Ellie, Joel, and Matthew stood outside a two-story library.
Joel and Ellie set down their guitars.
They all turned on their flashlights and drew their weapons.
Joel opened the door and shoved a cart full of books aside. A few of the books tumbled to the ground noisily.
They heard the sounds of shuffling on the other side of the library followed by more falling books.
Ellie turned quickly. "Oh shit!" She unleashed an arrow as a Runner came barreling toward her.
The Runner's corpse slid to a stop at her feet. As Ellie grabbed another arrow, Matthew moved beside her and shot another Runner who had come around a nearby bookshelf.
…
Joel moved forward into the library, his gun raised. He heard a loud series of sharp clicking noises.
A Clicker came running toward him flailing its arms. Joel shot it twice in the head. It stumbled and fell forward. He turned in time to see a Stalker charging him.
Joel brought up his forearm and pressed it against the Stalker's neck. Its teeth gnashed and its jaws snapped together inches from his face. Joel pushed the Stalker away with a grunt and punched it hard in the side of the head.
The Stalker staggered into nearby bookshelf. Joel grabbed its head and smashed it on the wooden surface. The Stalker's head exploded loudly and its body went still. Joel shook the blood off his hand. He could hear his two companions and more Infected on the other end of the library.
…
Ellie ducked behind another bookcase and pushed it over, causing it to fall on the Clicker attempting to reach her.
Ellie ran around the shelf and jammed her knife through its head. It went silent after a few loud clicks of pain. She turned as Joel ran around the corner and fired his weapon. A Stalker that was behind Ellie fell to the ground with a gurgled scream.
Ellie kicked it once and looked at Joel. "Where's Matthew?"
…
Matthew stood in the center of the second story of the library. He kept his eyes on the shadows. "Where are you?"
A book was knocked over to his left. As he turned, Matthew could have sworn that he saw a hand disappearing behind another shelf. He turned to the sound of the creaking staircase behind him.
As he returned his attention forward, the Stalker rushed at Matthew from the left. Matthew was shoved the Infected into a nearby bookshelf and his crossbow clattered to the ground.
…
Joel and Ellie ran up the stairs in the center of the library.
Joel got to the top in time to see a Stalker's teeth imbedded in the boy's arm.
A knife was protruding from the Stalkers gut. The boy extracted the knife and used it to slit the Stalkers throat. The Stalker gagged and gurgled before falling to the ground.
The library was silent.
Joel grabbed Ellie as she walked toward Matthew. He pointed his gun at the now infected young man.
Ellie rolled her eyes and shoved Joel's hand away.
Matthew rolled up his sleeve and showed Joel the bark that covered his arm.
Joel slowly lowered the gun. "That's a nice trick," he said. His tone offered no admiration.
"The Stalker certainly thought so," Matthew said, retrieving his crossbow.
"The second you disrespect those things," Joel said sternly. "They kill you."
Matthew nodded but didn't say anything.
Ellie grabbed Matthew's arm and used her flashlight to examine the bark. "Matthew, that was too close," she said, clearly concerned. "I can see your arm."
Matthew pulled down the sleeve. "I'll replace the bark soon," he assured her. He started walking away. "I'll be in the nonfiction section."
Ellie nodded and began to browse the shelf.
After doing another quick check of the library, Joel found Ellie browsing sci-fi books on the ground floor. He walked up and handed her a set of Angel Knives Comics.
"I don't read comics anymore," Ellie said, not even looking at them. She took a book from the shelf and looked at it before putting it away.
Joel opened her backpack and placed them inside.
Ellie grabbed another book. "You should be nicer to him," she said, peering through the book.
"Ellie, I'm not going to have this conversation with you," Joel said, throwing a glance at the nonfiction section.
"He's my friend," Ellie snapped as she turned to Joel. "Treat him with some respect. He's been more than polite to you. And if it wasn't for him, you wouldn't even be here."
"I would have followed you anyway," Joel said firmly. "You want to be his friend, that's fine. But remember that we don't know anything about this kid. Not even who he's looking for."
"So?" Ellie asked, slamming the book shut. "I don't remember you telling me everything the second we met. We all have our secrets, Joel."
"He seems to know everything about you."
"Not everything," Ellie said, lowering her voice. She sighed and shook her head. "He doesn't know about Riley. Not her name anyway."
"That's another thing," Joel said, lowering his voice as well. "Why would you want to go back to Boston?"
"I'm helping my friend," Ellie said, still not looking at him. "It's that simple."
Joel turned away. This was never simple. He took a deep breath. "Alright, Ellie. I'll give him one chance," he promised. "But I need you to think about what happens after this is done. Think about what's best for you. Not for him."
Joel walked away.
