Ellie awoke from one of the most peaceful dreams she'd ever had in Jackson County. She rolled over on her makeshift sleeping bag to find that her companion was not beside her as he had been the night before.
Matthew was nowhere to be seen.
Ellie felt a small pang of nervousness before shutting it down. Matthew wouldn't run off. He's around somewhere.
Winston was still laying on the empty bed above her. Ellie sat up and the dog jumped down and licked her face. Ellie pet him for a few minutes before standing and throwing the pillows, sheets, and blankets back on the bed in a pile.
Matthew's sleeping bag was already neatly folded in the closet.
Ellie brushed her hair, pulled on her sleeve to cover her right arm, and put on a red sweater and a pair of blue jeans. She walked down the stairs with Winston to find Joel at the kitchen table.
Joel wore blue jeans and a green plaid shirt and was taking slow sips of his coffee.
Ellie moved to the sink.
"Morning," Joel said. "Don't worry, the kid said he'd be back before ten."
Ellie glanced at the clock and saw that it was only 8:30. Ellie continued to stare for a moment, realizing that it was the first time that she had ever slept straight through a night. She shrugged and reached down beside the fridge to grab a soda.
"Water or milk," Joel said, not even looking in her direction.
Ellie rolled her eyes, grabbed a glass, and got water from the sink. "I'm an adult," she mumbled.
"Only when I'm not around," Joel replied. "How late were you two up last night?"
"Late enough to make you nervous," Ellie said mischievously.
Joel glanced at her.
Ellie shrugged. "We got to sleep around two, two-thirty. We had to rearrange the room a bit."
"Did you have a good time?" Joel asked genuinely.
"Yeah," Ellie said, almost in wonder of the truth. "Yeah, we did. We played a few games of poker, listened to music, read from a pun book Joey gave me. It was really fun."
"Good," Joel said, taking another sip of his coffee. "I'm glad."
"Did…" Ellie hesitated for a moment. She forced herself to ask the question. "Did Matthew seem happy this morning?"
"Yes," Joel answered. "He's just as nervous as you were when you first got here. But I think last night was good for him."
"Good," Ellie said, relieved. There was an awkward silence. Ellie sat down. "How was dinner at Tommy's?"
"It was nice to be home," Joel said. He took another sip of coffee and looked at Ellie, raising an eyebrow. "You wanna go find the kid, don't you?"
"Kinda," Ellie answered with a nervous laugh. She looked out the window. "I just want him to know that he isn't alone in this."
Joel motioned to the door. "Go on, then. Just make sure you're back in a few hours."
"Thanks," Ellie said, grabbing a soda and her jacket. "I'll see you in a bit."
Ellie downed the soda and exited the house, walking across the soft, powdery snow. She found Matthew on the Wall near the general store and made her way toward the ladder leading up to him.
Matthew was wearing his usual blue sweater and jeans. He sat cross-legged on an old RV with his bow lying next to him. He was keeping his distance from the other men on the Wall.
Ellie climbed up onto the Wall and sat down next to Matthew.
Matthew glanced in her direction before turning back to the sun.
"You're in my spot," Ellie said, playfully shoving him.
"Sorry," Matthew said. He scooted over a few inches.
"I'll get over it," Ellie said dramatically.
"Not about that," Matthew said, glancing at her. "Leaving you. I just… I had to get out of the house for a while. I don't know. I had to—"
"Do something," Ellie completed with a shrug. "I know how that feels. How was the sunrise?"
"Weird," Matthew admitted, looking around him. "I'm used to it being so silent. Now, there's people everywhere."
"You'll get used to it," Ellie assured him. "Just give it some time."
"Was Joel always this confident when talking to you?" Matthew asked.
"Yeah," Ellie admitted. She sighed. "But I refused to really listen because a part of me didn't trust him. Or myself for that matter."
Matthew shifted uncomfortably.
Ellie grabbed his hand. "I know you probably won't believe this, but I think that you are in an even better position than I was when I first came here."
"How so?" Matthew asked, looking at her.
"You have nothing holding you back," Ellie answered after a moment of thought. "You have people around that you trust. You…"
Matthew turned to her as her words trailed off, still holding her hand.
Ellie sighed and continued, speaking softly. "You don't have something that prevents you from getting close to people."
"Neither do you," Matthew replied.
"I have to keep my distance with most," Ellie countered.
"I guess so," Matthew said, dropping the subject. "But you still have me. And Tim."
"Not yet," Ellie said.
They were silent for a few minutes.
Matthew took a deep breath. "This whole thing is definitely harder than it looks."
"Are you…" Ellie hesitated for a moment, afraid of the answer. "You don't want to leave, do you?"
"No," Matthew answered firmly. "No. I'll admit that when I woke up, I didn't know where I was and I'm scared of what happens next, but, no. I have nothing to go back to out there."
"You have a reason to stay," Ellie said, nudging his shoulder.
"It's the same reason I came back," Matthew said with a smile.
Ellie smiled as well.
Matthew relaxed and looked at the sun.
"It's normal," Ellie said after a while.
