Chapter 5 - part 1

He helped her finish making dinner and all the while they kept asking each other questions back and forth. After she moved had she liked her new school? Did she make a lot of new friends? What had living in California been like before the outbreak? Was it as nice as everyone thought? She had just as many questions for him too and they ended up talking all through dinner and long into the night. They both laid together in the one bed, Ellie resting her head on his shoulder with his arm around her while they talked. He couldn't remember the last time he'd talked this much, even in the group he was always the shy quiet one, but now his jaw was actually starting to hurt from grinning which oddly enough made him smile more. Neither one of their smiles had faltered for a minute while they'd caught up on how each other's lives had gone. It wasn't until she'd asked him for more details on his trip across the country did he make up an excuse, saying they needed to get some sleep, to avoid the subject. Luckily, Ellie didn't seem suspicious as she yawned at the mention of sleep and he chuckled. She nestled into his side and he carefully pulled the blanket over both of them.

"Ellie?" he said softly and she hummed against him, "Thanks for not leaving me on the beach to bleed to death."

She gave a small chuckle before whispering, "You're welcome." A moment later she was out like a light, he only stayed up a minute or two later hoping she'd forget her question by morning.

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The next few days passed by in a blur as he and Ellie continued to catch up. She told him about her life after she'd left New York, how she hadn't really tried to make new friends since she missed her old one so much. He told her that he wasn't that special even though her statement made him blush at the compliment. She didn't disagree with him but he could see in her eyes she still thought differently. It was the way she saw him that he'd liked most as kids, he'd always been the outsider but with Ellie she made him feel important over the things that usually made him self-conscious.

She told him that after a while she did make a few close friends but it always seemed like her parents wanted her to make more. Like they thought she was so great everyone should know her. She had been a part of some sports teams and clubs in school, she participated and knew a lot of the other students but she never felt like hanging out with any of them after school. She felt like even with everything she did her parents still wanted her to be miss popularity, captain of the cheer team, prom queen type. He wished he'd had a way to visit her Pre-Z, he could tell he made her feel accepted as much as she made him, even if she was nowhere near as shy as he was and wasn't bullied like he'd been.

Neither one of them asked about their families, he knew hers would be with her if they were alive and she must have assumed the same about him. He was grateful she didn't bring up his mom or pa and instead asked him things like, did he ever get a new slingshot after he'd given her his? When had his dad finally let him learn to shoot? What had he wanted to do after high school, go to college or become a park ranger like his pa? He thought his answers were boring, yeah he'd gotten a new sling, he'd only been shooting for a year or two before the outbreak happened, and no he'd had no clue what he'd wanted to do with his future. But even with his dull responses Ellie looked at him with bright eyes as she took in every word like he was telling her some epic adventure. She kept smiling at him and he found it contagious and smiled back.

They spent the next few days walking along the beach looking for anything useful to scavenge, sometimes they went back to the farm for more food and in their down time Ellie would draw and he'd scout the perimeter for Z's to add to his kill count. Sometimes they'd read together, either the same book or different ones but either way they'd curl up next to each other under the blanket on the bed and stay that way until they fell asleep. He woke up almost every morning with Ellie either curled up on him or he'd have his arm around her. He was embarrassed at first that he'd held onto her at some point in the night but after a while he got used to their closeness and actually enjoyed having someone to wake up with.

Ellie consistently checked his bullet wound which was still healing well, he'd have a good sized scar but he'd make a full recovery. He sat on the edge of the bed and had taken his shirt off again to make it easier for her as she checked and re-bandaged him and he smirked a bit when he noticed her blushing.

"Why do you still blush?" he chuckled, "It's just my stomach."

She mumbled back something as she got up and went to put the supplies away but he grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"What was that?" he asked and she turned and reached out just enough to put the box back and when she looked back at him her eyes landed on his hand which hadn't let go of her wrist yet. "I'm not letting go until you tell me."

Her eyes looked up at him and he could tell she was embarrassed by whatever it was she had mumbled, obviously she hadn't intended for him to hear it.

"You can't make me tell you." She said and his smirk widened into a full grin.

"Yes I can." He said before reaching out his other hand quickly and grabbing under her ribs making her squeal and try to jump back but she didn't get far since he was still holding her. He couldn't stop himself from laughing at her reaction along with seeing the slightly angered look in her eyes. He knew Ellie never really got mad a day in her life which is why he found it so amusing. "Did you think I forgot that you're ticklish?"

