His hands on my neck - Joel Miller.

17.

Life in Jackson was turning into a routine. Older people were feeling like some part of their life was back 20 years after. Everyone had their own daily tasks. Winters were mostly quiet, so the people had occasional situations out of the ordinary, but it was quieter than the other seasons. It was a busy day in the hospital. Apparently, there was some activity outside of the city, and half of the old grocery store, which was a hospital now, was taken by the wounded people.

- Ellie! – Hope turned her head to see who was at the entrance to the hospital, a soft smile appeared on her face when she saw a familiar face.

- Hi, Hope, - Ellie held her hand on her side, pressing a little bit on her skin to feel less pain on the cut, as she pushed a sort of smile for her friend.

- I am... I am sorry, - A girl stood in front of her, trying to find any other words she could use to make things up better between them. But it seemed as if there was no other way to correct the past other than moving on from it.

- Let's just forget it, - She sat down on one of the beds, deep inside all she wanted is really to forget that day, and never open this skeleton in the closet.

- How are you doing? – Hope closed the curtain that all the beds had between them making a little privacy for the two as the older friend started looking at the girl's wounds.

- Just got a couple of bruises, you know, life goes on, - Ellie took off her jacket and threw it on the other side of the bed, pulling up her shirt a bit, to let her take a look at the cut.

- That's a little bit more than a couple of bruises, but don't worry, - She washed her hands before coming closer to a girl, Hope grabbed a chair and placed it in front of the bed, inspecting the cut.

- I am not, just concerned, - A girl tried to relax a bit, but let the loud hiss out of her mouth, feeling the touches around the cut.

- About what? – Hope got up from the chair to grab the painkiller and everything else she needed to sanitize and eventually stitch the cut a little.

- About you Hope, I don't want to see you broken at the end of the day, - Ellie was holding the pain inside of her as she felt the rubbing alcohol on the cut, wishing for the pills to start working faster.

- Trust me, I can control my feelings, - A girl was focusing more on what her hands were doing, other than on a conversation. However, they both knew none of them would run from it, and eventually, this subject will pop up.

- Because you know, he's complicated, - She gave up and got down on the bed, trying to relax the muscles and eventually, the pain was slowly fading away.

- Yeah, I've noticed, - Hope really did. She lived with them for over a year and could tell that she has never met anyone more complicated than Joel. Of course, she was young and didn't have the same issues as he did before, but a girl has never seen anyone more complicated than him. The apocalypse made everyone tough, the soft ones were a long time dead.

- He's a hunter, and don't take it personally, but you're more like a prey, - Ellie said as she looked into Hope's eyes. One thing a girl definitely had was brutal honesty. Sometimes it can be too brutal, but a splash of cold water in the face can be the best way to understand the situation.

- Thank you, Ellie, - She looked at the cut now, as the blood stopped. Luckily for them both, stitches were not needed, making the job easier for Hope and things less painful for Ellie.

- Just telling how it feels, - A girl looked at her friend, trying to understand if she was even listening to her words.

- I really appreciate your concern, as a friend it is priceless. But, trust me, I will be fine, - Hope got up from the chair and gave a smile to her friend. She left their private space for a moment, just to come back with a cup of black coffee in her hands for Ellie. - And so will be your scar, it's all good.