…
Ellie turned toward the bookshelf. He'll never understand. I don't belong in Jackson. She picked out a book and shoved it in her backpack next to the comics. I can't think that far ahead anyway. I never could.
Ellie walked to the nonfiction section.
Matthew greeted her with a nod as he put back another book.
Ellie looked at the books along the shelf behind her. "There's a lot about wars."
"I wouldn't know," Matthew said, moving away from the aisle. "I kinda stay away from that part of history."
Ellie leaned against a shelf. "What were you and Joel talking about earlier?"
"Nothing."
"I told him to lay off a bit," Ellie said.
"I didn't ask you to do that," Matthew said, grabbing another book.
Ellie gave him a small smile and nodded. "I know. But I did. So deal."
Matthew gave her a shrug and they began to descend the stairs.
Ellie watched as Joel exited the library. "So, why do you always call him 'sir'?" she asked.
"I was always taught to respect my elders," Matthew said with a chuckle. "My mother always said that you can be respectful to someone without respecting them. But that's not an issue I have with him."
Ellie laughed. "What the hell is the difference between 'being respectful' and 'respecting' someone?"
Joel walked in from outside with their guitars, inserting himself into their conversation. "It means that when you're right next to them, you be polite. But what's said in your head stays in your head."
Ellie raised her eyebrows at Joel.
"Tommy used to mouth off at the teachers," Joel explained.
Matthew leaned against a bookshelf. "And Tommy is?"
"My brother," Joel grunted.
After eating a small dinner scavenged from one of the nearby houses, Ellie sat on one of the old couches next to Matthew. Joel had gone into an abandoned storage room to search for supplies.
Ellie tossed a scrap piece of paper in the trash bin that they'd used to create a small fire. "I miss the deer already," she said.
"Since when did you get picky about food?" Matthew asked, leaning back. "Oh wait, you were always picky."
Ellie elbowed him.
Matthew grabbed his side. "Ow! What is with you and always beating me up?"
"Because I can," Ellie said with a smile. "And because I only have one weakness. So it's harder for you to retaliate."
Matthew reached over to tickle her side.
Ellie slapped his hand away. "Tickling is off limits," she said.
"I thought that it was your only weakness," Matthew said.
Ellie folded her arms. "It is."
Matthew reached over, grabbed her right arm, and unfolded it.
"Um… what are you doing?" Ellie asked.
Matthew started tracing his fingertips along her palm. "Most people have two ticklish spots."
Ellie smiled and moved a little closer to him. She took off the cloth covering the bite and extended her arm. "Try me."
Matthew slowly moved up Ellie's arm, barely touching her with the edge of his fingertips. Ellie remained unmoving and uncaring, even as Matthew traced over her bite and up to her shoulder.
Matthew reached the crease between Ellie's shoulder and her neck. She reflexively attempted to cover the spot with the side of her face. Matthew grinned and began to tickle the spot.
Ellie started to giggle. "Hey! Not Fair! Stop it!"
"Two weaknesses," Matthew said with a smile.
Ellie grabbed his hand and Matthew retaliated by tickling the spot just below her ribcage. Ellie grabbed that hand as well.
Matthew tried in vain to tug his hand away. "Well," he said as Ellie held their arms above them. "Now what?"
Ellie thought for a moment before she leaned back and started to loudly gather spit in her mouth.
"Ellie, don't you dare—"
"Hey!"
Ellie and Matthew tuned to see Joel carrying a lighter and a few boxes of tape.
The older man lowered his voice and spoke quietly. "Remember where we are. Keep it down."
"We played our guitars outside, like, two days ago," Ellie said, releasing Matthew's hands. "How loud do you think that was?"
"Ellie, just… just do what I say," Joel said. He walked outside.
Matthew moved to the other side of the couch. "I don't think he's going to warm to me quickly," he said with disappointment.
Ellie looked down for a moment. "If that made him mad, just think about what he'd do if I kissed you," she said.
Matthew froze.
Ellie blushed and looked away. Did that just come out of my mouth?
Matthew quickly stood. "Ellie, do me a favor," he said, his voice a mixture of disappointment and irritation. "Don't use me to make Joel mad. You're better than that."
"That's not what I meant by that, Matthew," Ellie said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Matthew shrugged her hand off. "Are you sure about that?"
Ellie was silent.
Matthew turned away.
Ellie shook her head, sighed in frustration, and walked out of the library.
…
Matthew sat back on the couch. Nice going Matthew. Way to say it like it is. He ran a hand down his face and began to think of what lies ahead. Boston, then what? After this is over… Will Ellie stay? Will I lead her to her death?
Matthew closed his eyes. A brief image of Ellie lying in a pool of blood came to his mind and he snapped his eyes open. I won't let that happen. I can't. I can't be the cause of her death too.