"What?" Matthew asked.
"Being scared," Ellie clarified. "It's normal."
"Normal sucks sometimes," Matthew replied.
"Yeah," Ellie admitted. "But not always."
A man climbed the ladder and stood behind them. "Thanks for the break, kid."
"No problem," Matthew said, standing up. He looked at Ellie. "Clarisse is in the shop. You wanna say 'hi'?"
The man sat down as Ellie and Matthew descended the ladder to the street below.
"Have you been up there the entire morning?" Ellie asked.
"On and off," Matthew replied. "I met the shopkeeper, though. That was… interesting."
"Interesting how?" Ellie asked as they entered the shop.
Matthew didn't answer.
Ellie looked around and saw that the shopkeeper and Clarisse were standing the far corner. The old man was showing the little girl how to alphabetize. Clarisse wore a small red dress. The shopkeeper wore his usual brown jeans and sweater.
Ellie looked at the counter and saw an assortment of knives and weaponry lying across it. She laughed, walked behind the counter, and began placing the weapons back where they belonged.
"What did you learn?" Ellie asked Matthew as she ejected a bullet from a rifle before placing it behind the counter.
"Everything about what the bullets can blow open and how deep the knives can cut," Matthew said with a small grunt. "I'm pretty sure he was threatening me, though."
"Well that's what you get for being friends with the queen," Ellie replied, grabbing an apple from a bowl behind her. She tossed it to Matthew and walked around the counter. "You get warm welcomes."
"So, it is your fault," Matthew said in mock disbelief. "I thought I was being paranoid. I've only been threatened by Joel, Joey, and your… employer. I just didn't see the connection until now."
"What can I say?" Ellie asked, sitting on the counter. "I gots fans."
"Can you give me some fans?" Clarisse asked, walking up to Ellie with a small book in her hand. "Nobody ever listens when I ask them to take things out of the store."
"I'll give you a few tips," Ellie promised, kneeling to Clarisse's level. "For now, just remember that girls want colorful stuff and boys want plain boring stuff."
"Ouch," Matthew grumbled from behind Ellie.
"Get used to it," the shopkeeper grunted as he returned to the counter. "She's usually right."
Ellie glanced at the book in Clarisse's hand. "You reading now?"
Clarisse handed the book to Ellie.
Ellie looked inside and saw that it contained crude drawings in black crayon. Ellie smiled and started flipping through the book.
"I'm still working on the last one," Clarisse said quickly, snatching the book from Ellie before she reached the most recent drawing.
Ellie smiled. "They're very good, Clarisse."
"Where's Tim?" Matthew asked, glancing around.
"At work," Clarisse replied. "He helps with water."
A man and a woman walked into the store behind them.
Ellie looked at Matthew, who nodded.
Ellie grabbed Clarisse's shoulders. "We gotta go," she said. "But remember what I said about boys and girls."
"Okay," Clarisse said, eagerly looking at the new customers.
Ellie gave Clarisse a hug before exiting the shop with Matthew.
"You wanna go for that walk we talked about last night?" Ellie asked.
"Sure," Matthew said.
After a half hour, they came across a secluded park a few hundred feet away from one of the Walls. It had a few swings and a merry-go-round. The entire area was surrounded by large trees and brush.
Ellie and Matthew sat on a couple swings.
"You ever been here before?" Matthew asked Ellie.
"A few times," Ellie replied. "I never stuck around."
"Why not?" Matthew inquired.
Ellie blushed and looked away. "There were a few guys that… well, this was a hangout, and I kept to myself a lot."
"How do you feel about it now?" Matthew pressed.
Ellie didn't answer. She started to swing higher and higher. After a few high swings, she craned her head. I don't remember that. She jumped off, landing on two feet, and grabbed Matthew's hand.
"Where are we going?" Matthew asked, falling in step next to her.
"I never noticed this," Ellie said, moving toward a group of trees with low branches.
Ellie guided Matthew around a group of trees on the left side of the park.
A small path led into a wide area just beyond the brush. There was a large fallen tree off to the side and several trees with hollowed out trunks. Two trees stood parallel to each other off to the left. One had an old net hanging off of it.
"I wonder how long this has been here," Matthew said, placing his hand on one of the trees.
Ellie walked over and yanked on the old net. It snapped off, practically crumbling in her hand.
"I think it's been a while. Probably before the outbreak," Ellie said, dropping the net. She sat down on the fallen tree. "Still, this is pretty cool."
Matthew sat down next to her and looked around.
The trees rose high above them, almost darkening the sky. The brush was high enough that they couldn't be seen from the park or the Wall beyond.
"I like this place," Matthew said. He seemed to relax. "It's… good."
"I say we make this our hangout place," Ellie suggested. She laid back on the fallen tree and looked above her. "It's secluded, it's outside, and it's…"
"Us," Matthew completed.
Ellie smiled again, taking in the repetition of the new feeling. I like smiling. It's nice…
Matthew sat against the log next to Ellie. He closed his eyes for a moment.
