"It'll only be for two days, Flo, please," Maria implored the woman, who was sitting across from her in the café employees' lunch room, isolated from the eavesdroppers in the kitchen and the eating area.
Flo crossed her thick arms, her brown eyebrows knitted together. With a reluctant sigh, she finally agreed. "Alright, I'll take care of Sophia while you're gone. Don't know why you're keeping the little devil around, though, people are worried," she frowned, "But…Hatori has taken a liking to her, I think. Won't last long, though."
Maria cocked her head, "Hatori? Don't let him lay a finger on her, I know he'll try."
Flo laughed, but with more mirth than Maria expected. "Hatori's a sweet boy, you shouldn't be so quick to judge him. He's changed a lot since he came here a few months ago, you know. I saw him picking flowers by the gate the other day, and I think you can guess who they were for," Flo winked, and she laughed more as Maria leaned back in her chair with a look of surprise on her face.
The blonde woman stood up, smoothing her shirt as she strode over to the door. "Please remind him to restrain himself around Sophia, she…" Maria bit her lip, pausing with her hand on the doorknob, "she doesn't trust men, especially any who are trying to get on her good side."
Flo's cheerful expression darkened, and she nodded gravely after a few moments. "I see. I'll tell him, don't worry," she said, following Maria out the door. They descended together down the staircase, stopping once they got to Sophia's cell.
Flo raised an eyebrow at the girl cowering in the corner of the dingy cell, holding a handful of wilted flowers as she gazed up at them, her eyes full of fear. "I was expecting someone…a little older," Flo remarked truthfully, cocking her head.
Maria knelt down in front of the rusted iron bars, smiling reassuringly at the girl, "Sophia, this is Florence, but call her Flo for short. She'll be taking care of you while I'm gone, okay?" Sophia nodded minutely, switching her attention back to her flowers. Assuming she wasn't going to say anything else, Maria got up and turned around to leave.
She and Flo stopped as Sophia spoke up, "My mother was from a place called Florence…it was a city in Italy, across the ocean. English is not my first language, and my mother said I picked up her accent because she taught me Italian first."
"What happened to your mother?" Maria asked cautiously.
Sophia let out a bark of mirthless laughter, "What happens to every child's mother? She's dead, just like my father."
"I'm sorry. I'll be back in a few days, at most," Maria promised.
"You know, I might be wrong about the Infected. I never got full reports on their numbers before we left," Sophia informed, leisurely stretching her arms over her head.
Maria nodded, wondering for a moment if Sophia was just trying to shrug off the blame in case anything was traced back to her. "Good to know, I'll tell the others," she said nonetheless, exiting through the back door while Flo returned to the kitchen.
"So Sophia doesn't even know how many Infected we could be up against? I knew the little rat was hiding something…" Tommy grumbled as he shouldered his pack, walking beside Maria, Joel, and Ellie as they made their way to the burned husk of the barn. Repairs were going as smoothly as supplies allowed, the twisted metal catwalks being replaced with a wooden hayloft and the stalls being rebuilt. The area smelled of fresh sawdust and the air was filled with the sound of hammers, drills, and the creaking of wood as men walked along the scaffolding erected inside the barn.
"A few more people have agreed to come with us, so we should have twelve, including us. It should be more than enough when we combine with Georgia. It's not Sophia's fault her men have been lying to her for God-knows-how-long," Maria retorted, hoisting a harness off the fence while Joel went to catch Mint in the paddock.
Tommy crossed his arms, leaning against the fence. "I just hope we're not running headlong into a massacre…" he mumbled, helping Maria with the harness once Joel came back with the horse. Slowly, men and women began to congregate towards the group, armed with guns and backpacks for the trip. Once Mint was hitched up to the pockmarked wagon, and additional horses had been tacked up for the remaining people, the caravan set off at a walk towards the gate. As they ambled down the road, beyond the edge of the forest, Joel turned to Ellie, who sat across from him on the wagon.
"You've been awfully quiet since you've left the house. What're you thinking about?" Joel queried, leaning back against the wagon's side as it bumped along the road.
Ellie picked her head up, but she wasn't surprised that he had noticed. After her initial excitement wore off from the prospect of seeing Cody, she had receded into her thoughts again. Ellie shrugged, picking at a loose thread in her purple and white-striped hoodie.
"Lots of things, I guess. What Georgia's going to do once she sees us, how we're going to fight the Infected, that sort of stuff," she said without much emotion.
