Hey, what's up? Here's a new post for the day, though I'm going to upload the next chapter right after I finish editing it :D So be prepared for it! Once you finish this chapter, you should be able to go onto the next ;) The reason why I'm doing this is because I'd like to give you around 10k words to read a day(if at all possible) so you can really enjoy yourself and we can progress through the story at a steady pace. We are nowhere even near the end yet, but I can promise, it is getting better :D Enjoy! And I'll see you in the next chapter!

Also, thank you guys all for the kind reviews! They really give me the motivation to keep going and a lot of the time work as reminders to post the next chapter not to long after I receive the notification that I got another review xD

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The Humvee stopped running and Ish glided it to the side of the road. "LISTEN UP FOLKS! WE HAVE GONE AS FAR AS WE WILL BE ABLE TO! SO GET UP! WE NEED TO FIND SHELTER!" He said so loud he was practically yelling.

Lucas laughed as he watched nearly everyone jolt awake at Ish's booming voice.

"Fucker..." Ellie grumbled after her heart rate reestablished a normal rhythm. She snuggled into Lucas' chest, burying her face in his jacket.

As they drifted to the side, Lucas saw a sign saying their were entering Butte, Montana. He sighed loudly.

"Oh you gotta be shitting me..." He said, not realizing he had just pulled a pun until it was too late.

"You been in my backpack?" Ellie huffed, unable to laugh yet. She didn't want to wake up yet, damn it!

"No, we're entering Butte." He replied with a chuckle.

Finally the humvee came to a complete stop and Ish got out, stretching. Lucas felt the desire to do the same.

"Hey love, mind getting out so I can stretch?" He asked Ellie sweetly.

" 'Love'," She mumbled, getting off of him slowly. She smiled at him as she opened the door and stepped out. "I like the sound of that."

He smiled, getting out as well. "So do I." He replied.

As he was stretching he realized they were on an overpass. Below it was a road that led to a fenced off field and tennis court.

"Holy shit... I want to go there for a little bit!" He said.

"Alright," She walked towards a hotel. "You go right ahead. I guess I'll check us in a room for two and get changed while you play around?"

She tried her best to sound tempting, but her morning voice ruined it, making it seem more like a groggy person who almost sounded high.

"Sweet!" Lucas said.

"I'll go." Serena volunteered to accompany him, as did Beth and Ish.

Winry walked up to Ellie and patted her on the shoulder. "I'll go with you."

"Thanks." She sniffed jokingly, adding her lower lip to look extra sad. "I guess he's not interested in our honeymoon. Just fucking golf."

Lucas sighed, hanging his head down. "Alright... I'll go with you to the hotel."

Ellie shook her head, laughing after she hit him in the arm playfully. "I'm just kidding. Go have some fun. When you get back, the room should be cleaned up. I'll even tell the manager to let you know which number we're staying in, 'kay?"

"Alright. You sure you don't want me to come with?" He asked again as Ish, Beth and Serena began walking towards the field.

"I'm sure. But tell Serena to get over here! I need to fix up her damn arm and she needs to rest!"

She was back to plain old doctor Ellie, always making sure that people were taken care of. When he went to run back to catch up with the others, Ellie cleared her throat, catching his attention yet again.

"Forgetting something, Lucas?" She asked, tapping her foot.

As Serena was making her way to Ellie, Lucas rushed back to his lover and wrapped his arms around her. "I would never." He said confidently, with a wink.

She wrapped her arms around him, giving him a sweet little peck on the lips. "They'll be more of that plus when you return AND wash up."

Ellie led the others to the hotel, peeking inside before laughing. "Sweet!"

The place was actually pretty untouched by anything other than dust and a few skeletons by the front desk, which she walked up to and rang the bell, urging Serena and Winry to join her.

Ellie led the others to the hotel, peeking inside before laughing. "Sweet!"

The place was actually pretty untouched by anything other than dust and a few skeletons by the front desk, which she walked up to and rang the bell, urging Serena and Winry to join her.

Serena limped up to Ellie with a grin and Winry examined their surroundings carefully.

"Winry?" Serena asked, worried by their companion's constant watch.

"Hm? I'm just making sure we're safe," She responded.

"Yes, what rooms do you have available?" Ellie asked the person in her imagination. "Really? I can have any room I choose?"

The redhead continued, saying, "Why thank you, good sir. It's so kind of you to include my friends on such an awesome vacation experience... Yes... Okay, I'll tell them."

She turned around and looked at the two staring at her as if she had grown a third head... that's how the saying went, right?

"What?" She asked, as if nothing weird had happened.

"Nothing, nothing. We were just seeing who could keep their eyes open the longest." Serena said admittedly.

