THE UNEXPECTED

15

It felt like forever that we were walking and my shoes and socks were yet to dry from the swim at the hydroelectric power plant. And as much as it was amusing to see Ellie get so vexed over hopping on a wooden pallet, it didn't make up for the squelching in my boots. It was times like this when I wondered whether trench foot was actually a thing because I sure should've had it by now.

Looking up from my shoes, I cursed, surrounding our path were towering walls. They were almost intimidating as I peered up at them,

"Joel...?" My voice falters when I notice a dozen sets of guns pointed straight at us,

"Don't even think about reaching for your weapon. Tell the girl to drop hers. Now." A blonde lady comes into view at the top of the wall.

"Ellie," I warn the teen, my eyes flicking over to hers briefly.

"Do as the lady says," Joel adds, also looking from the girl back to me. Ellie scoffs quietly, but ultimately complies and lowers her arms to her side.

The stranger had fair blonde hair down to her shoulders, from what I could see and by the way she was stood at the front of the group of men, I could tell that she was the leader of this establishment,

"Please tell me you're lost." She speaks with an attitude.

"We didn't know the place was occupied. We're just trying to make our way through." Joel explained, trying to reason with the woman and avoid getting us all shot.

"Through to where?" The blonde woman demanded, authority oozing from her.

Another voice with a strong Texan accent interrupts us, "They're alright." My head whips up towards the wall, surely not?

"What, you know these people?" The blonde asks in disbelief.

"I know him," He reveals. The gate opens with a creak and the man steps out. The similarities were almost uncanny and a wave of nostalgia hits me, it seemed as though he'd failed to see me yet but I decided to let the boys have their moment first, "He's my goddamn brother."

"Tommy," Joel breathed out in disbelief for a second before quickly pulling his brother into a tight embrace. "How you doin', baby brother?"

"Goddamn." Tommy seemed to be in a similar state of shock.

"Yeah." Joel chuckles.

"Let me get a look at you." He steps back from their hug and studies Joel for a few seconds, giving him a once over before laughing. "You got fucking old." My lips upturn into a smirk as I attempt to stifle a laugh. Sniggering, I avert my eyes from the pair but at that, Tommy's attention zeroes in on me. His lips part as if he's in shock again and I can practically hear his thoughts whizzing around in his brain in confusion.

"Hi Tommy." I involuntarily smile wide at the sight of the younger Miller.

"Am I dreamin' or is that you, Parker?" Tommy says, bemused as he steps closer to me.

"In the flesh." I confirm, and not before long, our arms wrap around one another in a tight hug. I'd missed this, I'd missed him. Tommy became the best friend that Jordan used to be and for that I was forever indebted to him.

"No fuckin' way! I'll be damned. I'm surprised to see you two together again, better yet I'm surprised the three of us are all in one place." He says, grinning at the two of us.

"Well, you two are my favourite boys aren't you?" I tease, wrapping my arms around their waists and squeezing the two brothers flush against me. I feel their laughs vibrate against me, and I realise that I'm home. These boys are my peace and I never want to lose that.

Ellie watches from aside, for the first time since she's known Emily and Joel, she'd seen them so care free. Actually smiling and laughing. It was a beautiful sight and Ellie was happy to witness it.

"C'mon in," Tommy finally gestures to the gate and ushers the three of us in. "This is Maria. Be nice to her, she sorta runs things around here." Ah, the blonde woman.

Joel dips his head, "Ma'am. Thanks for not blowing my head off."

"Would've been embarrassing considering you're my brother-in-law." She smiled sheepishly which immediately makes me part my lips in surprise, making an 'o' shape.

Joel looked at Tommy, the both of us taken aback.

He shrugged it off with a smile. "We all gotta get wrangled up at some point." My heart warms, I'm glad that he's found his own happiness amongst this hell. I only hoped I could get the same at some point when I was ready.

"Ellie, right?" Maria asks the teen before turning to me when she nods back in response, "You must be Emily, Tommy's told me all about you and Joel."

"Has he now? Glad to know he didn't forget about us." I jest.

"What brings you through here?" Maria then asks after shooting me a grin.

Joel and I exchange glances, despite me being on a different path we'd somehow all ended up wrangled together. Ellie answers for us. "Uh...it's kinda a long story."

"Why don't we bring 'em inside?" Tommy suggests to his wife and she nods.

"Yeah. You hungry?"

"Starving." That makes two of us.

My eyes wander in disbelief as we enter the power plant, there were actual people, a safe space in fact. Tommy actually did it!

"False alarm, they're friendlies!" Maria calls out and the people surrounding us return to their own business, she then explains how recently they'd experienced multiples raids and bandits hitting their facility which didn't surprise me. People had grown incredibly selfish in this new world order and would do anything to get their own way even if it meant shedding blood.

"What're you doing here? Thought I'd find you in Jackson?" I'd been thinking the same thing as Joel, all considering that finding Tommy was my original plan before running into Joel.

"Been trying to get the plant back to life." Tommy reveals, which has my eyes widening. The thought of having electricity was practically unheard of.

Soon, I tune out, watching as Ellie takes everything in. This was probably the closest she'd ever seen to civilisation and normalcy. I catch up to her, leaving the others behind as we both notice a few horses tied up. She looks up to me in excitement and I can't help but mirror it, this was surreal. I hadn't seen any horses in quite some time.

"Hey buddy." I coo, scratching the horse's neck and behind its ear. It lets out a sound of comfort and I smile.

"Ever ridden one before?" I actually haven't before, back home I didn't live near the county side so I never had any reason to and considering where I was now, I'd never gotten the chance to. Shaking my head, Maria replies, "that's too bad...actually, if you guys want, we can take them riding later."

Suddenly, I feel like a kid again as I bubble up with excitement and so does Ellie.