The train tracks take them up, down, and around the cold, black mountains, their journey arduously slow. Ellie clutches her side, wheezing and going nowhere fast, every breath ragged and painful. Dina steadies her, draping an arm around her shoulders, pushing them onwards.

"C'mon, Ellie," she says in response to every horrid breath. "Just a little further."

"Says you," Ellie pants back. Her fingers, still covered in blood, dry and stick together, pressing to the tenderness in her ribs. They hurt, but they're not broken. She clenches her teeth. She'd had worse pain. She could pull through this. Dina was counting on her to get them back to Jackson.

Every now and then they stop, passing the water bottle between them and taking smaller and smaller sips from chapped lips as it emptied. Ellie shivers in her blood-soaked flannel, the wind much calmer since leaving the railroad bridge, but no less cold. Snow, or at the very least frost, was lurking somewhere in the mountains, ready to descend like a crashing, wintry wave.

"Take this." Dina removes the ranger's jacket and helps Ellie into it instead. Ellie winces as she lifts her arm into the jacket.

"You don't have to," she rasps.

"You're hurt. I can't let you get sick, too."

Ellie grunts, but she knows Dina is right. They alternate flashlights, conserving the batteries, the beams of light bouncing between the dark, neverending woods and the railroad tracks. Leaves and earth cover most of the trusses, dying weeds sprouting around the rusting rails. They were supposed to stop hours ago, before they even left the aspen forest, but the encounter from the hunters rendered them both unable to sleep. Now, they were watching a blue sunrise highlight the lines of compressed granite and marble on the cliffs next to them.

Dina stops and Ellie follows her gaze. "Shit."

A monumental rockslide of colossal boulders, jagged rocks, and broken trees had spilled over the tracks and tumbled down the other side, blocking their path.

"End of the road," Dina remarks. "Unless you think you can climb that?"

"I'm injured, not stupid. There's gotta be a way around." Ellie scans the impasse with her flashlight again, searching for a hole to squeeze through, when her light catches something shiny in the woods. She returns to it and the twin headlamps of a white pickup truck reflect back. "Hey, look! There's a car over there."

Dina clicks her flashlight on. The passenger door of the truck is wide open, a faded US Forest Service logo marking the chipping paint. Rusting rims sit on rotting rubber tires, and withering brown vines creep inside the seat, curling around the steering wheel and gearshift. A blackened skeleton slumps over in the driver's seat, an empty bottle of whiskey still held in a bony hand, moldy clothes hanging ragged from his remains.

"God, that's creepy," Dina says as they walk over to it. "What do you think happened to him?"

"Probably the same thing that happened to the other ranger," Ellie replies, poking her head into the cab. She spies a rusted box cutter next to the skeleton, crusted with old, dry blood. This one had decided to end it before the infection spread. It's an observation Ellie keeps to herself, fishing into the glove box instead. She pries it free from the spider-webbed vines and moss growing over the worn leather. A pile of dirt, two broken cassette tapes, and a flutter of water-stained papers tumble out. Ellie picks up one of them, and reads something scrawled on it in pencil.

Ranger's Log

8/16

Wrapped up this season's trail building with the SCC. Good kids, hard workers.

8/20

Busy weekend. 35/52 occupied sites, 4 RV hookups.

8/31

Hot. Reminded a couple of hikers to stay hydrated.

9/2

Labor Day Weekend. Lots of campers. Boy Scout Troop 437 enrolled in the Junior Ranger program.

9/13

Busy weekend. All sites full. 7 RVs. Comms down between 1200 and 1700.

9/15

More campers. Late registration fees. People are setting up between sites. Remind campers not to leave campfires unattended.

9/21

Called in backup from the Wildwood Ranger District. Their campgrounds are also overbooked. People are camping on the road. Fucking budget cuts! Comms were down again, 0900-1400.

9/22

Comms down at 0800.

9/23

Arrested at least thirteen people today for disorderly conduct. Too many fucking people in one spot. One of them bit me. Filed a Health & Safety form and will submit on the next mail drop-off. Comms still down.

9/24

Sick. Joey came to check on me. Told him to get away, might be contagious. Can't eat or sleep. And this bite… Treated it with First Aid. It hasn't done shit. I need to get to a hospital.

9/25

Last log. I'm not going to make it. I have to end it.