Ellie closed her eyes as well and her hand soon found Matthew's.
Matthew squeezed slightly as they listened to the bird's chirping overhead.
…
Joel exited the 'doctor's office'. He stood outside of a small house that Jackson's newest doctor lived and worked out of in Jackson County.
The 'doctor's office' was located on the opposite end of Jackson from the general store. It was a single-story house with a living room with two couches and a chair. A hallway connected the living room to a bedroom, a bathroom, and a large kitchen.
Joel looked around. Where are they?
As if on cue, Ellie and Matthew appeared down the street and began moving toward him.
"Howdy," Ellie said lightly as she and Matthew reached Joel.
"You're late," Joel grunted.
"We just went for a walk," Ellie said. She folded her arms and looked at the house. "Did you meet her?"
Joel nodded.
"And?" Matthew asked.
"And… she's different," Joel said. He glanced at Matthew. "By the way, I asked and she said she'd give you a quick checkup too."
"I appreciate it," Matthew replied, the nervousness in his voice evident.
Ellie raised an eyebrow. "She's just an old doctor," she said to Joel. "How different could she be?"
Matthew laughed. "And you're just a normal girl."
Ellie looked away. "Good point," she mumbled.
Ellie knocked before walking into the house with Matthew. Joel walked in and closed the door behind them. They heard a clambering from the kitchen to the right as cupboard doors opened and closed.
"It doesn't smell like an old person home," Ellie whispered. Matthew put his face in his hand as Ellie glanced at Joel. "No offence."
Joel ignored the comment. "Ellie, this may not be what you—"
"Sorry about the wait," the doctor said, walking down the hall and into the living room. "I wasn't as prepared as I thought I was."
Joel suppressed a rare smile as Ellie's mouth dropped open for a moment.
The 'old doctor' Ellie was expecting had turned out to be a young woman about her age. She wore a pair of blue jeans and a white sweater. She had long blond hair that she'd pulled up into a tight pony-tail.
"My name's Heather," the doctor said, her brown eyes surveying her new patients. Her eyes lingered on Matthew.
Matthew extended his hand. "Matthew."
Ellie shook off her initial surprise and extended her hand as well. "Ellie."
Heather shook both their hands and took a step back. "So, we'll only be here a couple minutes each. I just want to check blood pressure, fevers, old wounds, stuff like that. Anyone wanna volunteer to go first?"
After a few seconds of awkward silence, Matthew shrugged. "I guess I can go first," he said.
Heather nodded and looked at Joel and Ellie. "You two can make yourselves at home. We'll be back in a few minutes."
Joel glanced at Ellie as Heather and Matthew moved down the hallway toward the kitchen.
Ellie stood with a thoughtful and curious look on her face. Then she shrugged and sat down in a nearby chair.
"What do you think?" Joel asked,
"She's definitely different," Ellie admitted.
…
Matthew sat down at a chair in the kitchen.
On the table in front of him sat a device that had a pad with velcro. The pad was attached to a small round meter and a small, squishy ball with a cord.
There was also a short, thin piece of paper the size and width of Matthew's index finger next to it. The piece of paper had a faded, multicolored bar with numbers along the top.
"This is a blood pressure kit," Heather said as she picked up the first device. She shrugged. "Basically, it's going to make sure you blood is working well with your body. Can I have your arm?"
Matthew slowly pulled up his sleeve and held out his arm. Heather grabbed his arm and
held it firmly in place. She wrapped the pad around Matthew's arm and sealed it with the velcro.
"So, Joel said you're new here?" Heather asked as she started squeezing the ball.
"Yeah," Matthew said as the pad got tighter around his arm and the red tab on the meter moved to different numbers. "I just got here yesterday. But I've been out there a while."
"Any other wounds that need to be checked up on or that I need to know about?" Heather
asked, glancing at the meter and allowing the pressure on Matthew's hand to fade with a soft hiss.
"Probably not," Matthew answered. He could have sworn that the doctor's hand lingered on his arm a few seconds longer than necessary. "I've got a wound on each shoulder, but they've healed well enough."
"Blood pressure's good," Heather said. She unwrapped the pad and set the blood pressure kit to the side. "You mind if I take a look at the shoulder wounds?"
Matthew shook his head and stood, removing his jacket and shirt. As he was pulling it over his head, he thought he saw a small blush cross Heather's face. When Matthew set the shirt on the table, the blush was gone.
Heather placed a hand on Matthew's left shoulder and took a look at the old gunshot wound.
"Looks healed," Heather said after a moment, giving it a light touch. "Who helped you with cleaning it out and wrapping it?"
"Ellie," Matthew answered.
"She's good," Heather said with admiration.
Heather applied a small amount of pressure to Matthew's shoulder bone before shifting her grip to his other shoulder. Matthew noticed the extra contact and tossed the thought aside as Heather looked at his right shoulder.
"Knife wound," Heather murmured. "This looks deep."
Matthew grunted. "Deep enough for a gun to fit inside… and then some."
Heather cringed at the description. "It looks really well healed, though," she said.
