a/n~ just celebrated 35k and now we're already at 36k!!!! you guys are incredible and i'm so grateful to everyone who supports this story!

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     WHEN JOEL WAKES UP the next morning, there's a brief few seconds of peace. Key word: brief. 5 seconds later he sits up, frantically looking around. At some point in the night, Josie must've gotten up because they're no longer leaning on each other, and he had to have laid down.

"I'm here," Joel turns to the sound of the voice, breathing already slowing as she sees Josie holding his rifle while Ellie leans on a pile of rocks.

"Did you know you still mumble in your sleep?"

Josie talks before Joel panics again like she can tell he's about to. "It's okay. I woke up after maybe a couple of hours, saw you'd fallen asleep and wanted to let you get some rest. Ellie woke up before the sun rose and convinced me to let her take a shift. I woke up again about an hour ago."

Joel stands, the grogginess already gone due to the state he was in when he first woke up. He takes the gun from Josie, and sets it back down by his stuff.

"You okay?" He asks Ellie.

She nods. "When it was my turn I promise I was quiet, I checked my six, I looked for tracks, I found the high ground and I kept watch. Like you guys taught me to. What can I say man? I'm a natural."

Finally, he approaches Josie, placing a soft kiss on her forehead as he pulls her in to his arms. "You gotta wake me up if that happens again. You guys shouldn't have to do things like that."

As they step apart and start to all gather their things, Josie responds. "But we can."

Ellie grins, "because we just did."

"I... I'm responsible for keeping you both safe, okay?"

"Then don't fall asleep," Ellie shrugs, as if it's just that simple.

Josie approaches Joel, putting a hand on his arm. "Three watches Joel, it works. You take first, I take second, Ellie takes third. If we don't find Tommy today, we'll try it again tonight. Okay?"

While he doesn't verbally respond, he begrudgingly gives a small nod.

They eat a quiet and small breakfast. None of them comment on how they're finally starting to run low on food, and that's with already cutting down on meal sizes, sometimes even skipping lunch.

Josie nearly slips on a patch of ice hidden in all the snow, but keeps walking hoping Josie and Ellie didn't notice. But of course, Joel did. A moment later he puts his rifle over his shoulder and walks next to Josie, holding his arm out.

Ellie feels it's the right moment to ask again. "So are you two finally like a —"

"Pass."

"Pass."

"Man you guys are good at that! I'll get my answer though, just watch."

As they continue walking, Joel now worries about what just happened. Once Ellie is a decent number of steps ahead, he turns to Josie.

"I wasn't saying pass as in no, or I don't want to have that conversation. I just—"

"I know," Josie gives Joel's arm a gentle squeeze. "I said it too. We'll have the conversation once we find Tommy and get somewhere a little safer."

They finally reach the river again, it's quiet as they all look around in different directions, trying to spot, well, anything.

"The River of Death... still no people. Sooo can we cross?"

"Hold on a minute."

They move to the edge of a bunch of trees, and Josie and Ellie crouch down as Joel takes his rifle and fires a single shot towards the water.

A bunch of birds come flying out from the trees and scatter in all directions, but no people or even noise from people.

"Now can we go?"

"Fine. But you both stay behind me, please."

Josie and Ellie nod, and the next part of the journey is completely silent. When they come to a bridge, everyone's nerves set in. They ease up once stepping off the bridge, but now Josie can't shake that feeling.

Ellie eases the tension as Josie and Joel listen to the girl struggle to try and whistle.

"You won't know how to whistle?" Joel turns around to look at her."

"Does it sound like I know how to whistle?"

Josie could've predicted her answer, since it was obvious from the sounds they heard.

"Whatever. Anyway you guys should teach me how to hunt."

"Huh."

"Huh like she's a girl she can't handle it? Well what about with a bow and arrow? I know there's only one bow but I figure if I could learn..."

"You can handle the shootin'. Not so sure about the dressin.'"

"What's the dressing?"

Josie scrunches her nose, "my least favorite part. It's where you take all the guts out and have to skin the animal to get the actual good meat that's edible."