Joey, if you find this, get to Cottonwood Tower. Mike and Hugo will help you. Stay away from here.

Meanwhile, Dina peers into the empty truck bed. A dark streak of blood slathers down the tailgate, as if a body had been loaded and then dragged back out.

"I don't like this," Dina says, gripping her flashlight tighter. "Maybe we should turn around."

"And go where?" Ellie replies, less frightened by the grotesque discovery but equally exhausted. Her chest aches, her feet are frozen, and her stomach cramps with hunger. If they turned back, none of that would change. They might run into more hunters. "This looks like it used to be a road. We can at least see where it goes."

Dina is less than thrilled. "Ellie… I'm not sure following strange paths in the woods is a good idea. What if we just… I don't know, waited here?"

It dawns on Ellie that it isn't fear that's holding Dina back. Dina's optimism is almost enough to laugh at. "Dina… Nobody's coming to rescue us."

"And how do you know? We keep moving like this, it's no wonder nobody can find our trail," Dina snaps. "How do we know the others aren't out searching?"

She was right. Anyone that had survived the attack at the bonfire and made it back to Jackson would have raised the alarm. Worried families would want to find their kids alive and form search parties. She wondered if Joel would be among them, lips tight and brooding, or if he would rather be patrolling the wall, stubbornly refusing to search for her, letting her eat her words.

"I said, I don't need protection."

Ellie shakes her head and starts down the grassy path. "And what if they're not, Dina? What if they've just assumed we're all dead? We've gone far enough already. I'm not going to sit around and wait to see if they catch up."

"So, you would leave me behind?"

Ellie walks further and then stops, grimacing at a dim, slate sky shrouded by swaying pine trees flecking raindrops off evergreen needles. She pivots around, jaw clenched, but does not walk back over to Dina.

"No."

Dina approaches her instead, quick and indignant, umber eyes locked into a steadfast glare. "Really? Because all I seem to do is slow you down. You could be halfway to Alaska by now."

Anger bubbles in Ellie's throat again."Yeah? Well, I haven't. And I wouldn't. I'm trying to get us both back to Jackson alive. Sorry if that isn't good enough."

"I don't know, Ellie. I've been chased by infected, shot at by hunters, almost crushed by a train car, not to mention cold, tired, starving, and…" She falters, turning her glare to the muddy ground. She crosses and then uncrosses her arms, fidgets with the blue bracelet on her wrist, and finally resorts to stick her hands in the pockets of her lavender hoodie. She sighs. "And… There's something else."

Ellie blinks, confused. "What?"

"How do I know you're on my side?"

Her question steals any words Ellie could have said, her mouth suddenly very dry. Sweat collects on the back of her neck. Panic of Dina learning about her infected condition quickly replaces any anger. She can't find out. It could ruin everything. "What? Dina, I don't… What are you…"

"I saw the way you killed those hunters," Dina replies with a dark, careful tone. "And I know why your hands shake."

Ellie's brow knits in concern. She's not sure she wants to know.

Dina licks her lips and points at her hands. They're still covered in blood. "It's a condition that soldiers have. Their hands shake, and sometimes they freak out at things that aren't there. They don't sleep and when they do, they have nightmares. Bad ones. They think someone's trying to kill them, even when they're safe."

"And… You think that's what I have?" Ellie asks slowly, skeptical, as if Dina could guess any other kind of condition she might have.

Dina hesitates. Sighs. Looks her in the eye. "I'm positive, Ellie. And it scares the living hell outta me."

Ellie tenses. This wasn't the way that things were supposed to be. "I'm not crazy, Dina."

"I'm not saying you are. I'm trying to say I've seen the signs. You need help, and that's all I've been trying to do. But every time I do, you…you push me away. So, why should I bother staying? You can take care of yourself. You don't need me."

"I do need you," Ellie blurts out, as if it were gut instinct instead of embarrassing truth. She fumbles for words as her hands reach for Dina's, squeezing them and holding them firm. "Just… stay here, okay? We're in this mess together and… and I'm going to get us both out."

Something strong and primal tugs at Ellie's core and she suddenly realizes how overwhelmed she is by Dina's lilac perfume, mingled with sweat and dirt. She wants to run her fingers through her hair and kiss her warm, supple lips. It's a desire she hasn't felt in years, if ever, her blood rushing in her ears.

