"What kinds of horses go out after dusk?"
Joel sighed, Not this again.
"Nightmares."
Nothing about nightmares was funny to Joel. Not with the shit he dealt with in his dreams on a near daily basis. He simply sighed and stared at the abandoned highway ahead of them, and kept on walking.
"You want to know how I got out of Iraq?" Ellie asked him.
"How?" Joel asked, knowing full well she would finish the joke regardless.
"Iran." Joel actually had to stifle a small laugh.
"I don't get it." Ellie told him.
"They where these two countries that bordered each other." Joel explained as he walked on to the hood of a wrecked car in his way.
"Oh... Oh, now I get it." Ellie replied.
Joel looked around. Nothing in sight for miles accept this highway, old farmland, and hundreds of abandoned cars. It was around noon, the sun was beating down on them, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and it was boiling.
They had left the radio tower two days ago. Ellie seemed to have completely forgotten about what had happened to Henry and Sam, or at least wasn't letting it bother her.
Ellie climbed up next to Joel, "Well, next to no shade for miles. Joy." She said sarcastically. Joel looked down at her and saw the sleeves of her black undershirt rolled up.
"Ellie, roll your sleeves back down."
"But its so fucking hot out here!"
"What if someone sees that?" Joel said, pointing to the exposed bite mark on Ellie's arm.
"Oh shit. You're right. Sorry. It's just that..."
"Anyone sees you with that, it's going to take a mighty deal of convincing to get them to believe you're immune. You wanna take that risk?"
"Fine." She pulled down her right sleeve to cover up the bite. Joel jumped off the hood of the car, and Ellie followed.
"If you want, you can take off that red t-shirt. There's ain't exactly much use for it now." Joel suggested.
"Good idea." Ellie took off her t-shirt and stuffed it in her bag.
"Not much of a difference, but its better than nothing." She said as she caught up to Joel, who had continued walking along.
"So, I never asked you, what did you do before the outbreak?" Ellie asked Joel as they passed another abandoned, ruined car.
"I was a construction worker. It was a hard job, and I had to work late, but it kept us fed, so it was worth it."
"Oh, your brother Tommy lived in the same house as you?"
"No, why?"
"You said it kept us fed."
"Oh. Um, tommy was a construction worker also. He worked for me, actually." That's not who he was talking about at first, and he hoped Ellie didn't notice the hesitation in his voice
"Oh, okay then." Ellie seemed satisfied with the answer and started to whistle for a bit, then said, "Hey, Joel, lets check out that place over there." She pointed to a building that seemed to be a couple miles off the right side of the highway.
"Good idea. If nothing else, we need to get out of the sun. Let's go kiddo." He passed a old greyhound bus and stepped over the guard rail and started walking over to the house.
"Shit!" Joel heard Ellie call out, followed by several gunshots from her pistol. Joel ran back over the rail and saw her standing by the entrance of the bus. A dead runner with a backpack was on the ground in front of her.
"You okay Ellie?" He asked.
"Yeah, he just came out of nowhere, startled me is all." Ellie looked over to Joel as she crouched down and started searching the body. "I wonder how he got infected, and what's he doing out here. Don't the infected have to eat and get water somehow?"
"You're right, but somehow the fungus makes it possible for people to survive longer without food and water. Something to do with shutting down some parts of the body that the fungus doesn't need, from what I've heard. I'm not a scientist, don't ask me how it works."
"Hey, look at this!" Ellie pulled a pair of binoculars out of the backpack.
"Nice find kiddo. Mind if I borrow them for a second?"
"Sure, but if you break it, you're getting me new ones."
Joel looked through the binoculars over to the building in the distance. "Old farmhouse. Probably nothing inside, but it'll give us shade."
"Hey, Joel." Ellie said.
"Yeah?"
"Why don't we just wait in the bus? It'll give us plenty of shade."
"That would make a lot more sense. Good thinking."
Joel turned around and walked back to the bus. Ellie was already inside, checking for supplies towards the back of the bus.
"Find anything?" Joel asked her while he went to check out the front of the bus.
"This should be useful." Joel turned around to see Ellie holding on to a road map of Ohio.
"Yeah, that'll come in handy. You hold on to it."
"Oh, by the way, give me back the binoculars."
"Sure thing. Catch." Joel tossed them over in her direction at the back of the bus.
"Ow! What the fuck Joel!"
"What happened?"
"You hit me in the head. Why the hell didn't you just walk back here?"
"I said 'catch'. You need to be more aware of your surroundings."
"Or, you could not be an asshole."
"Why not both?"
Ellie laughed, "You got it Joel. But now, it's time for revenge." Joel saw her pull out that dreaded joke book.
"Give me strength." Joel muttered, just loud enough for Ellie to hear him.
"What did the big bucket say to the little bucket?" Ellie paused for dramatic effect, "You look a little pail."
These are awful. Joel thought to himself.
"What did the fish say when he ran into a wall?" Another pause. "Dam."
Joel managed to stifle a small chuckle.
"What washes up on small beaches? Microwaves."
"Okay, I think my ears have bled enough."
"You got off easy this time." Ellie said and looked up with mischievous smile.
Joel searched around a bit more finding nothing else of value. He turned around and saw Ellie all the way at the back, lying down on the back row of seats reading one of the Savage Starlights he had found back in Pittsburgh.
"You know, if it doesn't get any cooler out there, why don't we just stay here for the day." Ellie suggested.
"Might as well. We ain't in a rush." Joel replied.
For better or worse, he had actually started to like this feisty red head. Things seemed to be better with her around, for whatever reason, and he actually wanted to keep her safe, and happy.
He remembered what Bill had said about caring for people, and how it's only good for getting you killed. Maybe he was right. Hell, he probably is right. Joel thought to himself. However, Ellie had already saved his life more than once.
We make a good team. Joel thought to himself. She's good for keeping me alive, and their are worse people to have for company.
Joel tossed his backpack in the middle of the row down the bus, and lied down and placed his head on it.
"What are you doing down there Joel?"
"There's more shade down here than on the seats, and you took the best spot." He pointed behind his head at the back row where Ellie was lying down.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm just going to try and sleep until tomorrow. Walking in that heat was exhausting."
"I feel exactly the same way. I'll see you in the morning."
"Good 'night' Joel."
"See you tomorrow morning Ellie."