"Tommy don't you dare –" she began but then he pulled her onto the bed, flipped her over and started tickling her so much part of him worried her shriek-ish laughter might attract Z's.

"Tom-my stop!" she laughed between breaths trying to push him away but failing, "St-op. I need to brea-the."

He relented, now laughing with her as they both caught their breath but very quickly the moment went from innocent fun to oddly tense. He suddenly became very hyperaware that he didn't have a shirt on and she was pinned beneath him on the bed. Her hand was resting on his shoulder from when she'd tried to get him to stop tickling her and the nerves in his skin under her touch felt like they were on fire. Their breathing had calmed down now leaving them just staring at each other, he felt her fingers start to move down his arm and he swallowed nervously wondering what she was about to do.

Then he let out a yelp as he flung himself off her and landed on his back next to her on the bed as she started laughing.

"Did you think I forgot where you're ticklish too?" she mocked as he held his arm close to his body so she couldn't tickle under his arm again. She sat up and tried to get off the bed but he lunged at her, wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her back and continued their tickle fight.

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"5,402. 5,403."

He counted as he shot at Z's. Ellie was inside the cabin and he'd wandered off to check the perimeter again. He'd gone further out then he'd ever had so the sound of the bullets wouldn't attract more Z's to their home. As he looked through his scope and watched zombie number 5,404 drop he saw a jeep come into view. It stopped near the freshly mercied Z and a man got out. He had his dark hair slicked back and had a greying goatee, he crouched down and looked at the zombie before he looked up and scanned the perimeter, 10K was hidden in the thick trees and all their leaves so the man didn't spot him. 10K kept a watch on him through his scope and his heart dropped into his stomach as his core filled with dread when he saw the bite mark on the man's cheek.

He saw him turn and say something to people who must still be inside the vehicle. Taking his chance he turned and headed back to the cabin, keeping his spine bent so he'd be less visible as a million thoughts all rushed through his mind, none of them good.

When he got back he stormed through the door of the cabin obviously startling Ellie but her reaction didn't stop him. He quickly started grabbing anything he could get his hands on as he packed a backpack, his heart hammering in his chest.

"Tommy what –"

"We need to leave." He said urgently as he moved around the room collecting supplies.

"What? Why? We –"

"Ellie." He said sternly pausing what he was doing and staring her in the eye, he knew he couldn't tell her the truth - even if he wanted to there was no time, he had to get her out of there before Murphy's blends found them, "Do you trust me?"

She looked thrown off guard for a moment and hesitated before answering his question, "Of course I do. Tommy I –"

"Then we have to leave. Now." He said going back to grabbing things and stuffing them into the backpack, "Grab whatever you can. We don't have much time."

Ellie began moving around the room grabbing another backpack and filling it, she had a confused look on her face as she packed but as long as he got her somewhere safe he could explain things to her later, he just had to make sure there was a later.

Why were Murphy's blends here? He thought as his mind spun in circles. It had been weeks, maybe a month or more by now, and there had been no sign of Murphy. He'd assumed the 'savior of the human race' had left after making the submarine explode, so why was he back? He had a theory but it only made him swallow nervously and start to sweat. If Murphy had sent the blends after him it was to either capture or kill him, neither of which he wanted, and who knew what they'd do to Ellie if they found her with him.

Once they had both backpacks full Ellie grabbed her weapon and he rushed her out the door. Several times she tried to ask him what was going on but after getting no response she gave up. He knew she could probably tell by his behavior that whatever was wrong was serious. He kept looking side to side taking in every leaf that blew in the wind, every small movement as he pulled her deeper into the woods and away from the shore where he knew the blends would search first.

He had a good idea of what direction the jeep was in so he knew where to avoid but the blends Murphy had sent were probably his best men, he wouldn't have sent morons this far and leave anything up to chance. He stopped every now and then to listen for footsteps or voices. Ellie was panting beside him her hand holding tightly onto his while she tried to catch her breath.

"Tommy, can you please just take a minute and tell me –" but her sentence was cut off by a loud pop and he pulled her down out of instinct. He quickly looked around for the source and his eyes went wide when he saw a bullet hole in the tree next to them.

"Run!" he shouted and tugged her along.