Sorry for the long delay (again). I have a job for the summer and will be inactive for a while, but I'll try to update at least once more during these couple of months. If not before, I'll be back in August. Have a great summer!

Chapter 31

The four of them walked quietly towards the cabins, leaving the river behind them along with the bodies of infected. Ellie hoped she could've also left behind the fact that she had told Nathan about her immunity, since she wasn't looking forward to telling that to Joel. He would definitely be mad. Once in a while she sneaked a peek at Nathan or Joel, but luckily they were walking ahead of her and she didn't have to stand an eye contact.

"I was…" Alice started talking once they reached cabin five. Joel climbed up to the porch, Ellie walking right behind him as Alice and Nathan continued their way towards number eight. Once Alice opened her mouth, everyone stopped. Joel and Ellie turned their eyes at the woman, and so did Nathan. He had no idea what his mother had in mind, and a frown on his face messaged that he had a bad feeling about it.

"I was thinking, if we could… get together tonight?" Alice continued, furrowing her brows while lifting her eyes at Joel. She didn't pay too much attention to Ellie, who honestly didn't care one bit.

Joel and Ellie had no good memories of spending the night with people they had just met, but they had equally saved each others lives during those couple of days.
"I mean I… I stole some delicious stuff from the hunters. You've definitely earned some of it" Alice chuckled, trying to lighten up the mood.

Being completely honest, everyone did crave for company. Having a teen to travel with was comforting, but both Alice and Joel sometimes longed for some company of their own age. Ellie took a long look at Nathan, who shamelessly stared back at her. He was still pondering in his head the last line Ellie had said before the adults found them. Why shouldn't his mother know? What reasons could she possibly have?

Joel slowly wandered his eyes off of Alice and towards Ellie, who he knew wouldn't be excited about spending the evening with this woman and her kid.
"Yeah, I don't know…"
"I insist. We'll come over after we've had some rest" Alice said, making Joel swallow. Why couldn't he argue back?

Alice and Nathan turned around, starting to walk towards their cabin. Joel took another short look at their backs, then walking the few steps up to the porch. After reaching the door, he noticed Ellie wasn't following him.
"Ellie" he awoke her from her thoughts. She was still staring at Nathan's back, only now realizing they were far enough not to hear them talk.
"What?" she asked with a protective tone in her voice, turning her head to see Joel. She was standing on the lowest step, climbing up after realizing the height difference between them. Joel looked at her longer than she looked back, and she realized this once she reached the porch.
"What?" she repeated, now staring at the man from the same level. She took a short look at her arm, and then another look at the direction Alice had led her son to. Joel kept his eyes on the girl.
"We'll talk inside" he said coldly, opening the door for Ellie, who unwillingly stepped inside. Joel glanced once more to see Alice's back, then looking down to see the scar on his abdomen. Not one of them had had it easy.

"What happened back there?" Joel asked once they reached upstairs. He was walking ahead, Ellie following him some steps behind. When they got to the bedroom, Joel walked straight to his backpack to gather more bullets for his revolver. He had used all six he had with him while rescuing Alice from the pack of infected.
Ellie was happy that Joel wasn't looking at her.
"What do you mean?" she asked, trying her best to dodge the bullet and avoid his eyes. Of course she knew that Joel most probably had some notion of the situation back by the river, but telling him that Nathan knew about her immunity was something she didn't want to do right now. It was bad enough that she herself knew about it, and she was tired. She slowly walked closer and sat on the edge of the bed, totally forgetting about the blood spread all over her face. She kept her eyes on the floor, thinking about the attack. She had almost died, yet it didn't seem to be the biggest trouble she had at the moment. Some weird world it was.

Joel had grabbed some bullets from his bag, now turning around to see the girl sitting on the bed. Once in a while she gazed at him, and Joel noticed she was intentionally avoiding eye contact. It was easy to notice, for she mostly looked at his legs while glaring that way.

Joel wasn't angry. He was rather anxious for them both being there with only his revolver and her pistol and being separated from each other right away. Only now he was realizing that they were both okay. They were alive, but it seemed that Ellie had barely made it.
"I mean, what happened back there? You had a fresh bite on your arm and the boy hadn't shot you by the time we arrived" Joel explained his concern, definitely not avoiding any eye contact. Ellie had to give him one.

