Chapter Nine: Through The Cracks
January 21st, 2035
3:45 a.m.
10 Days, 19 Hours, and 18 Minutes Later
(Y/N) stared at the wooden ceiling above her, her eyes tracing over the grooves and bumps of the wood as she layed in her bed. Sleep wasn't coming easy tonight. It had been just over a week since (Y/N) had woken up in Jackson and she still wasn't used to the amount of people she would see everyday, whether it was when she watched them through her window or when Maria and Ellie forced her to get some fresh air.
Sighing silently, (Y/N) sat up slowly and threw her legs over the edge of the overly soft bed, it felt like a giant marshmallow, like every night she was gonna sink to the floor and suffocate to death. Standing up, (Y/N) pressed her hand on her stomach and grunted in discomfort. The wound hadn't been looked at since
(Y/N) almost shot that doctor, What was her name again? She thought as she tiptoed over to her window, opening the blinds to let the moonlight illuminate the room, Amy, I think it was.
No doctors or nurses for that matter, wanted it see her, in fears that they would be her next victim. (Y/N) sighed, staring down at the snow covered dirt road. She felt slightly guilty for scaring the woman, after all she did save her life, but she would never admit it out loud or Ellie would tease her relentlessly about having a soft spot or whatever the hell she called it.
Taking in a deep breath, (Y/N) looked around at the buildings by Joel and Ellie's house where she was staying, there were mostly houses for other people in the town, a small playground for the smaller kids, who (Y/N) steered away from for the most part, and a large barn a couple blocks down, where they kept the livestock and horses. Overall the town wasn't that bad, but (Y/N) had quickly learned in her time of being there that it would take some time for people to get used to her and vise versa.
Looking away from the window,
(Y/N) grabbed her guitar and the pack of strings that Tommy had found for her at an old music store just outside of Jackson, slinging the strap over her shoulder before walking out of her room. Staying silent, (Y/N) walked down the hallway before going down the stairs to Joel and Ellie's living room. Starting up a little fire in the fireplace to keep her warm, (Y/N) sat down on the couch. Letting out a sigh, (Y/N) leaned her guitar against the couch and opened the pack of strings as quietly as she could so she wouldn't wake up Ellie or Joel who were sleeping upstairs.
Reaching up to the neck of the guitar,
(Y/N) twisted the first tuning key, pulling at the string as the tension of the string loosened greatly. After loosening the string, (Y/N) grabbed the pair of pliers that came in the string pack, moving down to the bridge of the guitar before pulling the bridge pin out of the bridge, successfully taking the string off. That was easy, She thought with a small smile, nodding to herself before doing the same with the rest of the strings, putting the pins in a pile on the coffee table in front of her.
Grabbing the first string, (Y/N) put the end in the bridge and grabbed one of the pins, using the butt end of one of the handles on the pliers to hammer it in before attaching the top part onto its respected tuning key before doing the same with the other strings. Propping the guitar up on her lap, (Y/N) strummed each string, tightening or loosening the strings as she saw fit until it was perfectly in tune before clipping off the excess amount at the end of each string.
(Y/N) strummed the guitar once, humming in satisfaction at the musical sound that it produced, "Not bad for the apocalypse." She mumbled to herself, propping her feet up on the coffee table, her eyes trailing over the carved lines on the neck of the guitar once again, it was weird being with.... people again. To have someone to talk to everyday was strange as well. The last people she really talked to were Rose and Christopher.
(Y/N) sighed to herself as her fingers plucked out a familiar tune that she had heard on a small cassette tape that she had found for her old walkman that unfortunately a bloater broke a few years back, "[The flames, lick at my feet. Their hearts, full of hate.]"
"[What they don't understand, they condemn.]" She sang in a hushed voice as her eyes trailed over to the blazing fire, "[What they can't comprehend, must meet its end.]" (Y/N) tilted her head slightly, hearing a pair of soft footsteps behind her, she knew it was Ellie but she didn't acknowledge her, "[But I won't scream, won't give 'em that satisfaction.]"
