¹epiphany ─ j. miller

They've All Left

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
FALL
THEY'VE ALL LEFT

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A while had passed since Jackson. Ellie, Elva and Joel had a routine by then. They'd find some sort of base they could sleep at, take shifts when sleeping, and get up bright and early in the morning and continue riding.

Ellie switched on who she rode with depending on who she wanted to talk to that day. It was a system. They had a perfect routine.

Joel talked to Ellie as they finally approached the University of Eastern Colorado, well, it was the campus. Elva smiled as they talked together on the other horse.

"-let me see if I get it straight, if you mess up your fourth down, then you give the ball to the other team?" Ellie asked. He was teaching her about football, of course.

"Right, it's called turnover." Joel confirmed.

"And if you clear the ten yards then you're back at..." Ellie paused. "First down?"

"First down, that's right." He smiled.

"Man, it's confusing!" Ellie exclaimed, looking towards Elva, who was riding on the other horse. "Did you play any sports when you were my age?" She asked.

Elva smiled, shaking her head. "Not really, I was more of an academics kid. But, I did play tennis with my sister sometimes."

"What was your sister's name?" Ellie asked.

"Mia." Elva spoke, much quieter than before as they made their way through the roads towards the university. "I lost touch with her a long time before the outbreak. Never knew where she went." The woman shrugged.

"Wow. I wonder if she's still alive."

"Ellie." Joel warned.

"No, no it's fine." Elva smiled. She was happy that she got to talk to someone about it, even if it was a man her age and a teenage girl. "I hope she's alive somewhere, but she could've gotten caught up with the government. Lots didn't make it." She sighed.

"Maybe after this we should try to find her." Ellie offered. "Of course, after you teach me how to play the guitar." She grinned towards Joel.

The letters UFC were engraved into the brick walls surrounding the road, notifying the group that they had made it to their destination. Old homecoming banners were draped over the walls of the campus, reminding Elva and Joel of a simpler time.

"Okay, none of these buildings look like a mirror to me." Ellie exclaimed. They were walking through a few green patches, where the red leaves of the trees had fallen onto the ground.

"We'll head to central grounds." Joel replied. "We should be able to see most of the campus from there."

Ellie nodded, still holding onto Joel's backpack. Elva watched them with a small smile on her face. She only knew a small portion of what happened at the ranch house, Joel had pulled her aside on one of the trails and told her, but she was happy to see them bonding again.

He had a soft spot for the young girl, it was obvious. Elva just hoped that once the whole Firefly situation was over, they would be happy together. Maybe even with the woman, too.

Joel stopped at an impasse, jumping off of his horse. "Stay, Callus." He spoke to the horse. "What kind of name is Callus anyway?"

"Not my fault you forgot to ask Tommy for his name." Ellie shrugged.

"At least yours isn't Liam Neighson." Elva laughed.

"What?" Ellie smirked. "The one movie I've ever watched had him in it."