"We were cornered, and I got pinned down. Nathan shot a clicker that got on top of me, and I… I guess it managed to bite me" Ellie explained slowly, trying not to tell too much. Joel stared at her as she spoke, and she had already detached her glare from him. Joel scoffed, shaking his head a few times.
"At least the blood ain't yours" he sighed, pushing his hand into his backpack again. Ellie turned to see him as he took out a piece of the shirt they had used yesterday. Joel slowly approached her with the cloth, now standing in front of her. She was looking past him, staring at the wall behind him with furrowed brows.
"May I?" Joel asked, kneeling down in front of her. Ellie awoke once Joel spoke. She had forgotten all about the blood she had on her.

They didn't share a long eye contact before Ellie moved her eyes to his hands.
"Sure" she spoke quietly, making Joel move right away. He leaned towards her, wiping her forehead with the cloth in his right hand. It was difficult, and he had to lay his other hand under her chin. Now he was the one avoiding eye contact, keeping his eyes on her cheeks and forehead as he managed to wipe out most of the blood.

After finally stopping, Joel sighed and lowered his hands. He didn't get up, and Ellie had to look at him to figure out what he was still knelt down for.
"You absolutely sure you have nothing to tell me?" Joel inquired with a tone softer than before, searching her face with his eyes. She swallowed invisibly, nodding quickly while lowering her gaze.
"Yeah. I just… I really need to rest" she lied, then taking another short look at the man. He sighed, getting up right after hearing her answer.
"Alright. Let's rest, then" he nodded, turning around and throwing the bloody piece of shirt onto the floor. Ellie sighed quietly for managing to avoid the awful conversation. It could wait another day.

A nap was in order after the battle against the infected. Knowing they would carry on in a few days made Joel and Ellie take extra care of them getting enough sleep. This time Joel was the first one to wake up.

He opened his eyes, feeling more tired than he had been before the nap. Only barely did he manage to hold his eyes open while glaring at the girl next to him. She was resting her hand on his chest while still asleep. Joel sighed, moving his eyes to the door while trying to figure out what time it was. It was certainly evening already, and the sun was setting any moment now. Luckily they got to see daylight before it ended for the day.
"Ellie" Joel decided to call, thinking it would be better to wake her up before the nightfall.

Ellie was in the middle of a dream, but it ended as soon as she heard her name being called. She frowned her face before slowly opening her eyes. She didn't notice her hand being on Joel's chest before she had already pulled it back.
"Is it evening already?" Ellie yawned, lifting her head to see out of the window. She was smart enough to realize that it was.
"Yeah" Joel sighed while climbing up from the bed. He stretched his arms with a frowned face, hoping he could lie for another hour. Even so, hunger dragged him up from the bed.
"Do you think they're gonna come?" Ellie asked, sitting up as tardily as ever. Joel was facing the other way, shaking his head slowly.
"I dunno…"

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Joel turned quickly after hearing the knock on their front door, feeling the side of his thigh where his revolver usually hanged. He had put the holster on the bedside table, and the gun was lying inside it.

Ellie had also startled the sudden noise, but they both seemed to understand that it was nothing dangerous. Why else would they knock?

Whatsoever, Joel leaned towards the nightstand to grab the revolver, pushing it to his back pocket. Ellie was already approaching the door as Joel grabbed his backpack. She hanged her head, not too excited about the visitors.
"Oh shit…!" the girl suddenly realized, lifting her head. This made Joel turn the same time he had gathered his stuff again. Not once would he leave without them. Not after today.
"What is it?" Joel asked quickly, afraid that it was something serious. He approached the girl with a quick step and his hand on the revolver, but it didn't seem to be anything life threatening. He was still concerned about her condition, afraid that the wounds would open up again.