"I was able to keep it wrapped and I used pills to keep it from getting infected," Matthew explained.
"Where did this happen?" Heather asked.
"Boston," Matthew answered.
"Boston's a long way from here," Heather commented.
"Tell me about it," Matthew grumbled.
Heather released Matthew's shoulder after another few seconds of added pressure. Her hand slid down his arm and to the table.
Matthew shifted uncomfortably as Heather grabbed the piece of paper with the numbers.
"Well, all that's left is to check your temperature and make sure there's no fever," Heather said as she shook out the paper. "Electronics may not work, but these old-ass things still work just fine."
Heather grabbed Matthew's arm and turned him in his chair so that light could shine on his face through the kitchen window. She pressed the paper to his head and angled it toward the light. As Heather looked at the paper, she placed her hand on Matthew's chest.
Matthew resisted moving away from the contact.
After a few seconds, Heather removed the paper. "No fever," she said lightly.
"I'm not sure I would know the difference," Matthew admitted, noticing that Heather still hadn't removed her hand. "Like I said, I've been out there a long time. Sickness doesn't mean much."
Heather applied a little more pressure on Matthew's chest, her fingernails just grazing his skin.
Matthew quickly stood and grabbed his shirt. "That mean we're done?" he tried to ask calmly.
"Yeah," Heather said, shaking her head quickly. "We're good."
A cat with green eyes, long brown and white fur, and a fluffy tail jumped up on the table as Matthew quickly put on his shirt and grabbed his jacket.
"Arata!" Heather snapped. "Get out of here!"
The calico cat hissed at Matthew, nudged Heather's arm, and flicked its tail before hopping off the table. It walked to a food dish in the corner of the room and sat down expectantly.
"Sorry about that," Heather said, shooting a glare in the cat's direction. She sighed and looked at Matthew, who was already moving to the door. "You can tell Ellie that I'll be with her in a second. If I don't feed the fur ball, it'll never leave us alone."
…
Ellie stood as Matthew returned to the living room.
The young man seemed unwilling to meet Ellie's eye.
Ellie glanced behind Matthew as Heather walked past the kitchen doorway followed by a cat.
Heather flashed an almost nervous glance in their direction.
It took Ellie a moment to realize the doctor was looking at Matthew.
Ellie shrugged the look off. "Joel's outside talking to one of the Wall guards," she informed Matthew.
Matthew didn't answer.
Ellie looked over Matthew's shoulder. "So, how'd it go?"
"It was fine," Matthew answered quickly.
Ellie raised an eyebrow.
Matthew looked away again and spoke. "She's feeding the cat. She said she'd be with you in a minute and you kinda need to kiss me."
"What?" Ellie asked, thrown for a loop.
"Yeah. Like, now."
"Why?" Ellie pressed. She thought for a moment and smiled. "Oh my God, was she crushing on you?"
"Ellie…" Matthew began, starting to get annoyed.
"Aww, that's so cute!" Ellie whispered excitedly. "Your first Jackson crush! Even the ugly kids get a chance!"
"Ellie…"
"Did you at least let her down easy?" Ellie continued, keeping her voice low. "You have to at least be nice about it."
Matthew folded his arms and glared at her.
Ellie dramatically put a hand to her mouth. "You didn't say anything?" she asked quietly.
Again, Matthew didn't answer.
Ellie punched him in the shoulder. "You want me to kiss you so…"
"Just do it," Matthew pleaded.
"No way," Ellie said, shaking her head. "You get to clean up your own mess. You want her to stop crushing on you, all you have to say to her is—"
Matthew interrupted her, kissing her full on the mouth.
Ellie returned the kiss as Joel came through the door behind them and Heather walked down the hallway.
The young doctor quickly turned away as her face went red.
Ellie pushed Matthew away and put a finger on his chest. "You are no fun," she said quietly.
Matthew turned away, seemingly unable to meet the doctor or Joel's gaze.
Ellie walked past Matthew toward Heather, who was already walking back to the kitchen.
…
Matthew finally turned to Joel as Ellie exited the room.
The older man was standing by the door with his arms folded.
Matthew gulped.
"You wanna tell me what that was all about?" Joel asked quietly.
Matthew scratched the back of his head for a second. "You know how Ellie sometimes asks for a pass on uncomfortable questions?"
"Mm-hm."
"I think I'd like to try that this time."
"Okay, kid."
…
"Okay," Ellie began as confidently as she could, choosing to ignore the awkward elephant in the room. She tossed her jacket over the chair in the kitchen. "So, what do I do now."
"You can uh…" Heather's voice trailed off. A second later she shrugged, apparently choosing to ignore the elephant in the room as well. "We'll start with some blood pressure, a quick check of any recent wounds, if you have any that is, and end with a quick temp check."
"Alright," Ellie said, still nervous.
Heather picked up a device on the table and set it back down. She blushed and looked Ellie in the eye.
Ellie simply looked back at as blankly as she could.
