I turn and yawn as I open my eyes, focusing on Joel.
"Morning" He says, focusing on the road as he drives. I stretch and then I look back at him.
"Mornin'" I mutter and I look over my shoulder out the back window.
"How far now?" I ask and he shrugs.
"Shouldn't be too long, we'll probably have to go through the Hydroelectric powerplant again, like before" He says and I nod.
"Cool" I say and he pulls up at the side of a shop.
"Shit... Theres infected in there...Roll up your window" He says and I press the button. Joel keeps driving and that sets them off running. Joel drives faster, but he just sets off more of them, there must be at least 20 following us now.
"Joel..." I say as they start to fall down.
"They're being gunned down" I say and then I jump as a bullet shatters the glass of the back window. I put my arms up protectively over my face and I only look up when Joel says:
"Ellie, its okay...look only 5 miles to Jackson" Joel says and I smile.
"Good" I mumble and I pull my backpack off the backseat. I pull out a Savage Starlight comic and stare at it.
"Finn showed me where his family used to live, he showed me Harry's room and his Savage Starlight collection..." I say and Joel tuts and rolls his eyes.
"You and him got on well?" Joel asks and I nod as he looks round at me.
"Yeah I guess" I mutter and I sigh looking out the window.
"Did you find all those comics anyway?" Joel asks, examining the road ahead.
"No...I still need to get the very last one" I mutter and I look out the window.
"Oh right...Looks like we're nearly there" He says and I sigh.
"Okay...I might get some more rest, but on the backseat" I say and he nods.
"Take it away" He says and I clamber into the backseat, using my backpack as a pillow. I snuggle down. I sigh and stare at the back of the seat.
"Wake me up when we get there I guess" I mutter and Joel sighs.
"Sure kid" He says and I shut my eyes tightly.
****
"Ellie...Get up..We're going to check out this shop for some clothes, do you mind?" Joel asks, looking over the seat at me.
"No..lets go..." I yawn and I pull my backpack on and straighten out my jacket. I check my switchblade and gun are still in place and I get out via the back door. I sigh, stretching, then following Joel into the clothing store. Joel hunts round for something similar to his normal plaid shirt and jeans.
"You could do with some new shoes" I say to Joel, walking towards the womens section, looking round at the abandoned makeup stands.
"Why did people wear this stuff?" I ask Joel as he walks over.
"People wanted to look pretty" He says, doing a speechmark gesture with his hands.
"Oh...Well...Wow...whats that?" I ask, pointing towards something that reads 'Mascara'.
"Its for your eyelashes..." Joel mutters, watching as I take one that reads 'Maybelline the Colossal volume' I twist open the lid and pull on it, a rotting, black goo hanging off the end of the stick.
"Eww...People put this round their eyes? Thats disgusting!" I say, throwing it away and Joel laughs.
"It didn't look like that before, it's been here for 20 years Ellie, what do you expect?" Joel smiles and I shake my head.
I walk towards the hair products, scanning over hairsprays, shampoo, conditioner, bands, clips, hairdryers and straighteners.
"Whats this?" I ask, taking up a fake flower hair think, looking at Joel.
"That, is a flower crown" Joel says, taking it out my hands and smiling.
"Sarah used to like them..." He mumbles and I smile.
"They're cool" I say, putting it on and Joel smiles.
"You look..er...nice" Joel says and I smile.
"Really?" I laugh and I rush towards the nearest mirror, staring at myself in the colourful flower crown, "Its pretty" I say, smiling and then seeing some weird shoes.
"Joel why did people wear shoes like these?" I ask, holding up the shoes.
"Hey, theres nothing wrong with flip flops" Joel says, snatching them from my hands.
"HEY!" I say, reaching towards them and he laughs.
"Joel...what are these?" I ask, pointing at some really really shiny shoes with a massive heel.
"I believe they're called High heels, girls wore them all the time...for height and urm...sex appeal I guess" Joel says and I pick one up.
"These are huge heels" I smile and I place it back down. I sigh, sitting down on the stool by the heels and I watch as Joel looks at the mens work shoes as he calls them and eventually finds a matching, fitting pair.
"Ellie do you want anything?" Joel asks and I shrug.
"This" I say pointing at the crown.
"Okay, anything else?" He says and I sigh, getting up and walking round the clothes racks again, thats when I see it.
"JOEL LOOK!" I call and he comes over quickly, myself pointing at the comic book t-shirts.
"Joel look...Triple Phoenix! Oh my god...Savage Starlight!" I say, pulling down the Triple Phoenix t-shirt and the Savage Starlight jumper. I pass them to Joel whos staring at me with a raised eyebrow.
"What?!" I laugh as I take down a 'The Turning' jumper. Angel Knives is on the front with 'The Turning' wrote under her.
"I want this one" I say, looking at Joel.
"Whats wrong?" Joel asks as I take the Triple Phoenix top and Savage Starlight top and putting them back.
"Its a special game..." I mumble and he sighs, "I'll meet you at the car" I say and he sighs.
I walk out to the car and I climb in and sigh, holding my The Turning shirt tightly. I feel myself getting teary as I stare at Angel Knives. Joel appears after a few minutes and climbs into the front.
"I'm going to sleep again..." I say and he nods.
"Okay" He says and I use my t-shirt as a pillow, my backpack behind my head as I stare forwards at the back of the front passenger seat, my eyes fluttering to Joel before I fall to sleep.
And thats a wrap!
~ChloeCumberbatch~
