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THE LUCKY CAR was bound to run out at some point. The tires crunched to a halt in the freshly fallen snow and Joel sighed, peering out of the window. Beside him, Cindy let out a loud, exaggerated groan, waking Ellie from her sleep.
"Well isn't this just our fuckin' luck," Cindy huffed, her voice filled with a mix of sarcasm and dread of the cold.
Joel shot her a sideways glance. "Unfortunately, yes." he quipped.
Ellie, stirring from her sleep in the backseat, stretched and yawned. "What's happening?" she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Why'd we stop?"
"The car's done for in this snow. We'll have to walk for a while." Joel explained, already opening the car door letting in the biting cold.
As they stepped out into the wintry landscape, Cindy wrapped her coat tighter around herself, her breath forming puffs of steam in the crisp air once again, but this time even more. Ellie, clearly disgruntled by the snow, kicked at the ground, sending a small flurry into the air.
"Great, just fucking great. Gonna fucking freeze to death." Ellie grumbled, her breath visible in the cold air.
Cindy pulled the sleeves of her jacket from underneath her coat over her hands to keep them warmer before leaning into the car and grabbing the map, then shutting the door. If she'd been reading it right before, they weren't in the middle of nowhere. "We're not far from somewhere called Guernsey. We could try and find shelter there for the night." she suggested, her eyes scanning the path ahead.
Joel joined her, his breath condensing in the icy air. "Guernsey's a risky bet. Last I heard, it's swarming with raiders," he warned, studying the map over Cindy's shoulder. "Not worth the risk."
Ellie, clearly unenthusiastic about the prospect of raiders, voiced her discontent. "Can't we find somewhere safer?" She asked. "My hands are too cold to get my gun out fast enough if we come head on with some fuckin' raiders."
Joel studied the map in Cindy's hands. "We'll keep going. Hartville's a bit farther, but it's a safer bet."
"How much does it add onto the journey?" Ellie asked as they began walking through the snow.
"Makes it about two hours longer." Joel replied.
Ellie rolled her eyes and they continued walking for about another two and a half. Soon enough, in the tree line on the opposite side of the road, Ellie noticed a scruffy dog, a jack russell terrier emerge, its fur unkempt and demeanour rather aggressive.
"Hey, look," she pointed. Cindy and Joel followed her finger. "It's kinda cute." She cooed and went to take a step towards it.
Cindy, quick to react, grabbed Ellie's arm, scolding her, "Don't go near a stray, Ellie. You're not immune to rabies, you know."
Ellie raised her hand in surrender and chuckled at her friend's words. "It's just a little fuckin' dog, Cind."
"A little fuckin' dog with a little fuckin' bite and a little fuckin' disease." Cindy folded her arms.
Joel, noticing Cindy's sudden outburst, raised an eyebrow. "You afraid of dogs or something?"
"No." She hesitated but then admitted, "I got bit by a dog a couple years after arriving at the QZ. Since then, I've been a little... apprehensive, one might say."
Ellie chuckled, "that's funny, really."
"Oh, well, I'm glad my traumatic experience with a dog makes for good entertainment, Ellie." Cindy nudged her.
"No, I mean, you can fight a dozen infected without breaking a sweat, but a stray dog across the roadmakes you nervous." She elaborated.
Joel, surprisingly understanding, nodded. "Yeah, well, dogs can be unpredictable. Got to be careful if they're not domesticated."
"Thank you, Joel." Cindy exaggerated Joel's agreement with her to Ellie.
"What, so you're more of a cat person then?" Ellie teased.
Cindy shrugged. "They're more chill, you know? Lower maintenance."
Joel chimed in, "Dogs are better protection, though."
"We're in America, Joel. Guns exist on every fuckin' street corner. They did even before the outbreak." Cindy snickered. "So, how much farther to Hartville anyway? We've been walking for hours now." Cindy huffed, her breath forming a small cloud as she spoke.
Joel chuckled, his breath visible in the frigid air too. "Just a couple more hours. You can make it, tough guy."
Cindy shot him a playful glare. "Tough guy? I'll have you know I'm just a delicate flower in a freezing wasteland." The scars on her eyebrow and neck, and the gun in her hand, and many other factors proving otherwise made Ellie audibly let out a laugh.
She bundled up and, walking beside them, piped up. "Yeah, Joel, Cindy is very delicate. Delicate just like a brick wall."
Joel laughed and Cindy did too, though hers dripped with sarcasm. "Oh, you're real funny, you know that, Ellie."