"Oh yeah. But if you're taking the animal apart, shouldn't you call it undressing?"

Joel looks to Josie, who shrugs. "She has a point. I did ask you that same thing when you explained it to me a long time ago."

"I... just keep walking." Joel rolls his eyes at the 2 of them, and Josie and Ellie turn to each other before they burst out laughing.

It's about 45 minutes, mostly filled with silence, before they reach the dam.

"Dam," Ellie breaks said silence.

"You're no Will Livingston."

"Yeah yeah but who is?"

They spend a few minutes just looking, as Joel stumbles over trying to explain to Ellie how the dam made electricity. When she's satisfied with his answer, they keep walking.

Josie nudges Ellie, pointing at another river they pass. The girl marvels at how blue the water is, but then that sinking feeling returns to both of them at the same time.

"Hey Joel..." Ellie pipes up.

Josie quickens her pace, taking Joel's arm again without warning. "We didn't pass a single person leading up to that dam. What if this is the River of Death?"

They all freeze as Joel pulls the map from his pocket. He motions for them to walk away from the river, but there isn't enough time. Too many people to count, quickly block any exit they have. They're all on horseback and carrying guns, so all 3 realize there's no chance of escape.

Joel takes Josie's hand, and Josie puts her other arm around Ellie.

The trio all step apart and put their arms up, and it's Joel who speaks to the group.

"We ain't lookin' for any trouble. Just passing through." He drops the rifle.

"You two," the man is clearly speaking to Josie and Ellie, "take five steps back."

Joel worries what'll happen if they get them too far apart. "How about we just talk this thro—"

"How about you shut the fuck up?"

"Okay easy, easy." He turns to them, "it's okay. You'll be okay."

There's a tense conversation, followed by a dog approaching them. He doesn't look too friendly.

"Last chance. If you're infected, tell us now and we'll do you the kindness of putting a bullet in you. If you lie, he'll still smell it on you and he will rip you to pieces."

The dog is let off the leash, and sniffs Joel first. He's satisfied after 10 seconds, then moves to Josie. Everyone tenses up even more when he finally gets to Ellie, but the dog starts licking her, clearly wanting to play.

Even after the dog is called back, the tension still doesn't ease up.

"Well you all just bought yourself ten more seconds. What are you doing out here?"

"I'm just looking for my brother. That's all."

A woman approaches. Josie guesses she's the leader of the group, with the way she carries herself. And how all guns are pointed upward now that she's directly in front of them.

"What's your name?"

"Joel. Miller."

The woman turns to Josie. "And you?"

"J—josie."

Her expression changes, but Josie can't work out what that means.

"Alright let's get them back," the woman orders. She turns to Josie again. "You can ride with me."

"Thank you," Josie doesn't speak until she's on the back of the horse. She looks to Joel, who mouths it's okay again.

Not a single word is spoken as they ride, not even amongst the group that found Josie, Joel, and Ellie.

As they approach a giant wooden gate that appears to go all the way around, it's Ellie who finally breaks that silence.

"Holy shit!"

Josie echoes her words as they're let through the gate. It's a whole town. And it looks... normal. Especially under the circumstances. She's amazed to see stores, and fires out in the open, people who appear to be doing normal jobs, it's something she never thought she'd see again.

Ellie stares at all the kids they pass. She genuinely can't believe there's a place like this, having grown up in the QZ.

As they're being led through town, a man in a denim jacket and jeans catches Josie's eyes. "Joel," she points to the man.

Joel's heart stops, or at least he swears it does. "TOMMY!"

Josie can feel the tears already forming as she watches Joel dismount the horse and finally, finally embrace his brother. She asks the woman if she can get off of the horse, and receives a nod as a response.

She's about to walk over to check on Ellie, when Tommy finally looks at her.

"You must be Josie," he smiles. "It's so nice to finally meet you," he pulls her in for a hug, and even Joel can't stop a couple of tears from forming.

As some of the town watch these encounters happening, it's now Josie's turn for the shock of a lifetime, when she hears a voice and then turns to see a face she never thought she'd get to see again.

"Josie?"

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a/n~ hehehe surpriseeeee