A/N: First and foremost, I'm sorry for the wait you've had to endure, my dear readers. I had a lot of responsibilities these past two months, especially with college, since I'm supposed to be done with it this summer and am in a rush to finish all the exams on time. Thus the frequency of updates has dropped quite a bit, but the important thing is that I didn't give up on the story, and will continue till the end, even if it takes me a year or ten years (hopefully not :D).

And last, thank you for continued support and kind words I've received over last two months. I'm so grateful to those who didn't give up on me and waited patiently so far. It means a lot to a writer, and for me personally, it is a great boost of inspiration. Enjoy the chapter!


Chapter 34 – Cold in the dark

"Faster!" Ellie shouted. "Faster, Julia! We have to move faster!"

The stocky horse kept losing speed even though Julia persistently stuck her heels into the tired animal to make it run with more haste. Ellie didn't dare turn her head to look behind. She felt shivers running down her back, making her feel much more uncomfortable than she already was. The whipping of wind and snow from all sides didn't help either, and she knew that the runners were behind them. How many of them? She was unsure, but one thought kept lingering in her head. Too many. Those death cries pierced her ears and instilled fear in her bones. The bastards chased them as if the cold and snow didn't bother or slow them down at all. She gritted her teeth to keep from chattering from fear and cold. The horde caught up to them again, only this time it seemed there was no way out. Ellie couldn't decide what was worse. The fact that they were chased by the countless infected or the fact that she was freezing herself to death. She'd surely prefer not dropping her jacket after she got out of the river, but there was no use in crying over something that couldn't be changed now.

The stocky animal ran awkwardly between the trees, having to round the stumps, rocks, and hills it couldn't climb over, each of these actions having the consequence of the infected closing in on them. The only source of light, and a very faint one, was Julia's flashlight. Still, anything is better than nothing. Ellie just hoped that it would be enough. She hoped.

Suddenly, Ellie felt a pair of fingers strongly encircling her ankle and abruptly began to slide out of the saddle. When did they catch up to them?! "Ellie!" Julia shouted after her and reached for her hand, but it was too late, Ellie's whole body fell into the snow. The hysterical scream of a runner jumping on her nearly pierced her eardrums, but somehow she managed to keep the it away from her skin, having still retained some of her strength. With both hands she pushed the runner's head away, barely separating its sharp teeth from her neck. She couldn't reach for her switchblade tucked in her belt. Yellowed, rotten teeth attempted to gnaw at her exposed neck, and Ellie gasped as she tried to keep it away from it. The infected rolled over, away from her body all of the sudden. Loud sound of gunfire could mean only one thing. Julia was accurate when she made the shot.

"There's more behind you!" she shouted and lit up the woods behind Ellie with her flashlight, revealing dozens of runners who were in dangerous proximity. Filled with adrenaline, Ellie jumped to her feet to prepare for the showdown. The faint trace of Julia's lamp did not provide enough light at all, but it had to serve. The sense of reason for the infected died a long time ago. All they want was to kill and consume. But girls weren't willing to give up easily, not while there was even a slightest chance for survival. They had the whole life to live! Julia fired and Ellie wielded her switchblade. Eyes squinted and nearly blinded by the raging snow, Ellie dodged their attacks as well as she could and made deadly swings with her switchblade. She received a couple of blunt and painful blows to the chest and her hips, but was not shaken. Being swift on her feet and the adrenaline that rushed in her blood warmed her up and Ellie didn't feel the cold as much. It was amusing in a way. Cold has become the least of her problems at the moment. Surviving the wave of the infected was priority. To survive meant to mount the horse. To mount the horse meant to get to Julia.

Ellie swung her switchblade and cut the runner's throat that got in her way, then jumped over the corpse when it fell. Somewhere around her, Julia retained her balance on the saddle as she rode in a wide circle avoiding the bloodied hands that reached for her, one of her own hands gripping the reins as she used the other to shoot from the gun. Ellie focused on the infected in front of her, thinking of them as people she hated. It gave her an extra dose of adrenaline and strength, and hatred filled her again. The cries of the infected, the sobs of the dying, and the shrieks of gunfire was everywhere around her. When a pair of fingers gripped her shoulder and pulled her back, she realized she was surrounded on all sides. And then her eyes looked upon something that shattered her focus. A horse in the background, a rider undressed from the saddle and knocked down in the snow, the horse rising on its back legs, fighting, struggling to stay alive, surrounded on every side. Three runners above Julia, hovering over her, stumbling to devour her. A moment later, Ellie herself was knocked down when an infected jumped her from the side, hitting her hard on hip that she moaned, forcing the air out of her lungs. There were too many of them! She couldn't get to Julia in time to save her no matter how hard she tried to push the infected away from her. Hell, she couldn't even save herself! Will she be devoured and torn apart by a pair of runners. Why did they ride out that morning at all? What was she trying to do? All she managed to accomplish was get some of her friends killed, inlluding herself. Her hands were shaking and she was kicking her knees crazily trying to separate the runner's sharp teeth that reached ever closer to the exposed skin of her neck. She knew she wouldn't last long. Every part of her body was focused on survival. Almost every part. But the death was imminent. Or was it?

