By mid-morning, the sun was bearing down on them. Ellie's hoodie, which had been soaked in the downpour, was dry and tied around her waist. Sweat beaded on their brows as they trudged down the dusty street. When Joel took them off the road and into a line of trees, Willow's relief was only overshadowed by her exhaustion.

The heat of the sun on her skin finally relented as they passed into the shade of the branches. Green and gold dappled the earth; the light filtering through the leaves, which whispered gently above them. The relative peace of it was downright jarring, compared with everything they'd been through since last night.

Eight hours. She'd been outside less than eight hours, and she felt like someone entirely different. Like maybe everything leading up to yesterday had happened to another girl, and she'd only woken up when she'd stepped past that wall. But if that were the case, those old memories wouldn't still live in her bones. She suppressed a shudder as they tried to climb to the surface, but the drug lingering in her system didn't let a flashback break the veneer of her calm.

Twigs snapped beneath her boots, adding to the cacophony of unfamiliar sounds in the woods. She didn't remember it being so noisy in nature, when she was little. Small creatures scurried through the underbrush, birds flapped their wings overhead, and their sharp little cries layered over each other.

Joel hadn't had much to say since begrudgingly allowing them to accompany him. After trying to ditch them at the capitol, that is. She still wasn't sure what had made him change his mind, but he claimed he knew some folks who lived down this way. Willow truly didn't have a better idea, and at this point she wasn't about to leave Ellie behind. So, onward they went.

Apparently, the Fireflies who brought her to Joel had never revealed the location of their supposed secret lab; just the vague and unhelpful notion of 'West.' In the daylight her freckles stood out a little more, and there was a pale scar that laced through her right eyebrow. Her nose crinkled a bit when she talked, which she did quite a lot.

"Man." She was looking around wide-eyed, a smile growing on her face.

"What?" Joel's question was hardly more than a grunt.

"Nothing… it's just, I've never seen anything like this."

"What, the woods?" He sounded incredulous.

"Yeah, never walked through the woods." There was almost a giggle in her voice. "It's kinda cool."

He exhaled through his nose again; like he couldn't bring himself to laugh, even bitterly. Glancing down at her, he flexed the fist of his left hand- the one with the broken watch.

The air out here was clean and earthy, and it felt so damn good compared with the stale smell of the city. Unfortunately, the mosquitos seemed to feel the same. Every few minutes she felt a sharp sting on her leg, only to look down and see another one of the little vampires helping itself to her circulatory system. After the sixth or seventh bite, she was beginning to question their choice to walk through the trees.

"Do you, uh, want your jacket back?" Willow looked around at the foliage as she addressed Joel. Ellie had wandered a few places ahead, distracted by the wildlife.

"You got a change of clothes in that pack?" He glanced at the bag on her shoulder, brow raised.

"Not really," she admitted with a shrug.

"Hold on to it."

That was her last attempt to make conversation with him, though she didn't stop Ellie from trying. The day passed at a crawl; with sore feet, and bugs, and sweat-sticky skin. She chewed unenthusiastically on a few flavorless bits of dried mystery meat, while Joel split his own rations with the kid.

Eventually, the sun passed its highest point and began its slow descent as afternoon set in. Her canteen was running dry, and she felt annoyance clawing under her skin as her medicine wore off. She fell a few steps behind, slipping a hand into her bag and grabbing another pill while her companions weren't looking. She tossed it back with the last swallow of her water, and took a deep breath to steady herself.

She almost didn't notice Joel stop ahead, hand outstretched to keep her and Ellie back, until his voice startled her.

"Hold up," his low rumble was a contrast to the bright sounds of the forest.

At first she didn't see anything but the winding path they followed, which was mostly overgrown by grass and wildflowers. It wasn't until she looked more closely that she saw the thin, silver wire stretched between two trees. It was strung across the path at knee height, barely visible but for the glare of the sun. Tracing the line with her eyes, Willow saw a cleverly concealed shotgun nestled in the branches. The trigger was secured to the wire, a mechanism ready to pull it if any unsuspecting shins hit that string.

"Holy moly… What the hell isthat?" Ellie's eyes were saucer-wide.

"That," Joel gave a weary sigh. "Would be one of Bill's traps."

