Losing you ; Joel Miller

xxxiv. Deadly and unforgiving

[2024]
EDEN

" How did you meet Joel?" The question was asked after minutes of silence. Eden sighed, gaze shifting to Heidi who was loyally sticking by her side. " It was pure coincidence. Some might say luck, I was bleeding out in a forest and just so happened to stumble into Joel's camp before I collapsed" Ellie's mouth opened just to close again, as though she was gaining the courage to ask a question. " I had escaped a bad place before meeting him. Sadly, the world we live in brings out the worst in people."

Eden's pace halted, hand quickly gripping Ellie's shoulder as she watched Heidi's ears perk up. They weren't alone. " Did you hear that?" She asked quietly, looking alert. The dog started to growl, barring its teeth at something hidden from their sights.

" Infected" Ellie muttered out, the familiar sound of clicking bouncing off the trees. Eden was quick with her bow, preparing to kill.

She stalked silently forward as a roar echoed through the woods, causing a chain reaction that triggered multiple different bursts of noise from infected. Eden swore to herself, they needed to get out, it wasn't safe here.

Turning around to signal Ellie that they had to go, Eden felt her blood go cold. Everything happened in less than a second, she didn't even have time to warn her before the stalker had pounced. The teen's eyes grew wide in fear as she helplessly tried to fight off the infected.

Eden saw red, heart pounding in her chest as she ripped the stalker off her, quickly shoving it toward the ground before lodging her hunting knife into its cranium. Head snapping up, her body moved in autopilot as she snatched an arrow and shot a clicker right in the mushroom crown where it's face used to be.

Ellie had pressed herself against a tree as she watched Eden take down a whole hoard of infected by herself. Clickers sprinting at full speed towards her were dropping dead like flies. She wasn't a force to be reckoned with, deadly and unforgiving. Ellie had never seen this side of her.

" I think that's all of them" Eden had sighed as she stood over a dead stalker's body. Wiping away the blood from her face as she turned towards Ellie " are you okay?" The girl was quick to nod, eyes wide as her gaze moved over the dozens of dead infected littered across the ground. Shooting the older woman a grin, Ellie let out a giggle " you're such a badass."

Standing by the stables, Eden's brows furrowed as she looked around for Max. They were supposed to go out on patrol soon and he was nowhere to be seen. Her gaze snapped up at the sound of someone entering the stables. Tommy greeted her with a nod, turning to look back for a second before saying " Max has a cold, he's taking it easy for the time being, so I thought..." Joel entered the stables soon after Tommy, his eyes widening at the sight of Eden. " You could take Joel out on his first patrol."

Just as Joel was going to protest, Tommy raised his hand to show that he didn't want to hear it, eyes darting between the two as he muttered out " this is happening, whether you like it or not. Stop acting like children for once and actually fucking talk."

Guiding Epona out of the wooden building, Eden shoot Joel a quick glance as Tommy introduced him to his horse. Her stomach twisted and turned, they never had difficulties talking to each other in the past, why had everything become so complicated?

Seeing dark clouds in the horizon, Eden hoped they wouldn't get stuck in a storm. She had never been a fan of thunder. " Okay, Eden? You know the route?" Tommy asked as he gently pat the back of her horse. She nodded and gave him a smile, which he reciprocated.

" Well then, see you guys later... and uh- good luck?"

Honey is typing...
Short chapter! Next one will be out soon (and much longer)
Also yes Eden's horse is named Epona, idk how many LoZ fans are reading this but I thought it was a cute reference :>