After the end

nine

"Joel don't even try lying to me I know you got mad when Ellie said she learnt that knife tick from the circus and you couldn't have the final word." Lexi cackled, back pressed against the cave they were in. She'd had too many flasks of whiskey they had found while travelling and had gotten a bit tipsy, this was Ellie's entertainment and it even got a few laughs out of Ezra and Joel. "I'm Joel Miller and I have got to have the last word every time someone speaks to me." Lexi mocked Joel's voice and Ellie and Ezra were laughing and wouldn't stop. Joel tried to hide his smile again but it broke out with Lexi's tipsy impression of him. "Oh yeah? How about I feed you to a clicker Lex?" Joel replied and Lexi rolled an eyebrow and Ellie and Ezra stayed giggling. "Oh, I'd like to see you try cowboy." "Yeah darlin' you'd be dead in a day without me." Lexi's eyes widened and smacked him on the back of his head. Joel then grabbed his wife and started to tickle her. "Joel- stop! Haha." Joel ended up stopping. Joel's hands went onto her hips and rested there. "Ellie! Ezra! Did you see that?" The two younger people looked at each other then back at the married couple. "Yup, we see it" They replied. Once they got back to normal Lexi stood up. "Right kiddo's get to sleep." Ezra looked at her deadpanned. "I ain't a kid." Lexi looked at him and rolled her eyes. "Alright then kiddo and Ezra get to sleep." Ezra didn't say anything this time and the two got into one side of the cave and went to sleep. Lexi took Joel's hand and pulled him outside. "Lex what are you doing it's freezing out here." Joel asked as the snow was already getting all over them. "Relax cowboy." She took her jacket off and placed it on the floor before sitting down and dragging her husband down with her. "Jesus fuckin Christ Lex you're gonna freeze. Here." Joel took off his jacket and put it over his wife and she placed her head on his shoulder. "Why did you want to sit out here when there is a warm fire going on in there?" Joel asked but Lexi just pulled the top of his shirt down so their lips touched. Joel placed one of his cold hands on Lexi's waist. "Lexi, don't get me wrong I love you and I want to do this but let's go inside so we don't get ill. I'll make it up to you I promise." Joel stopped their make out session and Lexi nodded. "Yeah you're right. Let's get going." The two got into the cave and then went to the other side and Joel looked at Lexi and saw how tired she was. "Hey, Lex. I'll take first watch go to sleep." Lexi was going to argue and say she wasn't tired but even she knew she was tired and just nodded before lying down and going to sleep.

Three months of walking had led the group into December, nearly Christmas actually. Christmas was a joyful time of the year and Lexi wasn't a fan of it anymore. Lexi treated Christmas like a normal day leading to the end of the year. "There's a cabin guys, there's a cabin look." Ellie sped up before Lexi grabbed her arm and turned her around to face the other three behind her. "What?" The teenager asked the older women. "Be quiet you idiot, there might be people in there." Lexi whispered to her, getting her rifle from her back and looking to see if she could see anyone. Ellie scoffed before turning to Ezra. "What the fuck is wrong with her?" Ezra looked at her and then looked at Lexi who was still looking for people that could be nearby them. "Honestly I don't know. Maybe she had a bad sleep or something like that." Ellie nodded at him. "Yeah, you might be right." The pair stopped their conversation when Lexi stopped looking and just had her rifle in her hands. "Come on. Looks like no one is home." Lexi said as she started walking and Ezra followed her not long after she started heading to the cabin. "Come on old man." Ellie said trying to mess with Joel again. "I'm not old you little shit." Joel rolled his eyes and started to follow the other two with Ellie not that far in front of him. They slowly made there way to the cabin, Lexi had now swapped her rifle for a pistol in her hand as she opened the door. "Hello?" There was a woman sat in a rocking chair. "Oh, hi." "Who else is in here?" Lexi asked. "My husband is out hunting, do you guys want some food? I've got soup cooking." "Please." Ellie asked, letting out a breath of air as she tried to charge posts Lexi who grabbed her, shook her head. "Where are we on this map? If you're lying to me I'll know, I'll ask your husband too." Joel asked, setting the map in front of the lady who pointed to an area on the map, marking it with her finger. A few hours passed and the cabin door opened with a few knocks on the wood. Joel and Lexi were in the bedroom above as the man put down his bow and arrow. "Put down the gun." Joel held his revolver up at the unknowing man and Lexi had her pistol aimed at him too. "Who the hell are you?" He asked, taking off his gloves. The man seemed completely unimpressed at Joel, raising his eyebrows with a shake of his head.