"Your friends a little paranoid, maybe?" There was a bit of anxiety beneath her sarcasm, and Willow couldn't blame her.

"That'd be puttin' it mildly. Look, when we get there I need you both to let me do the talking. Bill's a good guy, he just… takes some time gettin' used to ya. Frank ain't so bad, though."

Willow felt her eyebrows jump, and immediately redirected her gaze so she didn't start staring. She was sure that was the most uninterrupted words he'd spoken since they met. And he'd volunteered the information, not needing her to pull it out of him. It felt validating, in a strange way. Like he'd listened to her, and taken her seriously when she'd asked to know what they were up against.

She was probably giving him too much credit. Most likely he just didn't want to be shot by whoever Bill was. Still, there was a peculiar near-warmth to the gesture that had her mouth twitching up at the corners. They moved around the trap, carefully, and she kept her eyes peeled as they continued forward. Every glint in her vision had her doing a double take, tiptoeing to be sure she wasn't about to set something off.

Her feet were dragging by the time they finally meandered out of the treeline, a lonely stretch of road visible in the golden light of sunset. The sky was a wash of pink and orange near the horizon, fading to star-speckled blue higher up. Willow felt her mouth pop open at the raw beauty, as she entirely forgot to be afraid. She never had such an uninterrupted view of the sky from her barred hospital window.

It was easier to walk on the paved road than through the woods, and before the sun had fully set they came to a fence. It extended in both directions, with no easy way around, and was lined by piled cars to reinforce it. Razor wire decorated the top, in case anyone got any ideas about climbing over. She was about to let out a huff of frustration, exhausted as she was, when Joel stepped forward and tapped a code into the panel on the gate. A chime sounded, and a click, and the thing swung right open.

The little residential street behind the fence was like a time capsule of pre-outbreak life. Cute pastel houses lined the way, looking empty but somehow untouched by decay and age. Even the grass had been cut recently. How the fuck had thegrassbeen cut? The whole thing was toeing the line between comforting and ominous, and which side it tipped towards depended on Joel, and whatever friends of his they were about to meet.

She'd noticed as they approached the fence that Joel had looped the rifle back over his shoulder, and he didn't get it out again now. Surprising as it was, that brought her some comfort. So far, he'd always had a keen eye for danger. Still, he was a smuggler who'd agreed to take a child out of the QZ. For all she knew he could've brought them there to trade to slavers. She told herself this, and still couldn't summon the appropriate amount of fear. That was probably the pills, though.

They strode down the street, and her mouth dropped open as she saw carefully tended garden beds, brimming with tomatoes and bell peppers. She split off from the group without thinking, stealing over to a tomato vine and plucking a huge red one. She sank her teeth into it, nearly groaning at the pop of flavor as it burst in her mouth.

The juice was acidic, but tinged with a sun-ripened sweetness that was downright addictive. She finished the whole thing in a few bites, letting the bit of stem drop to the ground as she licked the remains from her fingers. Ellie had rushed in close behind her, and there was a muffled'mmmf'as she bit down on one as well.

"Holy shit," she spoke with her mouth full, prying a smile from Willow. "These are amazing. Joel, you've gotta try."

"I'm alright," the hard edge that was usually in his voice was all but gone. "You ladies enjoy. Don't tell Frank though, he ain't too fond of people messin' in his garden."

Something fluttered behind her chest as she realized that was the first time she'd ever been called a lady. It made her want to laugh in a strange, nervous sort of way. He didn't smile, but there was some kind of glint in his eye that hadn't been there a moment ago. It faded again as he nodded to the road.

"We best get a move on."

In the fading dusk, they could clearly see an electric light glowing yellow within the largest house on the block. The pavement leading to it was lined by rows of potted flowers, which seemed to have been meticulously tended until recently. Now they were overgrown; untidy, like they'd seen at least a week without care.

Looking at those flowers, Joel's features tightened in clear worry. Willow didn't get time to gauge that reaction, though, as he turned sharply away from her and headed up the front steps. He rapped his knuckles against the door, the edge back in his voice as he called out.

"Bill?" There was no reply, just the distant hum of cicadas and the soft call of night birds. "Frank?"

He twisted a hand around the doorknob, pushing in and looking around sharply. No movement greeted them within, and no voices stirred the silent air. The warmth of electric lighting spilled out onto the porch, cutting their shadows into the floor.

