Ellie and Dylan were woken up the next morning by a knock on the door. Ellie and Dylan both got out of bed, still fully dressed from the night before. Ellie moved to answer the door, whilst Dylan went to brush his teeth in the bathroom.
"Fuck." Ellie mumbled to herself.
"Hey!" Ellie greeted as she opened the door to Jesse.
"Morning!" Jesse greeted as he leaned against the doorway.
Dylan exited the bathroom and waved at Jesse as he moved to stand behind his sister.
"Sorry, we totally overslept. Just give us a minute and we'll get dressed." Ellie said.
"I heard you had quite a night after I left." Jesse said as he looked in at the twins.
Dylan looked to Ellie then to Jesse, trying his best to hide his smirk.
"I..." Ellie started, "She kissed me. It was just Dina being Dina. She didn't mean anything by it."
"I was talking about your fight with Seth. Wait, you kissed Dina?" Jesse asked.
Ellie looked to Jesse, an awkwardness coming over her.
"Oh. I thought that's-" Ellie started.
"We're broken up one week and you make a move on my girl?" Jesse asked.
Dylan stood beside Ellie protectively, not liking Jesse's tone as he spoke with his sister.
"No...She was probably just trying to make you jealous. I didn't...I would never...Oh, fuck, this is awkward." Ellie replied as she held Dylan's arm, holding him back.
Jesse smiled as he looked to the twins.
"I'm messing with you, man. I don't care. Get dressed." Jesse said.
"You're the worst." Ellie replied.
Ellie went to shut the door, but Jesse stopped her.
"It's kind of fucked up you did that." Jesse said with a smirk.
Ellie scoffed and shut the door. Ellie went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth, whilst Dylan packed up their things in their backpacks. As Ellie exited the bathroom, Dylan handed her her coat and backpack before he then sat on the couch to put on his boots. Ellie moved to the door and put on her boots by the side table after placing her switchblade in her back pocket.
"Are Tommy and Joel out?" Ellie asked Jesse.
"Yeah, they headed out early this morning." Jesse replied.
"That sucks." Ellie said.
"Yep. Can't imagine they got much sleep. Definitely not as much as you two." Jesse said sarcastically.
"Shut up." Ellie said as she pulled on her gloves.
"We were just about to get up." Dylan replied.
"Mm-hmm." Jesse hummed as the twins opened the door.
"We were." Dylan stated.
"You guys got everything?" Jesse asked as Dylan shut the door behind them.
"Yes." Ellie sighed.
The trio began to walk to the gate, when Jesse turned back to talk to them.
"Heads up, you guys are the talk of the town this morning." Jesse informed as they continued on their way.
"Ugh. What?" Ellie asked.
"Let me see if I got this right, you kissed Dina-" Jesse said.
"She kissed me." Ellie replied.
"Which triggered Seth to call you a...not-so-nice word..." Jesse continued.
"Yep." Ellie said.
"Then Dylan decked him, which in turn landed him on his ass. Then Joel also decked Seth-" Jesse said.
"More of a push." Ellie stated.
"And then you guys got mad at Joel? That part confused me." Jesse informed.
"It was a strange night, man." Ellie replied.
"Sounds exciting." Jesse smiled.
"Hold up, I did not end up on my ass. If Joel hadn't had got involve, Seth would be in the infirmary right now." Dylan informed.
"Did Seth knock you to the floor in one punch?" Jesse asked as he looked to Dylan as they made their way round the greenhouses.
"Yeah, but..." Dylan replied.
"So, you landed on your ass. Under different circumstances, things may have been different, but he still put you on your ass in one punch, dude." Jesse smirked.
"Shut up, asshole." Dylan grinned at Jesse.
"By the way, Maria wants a word with you two." Jesse informed the twins.
"Where is she?" Ellie asked.
"The diner." Jesse replied.
"Is this about Seth?" Dylan asked.
"No clue." Jesse replied as they made it to the gate.
"Just tell her you never saw us." Ellie said.
"Nope." Jesse replied with a smirk.
"Where's your fucking loyalty?" Ellie asked.
"Excuse me?" Jesse asked as he looked to Ellie with a grin.
Dylan opened the gate heading to the main part of town, allowing Ellie and Jesse pass before shutting it behind him.
"Hey, so...We're okay, right?" Ellie asked Jesse.
"You and me? Yeah, of course. Dina and I are done." Jesse replied.
"I know. I just didn't want you to think-" Ellie started.
"Ellie, we're cool. Promise." Jesse stated with a small smile.
Dylan wrapped his arm around Ellie's shoulders, comforting her as they made their way through town and towards the diner.
"Wanna grab some breakfast?" Jesse asked as they entered the busy diner.
"No. Where's Maria?" Ellie asked in response.
"In the back." Jesse informed.
The trio made their way through the crowded diner, spotting Maria at the end of the bar.