Ellie was in awe, she had never heard
(Y/N) play before, other than a few strums when she was just making sure that it was in tune. I guess (Y/N)'s photographic memory comes in handy for more than just killing people and memorizing maps, She thought as she scurried off to the kitchen to get something to drink.
A small smirk slid onto (Y/N)'s face as she heard Ellie tiptoe away before whispering the next line, "[No, I won't confess my false interaction.]" She heard the tap running for a moment, hearing Ellie walk back in quietly before heading upstairs to go back to sleep, "[As I breathe deep, and prepare, for my passing. I hear them chant....]"
"[Burn the witch.]"
°°°°°°°°°°°°
7:31 a.m.
3 Hours and 46 Minutes Later
"How long has she been like that?" Maria asked quietly with a chuckle as she and Tommy stepped into Joel and Ellie's house, seeing (Y/N) passed out on the couch with her guitar in her lap, the old strings and the pliers sitting on the coffee table. (Y/N)'s knee bounced in annoyance as her eyes slipped open, "Four hours give or take?" She said with a yawn, rubbing a hand down her face as she woke up fully. Ellie laughed lightly, coughing into her hand to cover it up as (Y/N) raised a brow at her.
"There's some breakfast on the table if you want some." Joel told (Y/N) as he put his coat on, slinging his own rifle over his shoulder as he and Tommy got ready to leave for patrol. (Y/N) nodded awkwardly, giving him a two fingered salute as Tommy and Joel said their goodbyes to Maria and Ellie, "We'll be back in a couple hours, make sure she doesn't kill anyone." Tommy teased, causing (Y/N) to cross her arms, "Wouldn't dream of it." She deadpanned before smirking at him.
Tommy and (Y/N) had grown closer in the ten days that they had known each other. It was very sarcastic friendship but a friendship nonetheless. At this point she trusted Tommy more than Joel, but that was only because neither of them wanted to even try to get along, it was too awkward for the both of them.
Maria shut the door behind them before she and Ellie turned to face
(Y/N), wide grins stretching across their faces as (Y/N) stood up, walking into the kitchen to see a small plate of semi-fresh fruit with a small glass of water to go with it, on the table. Grabbing the cup,
(Y/N) drank the whole glass in one swift swig before picking up one of the apple slices, taking a bite out of it.
Ellie rocked back and forth on her heels, practically bouncing in excitement, "So, (Y/N)...." (Y/N) tensed up slightly, her back facing the pair as she froze mid bite, This outta be good, She thought, turning to face them before leaning against the table, raising a brow at the younger girl before crossing her arms.
"We have a surprise for you." Maria said, causing (Y/N)'s intimidating (e/c) eyes to flicker over to her. (Y/N) sighed, "Another one?" She grumbled. This is how they would get her to leave the house nearly everyday. They would claim that they had a surprise for her only to force her to have an awkward conversation with someone that she barely knew.
"Unlike last time, I think you'll actually like this one!" Ellie said, remembering how (Y/N) had almost punched one of the people in the face after they started to yell at her for what she did to Amy when she first woke up in Jackson.
(Y/N) didn't come out of her room for three days after that.
(Y/N) pinched the bridge of her nose, turning back around to pick up two more slices, popping them both in her mouth before turning to walk upstairs to her room. She heard Ellie and Maria sigh as she walked into her room, grabbing her jacket, bandanna and her rifle just in case before jogging back down the stairs, walking past a sad looking Ellie, "You guys comin'?" She asked sarcastically as she opened the door, stepping out into the brisk cold.
