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Something had changed between them.
Even though she had gotten to know Joel quite well over the summer, he had still been reserved, unwilling or unable to open up to her, not really.
When he made the decision to be the one to take her to Salt Lake City instead of Tommy, he seemed to decide that this was it. She needed him and he was going to be there for her. In as many ways as he could. He was all in.
In fact, he hadn't stopped talking since they left Jackson. That was what had surprised her the most. Up until this point, Joel had been defined to Ellie by his deafening silence and harsh stares of disapproval.
He talked about his hometown in Texas, about how he had played football in high school, how he had been a piss-poor student and regretted not paying more attention in class. She listened in wonder as he described how he used to be a contractor, working with a crew to build grand houses for stupid-rich folks. A few years before the breakout, he had fallen from a roof and injured his back, which is why it ached something horrible some days.
He still didn't talk about his daughter, and that was okay. Sara was off-limits, a private piece of Joel that he had tucked away from this cruel world they were living in. She could allow him that.
They finally stopped for the night outside of an old campground somewhere in northern Colorado. Ellie examined the cabins curiously, fingering her switchblade as she listened for the telling sounds of the infected. Although they still encountered infected on a daily basis, they had become less frequent the farther away from the cities they got. All Ellie heard in the stillness of the night was the soft hum of insects and the cool winds rustling the tops of the tall pines.
Joel found a ranger's cabin with an attached carport and hobbled Callus inside the shelter. Ellie brought in armfuls of pine needles as Joel rubbed down the horse. Callus blew out a contented breath as Ellie stroked his ears. Joel unbuckled the saddle and placed it on top of a stack of plastic storage bins. Callus bumped Ellie's chest with his nose, sniffing at her clothes for a treat as Joel unfolded the saddle blanket and rearranged it on the horse's broad back.
Ellie rubbed the gentle horse's nose. "Sorry buddy, no apples today."
She gave Callus a final scratch behind his ears before following Joel into the cabin. They stepped into the kitchen, dark and dusty from many unattended years. Joel kicked a tin can and they both held their breath, listening as it went skidding noisily across the linoleum floor. Several heavy seconds passed without any disturbance.
Joel edged further into the house, checking around corners and behind closed doors until he was satisfied that they were in fact, alone.
Ellie dropped her backpack onto the ground of the living room and stretched, back and legs sore from a long day of riding. Joel wondered back into the kitchen and began to rummage through the cabinets. Ellie watched from the doorway as he went from empty cupboard to empty drawer. Finally, he shut the last door and sighed heavily, his stomach growling audibly.
"Well, looks like we'll be scavenging around the campground for our dinner tonight," Joel muttered, rubbing his fingers over his tired eyes.
Ellie pushed off the door frame. "I could go hunt -"
But Joel shook his head firmly. "No, kiddo, we'll just see what we can find here."
Ellie frowned, but didn't argue. She followed his lead, heading outside to search through crumbling buildings and underbrush for something to eat.
As it turned out, the place had been picked clean years ago. Ellie's stomach rumbled and groaned in protest, but hunger was something she had come to accept as a part of life on the road. Sometimes they found food and had plenty to eat. Sometimes they were able to scrape something together to take the edge off their hunger. And other time, they went to sleep on empty stomachs.
They returned to the ranger's cabin and settled in for the night. Ellie retrieved blankets from the closet and arranged them on the floor while Joel did a final check around the cabin. The blankets were dusty and smelled slightly of mildew, but they were soft and warm, which is all Ellie cared about. She curled upon the floor, her head nestled against her backpack.
Joel lay down beside her, their backs to each other. Ellie listened in fascination as her companion softly hummed to himself for a few seconds. A comfortable quiet settled over the cabin and Joel's breathing deepened until his soft snores filled the small room.
Something had changed. Maybe she had changed, or perhaps it was Joel's heart that had softened, cracked open just the tiniest bit for her.
All Ellie knew is that she was glad it was Joel and not Tommy that was sleeping at her back.
Callus' terrified whinies ripped Ellie from her dreams. A large hand covered her mouth and for one horrifying second, fear made her blood run cold.
But Joel's large figure moved into her line of sight and immediately her heart began to beat again. He placed a finger to his lips and then moved to the door, oddly crouched as he silently crossed the dirty kitchen floor. He grabbed his riffle and the flashlight from his bag. He slowly rose and gripping the door handle securely, cracked the door open.
The world was still dark outside, the star blotted out by the pine trees thick branches overhead. Joel crept outside, his head swiveling left and right, trying to catch sight of what had caused Callus' frightened neighs. A twig snapped, causing the horse's ears to lay flat against his skull as he pulled against the lead tied to a post. An odd, strangled whining sound reached their ears, although Ellie couldn't see past Joel's large frame.
"Shit," he muttered, fumbling with the flashlight. "Ellie, go inside and grab out stuff. We might have to make a run for it."
"Why? What's out there?" she asked, still trying to see past him.
"I think it's a mountain lion. I could probably scare it off, but I would have to make a decent amount of noise," Joel explained in a low hiss, quietly loading the hunting rifle.
"Oh." That was bad. If there were any infected nearby, they would be drawn to the noise and the last thing they wanted was to be stranded or trapped in the middle of the Colorado Rockies with winter fast approaching. Ellie rushed back to the living room and quickly gathered up their meager belongings. She glanced longingly at their borrowed bedding, wishing that they could bring the soft comforts with them. Fuck it, she thought, as she grabbed one thin quilted blanket, rolling it into as small of a bundle as she could before shoving it into her bag. She could faintly hear Joel speaking outside, firm and loudly, his voice a deeper rumble than normal. She shouldered her backpack and dashed to retrieve Joel's from the kitchen. It was nights like this that she was glad they didn't bother removing their boots or undressing for bed. What a life-threatening waste it would be. Joel was standing at the edge of the carport, rifle raised, flashlight poised. Ellie heard a hiss and a growling whine, but the noise sounded further away than it had originally.
"You did it," she whispered excitedly.
"Hm," Joel grumbled, rifle still raised to his cheek. "Listen."
Ellie held her breath and strained her ears. In the distance, over the soft rustle of tree branches in the night breeze, came the haunting, unmistakable sound of infected. It may have just been a few - but why risk it. Joel grabbed his bag from Ellie and slung it onto his back. He pulled the lead free and swung himself onto Callus' back. With a smooth, practiced tug, Joel pulled Ellie by the arm, hoisting her onto the horse. She settled behind him and grabbed onto his shirt for balance.
Joel barely had to give the command to Callus before the horse took off in an earnest trot. There was no sense in pushing Callus into a run, not when it was dark and there may be plenty of hazards. Despite the infected descending upon their little camp site, it was better to move away at a quiet, brisk pace, than alert more infected by running away and injuring themselves.
After about 15 minutes of Callus moving at a swift trot, Joel eased up on the reigns until they came to a stand-still. Ellie listened for anything that indicated that they were being followed. This time, there was silence. Ellie sighed and looked up at the night sky as Callus began a much more leisurely pace. The sky was still an inky black, making the surrounding woods and rocks difficult the see through. She rested her head against Joel's bag and yawned. "What time is it anyway?" she muttered.
"Sleep if you can, kiddo," Joel said, his voice rumbling softly. "It's still a while now til dawn."
Something had definitely changed between them, Ellie thought hazily as the sound of Joel humming lulled her to sleep.