"Excuse me." Dylan said as he gently moved people aside.
"Ellie! Dylan! There you are. C'mere." Maria called.
Ellie and Dylan joined Maria, greeting her with small smiles.
"Seth's got something he wants to say to you two-" Maria started.
"I don't want to hear what that bigot has to say." Ellie replied.
"Me neither." Dylan added.
"Do it for me. Please." Maria said as she looked to the twins.
Ellie and Dylan sighed.
"Fine." Ellie said.
"Seth! Seth, c'mere." Maria called out to the kitchen.
"Fuck me." Ellie mumbled as she sighed. Dylan chuckled lightly before he built up his tough persona as Seth walked out of the kitchen, carrying something.
"Hey." Seth greeted the twins.
Ellie and Dylan stayed silent as they looked to Seth.
"Look, last night...I was drinking too much." Seth started.
"Sure." Ellie replied.
"Could have fooled me, especially with that right hook." Dylan stated.
Maria tapped Ellie and Ellie shook it off. Maria glared at Dylan and he shrugged her off. The twins were listening to Seth for Maria's sake, but they weren't going to take any of his bullshit.
"I'm trying to say I'm sorry. Maria tells me that you two and Dina are headed out." Seth informed.
Ellie nodded in response.
"I, uh, made you some sandwiches." Seth said as he placed the wrapped sandwiches on the bar.
"Okay." Ellie replied.
"They're steak." Seth informed.
Dylan shook his head and Ellie placed her hand on his wrist, stopping him from doing anything rash.
"Thank you, Seth." Maria smiled as she took the sandwiches and handed them to Ellie.
"Yeah. Well, uh...You be safe out there." Seth said before returning to the kitchen.
"Yup." Ellie replied.
Maria looked to the twins.
"I appreciate that." Maria said.
Ellie and Dylan turned around to meet Jesse.
"What you got there?" Jesse asked.
"Bigot sandwiches." Ellie said as she placed the sandwiches in Jesse's chest.
Jesse took the sandwiches and sniffed them.
"Mm. Smells good." Jesse smiled.
"They're all yours, bud." Dylan informed.
"You sure?" Jesse asked.
"It's fine." Ellie replied.
Maria moved towards the trio.
"Let me walk you out." Maria said.
"Okay." Jesse replied.
Ellie and Dylan sighed.
"Steak fucking sandwiches?! I couldn't care less what's in them, it still doesn't make up for the shit he pulled last night." Dylan said to Ellie, slightly irritated.
"No, it doesn't. But for Maria's sake, let's just let it go." Ellie replied.
Dylan looked to Ellie, seeing that she was serious.
"Okay. I see I'm having some effect on you. I have you forgive Joel, sort of, and now you're forgiving everybody." Dylan smirked.
"Shut up." Ellie smiled as they caught up with Maria and Jesse outside.
The four walked through town towards the stables.
"When you go out, I want you to trade off with Tommy and Joel. Those boys have been up for far too long." Maria informed.
"Where do I meet them?" Jesse asked.
"If you go up to the northwest lookout, they're scheduled to arrive later today. Watch yourself. I mean, there's too many sightings of infected recently." Maria replied.
"Of course. I was gonna check out the creek trails. I'll need someone else to cover it." Jesse informed.
"Ellie, you know the creek trails?" Maria asked.
"Not really." Ellie replied.
"I do. I went with Dina once or twice." Dylan informed.
"Dina's done it a bunch. I'll have the three of them take it." Jesse said.
"That solves that." Maria smiled.
The four reached the playground not far from the stables.
"Ellie, Dylan, can I talk to you for a sec?" Maria asked.
Dylan and Ellie headed over to Maria.
"'Sup?" Ellie asked.
"Look, I don't know what's on with you two and Joel..." Maria started.
Ellie sighed.
"Maria." Ellie said.
"The guy really cares about you. And I'm sure he didn't mean to-" Maria started.
"We're fine." Dylan interrupted.
Maria looked to Dylan, then back to Ellie.
"Yeah?" Maria asked.
"Yeah." Ellie replied.
"Okay. Okay. Sorry to pry." Maria said.
Ellie and Dylan went to head on to the stables, when Maria stopped them.
"Be safe." Maria smiled.
"Thanks." The twins replied.
Ellie and Dylan stood opposite the playground with Jesse, seeing Dina having a snowball fight with some kids.
"You, Dina, assignments!" Jesse called out to Dina.
"Just gimme a minute!" Dina said as she threw another snowball.
"Will you get your girlfriend to the stables please?" Jesse asked before he left for the stables.
"Oh my god." Ellie mumbled.
"Go on, I'll wait for you two." Dylan said as he leant against the barrel behind him.
Ellie moved over to the fence surrounding the playground.
"Hey, Dina!" Ellie called.
Dina looked back to Ellie.
"Can I talk to you?" Ellie asked.