"I'm so sorry," Heather began quickly. "I didn't know he was with you… Joel said that Matthew was a friend. I didn't know—"
"It's fine," Ellie said with a smile. She felt her nervousness dissolve somewhat. "It's totally cool. It provided some much-needed amusement for me too. This whole doctor thing is… a bit out of my comfort zone."
Heather relaxed somewhat as well. "Let's try this again," she said, extending her hand. "I'm Heather."
Ellie took the hand and shook it. "Ellie."
"Nice to meet you," Heather said with another smile. "Ready to do this?"
"I hope so," Ellie answered.
"Let's start with the blood pressure kit," Heather said. "Can you hold out your arm?"
Ellie hesitated a moment before reluctantly grabbing the sleeve on her right arm.
"Either arm will do," Heather said, sensing Ellie's hesitation.
Ellie glanced at Heather in surprise, then took a breath. Tommy said you can trust her, Ellie. Suck it up. Ellie pulled up her sleeve, revealing the bite.
Heather placed the pad around Ellie's arm.
Ellie watched as the doctor calmly used the device and glanced at the meter.
As Heather released the pressure, she placed the stethoscope she wore near Ellie's wrist. After a few seconds, Heather undid the pad on Ellie's arm and placed it on the table, not even taking a glance at the bite.
Ellie pulled her sleeve down with her mouth wide open. She quickly closed her mouth and looked at the table in wonder.
The silence was broken by a cat jumping on the table and hissing at Ellie.
"Sorry," Heather said, picking up the cat and tossing it to the ground. "She doesn't care for strangers."
"Nice to meet you too," Ellie said sarcastically to the cat.
Heather finished by getting Ellie's temperature.
"All set," Heather said after a few seconds. " Bloods fine. No temp. Everything's completely normal. Have a good day, Ellie."
Ellie chuckled and shook her head.
"Something wrong?" Heather asked, confused by Ellie's reaction.
"Sorry," Ellie said as she stood. "It's just that 'normal' and me… we haven't been on the same page for a long time."
Heather laughed, keeping her eyes fixed on Ellie's. "Between you and me, I'd prefer 'Jackson normal' over the 'normal' out there any day."
"I'm starting to come around to that idea," Ellie admitted. She nodded to herself and looked at Heather. "Thanks for the, you know, checkup. It wasn't as scary as I thought it'd be."
"Thanks for not taking what happened before personally," Heather replied.
Ellie grabbed her jacket. As she was about to walk out of the kitchen, she stopped. Her hand rested on the doorway. Why not. Ellie turned around. "Hey," she started, unsure of how to ask. "I know this is awkward and kinda sudden, but… do you wanna hang out or something sometime."
"Huh?" Heather asked, looking up from the cat.
Ellie walked forward a few steps, pulling on her fingers. "It's just… Matthew and Joel have a shift on the Wall later tonight around eight, and I've got nowhere I really need to be and I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out or… something."
"Sure," Heather said with a nervous chuckle. "You and Matthew are two of the three patients I actually have so… I've got a bit of free time. Yeah, that sounds great."
"Cool," Ellie said, relaxing. She looked around. "Do you know where I live, or should I come here, or…"
"We can meet at your place if you want," Heather answered. "You live across from Joey's, right?"
"Yeah," Ellie said. She considered asking a few questions that popped into her head but chose to wait. "Alright, well, I'll see you later, then."
"See you," Heather replied.
Ellie walked back into the living room where Joel and Matthew were sitting on a couple of chairs.
"How was it?" Joel asked.
"I like her," Ellie said simply.
Ellie glanced at Matthew and saw him visibly relax.
They all exited the house without a word.
When they reached the house, Ellie, Matthew, and Joel, ate a quick dinner. After taking the dog for a walk around Jackson, practicing on their guitars few hours, playing a couple games of chess, and visiting Clarisse at the shop again, Joel and Matthew got ready for their shift on the Wall.
A few minutes later, Ellie was left alone. She grabbed her Walkman and listened to it for a few minutes with one ear, trying to stop herself from being nervous.
There was a knock on the front door.
Ellie got up and opened the door.
Heather stood outside, holding a small, brown bag.
There were two seconds of awkward silence before Ellie invited her in.
…
Matthew climbed up on the ladder and sat atop the same RV that he had been on earlier that morning.
A few seconds later, Joel joined him. As Joel grabbed the rifle from the man he was relieving, Matthew unclipped his crossbow and set it beside him.
Matthew immediately set his gaze on the forest looming beyond the Wall. There was nobody to be seen. No Hunters, Bandits, or Infected. The moon shined and reflected brightly off the accumulated snow. The only noises were those of the nocturnal animals that had finally come out in search of food and nesting materials.
Matthew saw a squirrel and instinctively reached for his crossbow, intending on catching the night's meal.
"Relax," Joel said quietly.
Matthew lowered the crossbow and looked away, embarrassed.
"So, how are holding up?" Joel finally asked.
"As good as I can," Matthew answered truthfully. "I feel… lost. But at least I don't have to look over my shoulder for things that are trying to kill me."
"But you're still looking over your shoulder," Joel observed.
"Yeah," Matthew said quietly. "It's a reflex."
