TLOU3

by Vanessa Team Abby Anderson

Ten years after the events of The Last Of Us Part II, Ellie must deal with the past and the present in the midst of a discovery about an unexpected evolution related to the infection caused by Cordyceps; She also needs to understand who her true allies are and who she should stop trusting.

1. Chapter 1

Tlou3 - Summary

Synopsis

Ten years after the events of The Last Of Us Part II, Ellie must deal with the past and the present in the midst of a discovery about an unexpected evolution related to the infection caused by Cordyceps; She also needs to understand who her true allies are and who she should stop trusting. And most importantly, she needs to know that no matter what the cost, continuing to look for the light is necessary for it to survive.

EllAbs Fanfiction!

Notes

The characters Ellie, Abby, Lev, Dina, JJ, Joel, Tommy, Yara, Marlene and Maria, as well as all the context and setting that relates the plot of The Last Of Us I and The Last Of Us II do not belong to me; are owned by Neil Druckmann, Naughty Dog and Sony.

The fanfiction will take place ten years after the second game, from the perspectives of three people: Ellie, Abby, and Meg, who will be a character of my own.

The story will have as its initial setting cities in the state of Oregon and then California.

The fanfiction will be a bit long – long-running EllAbs with equally extensive chapters.

Chapter 1 – Oregon (Part I)

Portland

Year – 2049

Ellie

I opened my eyes when I realized that the light coming from the window bothered me and I sat up with some quickness as I awoke from a terrible nightmare. It took me a while to get used to the environment I was in, because we had moved to a new city two years ago and yet I hadn't gotten used to the new reality, despite living there for a long time. I got up, went to the bathroom, did my morning hygiene, and looked at myself in the mirror for a brief moment, since the house that had kindly been intended for me wasn't all bad, quite the opposite. We had electricity and some other amenities that had prevailed in the pre-outbreak world, which brought a little comfort in our spare time.

I sighed heavily as I noticed that my eyes displayed all the inner weariness that weighed on my shoulders from the past few years. Because although I continued to accompany Maria, Dina and JJ because I loved them and because they were the people left of my family, I did not believe that the world had any more solution, just as I did not trust that there would be any hope for me… Not after the brutal attack that Jackson residents suffered.

After changing clothes, tucking the knife into the pocket of the jeans I was wearing, and pulling on my pair of sneakers, I went back to the bedroom. I looked at the photograph on top of the furniture — the only one I had managed to save the night the people of Wyoming were attacked —, of Joel and Sarah. Tears came to my sad eyes once more as I held the frame in which the image was, because even though it had been a long time ago, his death still hurt a lot and might never stop making me suffer, a fact that caused me to rudely dry my eyes with the backs of my hands, as if I intended to remove any trace of the guilt that consumed me.

The room didn't have much furniture other than the single bed leaning against the window, an armchair that was on the opposite side, and a dresser where I kept the few clothes I owned. Because in a chaotic world like that, I cared more about surviving than properly dressing in any comfort. I walked slowly into the living room and stopped next to the desk I used to draw and write.

Out of habit I looked towards the kitchen and, as there was nothing I intended to catch since I would not go out on patrol unless there was some emergency, I left my house to enjoy breakfast with the other residents.

The community in which Maria, Dina, JJ, and I settled had been organized by friends we met during our time in Jackson — the Campbell family —, who used to exchange items with us when we lived in Wyoming — made up of father Gregory, brothers Alexander and Alexia, and their cousin, a nice guy named Christian.

The older man and his children were the leaders here along with Maria, especially after the flurry of attacks by hordes of infected people in the vicinity, which many thought seemed to acquire intelligence of their own and, by attacking in packs, managed to destroy entire villages.

It was in this tragic manner that Jackson went from a thriving community of one thousand four hundred and thirty residents to a small group of only one hundred individuals, who managed to hastily leave the place. I was one of those people who had to watch friends and acquaintances torn to death without being able to do anything at all to prevent it. The town had been invaded after the fence had been torn down by a large group that surprised us in the course of the night, and during the months we traveled to the state of Oregon, we had been wondering who had incited the infected in the direction of survivors.

To this day we haven't had a definitive answer, but all we can assume was that someone, angry at Jackson's leadership perhaps because was kicked out or had some kind of animosity toward us, returned for revenge.

At least that's how I thought. Dina also shared this same hypothesis, although Maria did not. She continued to believe that the infected had acquired such a level of intelligence that they had figured out how to manipulate artifacts to tear down fences, for example. I would begin to believe the thesis raised by Tommy's ex-wife if I had seen any horde with this ability. As until then I had seen absolutely nothing of the sort, I kept thinking that the locality in which we resided was overthrown by some petty revenge, which could only be engineered by human beings.

