CHAPTER FOURTEEN

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          SLEEP DID NOT COME EASY THAT NIGHT AND LUCIA LAID IN HER SLEEPING BAG, STILL SHIVERING EVEN WITH ALL OF THE LAYERS THAT TRIED TO KEEP HER WARM. The nights prior, the three of them had slept in the truck and this was the first night where they had left the safety of the vehicle.

Lucia didn't mind being exposed to the elements as she stared up at the sky, focus soley on the stars above. Something she had found herself doing every single night. There was no smog polluting the sky any longer and every single star within the universe was visible from earth. The woman counted them through the thick tree branches, slowing down her rapid pulse.

Ellie was still sitting cross legged on her own bedroll, putting her book of puns back into her backpack before she got up. The teen unzipped the sleeping bag and sniffed at it, raising her brows. "Actually smells kind of good."

"Well, that would be one of Frank's then."

The smuggler was already on his back, arm resting behind his head while his other laid inches away from his shotgun. His pinky finger almost touched the cold metal and it seemed to ease his mind a bit. He wasn't the only one. Lucia had a tight grip on her stiletto knife between the covers, and her gun rested underneath her backpack so she could easily access it.

"What time do you think it is?" asked Ellie as she slid underneath her own covers, pulling it up toward her chin. 

"Late," responded Joel, eyes closed.

"Hm," she hummed, twisting around to snatch her pun book from her bag again and slid the bag underneath her head as a makeshift pillow. 

The teen winched when one of her pins dug into the back of her head and turned her head slightly. Ellie flicked on her flashlight and Joel heaved a sigh, turning on his right side with his back to either of the woman. He had turned off the oil lamp ten minutes prior and had finally gotten used to the darkness that surrounded them.

"What do you call an animal you keep in your car?"

Lucia tore her gaze away from the sky and peered at the girl on her left. Ellie was already looking at her with a grin on her flashlight illuminated face. "I have no idea."

"A carpet."

"That's horrible."

"That was brilliant." she disagreed, mischief smouldering behind her eyes. "You want another one? Joel?" The smuggler gave no indication he had heard her and didn't respond. Lucia knew he couldn't hear very well from his right ear, she had figured that out in the capitol building when he hadn't heard her call for him, but she thought his left was perfectly fine. "Joel!"

It was barely noticeable but the man jumped and turned his head toward them. "What?"

"Can I ask you a serious question?" wondered Ellie.

"Yeah," he turned further, half on his back.

"Why did the scarecrow get an award?"

Joel met her eyes, crease appearing between his brows as he looked past Lucia who laid in the middle. Ellie tried to hold in her smile as she waited for him to answer.

"Because he was outstanding in his field."

Ellie gaped, sitting up with wide eyes. "You dick! Did you read this?"

He did the best he could to hide his smile as he turned back on his side, arms crossed against his chest. Lucia caught it, and a slow grin formed on her own features. It was probably the first time she saw the emotion on his face, and it quite suited him. 

He would deny it, though, and said, "No. Now go to sleep."

"I think he secretly might be a fan of Will Livingston, Ellie." echoed Lucia, sharing a sly smile with the teen.

"Shut up." shot Joel, but there was no malice behind his words.

Ellie giggled and settled back against her bedroll, closing the book and sliding it underneath the covers to keep it safe. The smile slowly got wiped from her face as she listened to her surroundings and dread settled within her chest.

"Those people you said," she began, brows knitted. "there's no way anyone knows we're here, right? No one's gonna find us."

The smuggler was silent for a moment before he confirmed, "No one's gonna find us."

"Okay." Ellie uttered, turning her back to either of them and closing her eyes. The girl wasn't completely convinced, but she trusted Joel so she was going to get all the rest she could get.

Lucia turned her gaze back toward the stars above, listening to her companions soft and even breaths. Time went by slowly and dread filled her, her slowing heart picking up its speed once more. No one's gonna find us. 

The woman wanted to believe him but she wasn't sure if she did.

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LUCIA MUST HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP BECAUSE HER MUSCLES WERE ACHING ONCE LIGHT PEEKED THROUGH THE BRANCHES. The forest was silent, the only sound that reached her ears were the soft snores of the teen beside her. Her eyes fluttered open and she stretched her limbs out slowly.

The brunette turned on her side and pushed herself up with one arm, rubbing at her eyes. Joel's bedroll was empty and she furrowed her brows, sitting up straighter and scanning her surroundings somewhat alarmed. Lucia had gotten so used to him around that not seeing him filled her with a small sense of dread.

He stood at the edge of their small camp, back turned toward her with his shotgun held tightly in his hands. He seemed tense, shoulders slightly raised and jaw set. 

Glancing back to see if Ellie was actually asleep and curled up under the covers, the brunette got to her feet. Her footsteps were silent, but Joel still heard her. The smuggler didn't turn around, his tense shoulders slouched just a tad, as if he was relieved to no longer be up on his own.

"How long have you been standing here?" she questioned, crossing her arms over her chest to keep herself warm from the chilly morning air.

"A while." he grunted, dark circles evident around his eyes as she peered up at him. 

He hadn't looked at her yet, still scanning the forest around them but after a moment he heaved a sigh, setting the gun down against the tree beside him. He rubbed at his salt and pepper beard.

"Did you sleep at all?" Lucia pressed, looking at him as if he was about to pass out from the lack of sleep. When Joel didn't answer her she continued, "You should have woken me up, Joel. You need to sleep. I could have taken second watch."

He met her gaze and shrugged his shoulders. "You sleep worse than I do. I'll sleep in the car."

Lucia could argue with him but that wouldn't get her very far. Joel never left room to do so in the first place so she just nodded her head before saying, "I will take first watch tonight, then we'll switch every four hours so we can get some equal sleep."

"Hmm," he agreed, nodding slowly.

Lucia turned her head to peer at Ellie, who slept like she was under anaesthesia every time she fell asleep. There was no waking the girl and Lucia missed nights like those. These days every little sound would pull her from slumber.

"I just -" he began, shaking his head. "I didn't want to promise safety when I didn't know if it was the truth. Couldn't sleep because of it."

The woman let out a long breath, kicking at a pine cone and watching it roll a few feet away from them. "Whatever happens or is going to happen out there at the hand of others will never be your fault, promises or not. People are more vile than infected and there isn't anything we can do about it."

"You encounter many of them?" he asked, somewhat hesitantly.

"Yeah," she nodded, glancing up at him. "first time was about three years into the outbreak. It was just me and my brother, he was a few years older than I was." Lucia had never really told anyone about her time with the raiders apart from Marlene and she would keep it short as she confessed to Joel. "They killed my brother two days after they caught us when he refused to kill an old man. I was with them for a few weeks before I finally managed to escape. The things they did ... I just don't want Ellie to go through the same thing."

The man was looking at her intently, unreadable expression on his face. 

"I bumped into a few other groups after that, but I always managed to avoid them pretty easily." she finished, fingers scratching unconsciously at the thick scar on her hip. The healed wound where one of them had stabbed her with a broke beer bottle. It took months to heal properly, leaving thick ragged skin behind. "What about you?"

"Yeah, a few times. Killed some of my group back then." he confessed, turning away from her and slowly making his way toward the truck. Joel had no idea what to say, he would only make things worse if he would tell her about his past and he decided he didn't want that so instead he asked, "Do you want some coffee?"

Lucia cocked her head to the side and watched him leave, confused at the abrupt change of subject.

Long time no see. I took a wattpad break for mental health reasons and I am still not completely back but i promised a chapter so here it is. It isn't as long as my others but I still hope you enjoy it. I have so many ideas for the next few chapters.