"I know you want to fight, but I'm still deciding on whether I'll let you. I don't want to put you in danger when I can avoid it, you know that," Joel answered, crossing his arms as he studied the redhead in front of him.
Ellie nodded, sighing softly. "I know…do you think Georgia will let Cody fight?" she wondered aloud, but she knew the answer before Joel said anything. No, she won't.
"Not a chance. The boy probably can't hold his own in a battle, anyway, let alone handle a gun," Joel replied gruffly, almost scoffing.
Ellie shrugged again, falling silent. The giddiness she felt at seeing Cody again came and went, the thought of his reaction conflicting with the mental image of him holding a gun to his head. Am I still thinking about that? But he's alive, so what does it matter? I wonder if he still doesn't trust himself around me? Maybe I'm just worried things won't be the same between us…Ellie thought to herself, gazing down at her lap again.
Since the caravan didn't exceed a walk due to the wagon being at full capacity with six men and women, guns, and ammunition, it took a lot longer to get to Victor than the residents of Jackson would have liked. By the time they had cleared the mountain pass, and the first houses appeared in the distance, the sun was already touching the mountaintops in the west. It wasn't quite sunset yet, but it would be in a couple of hours.
As soon as they halted at Georgia's house, the woman herself and Mitch came out, both cradling rifles in their arms. They weren't outwardly hostile, but it didn't take away from their intimidating disposition. Georgia and Mitch glared harshly at Tommy and Maria, and the former's grip tightened on her rifle.
"What is the meaning of this, Maria? I thought we made it clear that your people were no longer allowed on Victor's territory? We have every right to shoot you for trespassing," Georgia growled threateningly.
Maria nodded gravely, "I know, but we didn't come for no reason. We've been informed that Sophia's spies in Jackson have escaped, and they're planning to send Infected into Victor tonight. We came to help defend you."
Georgia leaned back, a look of mild surprise on her face. Mitch raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" Georgia half scoffed, "May I ask where you got this information?"
"It doesn't matter, Georgia! Infected may very well overrun your town and slaughter your people if we don't march on Driggs as soon as possible! Why do you think we've brought so many fighters with us?" Tommy barked, his patience wearing thin. It didn't help he was exhausted from the long ride.
Georgia opened her mouth to retort, but Mitch beat her to it. "You've proven to be unpredictable recently, Tommy. Why shouldn't we believe you've come here to attack?" he accused, narrowing his eyes at the man.
"Don't be stupid, you know we would never attack Victor! Just because we decided to be merciful where you wouldn't have doesn't mean we're your enemies! We want to help protect you!" Maria countered, frustrated like her husband. Georgia and Mitch fell silent for a moment, exchanging glances with each other.
Finally, Georgia spat, "Do you have proof Infected are going to attack?"
Tommy and Maria glanced at each other, each thinking the same thing. There would be no chance Georgia and Mitch would believe them if all they had to go on was Sophia's word. "Ask your nephew, he knows," Tommy replied, and this time Georgia furrowed her brow.
"Cody? What does Cody have to do with this?" the black-haired woman questioned defensively.
"More than you know, Georgia. Go get him, and he'll tell you everything," Tommy assured her, and after a moment of deliberation, Georgia disappeared inside the house. A few minutes later she reappeared with Cody trailing behind her, his spidery hands jammed into the front pockets of his jeans. He looked moody as usual, but it changed to a look of caution when he heard the low mutterings of the extra residents of Jackson and the snorts from their horses.
With a few clicks he managed to confirm his suspicions. "What are all these people doing here?" he asked his aunt in a low voice.
"They came to protect us from Infected, or so they claim. They're all from Jackson, and Tommy tells me you know about these spies of Sophia that have escaped. Do you know what they're going to do once they get to Driggs?" Georgia asked expectantly, raising an eyebrow.
Cody gazed down at his shoes, nervously biting his lip. Ellie studied him, knowing in the back of her mind that if he revealed he had been working for Sophia, he would probably be disowned, or worse. She felt a pang of sympathy for the pressure he was under.
Finally, Cody shook his head. "No," he mumbled, not meeting his aunt's piercing gaze.
Is he lying? Ellie wondered, Or does he really not know about Sophia's backup plan?
Georgia turned her glare toward Tommy and Maria, her eyes even more hostile. "How dare you accuse my nephew of working for that she-devil Sophia. I want you and your little army off my territory immediately," she demanded, her voice dangerously low. As an extra incentive, she cocked her rifle, as did Mitch. Cody glanced up, wide-eyed at the noise, but otherwise he didn't move.