The Campbell's locality was structured from two housing complexes renovated by residents who had experience in construction, since because of the outbreak and the time elapsed – almost forty years – it was perfectly natural that, without repairs, houses and buildings would begin to present problems.

I greeted some well-known people along the way – individuals who had certainly already had their meal and were preparing for another day's work – whether in the greenhouses, in the small shops or in the civil and electrical engineering part, since the older residents had a habit of instructing the younger ones about everything they knew.

As soon as I got to the cafeteria, I looked for the table where the Campbell family used to stay for breakfasts. I didn't feel bad about fraternizing with them, even though Alexia and Dina had been in a relationship for a year and a half. I even liked to see that someone would take care of her and JJ like I wasn't able to do when we lived on the farm near Jackson.

I greeted them from a distance as I nodded in a friendly manner and went to one of the counters where the food was served, taking advantage of the fact that miraculously there were no lines, which would make it so that I would not delay start the morning meal.

"Good morning, Ellie." A short woman with cheerful brown eyes greeted me gently.

"Good morning, Mrs. Wilma." I replied as I recognized her. "What's good for us today?"

"Eggs, beans, meat, bread and salad. Are you going to want a little bit of everything or not?"

"Yes, please." I replied, hearing my stomach growl at the mere mention of food.

"Great. You who patrol around need to be stronger and stronger to deal with the dangers that threaten us."

"I agree." I smiled.

Mrs. Wilma worked, along with her four daughters and five granddaughters and grandchildren, in preparing the food for breakfast and lunch—which were the two meals that the eight hundred and thirty residents of the community shared together. The dinners were on the responsibility of the families in a more individualized way, since during the nights usually everyone went either to their homes or to some event that was in the vicinity, without moving away from the walls that protected them against the dangers outside.

As soon as she handed me the plate and cutlery, I thanked him and walked away with agility, looking for my usual place at the Campbells table. I sat in silence and watched as JJ chatted excitedly with Serena, Alexia's daughter who was a year younger than him, while Gregory talked to his children about organizing the three patrol groups that would make the rounds that shift, which consisted of four individuals each.

'It had been nice, after all, that Dina found a person as centered and homely as Alexia, who also had a daughter to raise and knew how relevant it was to take certain precautions', I mused as I fed. Because even though now in my thirties I knew the importance of it, I didn't think that way when I was younger and was obsessed with revenge at any price, no matter how many reasons I had.

"Good morning, Ellie."

"Hey, Potato."

I smiled as I heard JJ's voice greet me with such joy. He had become a handsome ten-year-old boy, physically much like his father; he was still naïve, but if well guided at the right time, could help us a lot to defend our position against anyone. For now, it was critical that he be what I couldn't be for much of my childhood: a child.

"No, I'm off duty today. Why, do you need anything?"

"You had promised that you would show Serena and me that video game that's there in your house." The boy looked excited and why not say, interested.

"I wouldn't have any problem showing you because I have a few games there that I was able to find in the rounds," I began, before taking the cutlery into my mouth with a generous amount of food. "It turns out the television which I have I screwed."

"That's unfair!" The boy exclaimed.

"JJ… Don't talk like that, it's impolite." Dina caught his eye, before turning to me. "I can go over to your house to try and fix the television, Ellie. What do you think of the idea?"

She watched me and I looked away almost automatically. I still felt a certain embarrassment for what we had not had the opportunity to live years ago, all because I had chosen to resume the path of revenge and not the very family, I had to support me emotionally. We had never talked about it until then, but I feared Dina would feel hurt myself, even years later.

"Sounds good," I replied, though I did so in a restrained manner.

"Woohoo! So, I'll go along!" Decreed the little boy.

"Don't even think... You have class in half an hour... Or did you forget that?"

"Oh, Mom, I'll retrieve the materials another day…"

"JJ, I'm going to fix the television and then Ellie calls you and Serena to play before dinner. But if you insist on not going to class, I'm not going to fix that television. Do you understand me?"

"Okay, okay, you don't have to be angry..." The boy raised his hands in a clear sign of surrender.

"Alright, but behave, yes?" She asked.

"Yeah."

I watched the brief conversation, and as soon as he and Serena agreed to come to my house if Dina was successful in fixing the device — a skill she had acquired from Elgin when we lived in Wyoming at the time we had perfect lives there —, I noticed that he and the girl got up to put their backpacks on their backs, for the purpose of going to the small school that was in the community, which served about fifty children, in two classes of twenty-five each.

I finished the remainder of the meal in absolute silence as I thought of the many people who had lost their lives in Jackson. Because even though time ran fast enough, it wasn't enough to heal the biggest wound I had, the one that opened up whenever a tragedy involving the infected struck down and victimized individuals in my circle.

