His hands on my neck - Joel Miller.

2.

When they first met

The town of Jackson seemed to look better now than it did when Ellie and Joel first came there. Now, surprisingly the guards didn't try to kill them, but welcomingly let them inside. Suddenly, this place just for a moment felt like home. Or something closely reminding of home for both of them. The first mission Joel had in his mind was finding Tommy, and everything else was just a matter of time. After all, there was no problem hard enough for Joel not to solve.

His legs were taking him around the city. Joel had no idea how to find his brother for now, but tired and hungry Ellie put his plans aside for a moment. Turning his head, Joel noticed the store full of people and decided to try his luck. The door opened with a loud noise, making a couple of people inside pay attention to whoever entered the store. Luckily, two of them were Maria and Tommy, in the crowd of strangers.

- Joel! I am happy you are back and alive, - Tommy tried to control his emotions, but it was hard. Both brothers hugged each other, despite the fact that a couple of days ago they both thought that they will never see each other again.

- At least for now, baby brother. It's been a rough ride. I will tell you about it one day, but now we have decided to settle down in Jackson, - The man held his breath for a moment, finally feeling the smile on his face. However, some questions were yet to be answered and problems to be solved.

- Oh, brother. I am not sure where you can stay.... – Tommy looked back at Maria as if he expected her to intrude into the conversation and give him a piece of advice. - I hope Maria won't mind having you two in the house.

- You know how things can get hard between us, but I will try my best, - The elder brother winked at Tommy, trying to make the situation a little bit easier. Yes, both of them were not in an easy situation, but he was the only person Joel could trust at the end of the day.

- Tommy you know how hard it will be for four of us to stay in a one-bedroom house, - Maria walked out of the store with her husband so they would have a conversation away from the curious eyes and ears.

- I do, but he is my brother...– Tommy was standing in front of one of the hardest decisions he had in his life. They were living together with Maria's father in one house, and obviously had no space for Ellie and Joel. But, Tommy would rather die than leave his brother homeless in the cold.

- And my brother-in-law, I am just trying to find a solution to this sudden problem, - The wife took a deep breath and a moment of silence while she was thinking about the situation they both ended up to be in.

- I have overheard your conversation, sorry guys. I have three bedrooms in my house if needed, I can help with housing, - Hope Harrington, one of the locals in Jackson decided to dive into the conversation she was never meant to be a part of. She was 25, god knows how but life treated her nicely after the accident. Everyone she knew where either dead already or missing. A young brunette was living alone in a large house on the North side of the city ever since she was a teen when she came to Jackson. Her survival skills were surprisingly low, but her will to work and help other were incredibly good. Hope looked at both, Maria and Tommy with a soft smile on her face trying to understand what they were thinking about.

- Hope, are you sure? – Tommy was hesitant for a moment. He knew his brother, not many people on the Earth would willingly live with him under one roof. But, he knew Hope for years and was sure of her pure intentions in her words.

- It will be great to have company around, - Hope kept a smile on her face as she handed Maria the second key from her house. Despite the fact that she knew nothing about Joel or Ellie, deep inside she wanted to help them out.

Later this evening, after a long conversation Joel gave up and decided to accept help from a stranger. After all, Jackson was the only place he could go, and the last thing Joel ever wanted was to spoil the relationship with the locals or his brother. Maria gave them some food, clothes, and bedding sheets, so at least they will bring something into the new home. Finally, Ellie's bag became useful as it was ever before. Hope's house was 15 minutes walk away from Maria's house, but in the cold of the evening, the last thing you want to do is to carry around heavy bags. The two-story house was built long before the accident and still had quite a pleasant look. After seeing the distractions it was hard to notice something beautiful around them. The light in the house seemed to be too attractive not to come inside. Joel took the shiny key out of his pocket and opened the door. Inside, Hope was already waiting for them for a while. A living room with nothing but a couch, a stand where a TV was supposed to be, a coffee table, and a bookshelf looked more appealing than any places they have seen throughout their journey.

- My name is Hope. My bedroom is upstairs to the left, the others are free for you to use, - Knowing how late it was, Hope shook Joel's hand and gave the both of them a welcoming smile on her face. The house had exactly two vacant bedrooms upstairs, so for now, finally the old house was not empty anymore.

- I am Joel, and this girl is Ellie. Thank you for helping us out, highly appreciate it, - Joel was too tired for the casual conversations, especially the ones he wasn't interested in. He put his bags down on the floor, feeling relieved from finally settling at least somewhere in the warmth. - I don't mind it. I was living here alone for the last couple of years, it is great not to be alone here. I think all of us have enough loneliness these days, - Hope leaned against the wall inspecting her new neighbors with an interest in her eyes. She knew that it will take a long time for them to get along, so the last thing a girl wanted was to scare them off with pushy questions.

- Yeah, thanks again, - Joel looked once again at Hope, and then at Ellie as if giving her a signal that it was finally safe. They both went upstairs, leaving Hope in the living room all by herself. Joel's and Ellie's bedrooms were next to each other. So, if at any time they would feel endangered even inside their own house, it won't take them long to make sure that everything is alright. Once an expensive house was quite empty inside. Both rooms had the essentials, beds, and closets. But, it was more than enough after the adventure they both went through.