"You're wrong about Sophia, Georgia! She's not who you think she is!" Maria attempted, but she only got Georgia and Mitch's rifles pointed at her. She slowly put her hands up in surrender, while Tommy and Joel's hands inched towards their guns. The other men and women tensed, looking to their leaders for orders.
"You've kept her alive?" Mitch cocked his head, but his expression darkened, "I thought you were above believing her lies."
Maria shook her head, "Sophia has no reason to lie to us anymore. She has nothing to gain from it."
"I don't believe you. That girl is a snake, and she'll do everything in her power to manipulate and deceive if it benefits her. Give back my wagon and get off of our territory," Georgia snarled.
A moment of deliberation passed, and Tommy sighed heavily, motioning to his comrades to get moving again. "C'mon, there's no convincing them. They won't listen," he said. The men and women on the wagon reluctantly hopped off.
"You're not serious?" Joel questioned his brother. When Tommy nodded, he turned to Georgia and Mitch. "Listen to reason, you're in serious danger! If we don't do something now, the Infected are going to decimate this town! There're upwards of two dozen heading straight here!"
"If Infected do come here, we are perfectly capable of killing them ourselves. We will do fine with the dozen fighters we have," Georgia reassured Joel, and Mitch nodded. Cody paled at the warning, but he still did nothing.
Ellie fidgeted with her fingers a bit before looking imploringly at Cody, "Tell them the truth, Cody. Sophia must've told you at least something."
Cody glanced up at her, his expression steely like his aunt's. "I don't know what you're talking about, Ellie," he snapped, and she clenched her jaw shut, her expression one of betrayal. He spun around on his heel, letting the screen door bounce shut behind him.
"I think we're done here," Mitch said with finality, backing Mint under the overhang annexed to the garage. Georgia disappeared back inside the house.
Tommy and his group turned around, muttering amongst themselves as they set off again. "It's your funeral…" Maria uttered under her breath. Deciding it was too dangerous to ride to Jackson through the night, the group camped on the edge of Victor, far enough away that they wouldn't be perceived as a threat, but close enough to help if they were needed.
"Damn them! They're so stubborn, it'll cost them their lives!" Tommy growled as he paced the hard-packed ground, crushing the dried pine needles underneath his boots. They were camped in a thick stand of trees by a stream, hidden from the view of any patrols.
"We'll help them if they need it, for now let's get some rest and have dinner. We'll need to have as much energy as we can for tonight," Maria reassured her husband, taking a couple cans of beans out of her pack. Tommy eventually got tired of pacing and gave in to his hunger, spearing a few beans and popping them into his mouth. Ellie settled on sharing a can of beef stew with Joel, and then snacking on dried apples afterwards. The sun had sunk below the mountains by now, and the night's cold was starting to creep into the air.
Ellie caught Joel looking at her in that way that asked what she was thinking. She let out a breath, giving him a tiny, unconvincing smile. "Are you going to let me fight tonight?" she asked her guardian.
"I can't just leave you by yourself in the forest while the rest of us go to fight. I know you're as good of a shot as any adult here, but you stick to me like glue, understand?" Joel said pointedly, and Ellie nodded. It reminded her of the days they spent travelling the country, and how he always had his ways of reminding her to be careful, to stay safe.
Deciding she had had enough excitement for the time being, Ellie rolled out a blanket to get some sleep. It took some time, but eventually the exhaustion from the day's events caught up with her.
"Ellie, wake up! C'mon, let's get moving!" Joel ordered as he shook Ellie awake. The girl didn't have to ask why. She could already hear the distant gunshots and screeches of Infected down the road, in the heart of Victor. People had already paired up on horses, who were throwing their heads up at the terrible sounds. The three remaining horses cantered off, their riders entering into the fray a half-mile down the road.
Any remnants of sleep clinging to her body instantly dissipated as Ellie grabbed the rifle Joel handed to her. The gun felt familiar in her hands, and she ran alongside Joel, Tommy, Maria, and a few others as she tried to squint through the darkness to survey the battle.
She spotted the flashes of gun barrels from rooftops and second-story windows, but also from porches of bungalows. The bioluminescent fungal plates of Clickers, Stalkers, and a few Bloaters moved erratically as they were shot down, and their feral cries filled the air along with some human screams, too.
