Chapter 32 – Tracks in the snow
Ellie sat on the couch in Eugene's basement for a long time. The intoxicating smell of withered plants was not pleasant, but it did not bother her much either. She felt tiredness in her bones, even though she was only awake for a few hours. She wasn't even sure if it was noon already or still morning. It must be the cold, she thought and shuddered, rubbing her gloved hands against each other to warm herself a little better. There may had been a raging blizzard outside, but it wasn't much warmer in the library either. As soon as Dina walked out of the basement and returned to the others, Ellie gave herself over to thoughts and memories. As beautiful as the memories of this place were, it always reminded her of that day. She felt pressure in her chest remembering how Abby killed Joel with a golf club. Almost a whole year had passed since then, but the memory was still fresh, and the pain was still hard to bear. Of course, there was her breakup with Dina ... Oh, stop complaining! You told yourself you were going to get over it all, she was trying to regain her emotional composure. Ellie told herself that she would have a reason to live and that she would try to be happy, just like Joel and others that have died for her would've wanted.
Since the basement and loneliness kept reminding her of the past, she decided to follow in Dina's footsteps and simply leave. She hurried up the stairs, clutching the straps of her backpack in which she carried the basic things she needed to survive. Most of her followers sat in a circle made up of chairs that were scattered throughout the library. Two chairs were available for her to sit on, one next to Victor and the other next to Cat. Ellie wasn't particularly keen on sitting next to Victor, but she didn't really want to sit next to Cat either, heavily suspecting that Cat wanted something more with her, and when one takes their kiss in the account... and then she saw Dina and Jesse laughing sitting next to each other and whispering something to each other. Without thinking, she sat next to Cat, without noticing a smile on girl's face. Among those gathered in the circle were Jesse and Dina who were sitting next to each other, Miles who was sitting next to Jesse and Viktor next to him. On the opposite side was Julia staring at her fingernails, Cat beside her and finally Ellie. Noah and Mark were still wandering around the library, everyone could hear their voices as they laughed out loud, surely talking some nonsense. Victor seemed uncomfortable sitting with them and as if he wanted to leave.
"What now? Are we waiting for the blizzard to subside?" Julia was the first to address everyone, taking her eyes off her fingernails as if those weren't important anymore. She always seemed too worked up over her looks. Everyone looked at Ellie, as if expecting some order.
Elli just shrugged and stared to the side. "I guess so. What else can we do?" She tried not to blush at all those looks that were on her. What do they think I am? Some kind of leader?
"I don't see what else we have left. After a storm like this, we can't move anywhere without exposing ourselves too much. It'll swallow us whole." Jesse said casually, as if he had no worries in life.
"And Ben?" Julia called out again, "He's out there alone."
I know she's flirting with him, but isn't she a bit too worried about him? Jeez, Ellie thought irritably, and then the realization struck her like a thunder. Joel was also outside in a storm like this. She shook her head sharply, hoping the others hadn't seen.
"There's nothing we can do about it." Victor said, causing a torrent of raised eyebrows and staring. He immediately raised his hands and laughed uncertainly, "I mean, don't get me wrong, but we don't know what's outside. A-and he's one person and there's nine of us."
"Just because the three of you hate him doesn't mean we should let him die." Julia was persistent, and her voice took on an angry tone from which Victor just shrunk in his chair. His average face took on a shy expression that said he would rather be outside in a blizzard than suffer Julia's rage.
Julia was right in a way, but Victor wasn't wrong either. If the decision came down to Ellie...
"Ben's not a fool." Dina said, distracting everyone from Victor and Julie. "He survived alone in Seattle. Don't underestimate him, Julia."
Jesse nodded proudly, "He's right. That guy is hard as a rock. A harmless blizzard won't break him."
"It may not be a blizzard, but the horde of the infected will certainly want it." Julia frowned, her narrow Asian eyes narrowing even more. Ellie couldn't help but wonder how beautiful this girl could be no matter what face she made. She never felt anything for her or attempted anything in romantic sense, but only a fool would say that Julia Choi is not the most beautiful girl in the neighborhood.
"Looks like someone has a crush." Miles said with a wide smile, which evaporated as soon as Julia shot him with eyes as cold as ice, from which even Ellie shifted in her chair. "I mean, I'm just kidding ... don't take me seriously. You know me, silly me." Then he just laughed insecurely in the end and stopped teasing Julia altogether. That girl could break a stone in half with just her gaze. Now that was a trait of a leader, yet for some reason everyone turned to Ellie.