"Tssh, you two are weird."

"Yup. That we are." Winry said, yawning.

"Anyway," Ellie continued, leading them up the stairs. "He said that the second night is free is you stay that long and that all utilities including the elevators are out of order at this time, but there's a river just a couple miles away if we need water. And the-"

She noticed the looks she was receiving again. "What?"

"You're talking to air.." Serena stated quickly.

"Right. Well, just lead us to the rooms!" Winry said excitedly.

"Alright," Ellie trew her a hand full of keys to the top floor. "Hope you don't mind of view of the city height!"

She lowered her voice. "And a long ass walk up the stairs every day..."

Lucas and the group walked through the front door of the Hotel. Ish and Serena both looking at him with amazed faces.

"You speak Swedish?" Serena asked him curiously.

"When you hang around a full blood Swede for four years, yeah. I picked it up a bit." He replied before a wave of exhaustion hit him.

As they walked through the Lobby Lucas groaned, shaking his head to try and shake the exhaustion off. "You should have known that."

They could hear the movement of the others upstairs, as they moved things around in their rooms, trying to perfect what they had for the time the had it.

Joel took Chaya as she slept in his arms, her arms wrapped around his neck and her cheek resting on his shoulder. He was just as tired as the little girl, though he was willing to bet she had been through more than he had.

"We're goin' to sleep," Joel half mumbled, half grumbled. He was not even going to care about unloading the supplies from the vehicle until he was good and ready to.

"Yes. Me... Me... T... ooo" Lucas said before he fell forward.

Ish and Beth quickly rushed to keep him up right. "Fuck, alright. Let's get him to a room." Ish said, picking the boy up and carrying him over his shoulders towards the stairs.

Ellie was upstairs with the other girls as they all cleaned their rooms, which were all connected with doors going from each other's room, with Ellie being the one in the middle. The had used the excuse that it would be safer than being completely separated, but in truth it made it much easier for the girls to talk to each other and visit just by knocking on the door and walking in.

Ellie was going back and forth from her backpack on her bed and the closet on the other side of her room. It had a beautiful view of the city with a balcony that could hold her weight.

"I wish I had some running water right now," She spoke up as she talked to the other girls as they all worked. "I still haven't changed out of the blood and cordyceps 'outfit' from yesterday, and I smell awful."

Making sure to leave out an extra outfit for herself to change into, she lowered her voice as she continued. "Makes me wonder how Lucas put up with it during the trip..."

Before Winry or Susan could respond, Ish burst through the door with Lucas on his shoulder. He maneuvered around to the bed and set the unconscious boy down.

"Fuck he doesn't look heavy but let me tell you, I'd rather lift a fucking tank." He said panting heavily.

Susan and Winry both stopped what they were doing and walked over to the bed. "Fighting the infection, again?" Winry asked Ish who simply nodded in response.

Ellie made her way over to the bed and checked his temperature, then sighed. "I think it's just from sleep loss," She chuckled, sitting by him for a moment and checking the stitched up bite on the back of his neck. "It doesn't seem to be spreading, so he most definitely passed out... good."

With that being said, she resumed her work, cleaning up the bathroom.

Ish nodded before sleepily walking towards one of the doors leading to the other rooms. Susan followed him, turning him around and guiding him to their room.

Winry simply sat and watched her brother quietly.

"Dime for your thoughts," Ellie said, poking her head out of the bathroom, looking over at Winry.

"Nothing... just watching him." Winry lied.

In truth, her thoughts were still around the conversation her and Ellie had. On top of all that she was worried for her brother.

She laughed and sat down beside her. "Is it our plaid clad friend, or your brother being bit? Because Luke's gonna fucking make it through this, he's just tired as fuck."

Winry sighed, "Both..."

Her smile got even wider. "So..." She scooted in closer to her, excited she might actually be able to make some girl talk for once since the Boston QZ. "What's up?"

"Does that man always get upset when you state facts about him?" She asked Ellie curiously.

"Only if it conflicts the 'Old World'." She said matter-of-factly. "You're twenty years younger than him, give or take, and he still sees the old world's ways, saying it's wrong, even though you're above the legal age..."

"Oh cry me a river... even in the old world people stated facts like those to older people." Winry said rolling her eyes as she got to her feet.

"I'm going to go scout the city. Make sure there are no immediate threats." She informed Ellie.

If that truly was Joel's reason, she did not think it a noble reason. In fact, she thought it made him appear to be a big, old baby.

"Want some company?" Ellie asked, hoping to go with. She really wanted to get away from everything and have someone around her age to talk to, but if it came to it, she'd talk to Serena if she had to. It would be nice to get out of the dusty old building though.

