“Relax, this ain’t a test. I’m not gonna grade you afterwards.”

Joel’s tone is low as he speaks near your ear, the windy breeze from the late summer air biting at him through his shirt. Below the both of you, a lone, late-stage Infected wanders around aimlessly in the ravine. Cracked, bulbous mushrooms grow wildly from its head as it chases a faux trail in between the sparse trees. It’s completely unaware of the target you’ve placed on it with the sniper rifle.

Your aim is perfect as always, but you haven’t taken the shot yet. Your eyebrows and shoulders are furrowed in, your trigger finger twitching, but your silence is doing little to let Joel in on what could possibly be holding you back.

Settling in Jackson hadn’t been without its bumps or ridges. Gone were the days of sleeping with a weapon in hand and fighting a stranger in an abandoned grocery store for the last can of beans. Now, Joel has hot water and neighbors. Fancy, he knows. He’s still getting used to the fact he can have coffee every morning. Ellie on the other hand, is still getting used to everything. The kid’s enthusiasm is what spurred Joel on to participate more in the community, though Tommy’s nagging hadn’t gone unheard.

Tommy had encouraged him to help the younger folk around the community learn how to defend the town. Though it wasn’t often Infected found their way near the town, that didn’t mean it never happened. Most of the people that joined the little boot camp got their act together after the first or third time, but this is your tenth time out here with lackluster results.

“It can’t see you,” Joel reminds you with a sigh.

He’s patient, or trying to be. Joel’s seen you around town before and you seem to have a good head in your shoulders. He thinks you work in the greenhouse, or maybe at the school. He’s not quite sure what you do, since whenever you spot him you’re skittering away like he’s got some personal thing against you. He doesn’t, he just wants you to take the damn shot before the Infected wanders away.