"Don't worry, Julia. He'll be fine." Cat whispered to her, but loud enough for Ellie to hear. The two of them whispered for a while longer, but she couldn't understand anything anymore.
"Ellie, what do we do once the weather calms down? The plan stays the same?" Jesse asked her.
She nodded, "Yes. We go from town to town, cleaning out smaller groups of the infected. If we come across a horde, we retreat to inform Maria and the others of its exact location. Fuck, we'll need to if we want to be ready for its next swarm."
"What if there are more hordes?" Cat asked anxiously, "The chances are slim, but you never know. When they attacked the settlement last time, there weren't many of them, but they caught us unprepared."
"How many were there then?" Ellie asked.
"About a hundred."
There weren't many of them? "Shit, even in that number, we can't beat them outdoors, at least not without casualties."
"Which would mean that ..." Jesse began, as if implying something.
Ellie laughed, "Which would mean we have to lure them to a place we're going to fortify and prepare a good defense."
"Jackson is fortified." Dina uttered, attracting several raised eyebrows. "Don't look at me that way, it's still the safest place there is." She is right, Ellie went through her idea. Jackson could be the best option.
"Why don't we just wait for the horde to pass?" Miles asked, fear in his eyes. Ellie knew he had gone with them because he didn't want to be the only one to refuse. "I mean, we take many unnecessary risks this way."
"It's not an unnecessary risk." Jesse told him firmly. "If we don't take care of the horde, it will only get bigger and bigger. It may bypass us, we don't know for sure. And if it gets big enough, it could storm through the walls no matter what defense we prepare."
"It also poses a threat to others." Dina added, "And you all remember we're like. The people of Jackson. We help others." Ellie smiled sadly, remembering Tommy and his outward policy towards others. He was one of few guys that still tended to positively look at everything.
Jesse grinned proudly at her comment, which was extremely annoying to the already annoyed Ellie. Miles laughed uncertainly and nodded, his shoulders drooping after accepting that he would still have to fight. "I think you're right, guys. We're - uh, we're good people."
Jesse slammed his open fist against Miles' back, almost knocking him over with a wide smile on his face. "That's my man."
Miles coughed at the blow and gave Jesse his striking, insecure smile. The dark-skinned guy was the tallest out of all of them, though he was as skinny as a pin. Maybe that insecurity came from the fear that he was too weak to survive, she thought. All in all, this mission would certainly come in handy for him to harden himself.
Everyone was slowly returning to the conversation they were having before Ellie came. As soon as he noticed that the others were not looking at him, Viktor got up and quietly went to join his two friends. Jesse told Dina and Miles how he managed to catch a wild horse last summer, which made Ellie roll her eyes. She heard that story at least fifty times.
"Are you okay?" she shifted from observation as Cat pinched her arm. She turned her head and felt the piercing gaze of her black eyes. "You good?"
Ellie nodded and yawned in drowsiness. "I just wish we could finish what we started."
Cat sighed and rolled her eyes at the storm outside, "Tell me about it. I don't want to be here longer than I have to."
Ellie just shrugged.
"Once this is done, we'll return home as heroes." Cat said with one of her rare smiles, which most often happened in her presence. "
"Don't rush it." Julia warned, "We haven't even started yet."
"Whatever. All I know is that when we get back home, we gon' have the biggest party Jackson has ever seen. At my place."
Now Julia joined her in a smile, "I like the sound of that."
Another party, Ellie went over it while scratching the back of her head. Is she going to kiss me again? Ugh… Then she sunk deeper in her chair. Ben's birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks. What about his birthday party?
"You'll have your chance." Cat said to her best friend, though in a lower tone, to which Julia just nodded, barely audible, "If he shows up at all."
Ellie didn't bother to understand what the two friends were talking about. She was impatient to leave the library as soon as possible, because whenever she wasn't occupied with something, her brain would go crazy and her mind would just swim back into the past. Too many flashbacks drove her crazy.
