Chapter Text
As winter approached, the sun's rays no longer turned everything in their path into unbearably hot and dry. No, it was colder than a tundra, the trees were stiff, and the grass was covered in snow. When you stepped out of your hideout, it looked like a white landscape; you shivered instinctively and saw your breath float in front of your eyes. This is how it's been for the past few weeks: ice cold and snowy, finding an abandoned building, possibly scraping something to eat, and settling in until you moved on to the next location. It was a hellish and unforgivable winter as the tips of your eyelashes froze. The cycle of doing this was making you slightly insane.
After days of cautiously looking for any sort of community or living soul; cautiously, because you couldn't really trust people... You've finally discovered a town. It is peacefully lit, has electricity running through it, and houses are located within its oval border. You wondered how you were going to get inside and if they were accepting people. You went against your instincts to sneak into the town and chose to stay in a building on the outskirts of it; it appeared abandoned but it also appeared to be in use because it was routinely cleaned. Your hands shook as you sat carefully on the concrete floor of the room and exhaled deeply.
Maybe, and that's a big if, if they found you here, they'd make an exception. It was just wishful thinking; you didn't even know if they had arrived or had used this dreary, colorless building. After years of suffering loss and tragedies, you would assume that things would improve, but they haven't. Just last week you had to bury your own friend on some random field on some random abandoned neighborhood. It is as though the universe wants you to become unloved and alone. There was a sadness you couldn’t shake and it worried you.
“Look, snow tracks leading to the door-“
As you hear muffled voices outside, your head snaps up towards the door, the door handle clicks, and you panic. Scared, you rush to a nearby closet and gently close it. Your plan to get caught seemed all too real, and possibly stupid.
The door then swung open, and two heavily armed men walked in, ready to fire at anything that moved.
One of them was slim, with long dirty blonde hair, and was holding a handgun. The other appeared older and weathered, with a salt and pepper beard and hair, and he was carrying a shotgun.
No, as you said to yourself, you couldn't take them on or move without them blasting you away. The older man approached the closet cautiously, as if he knew something was wrong right away.
As the other man approached, your heartbeat began to quicken; if this was the end, let it be quick.
The closet door is slammed open, and you feel a pair of hands pull you out, causing you to stumble towards the floor in front of the two men.
"Don’t move, boy." As you raised your hands, the older man looked down at you, the barrel of his gun lightly kissing your neck. You tried to appear unfazed as possible; you didn't plead, you didn't cry, and you even made eye contact with him to stand your ground.
"Tommy, check him." He muttered to the younger man next to him, motioning with his chin towards you.
The man you assumed to be Tommy approached you with gentleness in his eyes, patting you down and looking in your backpack with gentleness. The other man was a little more direct, but he didn't budge his gaze away from you and was more cautious about you than anything else.
"No scratches, no weapons. Clean.” Tommy took a quick step back, still holding his gun.
"Who are you? Why are you in here?" said the older man flatly.
You took a deep breath and tried to maintain your confident demeanor, saying, "Doesn’t matter who I am, I was just here like anyone else...looking for shelter."
"Joel, he's clearly someone who doesn't mean harm," Tommy chuckled at your snappy behavior.
But the man named “Joel”, didn’t find it quite as funny.
"Are there any others with you?" Joel ignored the other man's input.
"No, I've been on my own for quite some time." You said it with melancholy and turned away from the man brandishing a weapon at you.
The man observed your actions, his hazel eyes never taking a break from attempting to solve you like a puzzle. After a brief moment of silence, he laid down his shotgun.
"Okay. Is there any food? Water?” He kept questioning you, and your knees were starting to hurt from how long you'd been kneeling.
"I ran out a few days ago." You make eye contact with him once more, his cold demeanor replaced by something surprisingly less hostile and warm.
"Well, I'm sure you noticed that we have a community ahead of us. We accept people. Everyone contributes, and they live relatively normal lives. Would you like that?" Tommy chirped in, extended his hand for you to stand up, and you took it with trepidation.
"If you don't mind, I'd really appreciate it..." You directed that last part at the older man as you looked over at him.
Instead, he muttered something incoherent under his breath, "Just try to keep up, will ya? Eyes open, infected can be around," Joel exclaimed as he and Tommy approached the door.
