises: I'm sorry that last chapter was shorter than the other ones. I like to end the chapters at certain points for story/plot purposes.

Chapter 11: The Problem

A few weeks of walking wasn't helping to clear her head like she had wanted. She no longer felt the aching of her feet as strongly as she had before, and she wandered aimlessly after Joel.

Walking had usually helped her to sort out her thoughts, but not this time. She figured that the 'remedy' to her overwhelmed mind wouldn't work anymore.

They had put the city of Pittsburgh behind them and were getting closer to the edge of the state, but that didn't mean that the memories were fading any faster. The memories that did matter, the ones that would have helped them further in their journey, were now disappearing quicker than ever.

She only now knew the outline of the memories, but she knew that those would soon be gone as well.

"Are you ok?" Kevin whispered from where he was walking beside her. She glanced over at him, seeing the tired expression on his face as well as the worry.

"Yeah," she mumbled, her gaze traveling to the ground, "I just have too much on my mind, I guess."

"I know what you mean;" Kevin's reply made her look at him again, "seeing someone you care about become infected is common in my life."

"You too?"

"Yep, nearly everyone I care about has gone out in one way or another; they don't stay around for as long as I hope. I guess that's just the world we live in though."

Seems like the story of my life, she thought, feeling as if they had more in common every day.

They both fell silent again; a common pattern throughout the last few days. Ellie was left to her not too pleasant thoughts again.

More than just the events of the past few weeks weighed heavy on her mind. She was still thinking about how to "fix the problem", as Riley had dubbed it. She hadn't had any more dreams since the truck ambush in Pittsburgh, so that didn't help.

Another thought left her feeling confused: did she really want to go back to the way things were? That would mean leaving Kevin, and she had no idea how to get back. He was also her friend, a rarity in the pandemic world she had grown up in.

If I can't fix this, I guess I wouldn't mind staying with them; at least until after we get to the Fireflies. Joel and I had plans, but maybe the three of us could make new ones.

Her thoughts made her even more confused, and even a little bit sad at what she had lost. Joel still somewhat acted like a father, but not on the relationship before traveling with Kevin.

Was it possible she could have been sent back in time? Was this an alternate universe? Or maybe it was just a dream?

She almost ruled out the last one; dreams usually didn't last this long, but she did give it credit if so because of the reality of it.

Maybe it's just a nightmare, or maybe I really am dead and have a Riley personification to try and convince me otherwise; will me back to life or something like that; she sighed, not finding the answer as easily as she wanted to. There were a million other ideas floating in her head as well.

Kevin shivered beside her, and she realized that the wind had a bit of a bite to it today.

"It's going to be getting colder in the next few months," Joel stated, almost reading her mind, "We should try and find some warmer clothes in the next housing area we can."

She almost wanted to laugh at the second part of his statement; they hadn't seen any other houses or suburbs since leaving the one near the radio tower. All they had seen were trees, rivers, and grass.

They had been getting by on the canned food that they had gotten from the radio tower, which was almost gone by now, and through hunting what little they could find. Joel had been starting to instruct them on how to use different weapons, but especially the bow.

Ellie figured that she was the best at it, and Kevin was better with a hunting rifle. They were learning quickly, but she wondered why Joel was teaching them this now.

Maybe he just wants us to be prepared in case we get separated like in the city.

She directed her thoughts back to her strange dreams about Riley, and what her friend could have meant.

Could it be that the problem is something that doesn't belong here? She wondered, starting to make a checklist in her mind: the Infected are still here, Joel's here, the Fireflies are still here, everything and everyone is still trying to kill us…

Her eyes widened as a thought came into her head, smacking her straight in the face.

"Kevin," she whispered, staring at her friend who was now walking beside Joel, trying to strike up a conversation.

Kevin is the only thing that is missing from the first journey; the realization made her nearly choke as she stared at him, suddenly feeling out of place.

"Get rid of the problem" had been Riley's words, but that meant getting rid of Kevin…

"We'll need to stay in here for today," Joel muttered, bringing her out of her thoughts. They were standing in front of a small overhang.

A glance up at the sky made her see why: it was getting later in the day and the clouds were threatening them with rain. Usually they would walk until they found a more suitable place to stay, but they couldn't afford getting sick from the rain.

She was somewhat glad for the break. She went to one side of the overhang, looking out at the forest from underneath it as the rain started to pour within minutes. The weather matched her feelings perfectly.

Joel was most likely keeping watch, and she could tell by the soft breathing near her that Kevin was asleep already.

To fix this mess and get back to where she had been, she would have to fix the problem. But what if the problem was now your best friend?

Sorry that this is another short chapter; I'm just not sure how else to continue it. I usually try to get at least one thousand words in Microsoft Word for each chapter, so I at least got that goal done. The next chapter will most likely be out tomorrow evening/night (depends on how much I have to do). Also, next chapter will be more of a humorous filler (you guys deserve it; I've probably been downing you with too many sad chapters). Either way, please tell me any ideas (for the in-between time and in general) in a review!

-AnimeWolfGirl9