Ellie smiled widely and raced out the door, a chuckling Maria walking behind her as they all left the house, making their way to where ever Maria and Ellie had their surprise. (Y/N) started to get skeptical as the pair stopped in front of the barn. Ellie looked up at (Y/N) with a huge grin, meanwhile (Y/N) was baffled, "I'm confused, what the hell you tryna accomplish?" She questioned them. Ellie grabbed (Y/N)'s hand, causing her to tense up as Ellie dragged her into the barn, sliding to a stop in front of a stall before letting go of (Y/N)'s hand.
"A horse." (Y/N) deadpanned, looking at the animal in front of her, his fur was stark white with some grey spots that ran across the bridge of his snout, making them look like little freckles. The only thing that really caught her eye were his eyes, he had bright blue eyes, almost a grey-ish steel colour, which reminded
(Y/N) of the metal on her rifle.
"Your horse." Maria said from beside her, a small smile grazing her face as the horse stepped up to sniff the front of
(Y/N)'s jacket. (Y/N) didn't dare move an inch as he came closer to her, knowing that any quick and fast movements could trigger the horse, causing him lash out at her or worse Ellie and Maria.
"My horse." (Y/N) said with a small nod before raising a brow, "Why do I need a horse?" She asked as he nudged her hand that she had rested on the gate that kept him in his stall. Absentmindedly, (Y/N) flipped her hand over so it was palm up, allowing the horse to lay his chin in her hand. The horse closed his eyes as (Y/N) scratched the bottom of his chin, making Ellie giggle, "His name's Jasper. Me and Maria thought that since you haven't really tried to be friends with anyone in town other than us, you could try to become friends with him!"
"Jasper?" She questioned. The horse, Jasper, perked up, opening his eyes to stare into (Y/N)'s. Ellie nodded and smiled as she saw (Y/N)'s shoulders relax a bit as Jasper closed his eyes again, leaning into her hand. Maria smiled as (Y/N) raised her other hand slowly, placing it on top for his snout before moving her thumb back and forth slowly, "Ellie, why don't you go help Michael with the pigglets, Bella gave birth last night."
"She did?" Ellie exclaimed with a gasp, "Why didn't anyone tell me?" She exclaimed before running out of the barn, almost slipping on a patch of ice as she ran to the other barn where Bella and her babies were.
Maria chuckled as (Y/N) raised a brow at the young girl, "She acts a lot different here then she did back in Calgary." (Y/N) commented as an awkward silence filled the air between them. Maria frowned before clearing her throat, "I been meaning to ask, back in Calgary, Ellie told us that you saved her, twice. You didn't even know who she was or if you trusted her and yet you helped her. Why?"
(Y/N) sighed, knowing that someone would eventually put all the pieces together, "I don't know." She answered swifty, causing Maria to scoff, "Bullshit. I've known you for what ten days? And I already know that you don't do shit just out of the good of your heart. Why'd you save her?" (Y/N) froze and looked down, anger and a little bit of fear swirling in her mind as a memory flashed in her mind, "I didn't have anyone to save me..."
"What?"
"I didn't have anyone to save me," She repeated, "I had to save myself, multiple times." (Y/N) answered, remembering each and every face of the people she had to kill to survive, "So sorry if I didn't want her to end up like me. That's the last thing the world needs right now." Sometimes having a photographic memory was more of a curse then a blessing.
Jasper snorted and pushed his head into (Y/N)'s chest as Maria furrowed her brows together tightly, putting her hand over (Y/N)'s, giving it a pat before pulling her hand back, "I'm gonna go check up on Ellie, I'll leave you two to get to know each other." She said quietly before making her way out of the barn, shutting the door softly behind her as her mind swirled with thoughts, thinking about what (Y/N) had gone through in the seventeen years of her life.
(Y/N) sighed and closed her eyes tightly as another memory flashed in her mind, the smallest tear rolling down her face. Quickly wiping the tear away, (Y/N) looked up at Jasper, giving him a weak smile, "Hey Jasper." Jasper nudged
(Y/N) again, causing her to let out a weak chuckle, "My name's (Y/N)."