"Well, don't let it drop completely," Joel advised. He pointed to the forest beyond the Walls. "Out there, it's just as dangerous as ever. If we forget that—"
"We die," Matthew completed calmly. He sighed. "Don't worry. To tell the truth, I don't think that my… caution will ever go away."
There was a loud laugh and three boys a couple years younger than Matthew climbed onto the Wall a short distance away. All three boys wore black jackets and jeans.
One of the boys had short brown hair and looked to be about Matthew's height. He shot a challenging look in Matthew's direction before setting his rifle on the Wall beside him.
Matthew looked away and continued scanning the forest beyond the Wall. He glanced over and saw Joel glaring in the boys' direction.
Joel saw Matthew and looked away as well, offering no explanation.
…
It had only taken a minute for Ellie and Heather to relax.
After an hour of listening to music in Ellie's room and playing a few games of cards, Heather extracted a few small jars and a paint brush from her brown bag.
"Here," Heather said to Ellie after she finished laying the jars across the bed. "Give me your hand."
Ellie held out a hand. "Where the hell you find nail polish?"
"In my house."
"You must have lived at a girl's house," Ellie said. She looked around. "They have all the fun shit. Boy houses are boring."
"I found it in one of my bathroom cupboards," Heather said with a shrug. "I've always wanted to try these out, but never got around to it. I figured now was as good as ever."
"You haven't tried it and you're testing it my hand?" Ellie said skeptically, dramatically pulling her hand back.
"I'm a doctor…sort of," Heather tried to reply slyly. "I figure I can fix something if it goes wrong. If you want, I could go first."
"I'm good," Ellie assured Heather with a laugh, brushing her long hair behind her ears. She extended her arm again. "Bring it."
Winston walked into the room and laid down beside the bed.
Heather slowly uncapped one of the jars.
Winston's ears rose and he sniffed the jar before backing up and sneezing, eliciting laughter from the two girls.
Heather opened the second container and held both jars up to the light. The first had a blue tint. The other was red. Heather put down the jars and picked up the paint brush.
"What do you want? Red or Blue?" Heather asked Ellie.
"What do you think?" Ellie replied.
"Red."
Heather grabbed onto Ellie's hand slowly began to paint Ellie's nails. She delicately painted until Ellie's thumbnail was covered before moving to the next finger.
"So, who taught you to be a doctor?" Ellie asked, breaking the momentary silence.
"My mom," Heather answered. Her eyes twitched slightly but she didn't look away from Ellie's hand. "She was a doctor in the Seattle Quarantine Zone."
"I hear things got really bad there," Ellie said cautiously.
Heather didn't look up as she spoke. "My mom told me that people flocked to it because it used to the center of our government or whatever," she explained. "Once people figured out that the zone didn't have any more food or safety than the others… things got nasty."
"Was you're mom part of the military or the Fireflies?" Ellie inquired.
"Not exactly," Heather answered, moving on to another nail. "Mom believed that any patient who walked in deserved treatment. Even the assholes."
Heather's hand slipped and some polish ended up on Ellie's finger.
"I heard my mom was a nurse," Ellie mumbled. She looked up at Heather, surprised at herself for bringing up her mother at all.
Heather, seeming to notice Ellie's hesitation to talk further, shrugged and continued painting Ellie's nail.
Ellie sighed. "I wonder if she could have taught me to be a doctor. Or if I would even have the patience for it."
"It's not easy," Heather admitted. She smiled slightly. "I could give you a few pointers though."
"No thanks," Ellie said, sitting back. "I think I've played doctor more than enough times in my life."
"My mom always said that enough was never enough," Heather replied. "The more you understand about… conditions, the more you're able to understand the problems that come with them and actually be able to help someone."
"Meaning?" Ellie asked.
Heather thought for a moment before answering. "Meaning that if you're a good… 'approachable' person like my mom was, people are more likely to let you help them without struggling. Plus, she told me it helps the victim if they feel that the person they're asking to potentially save their life knows what they're doing," she said simply. She moved on to another finger. "All of it's pretty complicated to put into words."
"Well, I'm glad you're the same as your mom," Ellie said, receiving a small smile from Heather. Ellie looked at the bite on her arm. "With my arm… I never really trusted doctors."
"Well, people don't trust me often either," Heather said, moving to Ellie's ring finger. "They think I'm too young."
"Age assumptions are for wimps," Ellie grunted.
"I will admit, it was nice to be trusted earlier today," Heather began. She motioned around the room. "Honestly, I was nervous about this whole thing, but I'm glad I did it."
"Feels good to be able to trust more than a few people," Ellie said glancing at her nails. "Doesn't it?"
"I think I could come around to expanding my social circle," Heather answered. She took a deep breath. "To a point, at least."
"You seemed to trust Matthew," Ellie teased.
Heather blushed slightly and moved on to Ellie's pinky finger.
"I usually get a good read on people," Heather replied.
Ellie saw a look in Heather's eye that suggested there was a dark reason for that.
…
Matthew and Joel sat in silence as the night wore on.
