{ The Next Morning }

Pain coursed through her body as the next thing Ellie felt was the soft silk of a blanket concerning her. It felt like the pain kept on closing in on her stomach continuously. She tried her best to contain the discomfort of the wound. She groaned trying to sit straight on the bed, trying to gain sense of her surroundings.

She noticed the windows were closed, with only a small amount of light entering the room. There were metal cabinets that were shelving many medicine containers and med-kits. There was a metallic table sitting in the middle of the room, with a bloodied tray full of materials. There was some scissors, ripped gauze, a needle, and a thread— all covered with blood. Some alcohol was also on the table, which she assumed they used on her.

"Di..." Ellie muttered as she moaned when she sat up straight. "Dina..."

The door opened softly. A man with blood-stained hands entered the room, looking rough and exhausted. His clothes were stained with dirt and splinters from wood. Once he realized that Ellie was now awake, he drew a big smile of relief and rushed to her bedside to talk to her.

"Thank God... you're alive." He acknowledged, dragging a chair and placing it beside Ellie's bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Just about right." She groaned when she moved her body, "Still hurts like hell."

"The doctor told me that it's best you get at least a week of bed rest. It's enough for that wound to not hurt that much."

"Where are we?" She asked, slowly massaging the scar on her stomach.

"We're at the north part of Jackson. We're in the medical bay." He tilted his head and nodded, "You probably don't know because you always denied me from bringing you to the doctor."

"It's because I didn't need to." She reasoned. "Only this time."

"Yeah. You got hit pretty hard. I'm just glad you didn't... you stayed alive." Joel stuttered, closing his fist tightly. Ellie didn't respond. She just continued to sit straight, now biting her nails, "Ellie?"

"They... they took Dina, Joel. They took Maria, Jesse, and Esther too." Ellie sounded broken, whimpering at the thought. "We lost them."

"Not only them, Ellie. There were more trucks." He added, looking to the ground. "Almost half the town is gone. They burned down the main gate and a couple more houses along the way. Good news is that they didn't kill anyone. Not a single one."

"They still took them, Joel." She argued. Her eyes began to water, with a single tear dropping from her right eye. "What do we do now?"

"I don't know, Ellie. I don't know." He said, scratching his beard forcefully. "The town is lost."

"Well I'm not!" Her anger got the better of her, sighing to calm herself down, "Wait... did you get Tommy?"

"Tommy's fine. The doctor said he'll be able to walk." He scoffed, "Bullets didn't even hit the bones."

"I need to talk to him." Ellie moved her body to prepare and stand up, which caused tremendous burning to her chest. She moaned in pain, but still bit her lip to stop it.

"Ellie..." He scolded, quickly getting off the seat and placing his hand on her back, "You can't walk properly without getting hurt."

"I can handle it!" When her legs touched the floor, she stumbled. She bumped into a cart, holding on to it so she could stabilise herself. "Where's Tommy?"

"In the other room." He said. He wrapped Ellie's arm around his neck, "Fine, I'll help you. But promise me you'll rest after your talk."

"Promise." She muttered, as her bare feet scraped the ground, as they moved to the other room.

Beyond the door led directly to Tommy's room. There was a larger bed for Tommy, with his leg heavily covered in bandages. On the tray beside him was two bullet rounds covered in blood. She assumed that they came from the shootout last night. He was barely awake, squinting his eyes often from the bright lights.

"To - Tommy?" Ellie softly called, as Joel laid her on the chair.

"Kid?" Tommy spoke, shifting his neck to her. His eyes were still not wide. "Shit, I'm so sorry about your birthday."

"Look, Tommy. It doesn't matter." She ignored his statement about her birthday. She glanced at Joel, who was standing up with arms crossed, "We need to find the others."

"The others? How in the hell can we find them?" Joel stated.

"I know back in the camp— that we raided a few weeks ago— there was a map. When we were about to leave, I saw Tommy grab a map for himself. It may be important; it may not."

"What's the connection between the people from the train station and the raiders last night?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She argued, "They all had the same weapons and the way they moved were the same. Traps and all that bullcrap."

"Look," Tommy interrupted, "Ellie may be onto something here. I thought the map was useless, because it only had lines drawn over cities. I was wrong."

"What did it have, hm, Tommy?" Joel encouraged with disappointment in his eyes.

"Four lines, alright?" Tommy explained while waving his fingers. "Los Angeles, Phoenix, Wyoming, and Seattle. The lines cross over all places. I would bet that is where we can find them. In one of those places."

"What's the point?" Ellie asked.

"Trade routes." Joel chimed in.