Ellie put her head down, waving her hands nervously. Another knock on the door made her rethink.
"Okay" she spoke hastily, rising her gaze to Joel who obviously wasn't enjoying the fact that Ellie was hiding something.
"What is it?" Joel lowered his voice, taking one step towards the door and Ellie. She seemed anxious, and him lowering his voice for sure didn't help it.
"Nathan knows" Ellie started, lifting her eyes to see Joel.
"He knows about my… condition" she continued quickly, knowing that Alice and her son would eventually figure out how to open a door.

Joel froze, his brows furrowing as strongly as ever.
"What?". His voice was even lower than before.
"He saw the wound! He was gonna shoot me!"
"Ellie –"

"Hello?" a female voice called after a short while of waiting. They had finally learned how to work the knob and step inside. Joel shut his mouth the same second they heard Alice's voice from downstairs, still staring at Ellie with a deadly gaze. She returned it. He had taken another short step towards Ellie, and was now standing right in front of her.
"Hello? You there?"

Once the steps approached the stairway, Joel knew he had to say something.
"Yeah. We'll come down" he answered from between his teeth, keeping the eye contact with the girl for a few more seconds. Ellie stayed quiet, following Joel down the stairs once he decided to move. It was going to be a long evening.

"There you are! We brought all we had. After all, you did save my ass. Twice" Alice chuckled, lifting her hefty backpack with her other hand. Nathan stood a metre behind, gazing at Ellie once she reached the first floor. She looked back, then moving her eyes to the couch which she approached. Joel took a quick look at the girl before turning back to Alice. He saw the overflowing backpack, feeling hungry as hell.
"That's, uh… very generous of you" Joel muttered, coughing once after getting out the sentence. He slowly approached the woman, stopping a metre away and pointing the couch.
"Sit down" Joel continued, exhaling deeply after talking. Alice took a long look at him, but he had his eyes elsewhere. Even he didn't know what he was looking at.

Alice approached the couch and Nathan followed right after. He took a seat on the armchair where he had a straight visual on Ellie. She noticed that, leaning forward to grab the piece of wood from the table. It was the same piece she had been whittling earlier.

Joel was the last one to sit down, taking seat right next to Ellie. He left a gap in between, but they had to sit tightly for Alice had already taken the place on the other end of the couch.

It was quiet. Alice was waiting for a conversation to begin, but the tense atmosphere was giving her the signal to start it herself.
"So –" she began, opening the bag that was lying in between her legs on the floor. She pushed her hand into it, grabbing the first item. Joel turned his eyes to see it.
"- you hungry?" Alice continued. She was holding a fruit salad can, putting it on the table while digging for more food. Joel cracked a small smile. He was starving.
"Yeah" he answered briefly, seeing another can of the same content come out from her bag.

Ellie was feeling very uncomfortable. Nathan was no longer staring at her, for the adults would've probably noticed it right away. He was struggling to keep his eyes on the table, which gained food and drink as his mother went through her bag.

Even though Nathan had his eyes elsewhere, Ellie knew Joel had his thoughts on her and her condition. She had a look at the foods and drinks, then reaching for her pocket for the switchblade. After clicking it open, she started whittling, leaning backwards.

"That's all" Alice said after emptying her bag. She lifted it aside, then looking at the table.
"What's that?" Nathan asked. He had not seen the catch before, and was now looking at a strangely packed thin piece of food. Alice frowned her face, trying to figure out what he was looking at.
"You mean this?" she asked, obviously grabbing the correct item.
"What? You've never seen chocolate?" Joel asked, furrowing a brow while leaning towards the table. This awoke Ellie from her thoughts.
"What?" she asked, leaning forward to see the package in Alice's hand. Joel briefly glanced at the girl, then returning his eyes on the table.
"I've seen some, but I've never tasted it" Nathan answered, offering his hand to Alice so he could get a piece. His mother chuckled, shaking her head.
"It's dessert. We'll have the tuna first" Alice laughed, putting the chocolate bar on the table. Ellie and Nathan both leaned back after hearing her answer, sighing deeply. Joel sneered after the teens had lost all hope, grabbing a can from the table.

Nathan and Alice both followed Joel's example, taking their own cans of food after him. They started opening them after Joel had opened his own, but instead of eating he stopped.