At least people are smart enough to stay in their houses… Ellie thought as she followed Joel into one of the unoccupied houses, while Tommy and Maria branched off to take refuge behind a porch railing. It was difficult to see the Runners in the dark, but she could definitely hear them. They shot any Infected they could see as they clawed at doors, trying to get to the men and women shooting them from above. Ellie couldn't count how many there were, but she was sure it was more than two dozen. Sophia was right… she moaned in her head, It's only a matter of time before they run out of ammo and the Infected break down the doors.
Just as she thought it, a couple of Clickers managed to bash through a window into a house with someone shooting from the second floor. They heard gunshots from inside, a garbled scream, and then the sniper never reappeared at the second floor window. Ellie shuddered as she gunned down as many Infected as she could, but she was slowly running out of ammo. A muttered curse from Joel indicated he was in the same predicament.
"C'mon, we're running low. Let's see if we can't borrow any from somebody else," Joel suggested, throwing a Molotov at the thickest mob of Infected he could find in the darkness. More became attracted to the flame, catching fire and screeching helplessly as they were burned to a crisp. It seemed to help a bit, but from the ground it seemed like it did little. Another human scream from a porch nearby made Ellie quicken her steps, and she shot the Runner who rose from its victim, a piece of sinewy tissue clamped between its teeth. It fell, the blood from the hole in its head adding to that dripping from its chin.
Eventually, the pair found Tommy and Maria with a couple of women Ellie didn't recognize, shooting Infected from the windows of a two-storey home. "We need ammo," Joel informed his brother, giving a quick nod of greeting to the other three women. Maria jerked a thumb over her shoulder to a box of bullets sitting on a chair in the corner. It wasn't much, but Joel split the remaining rifle bullets between himself and Ellie, going to the next bedroom over with windows that faced the street.
"How many do you think there are?" Ellie queried as she squinted down the street through the open window. The bobbing orange spots of light indicated there were Infected all along the street, probably in the range of fifty if she hazarded a guess.
"Hard to say, I can't see them so well in this darkness. My guess is around fifty, maybe more, but we've got half as many fighters. We should be fine," Joel reassured her, gunning down a Clicker trying to get at the front door of the house across the street.
Ellie bit her lip, closing one eye as she aimed at a Stalker and pulled the trigger. She swore as she missed. "Where the fuck did they all come from? Sophia can't have this many Infected in Driggs!"
"Could be from the forest, maybe some Infected from around town that Georgia hadn't gotten to yet. It's eight miles to Driggs, who knows how many of these guys those bastards picked up on the way here?" Joel replied gruffly, gunning down a couple more Clickers. The routine continued until they ran out of bullets, and Joel was out of Molotovs. But the Infecteds' screams were sparser now, and there wasn't so much orange glowing in the darkness. However many fighters were left seemed more than enough to finish the remaining Clickers off until the streets were silent, absent of any shrieks or gunshots.
"Talk about a firefight! Man, I thought it was never gonna end!" Ellie exclaimed as she rejoined with Tommy, Maria, and the two other women who they were shooting with.
The exhaustion on everyone's faces told her they were thinking the same, and Tommy suggested they go out to look for survivors. Ellie had seen some people venture out of their houses to fight the Infected with crowbars, kitchen knives, or whatever else they could find, presumably because they had run out of ammo. It hadn't ended well for any of them, as they were quickly overwhelmed by the hoard. She picked her way across the numerous Infected corpses, spying an unfortunate human here and there.
I've got to find Cody… Ellie told herself, eventually coming to walk up the steps of Georgia's house. A dead Runner and Clicker were obscuring the doorway, and Joel kicked them aside. Tommy, Maria, and the two other women split off to go tend to more survivors. "Georgia? Cody? Are you guys in here?" Joel called out as he got to the bottom of the stairs.
"In my room, Joel!" Georgia replied from upstairs. Joel cautiously ascended the stairs first, his boots making them creak heavily. They found Georgia and Cody sitting on the bed, looking as weary as she felt. "I guess I was wrong to send you away. I was a fool to let my hatred for Sophia blind me to this danger. God, how will my people ever forgive me for this massacre?" Georgia held her head in her hands, a heavy breath escaping her lips.
"Hey…" Ellie greeted Cody as she tapped his shoulder, giving him a fleeting smile.