"Bingo." Tommy said. "I would bet they're just making a fuel run on Seattle and doing a few trades with the locals. I heard cultists were living there and aren't too friendly. Then they would drive to Los Angeles where their 'operating grounds' would be."

"How can you say it's their operating grounds?" She questioned.

"Los Angeles is a large place, sweetie. Trust me."

"Then let's go to Seattle!" She raised her hands.

"Hold up, Ellie." Joel stopped her, "We ain't going anywhere."

"What do you mean? We're just going to leave them to die?!" Ellie raised her tone while still sitting on the chair. "They are family."

"It's too dangerous to go out there." He claimed, "We've went through America once, I don't plan on doing it again. We've seen what they could do to us. Do we really want to make the same mistake again."

"It isn't a mistake, Joel. It's doing the right thing." Tommy interfered. "Look, all it will take is a week and I can - "

"Bullshit," Joel blew off, "In a week you wouldn't be able to damn put your feet on the ground. There is no way you'll be getting out of that bed anytime soon."

"It's nothing to - "

"What do you mean it's nothing? Two bullets almost goddamn ended your life and you're just going to brush it off?"

"For my family?" He emphasised, "Anything."

"We have lost too many people - "

"We didn't lose anyone, Joel! They were taken from us!"

"That's even worse! That means they're in bad company!"

"We can always get them back, Joel!"

"You've ain't seen what I've seen!" His eyes widened.

"Enough!" Ellie yelled, eyebrows close, eyes sharp, and face angered. "I don't give a shit about what you two say. I'm leaving tomorrow. None of you can stop me."

"Ellie, it's - " He tried to insist.

"No... you can't stop me." She shook her head in disbelief, before stumbling her way back into her room.

Tommy and Joel were left silent at the moment. They seemed shocked and yet felt tired at the same time. Joel approached him slowly, placing his hand on the sheets of the bed.

"If Ellie goes, I have to - "

"I'll take care of the town. Don't worry. I'm sorry." Tommy promised, breathing heavily and placing his hand over his head, "I have a car at the outside of town. Use it. You'll need it."

"Isn't that yours?"

"If it means bringing back everyone, take it. I don't care if you break it or leave it, just come home with them."

"Loud and clear, little brother." Joel tapped his shoulder and sighed deeply. "We might take a while."

"I know you will. Just know, I'll be here when you guys come back. No matter if it takes a month or a year. I'll be waiting for you two."

"Thanks. I appreciate it." Joel exhaled frustration. "I hope we come back."

{ The Next Day }

Ellie was leaning on the side of a marine blue, rusted car that had a few bullet holes put in it. She was wearing a plain white shirt that was covered by a denim jacket, paired with black jeans and rubber shoes. In her trusty backpack, she still carried a flashlight and a pistol. She decided to bring along her bow and arrow and a hunting rifle for the journey.

While she was waiting for Joel, she raised her shirt up to the middle of her body. Her hand scraped over the wound, just so she could feel the pain once more. The burning sensation caught on again, releasing a concentrated aching around it. She bit her tongue to not groan. Once she heard footsteps approach her, she dropped her shirt and fixed herself.

Joel was carrying another bag, as he walked towards the car wearing a dark green checkered shirt, denim jeans, and old brown shoes. "You've got everything?"

"Yup..." Ellie exclaimed, opening the trunk for him, "What else are you bringing?"

"Clothes. I remembered how our last trip went. I would say the clothes we got last time weren't too comfy."

"The sweater was nice." She acknowledged.

"Well," He placed the bag inside, "There's no second chances."

"I guess." She shrugged, "So, how long 'till Seattle?"

"We aren't going to Seattle. We're going straight to Los Angeles." He clarified. "We're behind schedule. If I'm right, they should be on their way to L.A. by now. It's better we meet them there rather than falling behind."

"As long as we'll find them." She nodded. "You ready?"

Joel cringed a little and leaned to Ellie, "Are you sure about this? We can always stay behind."

"What are you afraid of, Joel?" Her tone shifted to a irritated one. "What is it?"

"I don't want this to be for nothing."

"And?" She continued, with his expression turning to a confused one. "There's more."

"If we die - "

"No, don't even think about it." She left and moved to the front of the car. Joel sighed and followed, going to the driver's seat.

Joel entered the car first, starting the ignition so that when Ellie went in, the car would be warm. Ellie had one last look at Jackson, a town that was now rebuilding itself once more. Beyond all the rubble that was left, people still managed to pick themselves back up, still counting on one another in these times. Above the skies, a rainbow formed as the clouds dispersed into different directions. She thought that maybe it was a new beginning for them. She quickly disregarded this, knowing there was no new beginning without the past.