"Don't worry, you won't even notice I'm here." You responded.
—- Jackson.
The town's name was Jackson, and it was as lovely and welcoming as it appeared. Christmas lights abound, horses are being fed, and markets are brimming with all manner of characters. There was even a bar. You were surprised that such a pocket of normalcy could exist in such a chaotic world. If only they were here, you and your friend fantasized about a place like this. You sighed, your shoulders dropping.
"Greetings from Jackson." Tommy's voice jolted you out of your reverie.
"How is this even possible...?" you exclaimed for the first time, struggling for the right words.
"It's run by my misses, but...it wouldn't be possible without people like Joel and other people who carry their own weight." He chuckled as he patted Joel's shoulder.
Joel scoffed at him while awkwardly staring down at his own shoes. He seemed like an intriguing reserved person, even handsome, but such a enigma.
"Anyway, we'll get you settled in right away. Joel here will give you a quick tour and get you settled into one of our residences. I'm sure you're tired and want to shower and eat." Tommy clapped his hands together and then walked away, most likely to do his town duties.
"All right, let's go." Joel motioned for you to follow him with his hands on his hips.
—-
Joel patiently showed you what Jackson had to offer, such as the stables where the horses were cared for, markets, and some stores... He then informed you that there are "Patrols" in the community. And how everyone worked in shifts to ensure there were no infected breaking in, but not to worry too soon because you're fresh off the boat.
As you walked to what appeared to be residences filled with life and families, both of your boots made a crushing sound under the snow.
"Here we are." Joel grumbled as he looked at your stunned expression.
"Wow, that's a lot of homes. Never thought it was possible again," you scoffed.
“Yeah well, we do the best we can. There’s a vacant residence down the street, your neighbors will be Dina, Tommy, his wife and some other families who just settled in as well.” He started walking towards what you assumed to be your place.
You tried to catch up, you couldn’t stop smiling at how surreal it all was. Gripping the arms of your bag in excitement as you both reached the small white house.
“Woah….” You blurted out, your eyes becoming diamonds. “This is just… this is…sorry for not being all that calm I’ve just haven’t seen a place like this since I was a teen.”
Joel remained silent and gazed at you with amusement in his eyes, which you didn't notice because you were too focused on what was in front of you.
"you were there when it all went down...?" With mild curiosity, he mumbled and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Joel spoke with a heavy southern drawl that you couldn't believe you hadn't noticed before.
"Yeah, I was." you finally say, surprised by his interest. “Looks can be deceiving, but I'm an adult. My stature isn't the tallest a man can be, so I'll forgive your surprised expression.."
"No- I can tell you're an adult," he softly chuckled for the first time, and it gave you butterflies. “It's just that not many people saw the world before it went to shit."
"OK, I'll take your word for it." You sighed, a slight smile tugging at your lips.
Joel then went to give you a tour of the small cozy house, it was everything you wanted it. Not to big and it felt like it had a home feeling to it. The kitchen was small but it was workable and the electricity helped with every appliance around the house.
“I think that about covers everything. There’s food already in the fridge, you can use the shower, I don’t know…read a book?” He scratched the back of his neck as he stood in the doorway.
"Do I give the impression that I enjoy reading?" You crossed your arms, slightly amused by his lack of social skills.
“I don’t know, What do you like to do?" He leaned against the doorframe.
"I enjoy reading though, stuff from Jane Austen. I’m an unfortunate romantic. Just like I love animals, if you didn't notice when we passed by the stables." You retorted as calmly as you could, trying to keep the cheesy smile inside.
“Interesting. Believe me... It wasn't hard to notice, looks like Shimmer likes you a little." Joel scoffed.
"Interesting? Hey, at least I’m honest about it. And God, I hope so, because if not, I won't be able to go on patrols here if the horses don't like me." You chuckled, looking down at your feet.
"Told you that you don't have to worry about patrols for now, you just settled in," Joel scoffed, a slight huff escaping his lips. “I'll tell you when the time comes." He took a step to the side from the doorframe.
“yeah yeah, I got it.”
