[ CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE ! ]
fear

THE FIRST THING WE'D DONE WAS GET moving. Joel somehow knew exactly where to go, while Ellie and I were clueless with Parker--who hadn't been listening to what anyone was saying--behind us.

The sun was beginning to set, and the sky had already taken on a deep blue hue, making it difficult to tell where the horizon ended and the shadows began.

The air was still and quiet, and the only sound we could hear was the gentle murmuring of crickets in the distance.

We stood in silence, the three of us, eyeing each other with anticipation, until Ellie finally spoke up. "So how do you know where we're going?"

Joel shrugged, his jaw set, but he didn't say anything.

The grass was still damp from the morning dew, and we had to tread carefully, as to not slip. I noticed the little details of the landscape around us—the way the grass rustled beneath our feet, and the way the wind whispered through the trees.

I felt a sense of awe, of wonder, of something that I had never felt before. It was the thrill of the unknown, and it made my heart beat a little faster.

We kept walking, and soon enough, the sun had almost disappeared from the sky. The stars had begun to twinkle, and the moon had taken its place in the sky, its pale light guiding our way through the darkness.

The night was getting colder, and I could feel the wind blowing against my skin. I was beginning to feel exhausted. I wanted to give up and rest, but I kept moving, hoping that we were heading in the right direction.

FINALLY, AFTER WHAT FELT LIKE an eternity, we had arrived at our destination. Or so we thought. Joel pulled out the map in his pocket as we observed the river in the distance. Sure enough, we'd been staring at the River of Death, meaning we were finally here.

The sound of horses whining and rushed footsteps near us and as I look up all I can see is half a dozen men and women on horses with rifles in hand.

I'm quick to grab Parker and Hayden's hand as Joel takes ahold of Ellie's, attempting to find a way out, ready to take off when the others surround us, centering us in.

I could hear my heartbeat in my chest and it echoes in my head. I attempt to spare Joel a glance to communicate a way out through our gaze but he's already raising his hands in surrender, as does Ellie.

I can feel Hayden's finger loop onto the strap of my backpack and I want to grab her hand and squeeze it but as their guns land on us all I can think of is to mimic Joel's body language.

"We ain't lookin' for any trouble, we're just passing through." Joel says, his voice unsteady as the cold disrupts his breath.

"Drop the guns." One of the men say, and Joel slowly but surely slides off the strap of his shotgun, causing me to do the same.

"You three," the same man says, appointing his head to Parker, Ellie and Hayden. "take two steps back."

I can hear Joel's breath quicken and I don't think I've ever seen Hayden so afraid. "How 'bout we just talk this through?"

"How 'bout you just shut the fuck up?" he's quick to snap as he inches his gun closer to us, showing no fear.

The girls obey, stepping back and I can feel her worried gaze on me, but I'm afraid that if I look at her, it might cost us our lives. "We're okay." I whisper under my breath, just loud enough for her to hear.

"You been near infected?"

"There's no infected out here."

"Hell there ain't." The man quips, whistling just before a dog's barking sounds throughout the area.

I look at Ellie, finally, and my stomach churns. This could end horribly.

"Last chance for a bullet." the man says as another brings the dog into view. "If you've been infected, he will smell it, and he will rip you up."

His barks are ferocious and pierce my ears but not nearly as much as the sound of my heartbeat does. They let the dog lose and I hold my breath.

One.

It sniffs Joel's feet and moves on to me.

Two.

The dog jumps up on me but my arms remain raised.

"Like I said," Joel says. "we'll just move on."

The man examines us for a moment. Then points to Ellie. "Now them."

The dog lays eyes on Ellie and almost immediately begins growling. My heart thumps as I watch Ellie give me a small shake of her head, eyes full of worry.

The dog leans down and appears as though it's ready to pounce and my head slowly turns to face Joel, I'm unable to watch what happens, and honestly, I hope Joel is able to figure a way out of this, but instead, I watch his chest heave up and down as the dog barks.

And it's silent.

Then, I hear the sound of Ellie's giggles.

There Ellie is, squatting down and receiving kisses from the dog. She spares me a grin and I can feel the sigh of relief escaping my body.

"You just bought yourself ten seconds. What are you doin' out here?"

"I'm just looking for my brother. That's all, nothing more." Joel replies, and almost immediately a woman begins riding her horse closer to us, and right in front of Joel and I. "What's your name?"

"Joel. This is Rhea."

The woman analyzes Joel, then me, then the girls. Finally, she nods and tells us to get on their horses.

AS SOON AS WE ARRIVED IN Jackson, I began searching for my sister. I don't know what I was expecting, I don't know why I ignored my surroundings and only focused on the back of stranger's heads, hoping I'd see my sister's.

Ellie is grinning at me once more, but I can't even stomach bringing a smile to my face right now. I'm a nervous wreck and all I want--all I need--is to see my little sister.

Joel pauses, his horse stopping in place and I watch a look of realization on his face. I follow his gaze, curious to what it is he's looking at that can make his entire face brighten. "Tommy!"

Seeing Tommy in the distance makes me hopeful, and the beating of my heart only quickens.

Joel halts his horse and it takes Tommy a moment to realize his brother was standing before him. The two connected and I feel my heart tighten as I watch them hug.

Tommy lets out a light chuckle and the hug lasts a minute, and when the two pull away, all I can see is Tommy's bright smile as he looks at Joel. "What the fuck you doin' here?"

Joel looks around. "I came here to save you."

Tommy's brows furrow but Joel's laugh takes away any negative emotion visible on his brother's face. They hug again, the embrace even warmer and tighter now with a shared laugh.

Tommy pulls away once more and he meets my gaze, and pure confusion and disbelief enter his face. "You--Rhea?"

I hop off the horse and walk over to him, in which, he almost immediately embraces me in a hug. I feel a smile return to my face as I inhale the familiar scent. Somehow, he still smelled the same.

"I don't understand," he says, pulling away. "I thought you..."

The smile remains on my face, I know exactly what he's going to say. "So did I."

He lets out a loose, nervous chuckle, and I can tell he wants to ask another question or two. But I only have one on my mind.

I swallow. "So where's Hazel?"

He doesn't say anything. His smile vanishes and I watch as his entire face darkens with sadness and regret.

My stomach turns to knots and my heart begins beating faster and harder than ever before. "Tommy."

He averts his gaze and everything in my body feels out of place. It's so very clear that something is wrong.

"Where the hell is my sister?"

It's silent for a minute but God, it feels like ten. And then, he finally says it. "Rhea, Hazel got infected a long while back."

a/n

our parents are back!!!!!!!