I felt hopelessly guilty, as if I knew I should have gone back to Catalina Island to find the Fireflies—after I returned from California ten years ago, because I knew they were regrouping there. However, as I was aware that there were other people who would side with them whom I did not intend to see them again, I chose to remain with Tommy and Maria in Jackson as soon as I left the farm where I had lived for almost a year with Dina.

But my stay did not last long, for as I was practically forced to admit that I didn't kill Joel's murderer, I was solemnly expelled from the community by the rude man Tommy had become, mainly due to the incurable injury to his eye that made him impossible and unhappy.

I had to swallow the reasons that led me not to kill the person who destroyed our lives, my frustrations, my complete failure to survive and go from city to city, always lonely as I feared would happen one day, just as I had told Sam when we talked the night before his transformation.

I had no purpose anymore, I didn't know if I would have anything to fight for, because someone had taken everything from me, someone I hadn't had the courage to kill on that damn beach, without even knowing why.

So I had spent about five years living almost like Bill — I settled in a small town in Wyoming and asked a traveler to send my letter to Maria so she would know where I was; Even though I didn't take sides at the time, I knew she had been against my abrupt withdrawal, however as I didn't want to go against her ex-husband, I understood that she had been at a loss as to what action to do. I didn't blame her, after all. There was only one person to blame for all this, the one who started the damn cycle of violence by murdering Joel.

But I had let her live the night we fought in Santa Barbara, so I couldn't go back after her, even though I often wanted to do so and end once and for all with such agony. However, if we kept our distance from each other – her in California and I in Oregon – everything would be fine... We'd be even.

As soon as Tommy was killed by two clickers in an ambush four years ago, Maria wrote to me in a hurry; She asked me to return to the community to help them organize and lead the patrols, as the hordes of infected people nearby were beginning to become a problem, because we had few people with enough experience in annihilating them — the ones most accustomed to it had been killed by the woman who was strong as a bull, whom I didn't even like to remember the name of.

However, even with all the difficulties we had, we prospered as much as possible, until the fateful night when everything was blown up, when a horde, mysteriously organized as if it were an army, invaded our community at dawn by bursting the fence that was in the back, in order to destroy as many people as it could.

We've since survived in Portland, and despite the hardships we faced, we didn't have a single reason to complain. There was food due to the crops, there was surplus food even so that we could exchange with nearby communities in necessary mercantile relations – which brought us greater subsistence because what we did not have, we exchanged.

Because the members of the friendlier peaceful group had settled a few hours from Portland some time ago — especially in Cannon Beach —, we always sent a couple or trio of people to negotiate or exchange groceries or supplies, which on most occasions used to work. Since we now had a lot of food and a lot of supplies, the Campbells certainly saw no reason why we should risk going there, no matter how close the coastal communities were.

I finished my meal, left the dishes on the counter for the people on the day to take charge of washing it, and followed Dina to my house to see if the television could be arranged. Since the toolbox wasn't with her, I waited for it to pick it up so we could head over there while Alexia and her brother designated the people who would go out on patrol that shift along with their cousin, a tall, green-eyed and blond named Christian.

"Okay... There you have it." I commented as soon as we entered, "At least we'll have time to do that." I smiled as I removed the device from the stand on the wall. "Do your magic if you can."

"I'll try." She replied, concentrating on opening the television. "Maria came back to talk to me about the crazy theory that there are intelligent hordes out there."

"Again, this bizarre matter?"

"Yeah. From what Alexia and she have known, a community in Seattle has been completely wiped out."

"They won't be missed, anyway."

"Ellie!"

"I don't miss anything that' comes from this city town, Dina."

"I know that, but that doesn't mean that everything that comes from there has to do with that particular person…"

"It may not, I know. But it reminds me of everything we didn't do there… All the horror we went through… I want to try to avoid it."

"Okay, okay…"

I watched her sigh, the expression of defeat evident in her dark eyes. Maybe Dina didn't have any more room in her life to hate someone, or maybe she just wanted to go back to past matters to sort them out… I wasn't sure what that meant. All I was sure of was that I wouldn't want to face anything that reminded me of ten years ago.

"Has any other place been attacked?" I asked, before throwing myself on the couch.

"Yeah. Two communities in Salem."

"Fuck… The state capital?"

"Exactly."

"What the fuck is going on?"

"We don't know..., but Maria continues to insist on the superpowered infected." Dina's tone was slightly playful, though I could sense some apprehension when I heard her speak.

"And you… Believe in what?"

"Honestly… I don't know what to think. I even talked to Alexia to suggest that our patrols be sent to these communities to see what the situation is, but she didn't think it prudent because we can't lose staff at an uncertain time like this."

