𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁.

seven.

   When I wake up it's already sunny outside.

   I feel the warmth on my face and smile. It takes a second but I eventually sit up and stretch. I look across the room for Sam's bed only to realize I'm not at home.

   Sam's been gone for 93 days.

   Almost a hundred.

  Suddenly not wanting to be alone I climb from bed and touch my feet to the cold hardwood. I make my way down the hall to Ellie's room. I push open the door and find the room empty, all of the brunette's belongings gone.

   I frown.

   I turn back down the hall to Joel's room.

   Empty.

   I feel sick, like I could empty my stomach.

   I quickly run downstairs and pull on my snow boots, throwing the front door open. I run into the snow, people walking the streets and giving me strange looks.

   The wind blows chills down my back and I spin around, searching for where they could be. How could they leave me like this? Why did I bother getting attached?

   I spot them, Ellie on a horse as Joel stands behind it with Tommy. Both of them have their packs on and are dressed to go.

   I march over to them.

   "You guys were just gonna leave me?"

   The words drip from my lips, my fists clenching. I can't believe this.

   Joel turns to me and his face falls before hardening again. He adjusts the horse saddle, "listen I'm not your brother, I'm not responsible for you. It's safer here so this is where you're staying."

   Ellie looks between us, her lips pursed.

   She doesn't want us to fight.

   I don't care.

   "You think I don't know that?" I feel tears prick my eyes, "you're not even half the man my brother was."

   My brother would have never abandoned me like this.

   I see Joel visibly tense and for some reason I don't stop, "you only even keep me around because I look like her, like Sarah."

   Ellie's eyes widen.

   Joel drops the straps of the saddle.

   He turns to me and I swear for an instant I see his eyes soften before they harden once again, "you have no right to talk about her."

   I glance at Ellie, the girl shaking her head at me, "you have no right to talk about Henry."

   Joel stares at me for a long moment and I feel myself crack. There's not even the slightest bit of anger in his eyes, just sadness and pity.

   That's not what I wanted, I wanted him to yell at me, scream, do something.

   My words were supposed to hurt him.

   The same way he hurt me.

   He stares at me, "fine, you deserve a choice."

* * *

   "You gonna shoot this thing or get it pregnant?"

   The look Joel gives Ellie makes me laugh. He shifts his eyes over to me and I clap my gloved hands over my mouth, attempting to conceal my laughter.

   He moves his eyes back to his target after a moment and Ellie continues, "it isn't gonna work it doesn't aim right-"

   She's cut off by his gunshot, my eyes moving to the target me and Ellie made and the newfound bullet hole right in the middle of it.

   "....you dick."

   Joel smirks at me and I smile.

* * *

   I think I like horses.

   They're quiet and even though they're big and strong they aren't particularly violent.

   I'm snapped out of my thoughts by the feeling of my leg brushing against something. Looking up I realize Ellie has moved her horse closer to me and Joel's so we could talk.

   "So back in town, is that how things used to be?"

   Joel answered gruffly, "no, the country's too big for that. Back then there were basically two main ways of looking at things. Some people wanted to own everything and some people didn't want anyone to own anything at all."

   "Which one were you?" I ask.

   "Neither, I just did my job."

   "Which was," Ellie drew out the word, "building?"

   "That's right, houses, stores, that kinda thing. We were called contractors."

   Ellie sounded out the word, deepening her voice, "con-trac-tors, that's pretty cool."

   I look up at Joel to see him smile slightly, "yeah, we were pretty cool. Everybody loved contractors."