But she can't. She shouldn't. She knows better. All it would take is one kiss to get Dina infected.

Ellie takes a step back, wringing her hands together and then swinging her arms, shaking the nerves away. "So… Yeah."

"Oh. Yeah," Dina replies, just as flustered, olive cheeks tinted pink. "Are… Are we good?"

"I think so. If you wanna stay with me, I guess."

Dina blows a raspberry over shoulder. "Without you, I'll end up like that guy. So, looks like you're stuck with me."

Ellie nods. She's relieved, but her stomach ties itself into knots. She passes it off as hunger.

Half a mile later, they reach a ratty barbed wire fence coiled around shoddy wooden fence posts. A weathered Trail Closed Until Further Notice sign dangles from a single nail. Ellie ignores it, using a discarded wooden plank to press down on the barbed wire, making it easier to cross. It would take a lot more than that to keep her out of places she shouldn't be.

"Do you think anyone still lives here?" Dina asks, hiking through the tall grass, the twelve foot wide path once neatly mowed.

"Only one way to find out," Ellie replies. She checks her pistol's magazine. Four bullets still remain. Her hand trembles as she holds it and slides it back in. "So… You really think I have some sort of condition?"

"It's the most logical answer. I didn't mean to offend you."

"You didn't. I wouldn't have known." She's about to say she doesn't remember the last time she saw a doctor, but that isn't true. It was all a haze, filled with bright lights and strange, clinical smells. She vaguely remembers hearing a high-pitched alarm and gunshots, but she can't be sure.

Joel, Marlene, and the Fireflies were there. She knew that much.

They find the hunting stand just before sunrise. Dina goes first up the wooden ladder, turning around and reaching her hand back down for Ellie to grab. Pain shoots through her whole left side as she grasps Dina's hand and is pulled over the edge and into the meager shelter. She crawls to a spot in the corner where she can prop herself up, each breath stinging and shallow.

"How you holding up?" Dina asks, concerned but still standing.

"Fine," Ellie replies through gritted teeth. She tucks a hand to ribs, feeling them swell with every pulse. "See anything?"

Dina looks out from the hunting stand and frowns. "Not really. It's kinda just a big grey blah with all this rain. Lotta fog."

"Fuck."

Ellie rests the back of her head against the wall. She closes weary, bloodshot eyes and tries to remember all the different ways someone could get to Jackson without a map or even a road. A settlement of three hundred people was nothing more than a speck in the vast wilderness and mountains surrounding them. If Tommy had never told Joel that Jackson even existed, Ellie doubted they would have been able to find it at all.

A thought occurs to her. Most survivors in Jackson had come with what remained of their family and friends. Dina had arrived all on her own.

"Hey," Ellie calls to her. "How did you find Jackson?"

"Pure dumb luck." Dina sits down opposite her. She presses the soles of her shoes to Ellie's sneakers. She massages the leg she had twisted on the train tracks. "After Salt Lake City, I joined a group headed to Seattle. They said it was safe there."

Ellie does her best not to look too alarmed. She must have made a face, because Dina quickly follows up with, "We were trying to find the Fireflies."

"Oh," is all Ellie finds she can safely say.

Dina scoffs. "Right? Waste of time, considering they're all dead now. So fucking stupid." She pauses, long and pensive, holding onto something she can't let go of. She shakes the feeling off. "But yeah. Me and this other group heard that there was 'salvation in Seattle'. Honestly, I was too much of a wreck at the time to even know what that meant. I still don't. Anyways, we were all separated when some military caught onto us in Casper. I managed to run and hide long enough that when the fighting stopped… I was the only one left. I figured I would go to Seattle on my own, but then I came across Jackson. And so… I stayed." She snorts. "For a while, anyways."

Ellie smirks at her irony. "Pure dumb luck, huh?"

"Dumber than a box of bricks."

"Hey, which is heavier: a pound of bricks or a pound of feathers?"

"A pound of bricks," Dina replies instantly, and then scowls. "Hey… Wait a minute… You clever little shit."

Ellie chuckles and suddenly breaks into coughing. She gasps and clutches her ribs, hot pain wracking through her whole left side. When it subsides, she clunks her head against the wall again. "Gah. Fuck me. This fucking sucks."

Dina leans forward onto her knees. "Would you mind if I took a look?"