A muffled explosion came from somewhere around her, it was a while since she lost the sense of direction, like a thunder that cut through screams and shouts. One moment was marked with a big pause, the next one battle for the survival resumed. The force of the explosion knocked the runner good five paces away from Ellie, freeing her thus giving her another chance at survival. The silhouette of a rider and a horse flashed like a lightning beside her, and the repeated sounds of gunfire continued, Ellie recognizing the sound a rifle makes when the trigger is pulled and round fired. The heads shattered like melons when thrown from long height at the hard surface. A thrown object in the shape of a bottle hit the runner not far from her, and the fire swallowed the darkness. The sudden light blinded her and new cries filled her ears, the stench of burning flesh that entered her nostrils almost made her vomit.

Reclaiming the sense of direction and the gravity of a situation she found herself in, Ellie remembered she wasn't fighting alone before the mysterious rider appeared. Gathering what little strength she had left, Ellie crawled over to Julia, gripping the switchblade tightly in her right hand.

"Julia!" she shouted the name when she found herself above her. Julia blinked a few times when she saw her and then widened her eyes. She parted her lips to speak, but no sound left her mouth. "Oh, thank God. You're alive. Are you bitten?"

"I think not." Julia managed to mumble and rose herself into a sitting position, "What the hell just happened?"

"I don't know." Ellie answered, shocked just as the other girl. Her eyes instinctively turned toward the silhouette that cut down the approaching runners. The burning corpses illuminated him, revealing his face. Ben, who, surrounded by fire and death, was killing everything in his path. Ellie felt something tighten in her chest, a tingling that almost made her giggle, to scream out loud, but couldn't afford to waste time on meaningless thoughts and actions. "We have to help him. Get up!"

When she got to her feet, Ellie stumbled forward, jumping over corpses and chopping down the runners that dared attack her, ignoring everything else. She had to get to Ben and help him, he couldn't kill them all on his own. Ben, who was alive and right there, she could almost touch looked like he was dancing with a blade in his hand, seemingly laughing as he cut down every runner who got in his way even though he was surrounded on every side, no matter how many he killed. Ellie diligently cut with her knife, she had to reach for him at all cost. Inhale, exhale. She fought two battles at the same time. A battle for survival and the one for oxygen as well, cutting her way through the infected, as Julia followed in her footsteps, watching their backs. Red dripped from her knife and fingers, her face was bathed in blood, she pushed to get through them all with all of her strength and focus. Ben tossed another Molotov cocktail, and the fire engulfed runners and clickers that turned into screaming torches, those who could still scream. He smiled broadly as he watched them go lit - Ellie didn't have time to wonder why he smiled - not noticing the runner approaching me from behind. Screaming, Ellie stabbed it in the skull before it could reach him. When the limp body collapsed on the snow, Ellie looked up, and her eyes met his. Those deep, blue eyes reflected the flames like a mirror, and the smile disappeared from his face, replaced by stillness.

For a moment everything stopped, time and her heart and everything else became irrelevant. He was alive. Ben was alive and he found her. Again. Just like in Seattle, where she'd die if not for him. Just as tonight, she'd be dead if not for him. He just stood and looked at her with an expressionless face bathed in blood and sweat. But his eyes reflected something else. Hope. She was out of words. Why aren't you saying anything?!

A tiny part of her noticed the sea of corpses around them, charred by fire that melted the snow and blood that painted it red. One gaze over his shoulder was enough to shatter her relief like a glass window. A pack of clickers was charging at them at full speed. Runners were one thing, but clickers were on a whole other level.

"Get on my horse." Ben said, his voice almost a whisper. "Take Julia and mount up."

Ellie didn't protest when Ben pushed her toward his horse in an attempt to help her get into the saddle. She was still dumbstruck by what happened.

"You're wet." he said softly, "You'll freeze to death."

Ellie shrugged casually and smiled, "I'll be fine. We need to get out of here."

Ben gave her a thoughtful look before taking off his poncho and shoving it into her arms. "Put this on."

