The Last Of Us: Past And Present

Chapter 3

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Chapter 3:
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Ellie silently followed Maria, and listened carefully as she led the way through Jackson. At random intervals they would stop and Maria would introduce Ellie to some kid around her age. Ellie actually found this kind of hilarious. Sure they were the same age physically, but Ellie knew mentally she was older than every kid here. From what she was told, most of the kids who lived in Jackson had been there for almost their entire lives. Which meant they hadn't been outside the walls that much, they rarely (if ever) had to deal with infected or bandits and hunters, and they hadn't had to kill. She doubted she'd even be able to keep up a sturdy conversation with any of them.

That was until they got to the "stables". The building that housed the stables was actually what remained of an old supermarket. From what Ellie could tell, the citizens of Jackson had just removed the shelves, and built makeshift stalls for the horses. It was surprising how well it actually worked. As they made their way through the stables, Maria talked about someone who worked their. "Someone your age," she'd said, but Ellie didn't pay too much attention. She looked into each stall they passed. Almost every single one housed a beautiful horse. Ellie couldn't believe how many there were. Each stall was stocked with hay and water. Ellie was amazed at how wonderfully groomed the horses seemed.

"Hey Alex, is Devin around?" Ellie heard Maria ask. She looked over, and saw her talking to a man who looked to be somewhere in his mid-fifties. He nodded his head and said; "Yeah, one sec." Then he turned, and made his way towards the back of the store. While they waited, Ellie looked around her. There weren't too many windows, making for a dimly lit setting. The smell of hay and manure was strong in the air. It was hot and humid inside the stables, and Ellie could feel the sweat beginning to form on her forehead.

"You okay Ellie?" Ellie looked up at Maria and nodded. But to be completely honest, she didn't want to meet...Devin she'd said? She wanted to go back home and wait for Joel to return from the Dam with Tommy. Just as these thoughts passed through her head, she caught sight of Alex stepping back into the main room of the stables. Following right behind him was a guy who looked like he was about a year or two older than her. His brunette hair pulled into a tight ponytail that reached just past his shoulder-blades. His icy green eyes seemed to stare into Ellie's very soul, and she had to suppress a shiver. He had a face like out of one of the books she had read years ago. Running down his left brow, eyelid and cheekbone was a thin white scar. He wore a blue jeans vest unbuttoned, revealing a torso built with very toned muscles. He stopped next to Alex, and Ellie gauged his height to be somewhere around six foot, two.

Maria grinned at Devin, and Ellie saw the ghost of a grin on his face. "Ellie, this is Devin. Devin, Ellie." His icy green eyes shifted to Ellie's, and she couldn't help but feel captivated by them. She felt frozen in place. Devin nodded in her direction, and held out a hand. Ellie hesitantly reached out and shook his. Devin breathed in through his mouth, and shoved his hands into his pockets. Maria watched the exchange, and a look flashed on her face.

"How about we give you two a minute?" She asked, before motioning for Alex to follow. He nodded, and followed her into the back room.

"Wha- what's that supposed to mean?" Ellie spluttered in the direction Maria had walked. After a second, she looked back at Devin who now sported a half grin. "What?" He shook his head, and looked around.

"You ever ridden a horse?" Devin asked, motioning for Ellie to follow before making his way down the aisle, quickly glancing into each stall to check on the horses.

"I actually have." Devin nodded, and stopped by a specific stall. In the wood, the word Storm was crudely engraved into the wood. "Think you could ride this bad boy?" Devin asked, placing a hand on the door of the stall. Ellie looked in and her eyes widened. It was the biggest horse she'd ever seen in her life. It's fir was jet black, it's mane (the same color as the rest of it) was long and flowing. "He's the wildest one we got. He doesn't get to go out a lot because of it." Ellie looked up at Storm, and smiled. He was beautiful, and Ellie found herself wanting to just jump on him and take him out riding. Devin saw the look in her eyes and that same half grin formed on his face.