It's a question that would have normally brought the butterflies back to her stomach. It wasn't just about undressing; Dina having a look meant taking off the jacket, and taking off the jacket meant taking off the flannel, and taking off the flannel meant showing Dina the scar she wanted to tell everyone and no one about. Ellie keeps a hand on her ribs, as if protecting them from view.

"I'll be okay," she replies.

Dina takes her at word. She doesn't sit back in her corner, and instead puts herself at the side opposite of Ellie's injury. She hooks their arms together.

"It's cold over there," she says, laying her head on her shoulder.

Ellie is too exhausted to protest. She rests her cheek on the top of Dina's head, now on her shoulder. They are warmer together, if only by a little bit.

She likes it.

Heavy footsteps thud underneath the hunting stand. A chuff of breath and a soft whine is all it takes to snap Ellie awake. She freezes, listening hard to the leaves crunch and brush rustle right below where she and Dina are sitting. Something down there keeps moving.

And there's more than one.

"Dina," Ellie whispers. "Dina, wake up. We've got company."

Like Ellie, Dina snaps awake with an alarmed inhale. Her gaze locks with Ellie's in the dwindling light. "What do we do?"

"See how many there are," Ellie replies, pointing where the ladder meets the ledge. She crouches forward, holding back the cough that wants to erupt from her throat. She flattens herself against the floor, trying to see better through the crack, but all she sees is shadow and dead raspberry bushes. She doesn't dare speak.

Dina creeps to the ladder and peeks over the ledge. "Ellie. Come here, quick."

Ellie draws her knife from her belt, her silent companion, creeping next to Dina, ready to jump off the ledge and stab whatever Infected that was prowling around.

But it wasn't an Infected. And it wasn't a hunter.

Relief floods through her. Ellie closes her knife and watches as a herd of deer browse the raspberry bushes just below the hunting stand. The biggest one, an eight-point buck, walks with the heavy footsteps that had woken her.

"Isn't that cool?" Dina whispers with a stunned grin.

Ellie struggles to steady her hand. "Super."

It comes out sarcastic, but she has to admit that it is pretty neat. She's never been this close to a deer before, let alone a whole herd.

For a few minutes, they watch the deer in comfortable quiet. Ellie keeps an eye on the buck and he keeps an eye on her, unblinking as he eats with the rest of the does, sticking close to them. He lets the rest of his herd know by bumping his square nose against their flank. One by one, they shuffle along into the deep woods, tweed hides melting with the shadows.

"Damn," Dina says. "Have you ever seen anything like that?"

"Sorta."

"Sorta?"

"I've pet a giraffe before." Ellie smiles at the memory, and watches as surprise crosses Dina's face.

"What? No way."

"Well, I don't mean to brag, but…"

"You're totally bragging."

"They must have broken out of a zoo or something. They were all over the place. We were walking through an old terminal, and it was funny because I saw it and Joel didn't, so I ran ahead and he was all, 'Ellie, slow down! Ellie, I'm an old man, wait up!' and then we see a whole herd of them. One of them came up to us, and well…" She shrugs, smug and casual. "I got to pet him."

Whether Dina could tell or not, it was one of her favorite memories. There were so few pieces of her history she could look back on unmarred.

"You," Dina says, pointing a finger at her, "are one of a kind, Ellie. Just like a giraffe."

It's enough to make Ellie blush.

Dina scoots over the ledge and jumps down. "Think you can make it?"

She knows she can make it, but it's going to hurt. Ellie hops down, cringing hard, and she flings a hand out before Dina can help her up. "I'm good. I'm good."

"All right. Twenty bucks says there's a house nearby."

"Twenty bucks?"

"Okay, twenty-five."

"Ass," Ellie mutters, but the light humor helps her ignore the pain.

The rainy drizzle from earlier that day turns steady. A bitter chill promises sleet and slush, the mountain weather quick to change without warning. Ellie and Dina trudge along the old service road, dark green grass reclaiming gravel patches, and rain collecting in deep, muddy potholes. Long, low thunder growls from behind the mountains encircling the one they're on, tall and judgemental, refusing shelter or passage.

Ellie pulls up the hood of the ranger's jacket, water beading off the top. Dina does the same with her pullover hoodie, cinching the strings to keep her hair and ears dry.

Then, Ellie stops. "Shit."