…
Ellie stepped outside and kicked a stick in frustration. He was fucking right. Sometimes… dammit. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Joel standing next to her.
"What's up, kiddo?" Joel asked.
"Nothing," Ellie said for what felt like the millionth time.
Joel nodded and started to walk away. "You know where to find me."
"Joel?" Ellie said. He turned back to her. Ellie looked down. "What do you do when someone calls you on your shit and you know that they're right but you don't want to admit it?"
Joel sighed. "I guess I would have to admit to myself that I'm wrong and then talk to the other person," he said. "That's never been your strong suit."
Ellie's mouth opened slightly and she took a step back.
Joel seemed to realize the impact of his words. "Ellie, I'm sorry, that… that didn't come out the way I meant it to."
Ellie looked him in the eye. "Maybe I learned from the best," she said coolly.
Joel opened his mouth to reply but thought better of it. He looked down. "Maybe."
Ellie moved to reenter the library.
Joel walked beside her. "Ellie, why are you asking me all these questions?"
Ellie opened the door for him. "Who else am I gonna ask?"
Joel gave her a small smile and walked inside.
Matthew looked up from his book as Ellie and Joel reentered the library.
Matthew nodded at Joel.
Joel nodded in return and moved to another room.
Ellie walked toward the other end of the library.
A short time later, Ellie sat down on the couch next to Matthew. "You were right," she finally admitted. "Again."
"You say that like our roles have never been reversed," Matthew said. He marked his page and put the book down. "It's done with. Besides, sometimes we need other people to point out our flaws."
…
Joel opened a cupboard and shifted through the contents. Nothing.
A case caught Joel's eye. He examined it for a moment before tucking it under his arm and exited the room to see Matthew once again reading a book. Ellie lay dosing on the couch next to him, her pinky finger intertwined with his.
Joel hesitated for a moment. I promised her I'd try. He set the case on a nearby table.
The sound awoke Ellie from her doze.
Matthew looked up.
Joel glanced at Matthew and then at the chess game that he had found. "You play?" he asked the boy.
"Not for a long time," Matthew replied.
"I didn't know you could play chess," Ellie said to Matthew, rubbing her eyes.
"You never asked."
Joel pulled a second chair up to the table. "It's still early."
Matthew looked at Ellie, who shrugged. She seemed as surprised as he was.
Joel started to separate the pieces by color as Matthew set up the board on the table.
"You want white or black?" Joel asked.
Matthew grabbed the darker pieces. "I'll take black."
Ellie pulled up a chair as Joel and Matthew finished setting the board. "How long has it been since you played, Joel?" she asked, handing him a wayward piece.
Joel finished placing his queen on the board. "Sarah used to kick my ass."
"Who's Sarah?" Matthew inquired as they sat down on either side of the board.
Joel didn't answer. He leaned forward, examining the board. "Do you want to go first?"
Matthew shook his head. "No. White usually makes the first move."
"Who taught you to play?" Joel asked as he moved a pawn.
Matthew took a moment to examine the board before moving one of his knights. "My mother," he answered. "I had a hard time focusing when I was younger. I always had to be doing two things at once. She said this would help me focus."
"How old were you?" Ellie asked.
"Six," Matthew answered.
"Pretty young," Joel commented as he moved a piece.
Matthew didn't answer right away, moving a piece of his own.
After another few moves, Joel's queen was positioned in the middle of the board.
Matthew spoke as he moved another pawn. "In this world, youth isn't exactly enjoyable. But chess was good to me."
…
Ellie watched as they continued to play. She noticed that Matthew would examine the board for at least three seconds before making his move.
Joel would move within two seconds.
Ellie leaned back. Well, at least he's civil. He's trying.
There was little small talk. Ellie began to doze again. She leaned backward in the old chair, almost tipping it over. She steadied herself with a loud clang.
"That was graceful," Matthew commented, not looking away from the board.
"Shut up," Ellie grunted.
Joel moved the queen again, taking out one of Matthew's pawns.
Fifteen minutes into the game, the pieces were now spread over the board.
"Well, I'm going to bed," Ellie said with a yawn. "This game still doesn't have enough movement for me."
"You should try 'Operation'," Joel said.
"What?" Ellie asked through another yawn.
"Nothing," Joel said as Matthew moved his knight. "Goodnight, kiddo."
Ellie turned around and brought the bin of fire next to the table. "Don't stay up too late. I hate being the first person awake."
"See you in the morning," Matthew said.
…
Matthew and Joel played for another ten minutes in silence.
Matthew began to move slower, analyzing the board fully before making a move.
Joel looked behind Matthew at Ellie, whose arm was draped over the side of the couch. Her bite reflected slightly in the dying firelight. The cloth that covered the bite lay across Ellie's chest. Joel looked back at the game and saw that Matthew was looking at her arm as well.