Winry contemplated it. Could she come with? She always worked best alone or with her brother.

She shrugged, "I don't know. I work best alone or with Lucas."

"Could consider it a trial," She chuckled, grabbing her now almost empty backpack. "See if I can keep up. Or be stealthy enough for your taste. Or just tell me not now."

"Fine. Come on." She said, pulling her hood up over her head, as well as placing the black cloth mask over her lips and nose.

As Winry opened the door and turned the corner, it appeared to Ellie that the woman just vanished into the air. Realistically she just rushed to the stairs and passed them by hopping over the railing.

"Oh, fuck you!" She flipped at no one in particular before jogging down the stairs.

"Guess I'll be going to have to start putting up with fucking Creed of Assassins." She grumbled, remembering seeing a video game with that name about an assassin who could vanish without actually vanishing.

When she reached the bottom floor a minute later, there was her cloaked friend, standing near the entrance.

"Y'know," Ellie said, not happy. "Most people take the stairs, not over the railing like fucking Manbat."

Winry stood at the entrance of the hotel, leaning against the doorway. One arm across her chest, hand holding onto her other arm's elbow so she could examine her exposed fingers whilst she waited patiently.

"Speed, efficiency, silence, and lethality. That's my code. Run with me you best keep up with my speed, and be efficient, silent, and lethal." She replied before rushing out the door.

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Ellie did her best as she followed Winry through the city for thirty minutes until she finally got tired and stopped near a mall. "Okay..." She gasped for air, dropping to her knees. "I'm gasp taking huff a little break."

She looked over to see where they were, and let out a sigh of excitement. "Fuck yes!" She stood back up, walking towards the entrance, bringing out her bow just in case. "Let's check it out!"

Winry hardly looked affected by the run. The only evidence of the run she showed was her slightly increased breathing. She turned to look at the mall before shaking her head.

"We're supposed to be scouting the city for threats. Not shopping." She reminded her younger friend.

"And there could be someone in there," Ellie made up an excuse. Really, all she wanted to do was see what was in this mall. Every since the first time she had been inside one she was unable to not see what was in the next.

"Or maybe some new clothes. Including paid..." She mumbled the last sentence, giggling to herself, hoping she wasn't heard.

"If you wish, you can search the mall and I can go on to the rest of the city..." Winry offered.

Ellie would have made a good point... if there was evidence of any recent activity near the mall.

She looked back at her as if she had heard the dumbest thing in her life. She walked back and grabbed her friend's hand, dragging her towards the huge building.

"Don't be so antisocial! Take a break and just enjoy the break we have!"

Winry groaned as she was pulled towards the mall. "Ellie, at any moment the hotel could be raided and we lose everyone. We can't have a break until we make sure the rest of the city is safe."

Ellie looked back at the mall longing to explore, but then let out a sigh of defeat.

"Fine," She mumbled. "But can you at least slow down a little for me? My first bottle of water is almost empty, and I've only got two more bottles."

"You're lucky you have Joel as a caretaker. Else you, Lucas, and myself would be doing PT from four in the morning to ten in the morning." She replied with a laugh, walking at a normal speed.

"Come on, snail." She teased.

"Fuck you," Ellie laughed, bumping their shoulders together playfully. "I haven't done PE in fucking eight months. And my teacher was a dick. Stole my water guns." She looked around for anything out of the ordinary, but found nothing. "Besides," She continued. "My PE included more than sprinting for thirty fucking minutes."

Winry chuckled, "Oh toughen up, princess. I expect to see you tonight for Lucas and my nightly session before bed."

She constantly was scanning her surroundings for movement or signs of recent or ongoing activity.

"Thirty minutes? Oh, no wonder you're so out of shape..." She taunted playfully again.

"I was actually the best in my class in PE," She smiled, remembering her old school. "But everything else could go fuck itself. Anyway, I was the best at running and climbing the ropes, but I wasn't good with lifting weights."

They soon neared the city perimeter, and so Ellie turned around, happy to be able to explore in a few minutes with a new friend.

"I suppose. Those QZ grunts don't know what the hell they're doing though. Lucas and I will make a woman out of you, if you let us." She said with a smile behind her mask.

"I'm sure Lucas would without your help," Her voice was a mumble, but Winry still heard it. Ellie blushed, wishing she hadn't said that.

"I mean, you're so full of it!" She laughed, though it wasn't very convincing. "I've already proved that I can handle myself in a firefight and when I have to use move evasive maneuvers!"

"It's more than just evasive maneuvers and guns."

"Teamwork is another important thing," She added, her excitement getting even harder to contain as they neared the mall.

Ellie was starting to pick up her paced once the mall was in sight, and she motioned for her friend to follow. "Come on! You have zero excuses to not enjoy yourself now!"