The three boys down the Wall grew louder.
There was a rustling on the ground a few feet below the group. A small raccoon crawled out from under a small crack between two RVs. Just as it was about to move into the forest beyond, one of the three boys dropped a snowball on its head.
The Raccoon hissed and ran back under the RVs. The boys laughed and grabbed another chunk of snow as the raccoon slowly poked its head out.
"Jerks," Matthew spat.
"Yeah," Joel agreed.
Matthew noticed a familiar dislike in Joel's voice. When he looked over, he saw that Joel was glaring at one of the three boys in particular.
Matthew lowered his voice. "I haven't seen you glare like that since you first met me…" Matthew's voice trailed off. He looked at the boy who had just made another snowball. Matthew looked back at Joel.
The older man hadn't averted his eyes.
Matthew looked down. "That guy over there flirted with Ellie once, didn't he?"
"He was persistent," Joel said quietly.
"I'm surprised Ellie didn't beat him," Matthew commented as the boy dropped another snowball on the baby raccoon. He raised his voice, speaking to the group of boys. "Hey, you wanna cut that out? It's just trying to get back home."
The boy that Joel had been glaring at smirked in Matthew's direction and dropped another snowball.
"I didn't let Ellie beat him," Joel grunted. "It was pretty soon after we got here, and I wasn't sure what would happen."
Matthew watched as another snowball landed on the raccoon's head.
The racoon hissed again.
Matthew turned, looked closer at the tree line in front of him, and noticed a pair of eyes and a black and grey face.
"That's enough," Matthew muttered.
The boy down the Wall picked up a handful of snow that also contained a large chunk of ice. Just as the boy threw the ice high in the air, Matthew leveled his crossbow and fired. The arrow intercepted the chunk of ice and it landed a few inches away from the raccoon.
The baby raccoon took off and reunited with the other racoon. The two animals disappeared into the forest.
The three boys glared at Matthew and sat quietly for a moment before bursting into loud conversation once again.
As Matthew turned away, he noticed that Joel was making of a point of looking in the opposite direction.
"Maturity isn't defined by age," Matthew grunted.
"That coming from the person who wasted an arrow on snow," Joel countered.
"Ice," Matthew corrected. "And I didn't say that I was free of guilt."
The night continued on in silence.
Even at midnight, the boys down the Wall were still engaged in loud, obnoxious conversation.
Matthew heard the crunching of snow behind him and looked over his shoulder, spotting Maria. She was wearing a black jacket and blue jeans.
"Hey!" Maria said loudly to the three boys. "Zip it and do your jobs or go home and remain under curfew!"
The boys immediately quieted down, turning toward the forest.
Maria looked up at Matthew. "What are you still doing here?"
"I've got this shift," Matthew answered cautiously, confused by the question.
"I heard you took part of the shift this morning," Maria said, keeping her voice even.
"Only a few hours," Matthew replied.
"At five in the morning?" Maria pressed.
"I couldn't sleep," Matthew admitted.
"Well, you should go home and sleep now," Maria ordered. "I'll take the rest of the shift. Besides, I needed to speak to Joel."
Matthew opened his mouth to argue, but Joel interrupted, speaking quietly so only Matthew could hear. "I've learned to just do what the lady says and not argue," the older man advised.
Matthew nodded and descended the ladder, thanking Maria. He glanced up and saw the lead boy on the Wall glaring in his direction.
Matthew turned away and started walking back to the house.
…
Joel moved aside as Maria joined him on the Wall.
It was a few minutes before Maria looked at Joel and began asking questions. She started with the one he was expecting. "Who's the boy?"
…
Matthew opened the door to the house and stopped upon hearing laughter from the room down the hall. He quietly set his crossbow aside and moved to the slightly closed door to Ellie's room.
"Guys suck at being patients," Ellie was saying.
"I know," the second person said.
Matthew took a small step back in surprise, recognizing Heather's voice instantly.
The doctor continued. "They won't admit something's wrong until its life threatening."
"Exactly!" Ellie said excitedly.
Matthew heard the bed creak as Ellie rocked on her heels.
Ellie groaned. "I mean, Matthew didn't even say anything about the fucking bullet that went through his shoulder for like, four hours!"
"He could have lost his arm," Heather commented.
"I know!" Ellie said dramatically. "That's what I said!"
Matthew smiled and slowly moved away from the door. He started to realize how tired he actually was.
After removing his ponytail, Matthew laid down on the couch.
…
After another two hours, there was a few minutes of silence.
Ellie sat down on the bed and continued to pet Winston.
After cleaning up and recapping the jars of nail polish, Heather sat down on the bed beside Ellie.
"Tonight was cool," Heather said quietly. "I don't really hang out with people that often."
"Just the cat?" Ellie asked. "What does 'Arata' mean anyway?"
"It means… new," Heather answered. "Fresh."
"A lot of that going around," Ellie said quietly.
"I was told by…" Heather hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I heard that you were out there most of your life. And then you went back."
"And?" Ellie urged, wondering what Heather was getting at.