Cody picked his head up, and he stood so fast Ellie had to back up a couple steps. "Ellie…" Cody breathed with relief, tightly wrapping his arms around her like he was never going to let her go again. Ellie stiffened as almost all the air was squeezed out of her lungs, her eyes widening. But, she gradually relaxed in Cody's arms, returning his embrace as she nestled her head under his chin. They stood like that while Georgia smiled for the first time in ages, and even a rare smirk crossed Joel's face.
She didn't know how long she stood there, but the longer Ellie did, the more all the questions flitting about inside her head were answered just by Cody's body language. He was alright, he missed her, he wanted her, and any previous tension between them melted away. Eventually Cody let go of her, giving her an opportunity to breathe properly.
"I guess you can tell I missed you, huh?" Cody sheepishly scratched the back of his head, giving Ellie a shy smile.
"It's only been a couple days and you're already missing me this much?" Ellie smiled back, smoothing down her hoodie.
Cody scuffed the floor with the heel of his shoe, shrugging. "I didn't think you were coming back for a lot longer. The Infected didn't hurt you, did they? I didn't think there would be so many…" he murmured, his smile turning to a frown.
"Us neither. I'm okay, so don't look so worried. Fuckers took up all our ammo, though…" Ellie said, fidgeting a bit. Cody's expression brightened, but he still looked anxious, as if he was waiting for her to scold him for his little display of affection. "Hey, what's wrong?" Ellie cocked her head.
Cody glanced up at her, biting his lip. "I…uh…it's nothing," he shook his head.
"C'mon, I can tell something's bothering you. What is it?" Ellie queried, slipping her hand into his.
Figuring he wasn't going to brush her off, he finally answered, "Do you still…you know, want me around?" He shifted uneasily, like he fully expected her to reject him.
After all this time, he's still insecure about that? Okay, I guess it didn't help that I didn't give him a straight answer last time… Ellie smiled, stepping up and kissing him lightly on the cheek. "Does that answer your question?" she queried in reply, feeling a bit of heat creep up her face. Cody ducked his head, smiling shyly as he nodded minutely. But then he craned his neck towards the doorway, holding a hand up.
"It's probably just Mitch coming back," Georgia suggested as they heard the door open and close, followed by a two pairs of quiet footsteps. Her assumption was determined to be false, however, when two unfamiliar, male voices floated up from the kitchen.
"You sure this is the house, James?" One man queried in a baritone voice.
James answered him with a hissed, "'Course Danny, I lived in this shithole, for Christ's sake! I remember where Georgia's house is!"
"God, I can't believe we lost Carl and Kirsten to some fucking Clickers...There doesn't seem to be anyone on the first floor, let's check upstairs," Danny suggested, and footsteps traversed to the stairs. The group upstairs threw confused, anxious glances at each other, and Joel quickly crouched down by the door, his crowbar at the ready. Ellie copied him, taking out her switchblade. Georgia knelt by the opposite side, tugging Cody down next to her. She pulled out a handgun, cocking it. They waited with baited breath as the footsteps became louder, and stopped at the top of the stairs.
"C'mon, let's check this room," James said, and Ellie clenched her jaw as the men's shadows grew larger as they neared Georgia's room. Ellie spied the tip of James's boot, and Joel tensed, ready to make a move, but Georgia made it for him. She rushed James, only to have him use her momentum against her and throw her down the stairs. Georgia slammed against the wall, falling headfirst onto the landing, unmoving.
Joel and Ellie burst into action, the former bludgeoning James with his crowbar while the latter took on Danny. But Danny was ready, already brandishing a straight, elongated rod. It had two prongs on the end, and it was unlike any weapon Ellie had seen before. Danny lunged forward, and she evaded him in the tight corridor, slipping into Cody's room. But she brushed Danny's pronged weapon as she passed, feeling a sharp electric shock run through her. She yelped, scurrying away from the weapon.
Cody and Joel heard her cry of pain, but Cody beat him to her. He ran up behind Danny, attempting to strangle him from behind. Danny easily threw him off, plunging his cattle prod into Cody's abdomen before he could recover. Cody's mouth opened in a silent scream, his face contorted with pain as the intense electric shock coursed through his body. He was unable to move, paralyzed as his eyes rolled up into his head.
Joel threw Danny off the boy, stomping on his head until he stopped moving. He went over to Cody, who laid limp on the floor. Ellie turned off the cattle prod, throwing it away. "Cody! Cody, can you hear me?" Joel practically yelled at him, shaking him by the shoulders. When he didn't respond, Joel put his ear to his chest, swearing after a few seconds. "Damn it, his heart's stopped," he growled, and Ellie hovered nervously as he began performing CPR.
