His hands on my neck - Joel Miller.

31.

The last traces of snow finally disappeared from the ground of the city. Now, as the sun was seen more often than the grey sky, a bit of joy was present in city life. However, the whole situation seemed to be like a calm before the storm, but it was somewhere at the back of the mind of the people. After the night tasks at patrol and the hospital, both were at home doing their own things on that spring day.

-    Can you join me for a ride? – Hope walked down to the basement, to disturb the man from whatever he was busy with.

-    What ride? – Joel was standing with the weapons on the table, as he was checking that everything was alright, and changed a couple of things to make the next hunt easier for himself.

-    Just wanted to spend some time outside of the city, if you don't mind, - She looked at him, trying to understand what he was doing earlier and if she disturbed him a lot.

-    Okay, Hope, but don't make it long, - He put everything back in its places, making sure that everything was in the right order in case of any emergency.

-    I will try, - A girl smiled a bit, watching him getting closer to her before they both disappeared upstairs.

It took some time for them to get ready to head out. The man didn't know much about the girl's plan but had some hints in his mind. The weather was too good outside to stay indoors. The horse farm was just around the corner, and it didn't take them long to reach there. Walking in on their legs, the two left the farm and started riding the horses, leaving the concrete walls of the city behind.

Wind blowing in the face was giving the feeling of freedom. The horses were picking up speed as they got into the woods, with nothing on their way. Since Joel had no idea where they were headed, Hope was leading them, climbing up the hill. The trees appeared higher as they were deeper into the forest. And finally, the two reached the peak of the hill. In front of them was Jackson. The city of survivors and fighters. Small houses, farms, and old buildings were surrounded by tall walls from all sides, protecting the seemed peace in the city. The wind was cold, but fresh at the tip of the hill. And there, it seemed like everything was normal, accident, all horrors of the post-apocalyptic world were somewhere far away, maybe even in the books, written by a crazy writer. But, it was their reality, and not fiction, unfortunately.

-    The view is magnificent, - Hope looked at the city, and then turned her head to look at the man, just to see if he shared her feelings about the city in front of them.

-    Absolutely, - Joel didn't want to talk much, enjoying the view in front of him, and letting the thoughts take over his mind.

-    Look, it's Tommy's house on the side, and here is Ellie's, - She was pointing at the small buildings in front of them, like a small excited child at the museum or zoo.

-    And there you can see your house, - He took a moment to walk the well-known streets from above with his eyes, before finding the house he was living in.

-    The whole city right in front of you, - A girl whispered to herself, feeling more energy after this walk, which was like a breath of fresh air into her lungs.

Seeing the sun setting above the city, the two didn't want to spend a lot of time in the woods and headed back home. Or to whatever they meant by this word.