"So, you mean that... Shit, Dina, are you really believing this weird hypothesis put forward by Maria?"

"I don't know for sure… Only… I never knew of a horde that moved like this, sequentially, from city to city."

"Yeah, you're absolutely right about that."

I continued to watch her fix the television for an inaccurate amount of time, though I didn't pay enough attention to what she was doing. I plunged into bitter ponderings that lasted endless minutes about what we might be facing this time around – already known infected, or a sort of evolution of the fungus Cordyceps? It didn't matter; whatever it was, I felt the guilt crush me relentlessly for not being the cure when the Fireflies intended to make a vaccine, so my shoulders weighed at the mere realization of the fact.

That's when about two hours later, while we were having a relaxed dialogue, insistent knocks on the door startled me, as the person didn't seem to want to wait for us to answer; Perhaps I was distressed or hurried, I wondered, as I walked towards the door. As soon as I opened it, I noticed that Christian Campbell, Alexander and Alexia's cousin, looked panting and terrified, as well as pale.

I remembered that he had gone along with other people on patrol, and when I saw him there, I feared that something serious had occurred. Since he couldn't even speak, I didn't wait to find out what it was about and pulled him into my house and then closed the door quickly. His jacket was stained with fresh blood, and he had some of the red liquid smeared all over his face, too.

"Shit! Chris… What the fuck happened to you?" Dina asked a little startled.

"My companions…", he breathed noisily as he tried to catch his breath. The three guys who went with me to patrol…"

I realized how urgent the situation was, but I also noticed how he didn't know how to start talking. Christian was quite experienced in patrolling the streets of Portland despite his young age, he was twenty years old. So, to see him completely terrified as he was, most likely something quite serious had happened. I opted to go to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water while Dina helped him settle into the two-seater couch in the living room. Flustered, I returned and handed the glass with the liquid to him, standing with my arms crossed in front of my chest.

"Are you calmer?" I heard Dina inquire and noticed Christian nodding in a slight flick, though the expression of dread didn't leave his face.

"Better than before, yeah..."

"So can you tell us what the fuck happened?" I asked, visibly anxious.

"We were far away from here when we were attacked by a huge horde of infected. I couldn't count how many there were, maybe more than twenty or thirty creatures, I don't know…" He closed his eyes with some force, as if he was processing what had happened.

"Chris, where are your patrol mates?" I heard Dina ask him, somewhat cautiously.

"All dead…" He whispered in response. "I was no match for those freaks..."

"Are you hurt?" I asked with visible concern. "Or was it bitten?"

"Nope... Neither."

"So how did you get here?" I questioned again.

"I was helped in the midst of the fight, because otherwise I would also die." He spoke.

"So, people from another community helped you?" Dina wanted to know.

"Nope. It was just a woman… Initially she used a hunting rifle of those to take down large animals… When she managed to hit several infected, she put the gun away and approached at the exact instant one of the cretins was trying to bite me… She saved the fucking life of mine… And I don't even know her name."

"Maybe next time you can ask her out…" I commented in a playful tone.

"Fuck Ellie…", Dina nudged me with her elbow. Now is not the time for that." She whispered.

"Okay, sorry." I commented quietly, even if it smothered a laugh.

"Those infected were different… They all seemed to be runners with the look we know, but they were much tougher and fiercer… And manner her of combat was also quite specific…" Christian spoke again, as if searching for the right words. "Her clothes didn't make much difference, but the training did. She wore brown boots, rubber gloves and besides the gun, she had a lot of strength... A lot."

"Okay… And did she happen to have long or short hair?" I questioned again, with visible suspicion.

"Long and blonde hair, tied in a braid." He answered quickly enough, though I noticed that he had missed why my question.

It was the answer I dreaded so much. I IMMEDIATELY closed my hands in fists, as if with this gesture I intended to defend myself from the ominous news that she and I were so close to each other again, as if that alone was enough to unleash a whirlwind of emotions in me that I hadn't dealt with before, at least not for the past ten years. From that moment on, I couldn't focus on the rest of the dialogue between Dina and Christian anymore. I only realized that the two of us were alone again, when I looked back to look at the sofa and I didn't see the boy who had been sitting there earlier.

I felt Dina's gentle touch on my shoulder, and as I stared at her, I noticed the sincere concern in her dark eyes, as if she feared I would want to leave the community we lived in at any moment to repeat the mistakes of the past. But no. I would never do it again, not when people came to need me, in case hordes of infected attacked us.

"You okay, Ellie?"

"Yeah, I just… I can't believe that out of so many states in this crap country… She has to be precisely in this one?!" I exclaimed with visible exasperation.

