His hands on my neck - Joel Miller.

34.

Days were passing one after another creating a routine of countless days that looked the same. The same tasks, same place, same faces. Sun was setting later, and the nights were shorter. The nature around started waking up little by little, adding colors to the place around. Bird's singing was heard in the sky, and it seemed as if life was waking up once again, after the long cycle of sleep. Joel was trying to spend most of the time outside of the house, especially after his recent thoughts about Hope's past. But, the nighttime he would usually spend in her bed. It was one of the days when the man decided to join the patrol.

-    Joel! – The voice from somewhere on the side was echoing in the trees around and was quite familiar coming from a man named Neil who Joel knew a long time ago from his smuggler's past.

-    Hey, - Joel stopped, knowing that nothing good this meeting might ever bring.

-    There's a mission only you can do, - Neil came straight to the topic, walking at the same pace as Miller.

-    What is it about? – The man stopped walking somewhere forward as he crossed the hands on his chest, having some interest in the conversation. This phrase was like a breath of fresh air in life or a routine. A way to escape everyday tasks, and to remind himself of the past.

-    The military left one of the cities on the east coast. So many interesting things and places to inspect, - He started talking about the situation that happened about a week ago. The rumors were spreading fast, especially when something big happens. Apparently, one of the groups took over the city but didn't hold control over it.

-    Yeah, or get killed in the middle of the journey. I ain't going anywhere without knowing that it might be worth it, - Joel wasn't interested enough in the conversation, nor he was in the mission to God knows where especially if anything he could find there wasn't worth even a dime.

-    C'mon Joel, you were a smuggler for over 20 years, don't lie that you don't miss it and want to settle down killing a couple of infected from time to time, and doing boring shit, - The man was right, and they both knew it. Settling down was a good plan somewhere in the previous life, before the outbreak, but not in the post-apocalyptic world. Miller knew that his skills weren't getting better with boring days in Jackson, but there was something inside him eager to come back to where he was before.

-    What exactly might be interesting? – He sat down on the rock, catching his breath as the thoughts about the mission were taking his head. Maybe this could be a good chance to find something interesting on the east coast. An interesting adventure that could lead to different outcomes never sounds more adventurous than now.

-    Well, an abandoned base, soldiers were running like rats from it, bet they have plenty of weapons in there, - Neil was standing next to a man, seeing no reaction on his face. Miller's face was giving zero emotions as always, even if he felt at least something on his mind.

-    Anything else? – Joel looked up at him, and then put his eyes on the ground, letting his thoughts spin around in his head while his dark eyes were inspecting the ground under his feet.

-    I see we might have a deal? – The man smirked, understanding that he at least sparked an interest in his head.

-    We might, - Miller got up to come back to his route, noticing how Neil didn't leave for a while.

After understanding that no other words were coming from him, the man decided to leave Joel alone with his thoughts knowing that if he will come to any of the decisions, they would find a way to find each other.

The rest of the patrol was quiet. The thoughts about the mission were taking all the space in Joel's head, making him seriously think about it. Maybe his past was something he tried to run away from, but instead of running from it, the man decided to bring it back.