"No. You need-"

"Do as I say, Ellie." The way he said it cut her line of thoughts like knife cuts through hot butter. She could only look at the poncho for a moment before pulling it over her head and getting up in the saddle, with Julia behind her. "What about you?" The much louder clicking indicated the closeness of the clickers, a very threatening closeness. "I'll distract them."

"Are you crazy?" Ellie protested, but Ben wasn't budging. "You have no horse, you'll die!"

He calmly shook his head, as if the clickers didn't trouble it at all. How could you be so calm? This was not the same Ben that followed her to Seattle. Old Ben would show some emotion, a dose of fear and urge her to escape. You're so different. The clickers were coming, so many of them. Corpses charred by fire still provided enough light to illuminate Ben's face, and Ellie could see a smile forming on the corner of his lips. "I'll see you in Jackson."

Ellie never got the chance to reply because the horse ran as soon as Ben slapped its thigh. The quiet mount carried two girls off into the night, taking them over the snow-coated land, carrying them onwards towards home. A feeling of regret seeped into her. She… they, her whole group, put their hearts into the mission as much as they could, and they paid the price for her follies. Viktor was dead, others too possibly. Ellie clenched her jaw, almost feeling the bones break. Is Ben going to die too? She felt the urge to cry, her eyes were watering. Squeezing the poncho he gave to her tightly, Ellie held the reins with both hands, steering the horse onwards. You damn, stupid… idiot! Don't you dare to die, you hear me?!

x

Even when the light marked yet another wintry morning, the sky was a woolen grey shawl upon the mountain peak. The sun was nowhere to be seen, but it was somewhere above the clouds, still providing with daylight.

Ellie was still wearing the poncho Ben gave her as she stood still at the edge of the tower at the main gate. She shuddered and wrapped herself better in the poncho as much as she could, while she was leaning on the rifle with one hand, her switchblade being safely tucked away behind her belt. The small blade had always served her in close encounters, and so far it never failed her. She stood there stubbornly since last night, refusing Maria's pleas to go get some sleep, even when she said she'd replace her with an experienced sentry. If anyone were to return alive, they'd come through this gate. And so far, except for Julia and her, only a few have returned. Miles and Cat came back before Ellie and Julia, while Noah came in the middle of the night, suffering a dislocated shoulder. Mark, Dina, Jesse and Ben were still missing. Viktor still lingered in her mind, and she felt a sting of guilt when she remembered his fate. Please come back alive, she thought crushed by worry as she leaned onto the rifle. Several times she wanted to ride out and look for them, but Maria forbade her, locking the gate down and threatening to lock her in that old shack behind her house if she wanted to try and sneak out. The thing was, sneaking out was never a problem for her. Getting her horse back was a big deal. Without te horse, she'd be helpless outside, and the stables were guarded tightly. Too tightly. Ben didn't have his horse and he was outside. Does that mean he's dead? No, he can't be! He survived Seattle… whatever torture he went through. He survived, others too. She wanted to tell herself it was just a matter of time before they return to feel better, but she wasn't feeling much better.

William stood behind her, having arrived about an hour ago. Ellie was shocked to learn that Emily hadn't returned from her regular patrol as well. Poor Will feared the worst for his girlfriend and Ben's sister. Emily was one of best scouts Jackson had. Her death would be a huge blow for the settlement, and for Ben as well. It's so fucked up! Everything is so fucking fucked up! William stood straight like an arrow in his jacket. He didn't seem to mind the wind that was blowing into his messy brown curls. The seemingly boyish face was covered with a short beard that suited him, giving him seriousness and making his face look older. William was one of the most gentle and caring people Ellie knew, who was always there to reassure others and give them hope. But now there was only concern on his face and all the softness was gone.

Her eyes darted around the environment that stretched in front of her. A large clearing separated the walls of the settlement from the conifers in the east, where the sun rose a good two inches above the mountain peaks. Most of the scattered trees down there was still scratching the sky with bare branches, but a little deeper inside were wider canopies that could provide shelter to anyone who sought and knew how to use it. But no one would be there without a special purpose. She saw a fox emerging from the deep snow and disappearing among the trees, but besides that, nothing. She was worried that the horde would kill what little game was left and cause a food shortage. Something had to be done about the horde, and right away. But what?

Her thoughts drifted to unimportant things, and Ellie realized her eyes were closing. She shifted and reminded herself why she was there and that she should watch. Leaning on the wooden partition of the guard tower, Ellie scanned the clearing that stretched to the east once again, paying attention to any detail she might've missed.