"You need to take it easy… Maybe it's not her. There must be other strong people in the United States. Besides, for all we know, she and that boy had stayed in California… And we didn't hear Chris mention any guys."

"Yeah, but it's been ten years, and frankly, do you really believe it's not her?" I asked as I looked at Dina with interest.

"Well, I have to believe it, because I'm still afraid you'll end up going after her and..."

"I'm not going to do that." I said, sighing heavily. "But have you ever wondered if the Campbells decide to receive her here peacefully?" I questioned again, imagining the worst-case scenarios. "If she was the one who saved Christian, it's only natural that it would."

"No, it's not… I've always made it clear to Alexia what happened mainly in the theater in Seattle, because the things that happened in Santa Barbara to this day you refuse to tell me…"

"I don't see any reason to talk about it… Not when I get revenge on her is part of the past." I assured her as I paced back and forth in the not so large room, demonstrating how nervous I felt only at the possibility that it was she who was too close to us.

In fact, my embarrassment was such that I didn't want to report to Dina that, in order to force Abby to fight me on that beach after I had released her from the pilaster years ago, I threatened to mortally wound an unconscious boy who had absolutely nothing to do with the story, precisely because I knew how much Joel's killer cared about the boy.

"Do you want me to talk to Alexia to let her know it could be Abby?"

"Yeah. You make part of their family, maybe they'll listen to you." I pondered, visibly distressed.

"Okay."

Dina was about to leave my residence when there was a knock at the door. I waited, still standing, because as she decided to go ahead and open it, due to my agitated emotional state, at the exact moment that Alexia entered my house. Firstly, I didn't speak anything at all, I just stared at her in an indecipherable way, as if with that gesture I was trying to understand what she was thinking, although she remained silent looking at me.

I didn't even know if Christian had talked to her or Mr. Gregory or even Alexander about what had happened, but judging by her expression of tension, it seemed that he had, that he had told them the facts, not least because the Campbells were the leaders of the community.

All I could think about was whether or not the person who had saved him could be Abby, and if so, what would be done from the moment we got the much-needed confirmation. What action would the Campbells take?

"We need to talk, Ellie." Alexia began, sitting down on the couch next to Dina.

"Yeah, of course."

"My cousin told my brother what happened... He talked about the brutality with which his fellow patrolmen were killed and said he was saved by a very physically strong woman with a braid and blonde hair… From the description he gave, and from everything that Dina has told me over the years, I know that may be the person you hate so much."

"Yeah, maybe it is." I replied, not understanding where we would end up with that conversation.

"We don't know exactly what we're up against and this person seems to know … Maybe she knows how to kill these infected, because from what Christian said, they're stronger than normal."

"How so?" I questioned worriedly. "He commented it to us too, but those damn runners can't be that insurmountable…"

"No, but knives and short-range firearms hurt them very little, from what he reported. And when he was saved by this woman whose name we don't know, she didn't mind using a hunting rifle against enemies."

'Maybe it was a stroke of luck...', I wondered, even though I didn't believe in the possibility.

"Still, we'll go after her." Alexia spoke and showed in her tone that she wanted to count on my help. "If it's Joel Miller's killer, I know it's not someone to be trusted, from everything you've told me over the years."

"And yet we'll listen to what she has to say?" I questioned incredulously. "Don't you think that's contradictory?"

"Nope. Because the one who's going to watch over it is going to be you."

"No, fuck!" I exclaimed and crossed my arms in front of my chest defensively.

It could only be a nightmare or a bad joke; Maria, Alexander, and Alexia knew how much Abby and I hated each other, and if they tried to force us to live together like we were friends or something, things could go from bad to worse. However, by the looks of it, maybe I couldn't escape meeting her again.

"We need to learn everything she knows, Ellie, and from everything Christian has said, it's no small thing. Because as long as we don't know anything about these infected, we all run a serious risk of being slaughtered without being able to have the slightest chance of defending ourselves." Pondered the young leader of the community. "And I don't intend to lose any more people than those who died on patrol today. It is for this reason that I ask you to leave such hatred aside, only for the time that we will get the necessary information from this person, if indeed she is the woman, you hate so much."

I ran my hand through my hair and took a deep breath. "What if it is?"

"Once we learn all that is necessary, it will be up to you to decide whether to release her or to kill her. Neither Alexander, nor my father, nor I will interfere." Alexia said.

"Are you serious?"

"Well, it's only fair since you're going to have to put up with her company for weeks until we can train as many individuals as possible."

"Okay." I finally agreed. "Do you want me to lead the search for her, too?"

"Well, you know her better than anyone, you've fought her twice, you'll surely know what to do as soon as you spot her."

"I feel like doing it and saying a lot of things, Alexia, believe me." I grumbled, visibly dissatisfied with my current condition and with the task that has been assigned to me.