"If you need anything, Tommy's down the road, and if you can't find him, I'm further down the road," Joel said, breaking the awkward silence. “The secluded house is impossible to miss." He said it abruptly, opening the door and preparing to walk out.
“I- yes. Thank you again for everything and stuff." You said it shyly, his back to you on the front door steps, but you could tell he was struggling to say anything.
“…Sure thing.” He walked off quickly, as if he needed to get somewhere.
As soon as he wasn’t in hearing distance you closed the door and let out a sigh, “everything and stuff.” You mocked yourself.
— next day.
Having the opportunity to take an actual shower was surreal to you, you slept like a newborn baby last night because of it, having your own bed too helped. You settled in pretty late last night trying to unpack your old clothes and your very few belongings around the empty place.
It was also mentioned that you could get a job, so instead of lying around all day being useless, you began going into town. Even though it was a lovely town, you kept seeing people staring at you and whispering, which irritated you to be honest. It was a small place, so you could expect some gossip about the new guy to circulate, but still. You finally made it to the town bar Tipsy Bison, which was fairly empty when you arrived; it appears that it was too early for them to be busy.
You noticed an elderly man with white hair and a receding hairline cleaning with a rag as you approached the bar.
“hi-“
"I know you." As he cleaned, he mumbled, cutting you off without looking at you.
"You do?" You raised an eyebrow at him.
"You're the new stray they found at one of our posts," he finally said, throwing the rag over his shoulder.
The way he called you a stray didn’t quite resonate with you but you chose to not dwell on it and ignore the weird remark.
"That's me." You played along, rubbing your arm.
"I'm assuming you're here for work, as every new recruit is. We only have one position available." He crossed his arms and examined your physique and clothing.
You hoped he wasn’t getting clues to anything, because that was the last thing you needed.
"That's fantastic; one job position is all I need." You tried to crack a joke so he wouldn't stare at you like you were the odd man out.
“I never got your name.” He completely ignored your attempt of a joke.
You took a deep breath in, “[name].” you mumble.
“Huh….well [name], I expect you to learn quickly, no slacking off-“
“Yes of course.” You cut him off in excitement, “when can I start?”
The old man looked at you with a glare before answering, “…Tomorrow afternoon, names Seth. I’m the owner.”
You stretched out a hand towards him over the bar “Thank you so much, Mr…Seth?”
He looked at your hand and scoffed, “Just Seth is fine.” He went back to scrubbing some shot glasses, never shaking your hand.
You took your hand back in slight embarrassment and anger, what was his problem exactly?
“Right.” You said with a hint of venom and bit your lip “See you tomorrow, …Seth.”
All you heard in return was a grumble of acknowledgment and so you quickly walked out the bar, that was unnecessarily painful. Why didn’t he like you? Did you came in smelling bad or something? You didn’t get it.
You let out a huge breath of air as you exit the bar, the cold air hitting your face. One thing popped in to your mind and that was when will you be able to take patrol shifts, you wanted to be of use. You know Joel suggested otherwise but you weren’t waiting out for it so you went to Tommy’s.
A blonde woman opened the door, who you assumed was his wife instead of Tommy, she looked at you with surprise in her eyes as you explained why you were looking for him, “you know, not a lot of people willingly sign up for patrolling. We usually have to beg people. I think Joel is out patrolling now with Ellie but Tommy is at the stables. Tell him I sent you.”
You smiled with curiosity, “Ellie?”
“Oh! you haven’t met? That’s Joel’s daughter, well, technically. He’s taken care of her for a while now, way before he moved in here with her. Long story.” She chuckled.
“That’s wow, yeah-“ your eyes grew big at such revelation.
“He’s kinder than he looks. A total grump who runs away from vulnerability but he’s come such a long way.” She nodded while opening her door to go back in.
“I’ll make a mental note of that, thank you so much…?” You extended your hand to her.
“Maria. Call me Maria….you?” She asked while taking your hand in.
Again, you hesitate to give out your name; “….I’m [name]. Thank you, Maria.”
There was hesitancy in giving it out not because you were shy or anything but because always felt some sort of privacy being stripped away from you every time you did. If you give them your name then eventually they’ll want to know more and if that happens then you’ll be put in a tight spot of whether you’d want to be honest with them or not even though you didn’t owe anyone any answers about your identity. Not spilling too much information has kept you alive, your feelings intact, no rejection.
