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THE SNOW HAD mercifully slowed, a brief respite in the biting cold that had dogged their every step. Unfortunately, it was still thick and very cold, but they weren't being bombarded with aggressive wind anymore. The elderly Native American couple's warning about the Yellowstone River lingered very differently in each of their minds.
As they approached the view of the river, Ellie, with her trademark 'pissing Joel off' tone, commented on its appearance. "The River of Death. Scary." She quipped, a wry smile playing on her lips.
Joel shot her a warning glance. "Don't start." He said. "It's too close to dark. There's some caves along the river. We'll set up camp there, cross in the mornin'."
"Good, I'm starving." Ellie sighed. "Should've stolen two rabbits." Cindy snorted at that.
"We can get our own rabbits." Joel rolled his eyes.
"You gonna teach me how?" Ellie asked.
"Just keep movin'."
They reached a cave at a clearing by the riverbank. Ellie perched on a rock, gazing at the vast sky above whilst Cindy started a fire and Joel attempted to repair his deteriorating shoe with some duck tape.
"How long's that gonna last on the wet floor?" Cindy smirked.
"Not another word, miss. The only reason you're not sat here doing this is because I found you that shiny new pair from Bill and Frank's." Joel muttered and looked up at Ellie on the rock. "Come down from there, you're gonna break your neck." Ellie obliged.
As they gathered around the fire, Joel took a swig from his flask before passing it to Cindy, a familiar pattern. Cindy accepted it and took a measured sip, feeling the warmth of the liquid trickling down her throat. It was satisfying.
"Ah, can I have some?" Ellie requested.
"No." Joel said, but Cindy gave him a look.
"Oh, come on, Joel. Keeps you warm," Cindy remarked, a lighthearted grin on her lips. Joel shrugged in defeat.
Cindy passed it to Ellie, who took a sip and immediately grimaced. "You did that in purpose, you fuck." She groaned and Cindy laughed, taking it from Ellie and passing it back to Joel.
"Okay, I'm gonna go to sleep." She said. "I'll take watch after you," she said to Joel, "wake me up whenever, but at least gimme... 72 hours."
"Gotcha." Joel mumbled. "Wake you in 72 hours." He added as Cindy propped her bag onto the floor to use as a pillow, before rolling over, her back to Ellie and Joel.
As Ellie stared into the flames, she thought of an other topic of conversation to bring up. "So I've been thinking... let's say we find the fireflies, it all works, they draw my blood and put it through some of their fancy machines and make a cure. Then what?" she asked Joel. "Like, what do we do?"
"Oh, it's 'we'?" Joel questioned.
"Okay, fine, whatever, it's you." Ellie huffed. "You can do anything you want. Where are you going? What're you doing?"
"It's never been an option." He said, going quiet for a moment to think. He could hear Cindy's soft snores. "Maybe... an old farmhouse... some land... a ranch."
"Cool." Ellie said. "What kind?"
"Sheep." Joel said. "I would raise sheep."
"Sheep." Ellie raised her eyebrows, very 'interested'.
"They're quiet... do what they're told." He added.
"Yeah, yeah, okay." Ellie rolled her eyes. "So... just you and a bunch of sheep?" She knew what she was doing. "No one else." She pushed.
Joel's jaw clenched and Ellie grinned, noticing. "Just me."
She nodded, not convinced one bit. "Sure. Romantic."
"And what about you? Where are you gonna go?" Joel asked.
"It's probably because I grew up in the QZ," she began, looking at the sky, "behind you, there's ocean, and ahead of you there's a wall. Nowhere else to look but up." She said. "I read everything I could in the school library. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Jim Lovell. Know who my favourite is?"
"Sally Ride."
"Sally fuckin' Ride." Ellie confirmed. "Best astronaut name ever."
Joel cleared his throat, glancing at Cindy. "And, uh, what about Cind? Know where she's gonna go?"
Ellie shrugged. "Probably just back to her boyfriend at the QZ, I forget his name."
Joel's head shot in her direction and he froze, his grip on the flask tightening.
Ellie burst out laughing. "I'm just fucking with you, she doesn't have a boyfriend." She laughed. "You should've seen your face though."
"You think you're really funny." Joel muttered.
"I am really funny." Ellie chuckled. "But, hey, I might not be able to build a rocket big enough for both of us. So, maybe, she'd, uh, she'd have to stay at your sheep ranch with you. Wouldn't want to leave her stranded, would you?" She teased. "I won't be around to keep her company if I'm on the moon."
Joel just gave her a look. He knew that she knew what she was doing.
"I mean, if your ranch has a spare room." Ellie continued. "Or maybe you could just share a bed like you did back at that cabin-"
"Stop." Joel said.
Ellie laughed. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry, I'll stop." She sighed and there was a moment of silence before things got more serious. "It'll work, right? The vaccine?"
"It's a little late to start wonderin'." Joel said.
"I tried, with Sam."
"Tried what?" Joel asked.
"I knew he was infected. I rubbed some of my blood into his bite. I know, I know it was stupid. But I... I wanted to save him." Ellie explained.
Joel looked down. "Well I reckon it's a lot more complicated than that. Marlene, she's a lot of things, but... but she's no fool. If she says they can do it, they can do it." He assured her.
She nodded, momentarily reassured by Joel's words. "You wanna take first watch or second?" She asked.
"I'll do both." Joel said. "Get some sleep. Dream of... sheep ranches on the moon."
"I will." Ellie said, laying beside Cindy and drifting off to sleep.