Fortunately for her, the blizzard stopped in a couple of hours, at least to the extent that allowed them to ride safely outside. Safely meant meant that they could finally see their surroundings clearly. They formed the column just like last time with Ellie at the helm to lead, and continued on where they were headed. The snow was still blowing diagonally due to the wind, but to a much lesser extent and without blinding them. The striking whiteness hadn't faded at all, but this time around, it was actually beautiful. White crystalized surroundings were a sight to see. Without the blizzard to blind them and limit their view, Ellie could see her surroundings clearly, at least to some extent. Gazing at the winter trees it was hard to imagine them re-clothed in their finery. With roots buried deep in the frozen earth they slept in, their twigs were moving in the breeze, stirring their wintry dreams. Ice forms and melts, snow showers would come and go with each winter, some of them dangerous if one would stand directly below them. Ellie remembered Ben standing directly below, saying how they looked beautiful from that angle. You weirdo, she thought and tightened the hold of her reins. Just be okay.
The group from Jackson soon made it to the first town that was supposed to get cleaned out from the infected. Old, straight streets were covered in the wintry whiteness, rustic cabins and houses lined up along the sides of those streets and dotting the once grassy hills as trees stood up like spikes, zigzagging the border of the roads and unpolished homes. It was one of many deserted towns, where people dared to live no more. It was one of the nearest towns to the community, and was always relatively safe from what Ellie could remember. But with the horde somewhere outside, she sharpened her senses to be ready to fight, just in case. One could never be too careful, she learned it the hard way.
"You think we gon' find any of them here?" Miles asked from behind.
"Maybe." Someone answered, "We'll see."
Moving at a slow pace through the main street in the town, wider than others which implied on it being the main street, Ellie carefully observed the roadside windows. She knew there would be no point to search for supplies, since the town was raided and looted years ago. Trying to use her sense of hearing at its fullest, she tried to catch any noise that would tell her the infected were nearby.
The abandoned buildings echoed with the blows of loose hinges from the windows and doors, which echoed eerily as they fought the wind that found its way inside. Then Ellie realized she hadn't seen a single animal nearby. It was unusually calm.
"Be careful, everyone." she looked over her shoulder and told the riders behind her. One glance over her shoulder was enough for her to observe each of her companions. Scaredy Miles looked as if he preferred to be anywhere else but here. "Stay sharp."
They rode cautiously through the main street for a few more minutes. According to the plan, they were supposed to split into smaller groups and move from building to building in search of the infected, aiming to eradicate them. All in all, it was a dangerous task. Dangerous, but an essential one if the settlement wanted to survive. The majority of the smaller towns in Jackson's proximity were relatively safe and cleaned out, but one could never know with the horde.
As she pulled Scout's reins loosely, Ellie noticed something stirring at the end of the street, a blurry shape in the distance. She raised her hand, signaling everyone to stop. The column stopped with the roar of horses and the scraping of hooves from the snow. Before she knew it, Ellie was already holding Joel's revolver in her hand, stroking the metal surface with her thumb. Whatever was in front of them, infected or not, they should be on guard. The figure in the distance moved cautiously toward them, seemingly limping. A runner?, she thought, gripping the gun even harder. Maybe something else? She must not forget the bandits who attacked the dam. Their numbers and intentions were still shrouded in mystery.
"Is that a runner?" Dina asked from behind.
"Looks like. Where there's one, there can be others." Jesse said, and Miles shifted in the saddle. "Have your guns at the ready." He added. Jesse was one of the guys that Ellie could completely rely on. He was calm, collected and calculative, always ready to make a best possible decision.
The figure moved uncertainly towards them while they remained still in the saddles. Strangely, it was just one person or one infected while there were nine of them. But that quiet voice in her head told Ellie that she should wait, that it was the right choice and that she shouldn't rush it. Even a slightest difference, a slightest detail in decision-making could prove to be fatal. A strong wind blew anew from the west, carrying the figure moving towards them, now about ten paces closer. Ellie felt a movement behind her and raised her hand again in order to stop. Scout nervously kicked his head as the body moving toward them fell and disappeared into the deep snow. Ellie decided to wait for a bit, but the figure did not rise.
"What if it was someone who needed help?" Julia asked, nervous. "Maybe that's someone we should help."
Not everything was that simple. Ellie ignored her complaint and pulled the Scout's reins. The animal strode forward, followed by the other horses. The blizzard had largely stopped, but it was showing threatening signs once again. What if it's really someone who needed help?, she caught herself thinking. Maybe it's one of those bandits. Fuck. She chuckled irritably, feeling the looks of others on her back. Everyone relied on her to lead them, which was no easy task in itself. Why me? I just suggested this plan, they act weird and turn to me whenever shit happens.