The interior of the home was cozy, but looked more like it belonged to an old woman than a pair of smugglers. The door opened to a hall with dusty teal walls, a coat rack positioned to one side. Through an arch to one side was a dining room with a long mahogany table, through the other was a sitting room with a brick fireplace and a standing piano. Further back there were a couple more doors, and a staircase leading up to a second floor. The air was a little musty, like no one had been moving around in here for quite a while.

Joel didn't speak, just made his way down the hall. He turned the corner, and she heard him tapping on another door. He called out again, to no response. Ellie hovered in the entrance for a moment, looking as uncomfortable as Willow felt, before heading inside and shutting the door behind them.

Willow's first instinct was not to touch anything, for fear of breaking something important or special. Ellie had no such reservations. She trailed her fingers along shelves, grazing books and antiques as she left little paths in the settled dust. Willow followed into the dining room, the table setting catching her eye. The remains of two meals sat there, steadily rotting away on the most beautiful china she'd ever seen. By all appearances, Joel's friends had been gone for a while.

The sour taste of anxiety began to coat her mouth at what that might mean for their little group. Joel had already been keen to abandon them once, so this was probably the last she'd see of him. Thankfully, the medicine was still muting the shrill voice in her head. She didn't need more commentary at this exact moment.

Before she could sink too deeply into her own worries, she heard footsteps down the hall and the ripping of paper from right beside her. Glancing back, she saw Ellie reading a letter that had been left on the table. She opened her mouth to suggest they shouldn't touch it, when Joel came back around the corner. Any semblance of light had been doused from his eyes, and he looked hollow again.

His gaze fell to the letter, a question in the look.

"It's from Bill." Ellie's voice was hushed.

"So, they're dead?"

Willow wasn't sure what she'd expected, but it wasn't that. The words were so blunt, no feeling at all attached to them. Ellie gave a tight nod, and his eyes dropped closed for a moment as he released a controlled exhale through his nose. Again, he turned his head away from the both of them, like there was something to see out the darkening window.

"You wanna read it?" Ellie held her hand out to him, the paper clasped in her fingers, but he shook his head and raised a palm to stop her.

"You do it?" It was a request, not an order. For an instant, there was a flicker of something in his face. Like old pain being turned new again.

Ellie cleared her throat and began to read.

"To whomever, but probably Joel. If you find this… please do not come into the bedroom. We left a window open so the house wouldn't smell, but it will probably be a sight. I'm guessing you found this, Joel, because anyone else would've been electrocuted or blown up by one of my traps. Heh heh heh. Take anything you need. The bunker code is the same as the gate code but in reverse.

Anyway… I never liked you, but still, it's like we're friends… almost. And I respect you. So, I'm gonna tell you something because you're probably the only person who will understand. Infected are bad as ever, but they're predictable. It's always been the normal people that scared me.

I used to hate the world, and I was happy when everyone died. But I was wrong, because there was one person worth saving. That's what I did. I saved him. Then I protected him. That's why any of us are left on this shithole planet in the first place- we protect each other. And God help any motherfuckers who stand in our way.

I've got a feeling you'll find something to keep fighting for. I leave you all of my weapons and equipment. Use them however you see fit, until such time as you decide you've had enough. At that point, I recommend pairing 40 Vicodins with a nice Brunello.

-Bill"

With the letter was a single key, which Joel picked up, then turned and walked outside with nothing more than a mumbled, "Wait here."

Left alone, the girls exchanged a wary shrug. The room seemed too quiet, somehow. Like the ghosts of the two men who had lived here were peering over their shoulders. Still, though, it wasn't an ominous feeling. This place felt more loved than anywhere she'd been in the last twenty years. Every detail of the home and surrounding street had been painstakingly maintained, leaving it in essentially perfect condition.

"Well," Ellie raised her brows, shrugging awkwardly and stuffing her hands in her pockets. "Wanna look around?"

She really,reallydid. When would she ever have the chance to see a place like this again? And if Joel left them alone, without a gun, he must be fairly confident nothing was about to show up and attack them. Shooting Ellie a conspiratorial glance, she casually slid open a drawer to begin rifling through the contents.