Ellie had continued the whittling. Joel noticed that he was sitting very near her, but he had to look at her face despite how uncomfortable he made her feel.
"Ellie" he spoke, holding the can in the air while looking at the girl. Her eyes wandered off from the wood, then quickly returning to it.
"What?" she asked in return. She was starving, but her teen genes were fighting greatly against letting her guard down. Nathan was probably both confused and mad at her, and she knew Joel was angry for the same reason. If Alice was the only person in the room she wasn't in war with, things weren't great.
"You gotta eat. You've had nothing all day" Joel demanded, keeping his eyes on her face. Ellie stopped the whittling for a while, realizing that the situation was bizarre. As already said, she was starving.
"I don't need it" she muttered. Her head was a mess, and she did think she had done a terrible mistake. She didn't feel like she had earned the food.

Joel was smart enough to see through her eyes. Ellie was ashamed of herself, and instead of being a pissed teen, she seemed to regret something. Joel knew what that something was, sighing as he lowered his gaze. Alice and Nathan were both staring at them, but Joel didn't care.
"Yes you do" Joel said slowly, with a quiet voice, showing that he needed an eye contact. He then offered the girl the can he held in his hand, opened and ready to be digested.

Ellie swallowed, finally lifting her eyes to meet Joel's own. She sighed, slowly and carefully grabbing the can from his hand. Alice and Nathan still had no idea what it was all about, but they decided not to ask.

"Imma go get some fresh air" Joel sighed, climbing up from the couch. They had successfully destroyed a decent amount of the stolen goods and there was no way anyone was starving anymore.
"I'll come with you" Alice said right after him, getting up as well. Joel stopped, but then nodded, shimmying from between the couch and table towards the front door.

Ellie had not grabbed her switchblade after eating, and was happily leaning backwards before Joel decided to open his mouth. They all had shared a friendly conversation while eating, but those words awoke a special part of Ellie's brain. She would be left alone with Nathan.
"You kids play nice" Alice chuckled, following Joel out the door. He did want to look at Nathan before leaving, but decided not to. They both walked out of the door while checking their weapons.

After the door closed, Nathan turned his eyes at Ellie. She did the same to him.
"Before you ask –" Nathan started, glancing at the door once. Ellie swallowed.
"I haven't told mom" he continued, turning back at Ellie. She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment.
"But I want to know what the fuck's going on" Nathan rose the volume, spreading his hands in the air. Ellie opened her eyes again, furrowing her brows while lowering her gaze. She knew he would dig the explanation from her anyway, but where should she start?

Ellie sighed deeply before opening her mouth. Nathan stayed quiet, not to distract her in any way.
"I don't know why I'm immune, if that's what you wanna know. But yeah, we're working on it" Ellie started with a very unpleasing answer. Nathan furrowed his brows, almost opening his mouth before the girl suddenly continued.
"The fireflies are working on a vaccine in Salt Lake City. We haven't exactly had an easy trip, and we had to stop here for a few days. We'll probably be moving on soon" Ellie explained, then nodding a few times as a sign to him to speak if he wanted to. She didn't feel like sharing anything else.

Nathan's face returned to normal. He obviously couldn't blame her, looking at her in such condition. Now that he suddenly felt some kind of pity for her, he noticed that she had been quite badly beaten recently. Of course he had noticed it earlier, but he had not cared. Nathan stayed quiet for a while, seeing that Ellie went through a lot of stuff inside her head. He had also seen the scar on Joel's abdomen, now knowing that they had bot suffered a great accident of some kind.
"What's up with your condition? I can see you've had a hard time survivin'". His voice was softer than Ellie had ever heard it.

Even so, Ellie didn't want to think of it. She didn't want to mention the name Andy in her speech.
"It must have been the same group of hunters you escaped from. It's a big village"

Ellie kept her head down, trying to forget about it. The time they spent in the village must have been the hardest time of her life. It was a tough competition, but that was a clear winner.
Nathan kept his eyes on the girl, feeling bad for her. She had not decided to be immune, nor had she decided to be born in this God forsaken world. They were nearly the same age, yet Nathan realized the girl had seen too much.