"I know it has. Listen: I know what I'm asking for isn't easy. I haven't been through the pain of losing my father to this day, but I imagine it must be something hard to bear, especially when the person responsible for the fact is most likely so close to you again… And as much as he and you didn't have a blood connection, Joel and you undeniably had emotional ties that bound them together far more than individuals belonging to the same family. But if we don't do that, if we don't talk to that person, we could all die." She said, the concern expressed in the tone with which he spoke. "Infected attacked Jackson in a strange way years before, and as much as none of you believe that", she looked from me to Dina and flashed a faint smile. "Now I'm absolutely sure you're both considering that there might be something out there that is much more aggressive and lethal than we really thought it would be, most likely moving here."

"Alright," I agreed with a slight nod. "Let's do that and find out if it's really her who helped him."

"Right. I will instruct the young men who will accompany us on the mission."

"Wait... Will you go along?" I raised an eyebrow, fearful that if it was Abby, Alexia would end up getting hurt.

"Of course. Someone needs to talk to her as a leader, official representative of the community... Don't you think?"

"What I think is that you have no idea what she's capable of..."

"Well, if it's her I'll definitely have some idea."

Once again, I nodded though I was surprised that even though we needed a spirit of leadership out there, I didn't feel sure it would be a good solution for Alexia to go with us. I watched the woman a little taller than me leave my house, and only then did I turn my green eyes to Dina.

"Don't worry… Nobody will hurt your wife." My tone was soft, as I held her arm affectionately. "I'm not going to allow things to get out of hand like they did when Jesse was killed in that cowardly way…" A lump formed in my throat, and I suddenly felt unable to finish the sentence.

"But… And if it's really that person who… Who killed Joel?"

"I'm going to find a way to stop her, no matter what she came here for. Maybe that's my mission, okay?"

"You can't be serious…"

"Listen, Dina, if it's really her who's out there fighting these different or more resistant hordes or whatever the fuck it is, I have to agree to the alternative of getting her to cooperate with us, and for that, unfortunately, I'm going to have to talk to her and establish some kind of deal. That's not to say I like the idea, quite the opposite."

"I know, I guess I just wouldn't want you to go through this again, not after so long and everything that's happened." Dina replied, sighing heavily.

"But maybe it's a matter of survival," I mused. "Alexia knows how to take care of herself, but she also realizes the danger Abby poses, and if it's really her, we'll be very careful." I assured, even though my thoughts were all focused on the reason that led Joel's killer, the monstrous person who killed Jesse without any kind of impediment to have helped Christian in such a natural way.

I had several questions to ask, but I didn't know if they would all be answered satisfactorily if we located her. Perhaps the first was to know if she was the one helped him, although the physical description looked a lot like hers.

And in a crazy world like the one we live in, with few individuals moving from one place to another, maybe I should consider that it was really her and stop considering other less likely possibilities, like some Firefly that could be looking for me, for example.

I grabbed my backpack under the watchful eye of Dina, who was still trying to fix the TV. Because even though I probably wouldn't be able to play with JJ and Serena like I had promised I would at the end of the day, at least the fact that the device was already tidied up meant I could have fun with the kids as soon as I got the chance.

I checked the revolver that had belonged to Joel and stored it along with ammunition I'd probably need, not least because the idea that ordinary people, contaminated as runners were almost never hurt by shots from simpler guns wasn't something I believed in. I've needed to see it with my own eyes, because there was a possibility that Christian was exaggerating, which is exactly why I chose not to take the rifle – just my inseparable knife, pistol and revolver.

"Are you nervous?"

"Not much."

"But what if it's really her?"

"Anyway, I'm not going to decide anything, I'm not going to rush. You heard what your wife said... We have to find out everything that person knows, whoever they are." I replied with some exasperation, because I didn't want Dina to realize how emotionally unstable, I felt.

I heard two light knocks on the door and hurried to open it, noting that Alexia was accompanied by two other men and a girl named Mia Mason, who I had been dating for a few months. She and I had ended the relationship because I didn't feel fit to be with someone, not after everything that happened in my life for ten years ago.

I had first tried to relate to Ashley Gray, another girl also belonging to the community, however, just as the fleeting courtship with Mia, it also had not worked because of the difficulty I had in committing to someone and relaxing during the dating.

I said goodbye to Dina and left the keys to my residence with her as she continued to fix the TV as I promised JJ I would and made my way to the gates of the locality, heavily guarded by five guards armed with long-range rifles.

I followed the whole way in complete silence, not even looking at the boys, not even Mia or Alexia; I didn't wish anyone would notice how eager I was to finally find out that the person who had helped Christian wasn't Abby, because if it was any other random woman, I could go back to having peace in my life and treat the issue like any job – maybe even I could be friendly with that person.