A fork divides their path. Gangly spruce trees bow to the path on the left that curves out of sight. To the right, the path narrows and slopes gently downhill. One could lead them somewhere, or they both could lead nowhere, further into the heart of the mountains.

"Shit," Dina echoes, just as stumped. "Which way?"

Ellie frowns. It's anyone's guess at this point, the river hidden far from view. Ominous grey clouds are settling in and another growl of thunder rolls from the darkening sky, closer than before. Ellie shuffles her feet, looking back and forth between the two paths, neither looking promising.

"Well… Jackson's down in the valley, so…" Ellie looks to the right fork. "Maybe this way?"

Dina pauses, gaze lingering on the other path, as if a beacon would descend and point them in the right direction. Nothing happens and she follows Ellie down a series of long, steep switchbacks. Steel guardrails with a fine coat of rust and sleet barricading them from falling over the edge. Dense, grey fog lazes over treetops and roils around the distant, snow-capped mountains.

The worn grooves of the service road dumps them out to what used to be a meadow, aspen saplings crowding along grassy edges with juniper shrubs sneaking underneath. A two-story log cabin sits in the center, flanked by two husky firs, orange needles and moldy pinecones collecting in overflowing gutters.

Ellie whistles. "Shoot. Looks like I'm out twenty bucks."

"Twenty-five," Dina chimes. "How do we get inside?"

Wooden planks bar the front door closed and plywood stands in every window. Mud squelches under their sodden sneakers along the cabin's side. A blue tarp weighed down with water and bricks slumps in frayed pieces over rusted ATVs and snowmobiles. They round the corner to the back of the cabin, a lonely hatchet still stuck in a stump next to chopped firewood stacked four feet high.

"Up there," Dina says. Green curtains billow out from a second story window.

"There's gotta be a way up there," Ellie replies. She retraces her steps to the collapsed tarp on the side of the cabin. An aluminum ladder juts out between a snowmobile and a heavy industrial saw. She tugs on the end of it, gritting her teeth at the pain ballooning in her ribs again, but it doesn't budge. "Hey. Help me get this out."

Dina jogs over and grabs the rungs. "Whenever you're ready."

"One, two…" Ellie braces herself. "Three, pull!"

Metal on metal screeches in protest, and with slow steps they pry it from the dilapidated junk pile. Something catches on the other end, and with a strained yell Ellie pulls harder. The ladder snaps and both girls fall backwards as the brick-laden tarp collapses.

"Fuck!" Ellie exclaims, kicking the junk now trapping the ladder. "Stupid fucking thing! Who the fuck puts a ladder right here, anyways?"

"Idiots." Dina stands and reaches out a hand, hauling Ellie to her feet. "You okay?"

Ellie wipes the mud from her hands on her knees. "Even if I wasn't, I don't have a choice…" She groans, glaring at the mess in front of her. "Whatever. Stand on top of the wood pile and see if you can boost me up. If I can reach it, I can let you in from the other side."

Dina stares at the her, apprehensive, but nods. "Just be careful in there, okay?"

"I will."

Again, Ellie feels a strange yearning in her chest, the need to show or tell Dina something more. Whatever that is, she decides, will have to wait as Dina jumps onto the wood pile, kneeling and lacing her fingers together. Ellie climbs up the other side, puts her foot into Dina's hands, and with a shared grunt, Ellie scrambles for the open windowsill. Her fingernails dig into the rotting wood and she hauls herself into a musty office, flipping over the edge and onto the floor, sharp pain threatening to rip her in two. Tears dot the corners of her eyes and she bites her sleeve to keep from crying out as she hears a familiar clicking and squawking echoing from somewhere in the house.

"Ellie?" Dina calls from outside. When Ellie doesn't immediately answer, regaining her pride and balance, she calls again. "Ellie! Is everything okay in there?"

Ellie sticks her head out the window with a finger pressed to her lips. Dina claps her hands over her mouth, looking wildly over her shoulder, as if the Clicker was right behind her. When she looks back to the window, Ellie is gone.

Ellie exhales and pulls out her knife. "You can do this. You've done it a hundred times before."