Since she was the only one watching the scene in front of her, as William threw himself into destroying the sandwich he had taken out of his backpack, she was the first to spot the rider from the direction of the trees. It was a dot of bright colors on a horse that meandered through distant trees, now visible, now hidden. Horse, she thought, and opened her mouth to announce. Who could it be? Ben? Dina? Jesse or Mark? She was hopeful. It must be one of them!

Ellie shook her head. A large black bird flew over the canopy a hundred paces away. Her prey was perhaps a corpse in the snow or a small animal, and perhaps none of that. The rider she spotted wasn't wearing the clothes her friends did yesterday. Hope collapsed and was replaced by disappointment, but she was still intrigued. Who could it be? Maybe Emily? Ellie didn't know what she wore yesterday.

"Someone's coming." Ellie spoke, and William raised his head abruptly. "You should be able to see right now. There." She pointed, and William leaned forward. He closed his eyes, then nodded suspiciously, returning to observing the woods and mountains without a word. When the rider left the thicket of trees, it stopped in the clearing a moment before continuing. It was a woman.

"Who is this?" Ellie asked, " Emily?"

"I can't see." William replied gloomily. "It's too far to recognize."

"Look at her clothes. Did Emily wear that yesterday?"

Will shook his head in disappointment, "No. Emily would never wear such bright colors."

Ellie suddenly realized what the bright colors the rider was wearing meant. Distinct green pants protruded from under the bright red jacket. "She's one of the Gypsies." Ellie sighed when she recognized the group this rider probably belonged to. The Gypsies were recognizable by the bright colors they wore, as well as by the fact that they came to Jackson every spring. Only, it wasn't the spring yet, which aroused suspicion and several questions.

"It's the Traveling People." William said in astonishment. "But what is she doing here? Aren't they only coming in the spring?"

Ellie shrugged. There was no other explanation. She has never heard of anyone else dressing in such bright colors, nor of putting them together like that if there is a choice. She turned her head when she heard voices from the adjoining tower of the main gate. And they noticed the Gypsy.

The shaggy brown-and-white mare meandered slightly closer and closer, cautiously choosing a path between the wide snow drifts. Brightly dressed, Gypsy stopped to look at something on the ground, then pulled her hood over her head and drove the horse forward with a slow step.

She watched where her colorful mare was walking and gave no sign of noticing anything happening around her, as well as the walls that stretched in front of her. Out of the corner of her eye, Ellie saw a sniper preparing a rifle in the adjoining tower. In different circumstances, the rider would be greeted with an open door. But tensions reigned, unrest crept into the people after they heard the news of the attack on the dam. Anyone who wasn't a citizen of Jackson was a suspect.

"Stop!" the sniper shouted the order as Gypsy found herself twenty paces in front of the gate, rifles pointed at her. "Who are you?"

She raised her head and watched the sniper from the saddle. Ellie could see her face well. She was not young. The little hair sticking out of her hood was quite gray, but she didn't have many wrinkles on her face, except for the ones that appeared as she frowned disapprovingly at the weapon pointed at her. But it could not be seen that she was frightened in the situation in which she found herself. Ellie was sure the sniper also recognized which group the woman belonged to, but protocol had to be followed.

"My name is Lea." her voice was so quiet the words were barely audible. "I am with the Traveling People."

Gypsies never called each other Gypsies, that much Ellie knew. They always called each other the Traveling People. Because they travel a lot? Why, she never knew. Ellie didn't know much about them, except that they'd come every spring of every year. William stepped in front of the tower railing, and Lea looked at him before speaking. "My name is William, ma'am." The tall, broad-shouldered blacksmith was always polite. "If you need help, I'll do what I can. If not, I'd recommend you hurry up and leave this area. It's dangerous to be outside in the snow. But if the Traveling People have changed their customs, you're far from your carriages."

Lea looked at him before answering. Her dark eyes were tender, which was not surprising with one member of the Traveling People. "I'm looking for ... a person."

The pause was small but noticeable. She wasn't looking for any person, Ellie guessed. It had to be Maria. Maria, Jackson's leader. What else would a Gypsy come here in the middle of winter? What does that mean?, Ellie wondered. Away from her carriages? "What was that?" she asked Will.

He smiled weakly, "I was with a group of Gypsies for a time , before I settled here, so I learned quite a bit about them. They live in their carriages and use them to make their camps." When he finished, Ellie raised an eyebrow. Does that mean William was a Gypsy in the past?

"Does that person have a name?" the sniper asked, still aiming at the woman.

"Let's get her inside, John." William said, interrupting her answer in a voice full of concern, "Let's bring her in and then we'll ask her everything we need."

"Not!" John, the bald sniper, growled. "Maria was perfectly clear about this. We're not letting anyone in."

