𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐤 | 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐎𝐟 𝐔𝐬

20. Climate Change is Boring.

T W E N T Y
Climate Change is Boring.

Tall snow-covered trees line The River of Death, as it has been so aptly named. The water and ice covering it is kind of tempting me to walk along it. I know it'd kill me, but it'd also be fun, for a few seconds. Then it would quickly be awful, then I would be dead.

Thankfully we don't have to resort to running and jumping from ice blocks, because they're is a big ass bridge connecting either side of this deadly river.

We stand at the end, Joel stares it down, I don't know if he's waiting for people to jump out, or if he doesn't trust the structural integrity. On both counts, I don't think we have much to worry about. It's open, nothing is hidden away, there are no places for people—or Infected—to hide. And it seems pretty sturdy, I'm no engineer, though. After a second he begins walking.

It's a long bridge, covered in snow like just about everything else. And just like everything else, nature is slowly reclaiming it, trees and vines begin winding themselves across, weaving in and out the fence. After we get across the other side of The River of Death, I start getting a little more antsy. But I to channel my inner rocking chair woman, and now I'm Zen. We keep walking, the snow either hasn't fallen as deeply or has melted where we now are.

I trudge through the wet slush, almost slipping several times. It's still bitterly cold, but I'm just trying to enjoy the fact it's less cold than where we came from.

It's the little things.

From beside me, I can hear muffled blowing, glancing across I see Ellie with her fingers in her mouth, blowing into them.

"What are you doing?" I ask, looking at her like she's a nut job.

"I'm learning how to whistle." She answers, not bothering to take her fingers out her mouth, her words muffled.

"You don't know how to whistle?" Joel looks back for a second.

"Does it sound like I know how to whistle?" Ellie takes her fingers out of her mouth to answer him. Probably because he's old.

"It does not." I shake my head.

Joel stops walking and we catch up to him. "Seriously, though, how the fuck do you do that?" She glares at her hand like it's the one doing something wrong.

"Talent," Joel replies, now the one lagging behind.

"Whatever." Ellie rolls her eyes, dropping the subject. "You should teach me how to hunt." She turns and walks backwards, looking at Joel.

"Huh."

"'Huh.' Like, 'she's a girl, she can't handle it.'" Ellie imitates Joel's voice.

"You can handle the shootin'. Not so sure about the dressin'." Joel points out.

"What's the dressing?" Ellie sighs. Visibly disappointed.

"The part where you take the guts out," I tell Ellie, looking across at her.

"Oh, yeah." She nods. "Why do they call in dressing? It's like, you should call it undressing, 'cause it is. It's like... undressing from the inside. Still interested though." Not shocking.

We get up from the river bed is, and back up on top where the land flattens out. As we reach the top we face a dam. Thousands and thousands of litres of water are being pushed out in an effort to make electricity. Electricity that is going to waste. It's a shame.

"Dam." Ellie grins.

"You're no Will Livingston." Joel doesn't let her have the win.

"Yeah, yeah, but who is?" Ellie shakes her head, the smile still plastered on her face. "So that made electricity?"