The self-motivation propels her legs forward, crouching around an executive desk laden with curling plastic binders and forgotten files. An American flag gathers dust in a dingy corner. She dodges the discarded piles of wildlife encyclopedias and presses herself to the open door frame, poking her head around the corner to a wood-panelled hallway adorned with grimy trophy plaques. She freezes, listening hard for the Clicker's labored breathing, coming from somewhere on this floor.

She tiptoes into the hallway and the floorboards groan under every step. The Clicker barks and Ellie readies her knife, but it doesn't come after her, lurking in a room further away.

"Where the fuck are you?" she mutters, reaching for the next room's doorknob. She gently pushes it aside and creaks on its hinges, revealing another office, but more modest than the first, with more filing cabinets and less bookshelves. A hideous, taxidermy beaver sits on metal desk. Ellie moves onto the next room across the hall, also pushing the door aside, revealing another modest office. Clickers didn't play games, but Ellie wasn't so sure what this one was doing.

Suddenly, clunky footsteps stagger nearby and Ellie ducks against an overturned bookcase, the buzzing prowl of a roaming Clicker raising every hair on her head. Clickers can't see, but Ellie can't shake the unmistakable feeling that it's watching her, fungal crown glowing neon orange, bloody frills stroking the air for any unusual vibrations. Saliva sputters from pale lips and broken, rotting teeth, dripping down sallow jaws above her head. She keeps her eyes shut tight, every bit of her clenched still, invisible.

Glass crashes from somewhere inside the cabin. The Clicker whirls, drawn to the noise, and Ellie seizes her chance. She jumps up and the Clicker screams as she shoves her knife into the back of its head, pinning her knee between its shoulders, wrestling the blade deep into its infected brainstem. She yanks the knife free and stabs it three more times, the Clicker still screaming. A moment of confusion passes at the sound before she realizes that the scream is coming from outside the cabin.

"Ellie! Ellie, get out here, now!"

"Dina!" Ellie yells back, panic surging through her. Bloodied hands search the Clicker's torn green uniform and comes up empty.

"Ellie!"

"Shit. Shit!" Ellie sprints for the head office and nearly throws herself out the window. Two Runners burst from the woods and Dina cowers from them. Ellie snags an encyclopedia and chucks it at one of the Runners, clocking it in the head and forcing it to stumble enough and give Dina a chance to retreat. "I'm coming for you, Dina! Hold on!"

"Hurry, Ellie!"

Ellie races out the head office, through the hallway, and down a flight of stairs. She darts for the front door and slams her full weight into it. Sharp, vicious pain crackles in her head and is so strong she doubles over with nausea.

"Fuck!" she cries, listening as Dina's screams escalate into sheer terror. She needs to get out there now.

Ellie backs up, head spinning, and charges at the door. It blows wide open with an explosive crack!, splinters flying as she slips and crashes into the mud. Her entire body splits in two, darkness and white spots popping in her eyes, Dina's screaming muffled and ringing at the same time.

Animalistic adrenaline pushes through the pain and Ellie runs between the black spots of her fading vision, scrambling for a brick from the tarp pile. She sends it sailing in Dina's direction, voice cracking as she shouts, "Hey! Fuckfaces!"

The brick clacks on one of the Runner's shoulders, but it ignores her, swarming with a second Runner over Dina's body instead. Ellie musters together a burst of speed and rips the hatchet from the stump. She swings it back like a baseball bat and sinks it into the first Runner's chest, plunging into its ribs with a sickening series of pops that vibrate up the splintering handle. She kicks the flailing body and slices the blade across its neck, black blood gurgling from its shredded throat.

She looks over her shoulder just in time to see Dina with a brick of her own, bashing the other Runner's skull and bones into the earth.

But it's not over. Four more Runners and a Clicker stream like insects from the woods, drawn to the noisy action.

"Ellie, what do we do?" Dina asks, wide-eyed and reaching for another brick.

"Keep… fighting," Ellie struggles to reply, flitting in and out of consciousness. She pulls her pistol out and aims with one hand, her left side going numb, firing four rounds at the Runners and missing all but one. They're too fast to aim at and even when she lines up her shot, the trigger clicks, empty. Ellie squints through the rain. Thunder booms inside and outside her head as she keels over, knees splashing into the mud, her head swarmed by an all-consuming blackness she can no longer fend off.

The last thing she remembers is Dina above her.

"Ellie? Ellie, wake up! Ellie, hold on, please hold on! Stay with me! Ellie!"