"Of course I do," Winry said with a smile, "I have to get back to check on Lucas and make sure he's okay."

She was lying just to see Ellie squirm.

"For fucks sake!" She grabbed her hand again, practically dragging her to the entrance. "We're going shopping whether you like it or not! So you might as well like it!"

Winry didn't like being touched rather forcefully, given the situation she escaped yesterday. But, she bit her tongue and let Ellie drag her to the mall.

Once inside she scanned everything twice as much, partly due to the darkness, but mostly because malls were never good news.

"So what do you find in Lucas that makes you love him?" She asked randomly.

Ellie stopped at a clothing store, wiping at the dirty cracked glass to peek inside. She shrugged at the question.

"Maybe it's his unwillingness to give up in any situation," She answered, picking the lock with her knife, but not doing well. "Fuck, Um... maybe it's also because he doesn't just either shut up or give in if he doesn't agree with something. You'll get a bit of that with Joel until he gets used to you."

She looked at Winry, raising her eyebrows. "But I think he's warming up to you quite quickly, my very confuzzled friend."

Winry shook her head, moving Ellie out of the way before kicking the door in, sending the poor rusting metal thing flying off of it's hinges and into the store.

"I'll just torture him with facts." Winry said, shrugging as she walked into the store and looked around.

Ellie shook her head. "Jesus, so much for stealth! I was trying to be quiet in case of infected," She laughed. "The one's like me, but have a worse attitude and bad make-up. You know the type."

"If there was any infected in here... I'd know." Winry stated as she inspected a dress.

Ellie worked going to the storage room, which most likely had cleaned clothing in the shipping boxes.

"Jackpot!" She yelled from the back, the sound of plastic boxes hitting a padded concrete floor. "There's everything we need for clothing back here!"

"Great! Pick it up and let's get heading back!" Winry called out with a chuckle. "We can come back for more later!"

"I wonder if there's plaid back here..." She looked through the crates, laughing at what she found. "Winry! Get back here!"

Winry rushed to the back and looked at Ellie curiously. "What is it?" She asked.

What she saw on the other hand, was not Ellie, but a girl who looked like her, with a way different choice in clothing. Ellie was in a black strapless minidress with a thick blood red ribbon going around her waist. She turned around after looking herself over in the mirror to look at the other girl's face.

"Think Luke will like it?" She asked, uncomfortable with how much skin was showing. How the heck would you clear a fence with this thing on? Or climb a ladder with someone beneath you? She shrugged. Must have been another fassion thing back in Joel's day.

Winry let out a short chuckle, "Oh I think he'll like it alright... but I think you'll have to fight him back from you a bit..."

Her brother was impulsive, and with that much skin showing from his lover... She knew where he'd take it. "I hope he has restraint around you. Otherwise you're in for a hell of a time." She said with another chuckle.

She blushed. "You think he wants me more than just," She held out her arms, referring to herself. "This? That he's serious about me and not just trying to get a bit of fun out of me?"

She was pretty sure he loved her, but she still had doubts about Lucas, since he was always a loner.

Winry chuckled, "Oh he's serious about you. In his eyes, he is yours and yours alone. How do I know? Well, multiple reasons, but take a look at his upper body and tell me what's different."

She chuckled again, shaking her head as she looked back in the mirror. "I wonder how long it'll take before he finds out that I left his mask behind..."

Winry laughed, "You think that you left it behind? Nah, that's another thing you should look into when he's conscious. I'm sure he'll show you that as well."

"He has more than one?" She groaned. "The one thing I hate about him is that fucking mask. When he passed out last night I ripped it from his face and stepped on it as Ish carried him out."

She searched through a few more boxes, throwing a few pairs jeans and t-shirts in her pack. Then a couple dresses to try on at the new safe house.

"You may have done that... but talk to him about it next time you see him." She told the girl. "It'll surprise you."

"So? What did you find? 'Cause I think I found something..."

Ellie walked out to check behind the counter, which had yet another dead body there, who had tied a belt to their neck and pulled it tight until they choked to death. "Fuck..."

"Eh... I already got what I need."

Winry followed her before heading to the doorway without a door. "What I want is deeper inside. But we don't have time at the moment to get it."

"And why not? We have an entire fucking day to kill time!" She jogged out of the store and walked another fifty feet down, stopping at a jewelry store. "Ooooo..."

"Because I'm hungry!" Winry shouted after her before heading towards the exit of the mall.

The younger girl gave chase, but still longed to see what was inside the small store.

"We ARE coming back later!" She pouted. "I wanna see what's in there."

"Of course we are. I do too." Winry said with a concealed smile.