Even When the World Comes Down (Sequel to Always & Forever)

Chapter 41 - Joel

"I'll come with you, Tommy. Get some food in the two of you," I said and then followed Tommy into the next room.

"This'll be the sixth time of them trying to get the turbines back on-line. We've been here about two weeks, but it feels like forever. Uh...I got something for you," Tommy said as we made our way further into the room.

He went over to a bag he had sitting on a bed.

"Last year I went back to Texas – back home. Most of our stuff was long gone. Most of it," he said.

He then handed me a picture of Sarah, Beth and I. Sarah was holding her winning trophy.

"It's a little faded but it still looks pretty good," Tommy said.

I sighed. "I'm good," I said.

Keeping this would just hurt too much.

"You sure? I mean..." he continued.

"I said I'm good," I interrupted.

"Okay. Well, I'll hold onto it for you," he said putting it back into the bag.

I was starting to get impatient.

"Tommy, I...I need to talk to you. Privately," I said.

"Yeah, okay. Let me just check on my guys real quick," he said.

He took me through a door that led outside.

"I don't know what you heard but you should see the town. We're over twenty families strong now. It was Maria and her father. They set up this place with the idea of being self-sustained. We got crops and livestock. Remember how the two of us and Beth thought no one could live like this anymore? Well we're doing it," he said as we made our way across a bridge.

"What do you do for protection?" I asked.

"The adults take turns guarding the perimeter. We even got an electrified fence – when the plant's up and running," he said.

"You still gotta deal with infected though, right?" I asked.

"Who doesn't? But it's the world we live in," he retorted.

"Well maybe you don't have to be," I said sounding a bit hopeful.

This place would be a good one to hang up for a while. But Ellie needed to get to the lab that Marlene had wanted us to take her to.

"You sound like Marlene," he said turning to look back at me.

"Well, ain't that the whole reason you joined her in the first place? She told a good story?" I said.

"She did. But after a while...I don't know. I guess I wanted more than what she was able to give me. That's why I left," he said.

"You'd rather find your own way," I said.

"Yeah. Something like that," he said.

We got to another building and walked in. A turbine occupied the entire room we were currently in. It was quite a sight to see. Some of his people were helping place one of the turbine's shields back on. There was a walk way that was provided to us and Tommy went ahead and stood by to watch the men work.

"Tommy's here. We good to go?" one of them asked.

"Give me one second...Okay, good to go," another said.

"You ready?" someone asked Tommy.

"Go ahead. Hit it," Tommy said.

With the turn of a switch, the electricity was back on.