Though I had to admit that since Joel had been brutally killed at the Baldwin mansion, I've had anything but peace. I enjoyed a comfortable existence, since in many communities there was not even light, unlike where I lived; I've also took the opportunity to hang out with the children – especially JJ and Serena –, which brought me a little bit of joy; I was lucky enough to be respected by Maria despite everything that happened to Jesse and Tommy in Seattle, and finally, even though Dina and I ended the relationship abruptly — mostly because of my choices —, JJ's mother didn't show it have great regrets about me.

'So, why didn't such a feeling of heaviness subside'? That was a question I didn't know how to answer; I imagined it was because I felt null about my immune condition, but anyway I preferred not to deal with it or anything, lest I lose control emotionally.

I heard Alexia instruct the boys and Mia about going to look for traces where Christian had claimed that his classmates were killed, and as I thought about it, I feared we would be attacked by infected. But since we had to start the search from somewhere, it was undeniably a clue and we had to follow it.

I wasn't very good at locating people that way, so I stayed behind as we walked through the densely overgrown streets while watching the two young men, Ed and Liam, look for footprints or some sort of clue that someone had been there.

They entered a residence on the right side of the street as I watched Alexia and Mia make their way to the adjacent house. I kept quiet as if I didn't know exactly what action to take, but I understood that maybe I didn't need to be accountable to Dina's wife. She trusted me since my arrival, especially since Maria still treated me very well, despite all my misconceptions.

With that in mind, I walked slowly down the street through the vegetation, to a small house that stood on the corner. I tried to read the name of said street in order to better locate myself, however the sign was too worn.

I approached the house and just as I was about to enter it to check if there were supplies, I felt that someone grabbed me by the neck, lifted me off the ground in an agile way and threw me away, however without emitting a single grunt.

Taken by surprise I groaned in pain as I violently hit the ground and when I stood, I was ready to fight back because I thought it might be Abby. However, my surprise became even greater when I saw that it was not just one, but two infected people surrounding me. I looked into their faces carefully, because usually the runners had the characteristic of attacking without any care, and unlike what they used to do, the two enemies next to me studied my behavior, as if waiting for the most appropriate moment to kill me.

I've never been the type to feel scared when fighting creatures taken over by the Cordyceps, but in that moment I felt like I knew absolutely nothing of what they could do against me, a fact that unsettled me. Anyway, I decided to act first, after moments of tension that seemed to drag on: I drew my knife and set off on top of the nearest runner, who didn't even tip over or scream in pain at my blow because the blade hadn't penetrated his skin.

"What the fuck is this?!" I screamed in exasperation, especially when he disarmed me and proceeded to attack me with the knife, because nothing like this ever happened.

While doing what was necessary to defend myself from the blows landed, I got some superficial cuts on my arms from it and was so focused on trying to survive, that I didn't even notice when the other infected one ripped the backpack off my back. Up until that point I didn't really believe it, but there was definitely something wrong with those creatures that seemed to demonstrate some rare kind of intelligence, not the insanity that always characterized people contaminated by the fungus.

I rolled to the side in order to escape a blow to the face when I noticed Alexia and Mia coming towards me. They fired with ordinary weapons, since the rifles had stayed with the guards and other members of the community in order to protect and defend our territory, in case someone sought to invade it.

Surprisingly, the shots only superficially wounded the creatures, who seemed to know the right time to duck in order for them to dodge, which was also something new, because they had never manifested such an ability of self-defense and a sense of space.

It was then that one of the infected — the one still with my knife in his hand —, turned his attention to me, while the other hid to look for a better position in order to attack my friends, which was also equally surprising, because first stage creatures started to act irrationally as soon as they transformed, which they clearly didn't. Just as the runner was about to hit me in the chest with the gun my mother had bequeathed to me, a high precision rifle shot echoed down the street, hitting him in the back of the head in a way that knocked him down. However, although seriously wounded he wasn't yet dead, so the person who had shot came running and I recognized him immediately.

I'd know that pair of brown boots anywhere. I closed my eyes and opened them again as if I expected I to wake up from a nightmare, just in time to witness the strong figure like a bull lift its foot and smash the infected man's head with the sole of his boot into a nauseating streak, as Alexia, Mia, Ed, and Liam tried to take down the remaining enemy.

Fortunately, after countless shots and a lot of spent ammunition, they managed to annihilate him and took a deep breath, because definitely something had happened to the runners. They were resistant to the extreme, even more combative and why not say, smarter and more cooperative with each other.

"Your knife."

"So… it's really you." I spoke half-heartedly, unable to look away.