"You seem really… calm and easy going for being out there so long," Heather finally said.
"Well," Ellie said, intertwining her fingers. "I was out there for a long time and… I left because I… I didn't know how to do, you know, this. And I needed to finish something. Plus, I'm not that calm or all that easy going. I've just learned how to keep some of it covered up."
"You're back in Jackson," Heather said lightly. "So, you obviously have a better grip on this life than you did before leaving."
Ellie lowered her hands. "I'm trying to make this work."
"I imagine that's been difficult with the…" Heather quickly looked away, seemingly scolding herself for the senseless comment. She looked at Ellie.
Ellie shrugged the comment off.
Heather smiled sadly. "I guess I should really be thanking you. I don't really have that many friends here."
"You have one more," Ellie said after a moment.
Heather smiled gratefully.
Ellie looked at the pun book Joey had made that was now sitting beside the bed. She looked at Heather again. "How do you know Joey?"
"What?" Heather asked, startled by question.
"How do you know Joey?" Ellie repeated. "When I asked if you wanted to hang, you said that I lived across from Joey's house."
"Oh," Heather said, her facing turning slightly red. "Yeah. He sort of… found me."
"You like him!" Ellie exclaimed. "You like Joey!"
"Ellie," Heather said quietly. "Can we drop this?"
Ellie forced herself to calm down but had no intention of stopping. "Does he know?"
"It's… complicated," Heather said. "We're… we don't come from the same experiences."
Ellie rolled her eyes. "Great. He finally has a cool girl that likes him, and he blows it."
"Thanks…" Heather said with an embarrassed smile. "I think."
"Sorry," Ellie said after a few seconds. "I've got to take shots at Joey when I get them. I've been gone a while."
"Try to leave me out the line of fire," Heather begged. "Joey's a nice guy. It's just he's not all that…"
"Forward," Ellie completed. She leaned back. "That's just Joey. Forward is not in his vocabulary. Unlike someone I just met."
"I'm never going to be able to forget that, am I?
"Nope."
…
Joel arrived home after a few hours. He opened the door and closed it softly, setting aside his backpack.
As he made his way into the kitchen, he heard Ellie laugh loudly from her room. He glanced at the door and saw it partially open. The light was still on.
Joel shook his head and moved toward the door, speaking as he opened it. "You guys should at least be attempting to slee—"
Joel stopped short as he saw who was sitting on the bed next to Ellie.
Heather sheepishly held up her hand in greeting and looked away.
Joel noticed that the front of the doctor's shirt was soaked and half a bottle of soda lay on the bed.
Ellie looked at Joel. "What?" she asked innocently.
"I uh…" Joel wasn't sure what to say. Ellie's never had friends over. "I didn't know you were having company. How are you, Heather?"
"Good," the blond girl answered softy. She folded her legs closer to her body.
Ellie took Joel's silence as a hint. She turned to Heather. "Sorry about the soda thing. I couldn't resist. I'll be right back."
Joel led Ellie into the kitchen. "Ellie—"
"I know, I know," Ellie started. "I should have let you know she was coming, but I didn't know she'd still be here and I lost track of time."
"It's fine," Joel assured her. "It's a little late, but it's fine."
Ellie nodded, relaxing.
"You've never had company," Joel observed quietly. He looked at Ellie's hands. "Or… fingernail polish."
"Yeah…" Ellie said, her voice trailing off as she looked at her hands.
Joel yawned, glanced at the couch, and saw Matthew fast asleep. Joel turned back to Ellie. "Don't stay up too much longer, okay?"
"Alright," Ellie said.
Joel noted the small hint of disappointment in her voice and turned away.
"Joel," Ellie said, stopping him with a hand on his shoulder.
Joel turned back to her.
Ellie looked away for a moment before looking back at him. She let out a breath and continued. "Thanks for bringing me back here. I never thought I could have…" Ellie motioned to her room. "This."
"You're welcome," Joel replied. He lowered his voice and glanced toward the couch again. "Remember that it wasn't just me. And in the end, you chose to come back."
Ellie nodded returned to her room.
Joel walked up the stairs and grabbed a blanket from his closet. He deposited it on the couch next to Matthew before heading for his own bed.
…
Ellie walked back into her bedroom as Heather stood.
"I should get going," the doctor said with a yawn. "It is getting late."
"You don't have to go," Ellie said quickly. She blushed and looked away for a moment.
"What I mean is, we have plenty of room if you… you know, wanna stay over."
"I'd love to, Ellie. But I prefer…" Heather hesitated and averted her eyes. She gulped and shrugged, speaking lightly. "I have to get home to my cat."
"Alight," Ellie said, accepting the answer.
Ellie walked Heather to the door.
Heather smiled and thanked Ellie again before exiting the house and making her way down the street.
Ellie turned around and saw Matthew asleep on the couch.
Ellie scolded herself for completely forgetting about him. She walked over, placed the blanket over the young man, and planted a kiss on his forehead. I hope he won't be mad.
Ellie yawned again and walked to her room, collapsing on her bed.