When Scout halted above the body, Ellie's breath stopped. The girl, probably younger than her, lay motionless in the snow. One side of her head was visible. Her face was white and calm, but the whiteness was spoiled by the crusted blood on her cheek that flowed from the bite wound.
"Oh my God." Miles sighed and put his hand over his mouth. "She was bitten."
When Ellie raised her head, she noticed a circle forming around her body. Everyone looked down at the girl lying dead under the hooves of their horses. Snow was painted red below girl's stomach, meaning she probably suffered a grievous wound in that part. Hence why didn't she stand up and turn.
"Poor girl." Dina said sadly.
"There was nothing we could do." Cat said in a sad tone of acceptance, head turned towards Julia who frowned and pursed her lips at the corpse.
"She was so… young." Noah added, "Fuck."
"We have to keep going." Ellie reminded them. "We can't stay at one-"
The noise of glass shattering interrupted her sentence midway. Everyone instinctively looked towards the source of the sound, at the house with the front door wide open. The muted blackness of the interior could be seen through the door, but nothing else. Jesse, Noah and a couple of others have already aimed their weapons in that direction. A couple of heartbeats passed, and then a runner ran through the door, shouting at them and flapping his hands savagely. Two rifles were fired at the same time, hitting the runner in the chest and head. The infected dove into the snow, leaving a bloody trail behind. The sound of gunfire still echoed through the place.
"Shit, this was loud." Jesse cursed, looking at Ellie with worry in his face. The original idea was to use the knives, axes and machetes to get rid of the smaller numbers of infected. Since they lacked reserve ammo, guns were supposed to be used as a last resort.
Ellie shrugged, and motioned for everyone to continue. She didn't get to make a single step when the surrounding houses, restaurants and hairdressing salons began to swarm with the infected, without any announcement. Moans, screams, screeches of the unknown language they spoke filled her ears, arousing the fear. The horde was here.
At one point, the town was too peaceful, and at another, it turned into the deadliest place in the world. Wherever her gaze reached, she saw the infected. Dozens, no, hundreds of them slowly surrounded them, and only one road was open in front of them. The way forward.
"Ride!" she shouted as loudly as she could, "Don't look over your shoulder! Ride!" She kicked the Scout with her heels and the animal accelerated into a galloping speed in just five trots.
X
He opened his eyes abruptly, looking at the barn's old wooden ceiling. The roof consisted of rotten wooden planks, among which traces of cobwebs could be seen. He blinked several times because trying to get rid of the headache, and then he suddenly rose to a sitting position, his hand flying after the gun that was in the belt behind his waist. Ben took a deep breath as he aimed in front of him, expecting to see them again. However, they were not there, and Stepper watched him anxiously from the corner, silent as death. He looked at the gun in his left hand and then threw it aside in disgust. Would you kill him again? Would you shoot him again? Your own brother! He grabbed his head and wanted to bang on the wall. That child was Tom. Tom, who didn't look like Tom, but had white hair, just like Ben himself. Both a pale face and dry lips were signs of infection.
"Damn." he cursed under his breath when he finally let go of his head and relaxed. "Why is this happening to me?"
He expected an answer from his head, but for some reason he only got silence. Annabel was quiet, and when Ben looked around, forward and over his shoulders, he didn't see Tom anywhere. Nor did he feel that look from the side. Did they finally leave him? He didn't hare hope, but he enjoyed solitude. Feeling of finally being alone, something unknown to him.
When he realized that no sounds were coming from the outside, Ben decided to stick his head through the door. It was a real miracle that the infected did not hear his screams, for it would've surely been his end. His voice was hoarse and scratchy, after-effect of the screams of lunacy. Lunacy? I'm not mad. I won't be. I hope I'm not. The blizzard weakened, but it still showed signs of a second arrival. Not wanting to waste any more time, he mounted Stepper and rode out. Now that he knew where he was and that the horde had passed there, he had to find the others to warn them. But again, he fainted and who knows how much time has passed since he did. The sky was still white, the sun was still hidden, hence he couldn't judge the time by it. Yet, since the daylight was still bright, not much time could've passed. I hope so.
