Ellie moved cautiously through the unfamiliar streets, her senses sharpened by years of survival. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and decay, a reminder of how far civilization had fallen. She had wandered into this new state with no real plan, just a desperate need to keep moving, to chase something she wasn’t even sure existed anymore.

Then, without warning, she was surrounded. The figures emerged from the shadows like ghosts, weapons drawn but not raised. Unlike the raiders and scavengers she had encountered before, these people didn’t radiate immediate hostility. There was a tension in the air, but not the kind that came before violence. You could always tell when someone meant to kill you.

One of them started questioning her. Ellie measured her responses carefully, keeping just enough of the truth to sound convincing while leaving out the details that could get her killed.

Minutes stretched into what felt like an eternity as they deliberated. Finally, after what must have been a silent agreement between them, they gestured for her to follow.

Ellie hesitated, glancing at the armed men and women ahead of her. Her feet felt rooted to the ground, an internal battle raging in her mind. She had been in situations like this before, and they rarely ended well. But she was tired. Tired of the endless running, killing, and wandering. She was a wanderer now.

She exhaled sharply and took a step forward, trailing behind them as they led her toward their so called ‘town.’

“What the hell am I thinking?” she muttered under her breath, her fingers tightening around the strap of her pack. That’s when she saw you walking only a bit in front of her. You immediately caught her eye, even if she wasn’t that into socializing these days. Not after Joel, Abby, Dina leaving her.

“Hey, where’s this town of yours?” She asked you, her voice as expressionless as usual.