— stables.
“Huh, there’s a guy looking for you outside? Saying you recruited him last night?” One of the stable men approached Tommy who was currently cleaning a horse’s’ hooves.
“Let me him through.” Tommy put the horse’s rear leg down.
When you walked in to the stables it was as pretty as when you first saw it; a golden hue to everything around you and the smell of hay overtook your nose.
When Tommy saw you coming towards his direction his eyes lit up, “How can I help you? You sleep well last night?” He approached you and nudged your shoulder.
“Yeah I slept like a baby if I’m being honest. That shower….nothing like it.” You shrugged your shoulders hearing a chuckle from Tommy, “Um, so, I saw Maria and she told me to tell you that she sent me over to talk about patrols.”
“Listen, there’s no need for you start patrolling so fast-“
“I’m sure. Please give me a space to patrol, alright? I want to contribute. I learn fast, I know how to kill infected I know how to stay safe.” You ranted, trying to convince him of how much you already knew.
“It’s not often I see people wanting to throw themselves at patrolling. It’s very risky, we’ve lost people.” He walked back to the horse and scratched the horses shoulder, in deep thought.
“Yes I know. But I’m ready. Just give me the instructions of what to do and I’ll be ready…please?” You gave him the softest eyes you could conjure up.
Tommy scoffed, “you’re more stubborn than Ellie and she’s a kid. Still, you look young and it would be my fault if something happened”, he approached you putting his hand on your shoulder.
“Tommy— I’m an adult.” You retorted, you were tired of being look at as youthful.
“I know- just- fine….” He sighed.
“Yes!” You shouted a bit too loud, closing your right fist in the air.
“Promise me you’ll learn the rules, you need to memorize them.” He was stern this time but with a soft look in his eyes.
“I promise.”
It was easier than you expected after a week in Jackson. Working your regular shift at the Tipsy Bison right now, Seth made you come to work right away about a week ago, didn't waste any time showing you where the alcohol is stored, how and when to clean, and proper customer etiquette.
It had been a breeze until Joel barged in and you felt like digging a hole and jumping in it. He couldn't see you in this hideous outfit, no way. If you were honest with yourself, you thought he was avoiding you, you knew he wasn't the type to keep up with people, but...still. Something was bothering him, judging by the way he came in now.
Joel noticed you behind the counter, his eyes becoming relaxed, quietly took a stool while you pretended to be busy and not notice him. But that couldn't last, because you didn't have the willpower to pretend he didn't have any effect on you.
"You got a job." He asked in a more questioning tone, hoping to get his foot in the door.
You tried looking up with a laidback expression, "Yeah, been here a week. That is, on and off, because I've been occupied with other things."
In thought, Joel clasped his hands on the counter. He was doing some sort of brainstorming, which was a recurring theme last time you talked as well. You're left wondering what of exactly.
"Oh, I'm sorry, could I get you something to drink?" You raised a glass.
"Whiskey is fine." He finally said, his hazel eyes meeting yours. If you didn't have a spine, you'd have melted onto the floor.
"Wonderful choice. Despite the fact that I'm not a big drinker." You carefully poured the drink into the glass and handed it over.
Joel swayed the filled glass, picking it up but not drinking it, then put it down again.
"you're out there patrolling..." Finally, he said, looking at you with apprehension.
“yes? I’ve been doing very well, may I add. Tommy thinks I’m a natural.” You huff, a small smile playing at your lips.
“I don’t mean to pry…but I did tell you to wait until I told you. You’ve only been here a couple of days.” He grumbled, those words spilling out of him like they were the hardest thing to say.
“Woah, wait, I have experience already prior to being here. Tommy and Maria approved.” You threw your cleaning rag over your shoulder.
Joel clenched his jaw slightly, as if he was holding something back, “As patrol leader, I’m not doubting your skill, just try to listen to me next time when I advice on something.” he took a swig of his whiskey in a swift motion, stood up from his stool and left just as he came in without looking back.
“Huh……….” You said to yourself in shock. Still not fully knowing what happened, “what?”
“[name], why are you standing there like a statue? Get back to work.” Seth poked your shoulder.