"Is he…is he dead?" Ellie asked anxiously, her voice small. Cody's face was losing colour, the pale tone turning ever so slowly to gray.
"Not if I can help it. Breathe, damn you!" Joel cursed, pushing forcefully down on Cody's chest. Sweat was beginning to form on his forehead as he panted from the exertion.
Ellie sat on the bed, fidgeting as worry consumed her mind. She was watching someone die again, someone she cared about. "C'mon, Cody…don't die on me…" she murmured more to herself, feeling hot tears well up in the corners of her eyes.
After another round of breathing into his mouth and pushing on his chest, Cody arched his back, gasping for breath as his heart finally restarted. Joel helped him sit up as colour flushed his cheeks again, and he glanced around wildly.
"Take it easy, son," Joel reassured him in a calm tone, and he moved just in time for Ellie to practically tackle Cody down to the ground again in a hug, sobbing into his shirt.
"Why are you crying? What happened?" Cody furrowed his brow, squirming uncomfortably at Ellie's sudden affection. Joel gave them a half-smile, going off to tend to Georgia.
Ellie furiously wiped the tears from her cheeks, yelling furiously as she roughly shook him by the shoulders, "You were dead, your heart stopped! Don't ever scare me like that again!"
Cody's eyes widened, "Seriously? I thought I was just unconscious for a bit…sorry."
Ellie switched back to hugging him, burying her head into his chest like she wanted to make sure his heart was still beating. After she calmed down to sniffles she murmured, "It's not your fault. I'm not mad, I'm just really worried."
"I can tell…" Cody chuckled, picking his head up as Joel helped Georgia into the next room. "Is Georgia okay?" he called to Joel, and he replied with an affirmative. Ellie reluctantly released him, helping him over to the bed in the guest room. He took his shoes off, curling up under the blanket with a yawn.
Ellie copied him, and he furrowed his brow at the sound of extra shoes hitting the floor. "What are you doing?" he queried. As an answer, she cuddled up next to him under the blanket, and he visibly tensed at the intimate contact. He awkwardly cleared his throat, colour tinging his cheeks red. Ellie had no problem seeing it in the darkness.
"I'm not leaving you," Ellie declared stubbornly, resting her head on his chest so she could feel his heartbeat against her cheek. Where her hand lay at the base of Cody's neck, she felt his pulse quicken under her fingertips.
"Is Joel alright with this?" Cody asked hesitantly, trying to keep his breathing under control. The door promptly shut as if in reply, plunging them into darkness on the moonless night. "I'll take that as a yes…" Cody muttered, but then his tone became timid again, "You know I've never done this, right? Shared a bed with a girl, I mean?"
Ellie furrowed her brow, thinking back to the ranch house and the forest. "Sure you have, don't you remember the other times we did this?"
"I meant when I was conscious…" Cody clarified, "Like, how am I supposed to hold you?"
"Do whatever feels natural, I guess. I'll let you know if I don't like it," Ellie reassured him, smiling at his nervousness. You're adorable when you're being shy, Cody… She wanted to tell him, but decided to keep it to herself because she knew it would piss him off if he was ever called 'adorable'.
Cody wriggled his arm out from where it was pinned between himself and Ellie, encircling her shoulders with it so he could hold her closer. After a moment of awkward silence, Cody broke it with, "Why does my chest feel like someone was trying to crush it?"
"Joel revived you," Ellie replied simply with a yawn, closing her eyes in an attempt to get some sleep, "We should get some rest, I'm exhausted from worrying over you."
"M'kay…" Cody mumbled, already half asleep as he kissed Ellie's forehead. His breathing lulled Ellie to sleep, and she welcomed it with a tiny smile on her face.
A/N: See, I told you there would be fluff! Tell me how you liked it :)
Are all you artists out there just silent or too lazy to show me your work? The oneshot deal is still on, and remember it can be for any of my TLOU stories. My preference is Ian Rowland from Denver's Finest as I said before, so don't be so shy, I know you're out there. I have a traffic graph, so I know that by simple probability at least some of the 550+ visitors (and the 1800+ viewers) who have been reading this (in this month alone, anyway) should have some artistic skill (be it drawing anime, life-like people, etc.)…I don't care if you think you're awful, everyone thinks they're awful that the hobby they take most personally. Truth is, you're probably not.