Chapter 5 – "Jackson"
(Ellie's POV)
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The walls looked taller than I remembered.
Jackson's gate rose like a scar against the sky line—wood and metal lashed together, patched in places that weren't patched the last time I was here. A few new towers. Some heavier braces. Like they'd been waiting for something dangerous to come.
I continued to approach, cautiously.
My fingers clenched tight around my backpack straps. Joel's jacket heavy on my shoulders.
It had only been a few hours since I left the farmhouse. Since I stood in that empty house full of memories.
Now I was here.
But I didn't know if this place still had room for me. Or even wanted me. I had to find out.
Wind kicked up a swirl of dirt across the trail. In the distance, a figure leaned over a scope. Another moved inside a tower, reaching for a radio.
The main gate cracked just enough to let a man slip through—tall, late twenties maybe, rifle slung loose but ready. His steps were measured. Not afraid, but cautious.
He raised a hand, palm flat. "That's close enough."
I stopped.
"You alone?"
I nodded once.
He squinted at me. Looked me over like he was trying to place a memory he couldn't quite grab.
"Are you from another settlement?" He questioned.
"I need to see Maria," I said calmly.
He didn't move, looked a bit surprised. "Maria doesn't usually come out for—"
"It's important." I said firmer, cutting him off. My eyes not moving from his.
He frowned.
"Look," I said, sharper now. "Just tell her someone's here. She'll want to know."
He studied me another beat, then reached for the radio clipped to his jacket. Turned his back slightly as he spoke into it, low and clipped, keeping one eye on me. I couldn't hear much—just enough to catch her name.
Maria.
A sound that made my throat tighten, just hearing it out loud again. There was always the chance she'd no longer be here. In this world, it was almost stupid to think otherwise.
After a pause, the guy turned back and gave a short nod. " Follow me," he said, motioning for me.
The gate groaned as it opened, slow and stubborn. I stepped through, my shoulders slouched- Nothing like the girl who used to strut these streets without a care.
The smell hit me first. Wood smoke, dry earth, the stables and crops nearby. The smell of a town that had managed to keep going.
Inside the gate, I stopped.
He didn't say anything. Just stood a few paces off, watching me like he wasn't sure if I was supposed to be here. I could see his hand close to his pistol he carried on his leg.
Maybe I wasn't supposed to be here. Guess we'd both find out.
I looked around slowly. The path beyond led toward Main Street, where I knew people were probably heading home for the night. Lanterns were being lit. The hum of evening life just out of sight.
I kept my eyes on the road ahead.
Then—I heard the crunch of boots on gravel.
Steady.
Each step louder than the last.
When I turned, I saw her.
Maria.
She stopped first as if she was seeing a ghost. Lips pursed, eyes slightly wide. She stopped briefly. I swear I heard her gasp.
She continued to walk toward me, wrapped in her coat, shoulders squared, expression unreadable from this distance. But I felt it anyway—some mix of disbelief, disappointment, and something else underneath.
I didn't move. Didn't speak. My eyes shot down to my boots. I used the toe and pressed onto the dirt. I just stood there, bracing myself.
The closer she got, the more I could see it.
Her face hadn't changed much. Maybe a few new lines. Maybe a little more gray near her temples. But her eyes… Her eyes said everything.
She stopped a few feet in front of me. Looked me over slowly, like she wasn't sure if I was real. Her lips parted just slightly. Then closed again. Then finally, she spoke.
"Ellie."
It landed like a stone in my chest.
I nodded, barely. My mouth was dry.
Maria stepped closer. Her eyes didn't soften, not yet. There was too much between us for that. But they didn't harden either.
"You look like hell." She scoffed lightly. Not angry, just maybe unsure what else to say.
I huffed. "Tell me about it" I half smirked.
She shook her head slowly, jaw tightening.
Then, after a beat too long to be casual, she pulled me in.
Her arms wrapped around me with a strength that nearly buckled my knees. For a second I didn't move. Then I let go-Just a little. Let myself lean into it. Into her. My cheek resting on her shoulder.
"I didn't think I'd ever see you again," she said, voice just above a whisper.
"I wasn't sure you'd want to."
She pulled back. Looked at me with all the weight she carried—and all the weight I brought back with me. There was disappointment, yes. But underneath it, there was something that hadn't been there the last time we spoke.
Something close to forgiveness.
Or maybe just the beginning of it.
"Come on," she said, her voice steadier now. "Let's get you inside."
So I followed her.
Past the gate.
Back into the town I left behind.
Not as the broken person who walked away.
But as the soul healing, wanting to come back.
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