Joel moved one of his bishops. "Got something to say?"
Matthew looked back at the game as well. "She's a strong person. She'd have to be to carry that burden around with her."
"She obviously told you about how it feels," Joel said.
"She didn't have to," Matthew replied, moving his knight. "It never mattered to me."
Joel moved his queen again. "I suppose she just spilled her guts the second she decided she trusted you."
"Not exactly," Matthew said. For the first time, he didn't hesitate in making a move. He used his knight to remove Joel's bishop, making the queen his next target. Matthew took a deep breath. "Is there something you'd like to ask me, sir?"
"I'd just like to know what you did to make her so blindly loyal to you," Joel said quietly, moving his queen out of Matthew's path.
"I didn't do anything," Matthew said. He made another move. "She followed me. It was her choice."
"So she's following you into danger," Joel said, taking one of Matthew's bishops. "And you don't care."
Matthew moved his castle in front of his own king. "If I thought telling her to leave would keep her out of danger, I would. But I also believe there's safety in numbers. I'm doing what I can to keep her safe."
"You're lying," Joel said, taking one of Matthew's pawns.
"Sir," Matthew said, looking up. "I don't think you know me well enough to say that."
Joel raised his voice slightly. "I don't need to, boy. Ellie didn't even know you were going to Boston until after I found you. You could have left without saying anything, but you didn't. You came back for her."
Matthew thought for a moment before returning his gaze to the board and moving his knight back to its previous position. "Maybe I am lying to myself," he admitted. "But somehow, I don't think that leaving her behind would have made it any easier for her to survive. I think it would have hurt her more than anything else."
Joel made another move. "Have you told her who you're looking for and why?"
Matthew shook his head. "No. There are some things that I like to keep close to the chest," he said, moving a pawn to buy some time. "I have… issues with my past that I still have to work through. I'm not willing to burden others with them."
Joel placed his queen further out of the danger. "Don't let the sins of your past get her hurt."
"I was under the impression that the sins of the past were what got her here," Matthew said. He moved his knight again and glanced at Joel.
The older man was glaring at him.
Matthew looked away, realizing he had crossed a line. "Sorry. Backing off."
"Wise choice," Joel said. After a few moves, he placed his castle across from Matthew's king. "Check."
Matthew immediately used his own castle to take out the opposing castle, keeping his king safe. Joel moved his queen. Matthew moved his knight down the board toward Joel's king. Joel moved his queen again.
"You put a lot of focus on moving your queen," Matthew observed.
"That's because the queen is the most important piece."
"It's a powerful piece," Matthew allowed. He moved his knight near Joel's king again. "That doesn't make it the most important. Check."
Joel removed Matthew's knight with his queen, saving his king. "I suppose you think that the knight is the most important piece," the older man grunted.
Matthew shrugged and moved his surviving knight a few spaces away from his own king. "Well, I never underestimate the value of a protector."
"Is that what you think you are?" Joel asked moving his queen back a space. "A protector?"
"Hell no," Matthew said, looking at the couch behind him. He turned to Joel. "But protectors can always surprise you with the lengths they're willing to go to keep their allies safe. Even if their allies don't understand it or like it."
They both made a few moves in silence before Matthew moved his knight towards Joel's king again.
"Even the queen needs their protection," Matthew said.
"Is that why you let your queen get taken so early?" Joel challenged.
"Tu-shay."
"If you really want to protect someone, you do what's best for them," Joel said, placing his queen into a gap that led straight to Matthew's king. "Not yourself. Checkmate."
Matthew's hand lingered on his knight for a moment. "I guess so," he said, letting his hand drop.
Matthew stood and extended his hand.
Joel clasped it for only a millisecond before letting his hand drop.
Matthew tipped his king over. "Good game, sir."
…
Joel looked up from the board as Ellie began to roll back and forth on the couch, murmuring in her sleep. He watched as Matthew walked up behind the couch and reached down, squeezing Ellie's shoulder.
Ellie relaxed and grabbed his hand, still fast asleep.
Matthew removed his hand after a few seconds. He moved around the couch and started to gather the remains of their camp into a pile.
Joel ran a hand down his face and examined the board again. He noticed something new.
Matthew's knight was in position to remove Joel's queen.
The game was not over.
Joel started to play the game from both sides.
Within five moves, Joel's white king was bound in a checkmate, trapped in a corner by Matthew's knight and castle.
Joel sat back. He let me win. He could have taken the queen. He would have won.
Joel looked over as Matthew walked toward the restrooms.
Matthew looked at Ellie again before closing the door.
Joel was still staring at the door minutes after it closed. Who the hell is this kid?