Dina looked at the kids and threw up her hands in surrender.
"Hey, guys? I'm tapping out!" Dina informed the kids.
"Come on! For how long?" A kid asked.
Dina walked over to Ellie and smiled when she saw Dylan waving at her.
"Hoo!" Dina said as she met Ellie with a grin on her face, "Hey."
"Hey. Um, I just wanted to say sorry for running off last night." Ellie replied.
"Oh, that's--it's okay. I totally get it. I just, I felt bad." Dina said.
"Why?" Ellie asked.
"Cause I started the whole thing. I just, I shouldn't have kissed you in front of all those people and I-" Dina informed.
"You were drunk, it's fine." Ellie replied.
"Well, still. I don't want you to think--" Dina started.
"No, I'm not reading into it or anything." Ellie informed.
There was a moment of silence, before Dina looked at Ellie with a smile.
"You know what I love about you? How you let me finish my sentences." Dina replied with a smirk.
Dylan chuckled at Dina's comment.
"All right...well, we should probably get going." Ellie said.
"Yeah." Dina replied.
Suddenly, a snowball hit Ellie in the shoulder.
"Ow!" Ellie said.
"What the fuck?" Dina asked as she looked back at the kids.
"I'm not even playing!" Ellie yelled at the kids.
"Cause you're a chicken! You're a chicken!" The kid teased.
Dylan chuckled at the situation, waiting to see how his sister would handle it.
"I hate these kids so much." Ellie said to Dina.
"Wanna fuck 'em up?" Dina asked.
Ellie looked back to Dylan, asking for his permission.
"Go on, exact your revenge. I'll keep Jesse busy." Dylan smiled.
"Yeah, I do." Ellie replied to Dina.
Dylan walked by the playground and looked at the kids.
"Hey, kids! Give 'em hell, yeah?" Dylan smiled.
The kids laughed as Ellie and Dina flipped Dylan off. Dylan laughed as he made his way to the stables.
"You asked for it!" Dina smiled.
Ellie jumped the fence and joined her.
"You better run, you little shits!" Ellie grinned.
Ellie began to make a snowball as did Dina as she found cover.
"Holy shit, get to cover! Go, go!" The kid said to his friends.
Ellie and Dina dominated the kids in the snowball fight. The four kids didn't stand a chance as Ellie and Dina won.
"Eat it, shrimps!" Dina smirked as she stood victoriously amongst the kids.
"Hey!" The kids said.
"How's it feel?" Dina asked.
Suddenly, the kids ran into Dina and piled on top of her as she lay in the snow.
"No!" Dina said.
"Get her!" The kids giggled.
"Help me! You'll never get away with this!" Dina smiled as the kids piled on to her.
Dylan watched from the stables and chuckled at his sister and best friend.
Ellie moved to help Dina, taking the kids off of her.
"Get off of her, you monsters!" Ellie grinned.
Ellie picked up a kid, helping him to his feet,
"Hey, Ellie! Ellie! Hey!" The kid giggled before he ran off.
The others removed themselves from Dina as they got up giggling.
"All right! All right, we actually have some work to do." Ellie informed as Dina got up on her feet and dusted herself off.
"Aww!" The kids said.
"Scram!" Ellie said.
"I guess I asked for that, huh?" Dina asked Ellie with a smile.
"Yep." Ellie replied.
"Let's go." Dina said.
The girls headed towards the stables.
"So, Jesse wants us and Dylan to do the creek trails. He's gonna relieve Joel and Tommy." Ellie informed.
"Oh. It's nice he assigned us together, along with your brother. You're gonna like this route." Dina replied.
Ellie and Dina met Dylan inside as he held onto Shimmer, Japan and his horse, Shadow.
"Looks like you destroyed the little scamps." Dylan smiled.
"Oh, hell yeah!" Dina replied with a grin.
"Looks like they also got their own back on you, D." Dylan laughed.
"Yeah." Dina replied with a chuckle.
Dylan handed the two girls the reins to their horses as the three headed out to join the others.
"Ahh! Look who decided to join us." Jesse smirked.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Ellie replied.
"One for you." Jesse said as he handed Ellie a rifle.
"And one for you." Jesse said as he handed Dylan a rifle.
"Thanks, bro." Dylan replied.
Jesse moved to Dina with a smirk on his face.
"And one for you." Jesse said as he handed Dina her rifle.
Dina placed her rifle over her shoulder as she smiled at Jesse.
Jesse walked out to look up at the guys at the top of the gate.
"Open it up!" Jesse called out.
The gate opened as he looked out at everyone heading out on patrol.
"Settle down, children. All right. You all know the drill. Run your routes. Mark your logbooks. Clear any infected you see. You run into anything you can't handle, you come back. Be smart about it. All right, get goin'." Jesse informed.
The trio mounted up. Dina glanced back at Ellie with a small smile on her face before the three of them headed out.