It felt good to leave the barn where that certain tragedy hardstruck him. Observing the surroundings for potential signs of danger helped him divert his thoughts. He had to find and go back to Ellie to tell her what he saw, while at the same time he had to face her. Ben still remembered how pissed she was when he galloped off in a hurry. He actually used the reconnaissance only as a excuse, because he did not want to, that is, he could not be with the others at that time. He need to be alone, especially since he felt that look on his back and heard Annabel's voice in his head. Now that they were, at least temporarily if nothing else, he could return to his friends.
Ben remembered the plan and the route Ellie had suggested, so all he had do was to simply follow that route until he came across them. And yet, the blizzard and the horde could disrupt everything, just as they disturbed him and drove him off the desired path. He returned to the main road and continued riding until he entered a small town that was supposed to be second or third in line on Ellie's reconnaissance route. He rode cautiously, ready to draw his weapon if the need arose. It was quiet, except for the whistling of the snow carried by the wind. Ben wasn't particularly cold either, but he wouldn't mind a smaller fire to warm his hands at least. What would be even more pleasant for him was to wrap himself in a blanket by the fire with a book in his hands. Only then his subconscious reminded him of the danger that was still out there, and Ben knew he wouldn't be able to read in peace as long as that danger existed. Then there were the bandits ... or the Wolves?
Although it was particularly quiet, the town was not as deserted as it seemed at first. Ben had to dismount three times to enter the buildings where he heard the murmurs of the infected. In two cases, he also heard that distinctive clicking. The buzzing of the wind helped him sneak in, and he killed the infected without any difficulties. The knife was painted bright red when he was done with the infected.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement in the distance. A certain person jumped over the wire fence too 'humanly' and then ran behind the building. It was unlikely to be infected, but one could never know. Ben was pretty sure he hadn't been noticed, basing his conclusion on the movements of that figure and his own position, as he stared through the window. Stepper's reins were tied loosely to a pole, in case he had to make an emergency escape.
He ran to the fence and jumped over it as quietly as he could. The footsteps leading between the two houses could still be seen in the snow. With a pistol in his left, his eyes fixed in front of him, Ben moved at a slow pace. He knew that nothing could move in front of him without him seeing it. Whoever, whatever it was, he had to make sure to be the first to attack. There was no point in losing the advantage of the element of surprise. Traces in the snow led between two houses and across the whole street into a small alley, all the way to a building that probably used to be a town hall, and then disappeared through the door that led inside. He hoped he hadn't been noticed when he stepped inside, through a door frame that had no door. The remnants could be seen, the remnants of the snow that fell from the person he followed inside. The snow had already begun to melt as Ben went deeper into the building. He climbed the wooden lacquered stairs to the second floor and heard voices. Sneaking on his fingertips, he moved silently like a cat, with a gun at the height of his head. Voices in the next room were heard, at least three different ones. They were not infected for sure, and were talking about something. One girl, out of breath, was saying something to the others. He couldn't figure out what they were talking about, so he moved even closer, clinging to the wall.
"... went east. I don't know how long it will take to get to our camp," she said between deep breaths.
Went east, he repeated her words in his head. Our camp? Are these the bandits who attacked the dam? He was sure it wasn't anyone of the Jackson group, because he'd otherwise be able to recognize their voices. And if they were from Jackson, why would they mention our camp instead of our settlement. Jackson community was by no means a camp at all. Also, it was almost certain that they were talking about the horde.
"Shit." said one man, "They are closer than we expected. We must inform the others."
"Solomon gave us a different task." the same girl rebelled.
Solomon? Who is Solomon? Judging by their voices, they were young.
"I'll see if I can get in touch with him somehow." the man said again, ignoring the girl. "I know where-"
"Damn it, Quentin!" the girl roared, to which Ben shuddered. "We can't go back now. We have to do what we went to do. We have to obey Solomon. That's the only way."
"But-"
"No buts, Quentin." said a third person, a man. "Veronica is right. This is the only way. We move the weapons. We tell 'em what we know about the settlement and only then we go back to Solomon. Okay?"
"Okay."
We? Who is we? Who are these people? Ben clutched the pistol in his left tightly, ready to bust inside, interrogate them and open fire if needed. He didn't dare peek inside, but gut told him there were more of the inside. There was only one thing he could do. Leave the building, observe them from distance and tail them, wherever they were going. They mentioned the weapons. If they're the ones who raided the dam... I'll find out who you a-
"Fuck! The horde!" fourth voice shouted from the other side of the wall. "It's here. Move fast!"