"Yeah, it's me."

I heard her speak and it brought me to reality when I saw her standing in front of me returning for the object and when I picked it up, what I feared so much happened: I couldn't even think, and I went on top of her with the knife in hand. I didn't even realize that she had dropped the rifle in an attempt to escape my first blow, however she couldn't dodge the second, though I did hit her superficially in a gash on her wrist.

"Fuck... That's how you thank me... Girl?!"

"Go fuck yourself!" I growled, as I felt the hatred wash over me, the anger making my blood boil.

However, Alexia deftly disarmed me, while Mia held my backpack. "Hey, hey, Ellie, Ellie, calm down! Remember what we said when we were at your house… We have to talk to her, learn everything she knows and then… well, we let you decide what you want to do."

"Oh, I really feel flattered." Abby grumbled sarcastically, before getting to her feet and settling her backpack on her shoulders. "I've just got rid all your goddamn asses, because otherwise it would have taken a lot of work to kill these two infected or else you would all have died, but in return you want to make me prisoner?!"

"It was something I proposed, otherwise she wouldn't hesitate to kill you as soon as she located her." Alexia spoke as she pointed in my direction and then looked at her.

I, on the other hand, still held the knife up as if I intended to go on top of Abby at any moment. "She's right." I commented in response, the tone charged with anger.

I then observed that the blonde woman dropped her backpack, put away her rifle, and raised her hands in a clear gesture of peace, but it was not enough to make me abandon my posture of imminent attack in front of her. After all, I had no shortage of reasons not to trust her.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save all the guys on the patrol belonging to your community."

Hearing her utter that, I walked slowly towards her menacingly. "Are you the one controlling these runners?"

"What... Me?"

"Yeah."

"Of course not, don't be stupid! How could I do such a thing?"

"You were imprisoned for months in the Rattlers resort years ago; you may have learned different tricks."

"I would never use infected to target people." She spoke. "If I have to kill someone for some reason, I'll do it as I've always done with my own hands."

"I see you're still exactly the same." I grumbled unable to face her. "But then, how do you know about the attack on the members of our patrol?" I asked.

"Because I was the one who did my best to help them a few hours ago. That's what my friends Lev and Meg, besides me, have been doing for the past few years." She replied as if it were obvious.

"You three and who else?"

"No one else. I've already said... It's just the three of us."

"And where are they now?"

"In Newport. The two of are trying to save people from a community that has been permanently attacked, while I have come to help all you."

"Did you know I was here?"

"I don't get it…"

"Yeah, you perfectly understood what I asked. If you know I am living here with Dina, JJ and Maria… And that's why you came to Portland?"

"You're wondering if I came to attack you because of the past…", the woman took a deep breath. " Please, girl. I have more to do. I don't even know who these people you just mentioned are, at least I don't associate their names with the figures. I went my way after what happened between us in Seattle and in Santa Barbara, and even though you received me in a hostile way here, I did not hesitate to save your life and more: I can cooperate with all you without any problem, explain you everything I know about these infected and even train you if you want, because as my father said, 'It's always worth helping others.'

"How nobility, Abby. Just like you helped Joel through that blizzard, didn't you?" I retorted, turning my back on her. "Come on, Alexia, we've already found who we've come looking for. But just keep your eyes open so you don't get surprised by her, because she has a nasty habit of attacking in cowardice." I warned, as I retrieved my backpack from Mia's hands.

Returning to the community as soon as possible was key, because we all knew that other infected people could show up if we stayed there, which made the scenario we were in quite dangerous for us to simply talk outdoors.

Besides, being in our territory Abby would have to submit to our conditions, which made me mentally wonder why, after all, she agreed to accompany us so quickly? It couldn't be because she was a good person; the woman who killed Joel with such brutality would not be worthy of acts of benevolence, at least so I'd thought.

As we walked towards the place where we lived in a tense silence after Alexia had grabbed her backpack, I stared at Abby with an angry expression, as if to indicate that I would not act in a friendly manner; Not when she'd declared that she'd had moved on with her life after that, not when she'd seemed so emotionally resolute and I didn't.

I intended to make her suffer, to deprive her of the company she liked most, just as she had done in killing Joel and Jesse, as she had done in ripping my fingers off on our last date in California… Since Abby was willing to help the Campbells to understand how to confront these new infected by willingly explaining the whole situation, I would take the opportunity to keep her captive for as long as possible before I'll killing her. That was my plan: to make her understand that, even though ten years had passed, unresolved issues between the two of us allowed me to hate her so intensely that I would spare no effort to destroy everything she had, just as she had done to me at the Baldwin mansion years ago and as she had done on the beach in Santa Barbara also. Finally, after years of waiting I had something to fight for.