"But..."

"No buts, Will!"

The Gypsy seemed to ignore their little discussion. "I'm looking for Ben Walker."

Ellie's eyes widened. Why would a Gypsy woman look for Ben?

"Why?" John asked. "Speak, woman!"

The woman's face took on a horrified grimace that she tried to hide with the hood of her bright red jacket. "I want to ... talk to him. To show him something."

"Show him what?" John asked aggressively.

"Ben rode out with you yesterday, right?" Will leaned towards her, whispering so that only she could hear his question. To answer, she simply nodded. Ellie noticed John's frown across the roof of the gate. He seemed hesitant whether or not to keep pointing his rifle at her. In the end, he lowered it down, but just for an inch, holding it high just enough in case he needed to fire swiftly.

"Let her in." Ellie said, loud enough so that other sentries could hear.

"Maria specifically said-" John protested angrily.

"Let her in, John." Maria's voice echoed from down below, "I want to hear what Gypsy has to say."

She stood there, arms crossed. Once a sight of strength and solidity, she was just a mere shadow herself. Maria's face was sunken, her eyes red and swollen. To Ellie, she seemed even skinnier than she was the last time she saw her. Her neck shriveled and her face looked more bony. Tommy's death struck her hard, forcing her into alcoholism.

The tall gates began to separate, and the woman on the horse widened her eyes slightly when she looked through it. She waited for the gates, wooden structure that left a deep mark on the snow, to fully open before pulling the reins of her mount. For a while she just rode in silence looking ahead. All that could be heard was the thud of horses' hooves digging through the shallow snow. Sentries on the towers observed her with caution, ready to shoot if threat ever presented itself. Lea would occasionally glance at Ellie, her poncho, and the rifle that hung from her shoulder. Ellie fidgeted uneasily at her attention, avoiding to meet her gaze. She always thought the Gypsies were a little weird. Nice people, but weird. Everyone in the towers was looking down at the two women down below, standing in the snow. Lea slowly and cautiously dismounted her horse. Maria stood as firm as a statue, piercing Lea with her grey eyes, which seemed even larger because of her sunken face.

"Ben Walker." Lea hesitated a moment before she said anything. "Can I talk to him?" Her eyes widened and eyebrows furrowed when Maria shook her head, but Gypsy regained her expressionless mask when Maria added, "He's not here."

"Where is he?" she was persistent, leaving Ellie to wonder once again why would a Gypsy want to talk to Ben. "I need to speak to him."

"He's out. I don't know when he'll be back."

Gypsy woman mumbled something that Ellie couldn't hear, and was pretty sure Maria couldn't as well. She rushed down the stairs and stepped out in front of Lea, who looked distressed, her face taking on a grimace of pure horror. Ellie was confused at her swift change of grimaces. Is this woman alright? "Why do you need to talk to him?" Ellie took the initiative and asked a question after the silence prolonged a bit. All she got as the answer was another set of mumbling she couldn't comprehend. "Spill it out."

The woman looked up as if struck by lightning. Her jaw was moving, but words barely came out. She was terrified of something. But of what?

"Easy, Ellie." Maria said calmly, stepping in front of Ellie to take the lead. "You must be freezing, Lea. Let's go to my house, we can talk there."

Ellie gasped and closed in to Maria, keeping her voice down so that the Gypsy woman won't be able to hear. "Are you sure about this? Gypsies might be the ones that attacked the dam. Maybe even her."

"It's possible." Maria whispered back, "It's not like them to do it, but it's possible. I know how to handle myself, Ellie."

"Let me go with you."

"No. You'll have to trust me."

Ellie sighed as she gave up, "Get to the bottom of this. Find out whatever she has to say."

"Yes, boss." Maria grinned and tapped her shoulder, motioning to Lea to follow her. Wearing an expressionless mask on her face, Lea looked around once more and stared at the two women in front of her, then gave the reins of her horse to Ellie. "Will you make sure she's fed?" She patted the colorful hut. "She's not used to far trips across such scattered land."

"We don't have enough graze." said Ellie, "But she'll get what we can give her."

Lea nodded and, without a word, followed Maria deeper into the city. She seemed as if she accepted her fate, and yet, what kind of fate could that be? Maria wouldn't kill her, at least Ellie thought she wouldn't. Gypsies have always been friends of Jackson, they had no reason to turn against them. And yet, Ellie noticed the changeable expressions on her face, especially the frightened expression she replaced with an expressionless mask. That woman was hiding something. Whatever she wanted to talk about with Ben, she was certainly hiding something, and Ellie was going to find out what.

x