MARIA AND TOMMY led the way through the streets of Jackson as their new guests followed. Jane was with them and often added input to anything their leader explained.
"We settled here about seven years ago. Just a handful of us back then." Maria said and pointed ahead. "That section was already a gated community, so we built the rest of the wall out from there. Stopped most of the raiding parties, but we still find pockets of them."
"And you said Infected?" Joel asked.
Tommy chimed in. "Yeah, but usually smaller colonies, wandered off from the cities. All this open country out here, it's a turkey shoot. I still got my 700, but I found a variable power scope. Sub-MOA. Can headshot those fuckers from a half mile out."
"Can you teach me how?" Ellie asked him.
"No, he can't." Joel interjected. "How do you keep this place quiet?"
"Carefully. Being in the middle of nowhere helps. Not advertising what we have, staying off the radio." Maria pointed at Jane. "Which I found out this little lady wasn't doing."
Jane chuckled. "I apologized already, Maria. And I was careful."
"And that I appreciate. You were careful."
Maria glanced at Tommy after her statement, remembering how he used to radio Joel. He would travel to the tower in Cody to relay the message which, in her opinion, was very dangerous and not careful.
She continued. "Place has a house of worship, multifaith. School. Laundry. Old bank works as the jail..."
"Jail?" Y/N asked. "Had some rowdy people?"
"We haven't needed it, thankfully." Jane replied.
"And I'd like to keep it that way." Maria added. "You not rowdy are ya?"
Y/N raised his arms. "Trust me, I'm a saint."
Joel looked up at a post and saw a transformer hanging from it. Henry noticed it too.
"And you draw power from the dam?" He asked Maria.
"Got that workin' a couple years ago. After that, sewage, plumbing, water heaters, lights."
Ellie was astounded by all the luxuries the settlement had.
"This place actually fuckin' works." She muttered.
They kept walking and Maria took them to the stables. Going through a fence, a flock of sheep scurried away.
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"Hey, Joel, check it." Ellie chuckled and bleated, remembering the older man's dream ranch.
The man just rolled his eyes. Ellie clapped her hands and spoke to Maria.
"So...are you, like, in charge?" She asked.
"No one person's in charge. I'm on the council. Democratically elected, serving 300 people, including children. Everyone pitches in. We rotate patrols, food prep, repairs, hunting, harvesting, in Jane's case...she teaches."
