- ellies pov -

i jolted awake, the sound of the door slamming open cutting through the silence like a shot. before i could even process what was happening, i felt the blanket shift, my body instinctively pulling away from leilani's warmth. my brain was still foggy from sleep, and for a second, i thought i was still dreaming.

then, through the haze of confusion, i heard joel's voice, low but amused, "well, well, look at this." i blinked a couple of times, trying to focus, but that didn't help much when i realized we were still tangled up in each other, the blanket half covering us both like a giant, awkward mess.

"joel," i said, wiping my face, feeling the heat creeping into my cheeks, "what the hell?" my voice came out scratchy from sleep, but i couldn't hide the discomfort twisting in my gut.

"didn't mean to interrupt," he drawled, leaning against the doorframe, his expression a mix of relief and something that looked like amusement. "thought you two were still at each other's throats."

"we—" i started, but the words died in my throat. it felt like the kind of situation where nothing you say really makes it better.

my eyes flicked to leilani, who was doing her best to untangle herself from the blanket, her cheeks flushed a little but her face still looking confused and maybe a little embarrassed, too.

"nothing happened," i muttered, even though the words felt hollow.

leilani finally sat up, rubbing her eyes, and looked at joel, her voice quiet but steady, "yeah, uh, we're fine. thanks for checking on us." she gave him a tight smile, though it was obvious she was trying to brush off the awkwardness too.

joel didn't seem to buy it. he walked further into the room, shaking his head. "you two are something else. you know that?" he chuckled, clearly not taking this too seriously. "i'm just glad you're okay. the storm's no joke out there."

"yeah, no kidding," i muttered, my voice still a little hoarse. it was hard to look at him now without feeling awkward as hell.

he stepped back, giving us a second to get our bearings. "come on. let's get you both back to jackson. looks like the worst of it's over."

we followed joel out of the cabin, the chill of the air hitting me like a slap in the face. everything outside was covered in a blanket of wet snow, the world looking unreal, like it had been reshaped by the storm.

the path back to jackson felt longer than i remembered. the silence between me and leilani was thick, like we were both stuck in some kind of limbo, neither of us sure how to get out of it. i could feel her walking beside me, but it felt like she was miles away. the tension was just... there. unresolved.

"how's everything look in town?" i asked, trying to break the silence, though it felt stupid. like i was grasping at something, anything, to distract myself from the awkwardness.

joel grunted. "damn mess, that's for sure. we've got some downed trees, a few houses took some damage, but nothing too bad. we'll get it sorted. town's tough."

i didn't know why, but the thought of jackson being messed up made me feel worse. maybe because the whole thing was just a reminder of how unstable everything was now. how fragile it all felt. but we had to keep going. that was the only thing we could do.

we finally made it back to the edge of town, and the damage was obvious. trees snapped in half, roofs collapsed under the weight of the snow. the streets were slushy, the air still thick with the storm's aftermath. people were already out, assessing the damage, trying to clear the streets. some looked relieved that it was over, others were just tired, exhausted from the fight to keep their homes standing.

i glanced over at leilani. she was still quiet, her face a little tense.

"you guys okay?" tommy's voice broke through, and i realized he'd come up behind us.

"yeah," i said, forcing a smile. "we're good."

"good. looks like we've got a lot to fix," he said, eyeing the damage around us. "think we can get this cleaned up by the end of the week, maybe sooner. just need everyone working together."

"we'll pitch in," joel said, giving him a nod. "just let me know what needs doin'."

"you want to help with the cleanup?" tommy asked leilani, his voice more casual, like he hadn't noticed the weirdness that was thick in the air between us.

"yeah, sure," she said, but her voice didn't sound totally convinced.

"let's get to work then," joel said, breaking the tension with a clap of his hands. "plenty to do."

as i turned to walk toward the mess hall, i heard leilani's voice behind me, light and easy. "i'll catch up with you later," she said, like everything was fine.

i didn't look back, just nodded, and kept walking.

the cleanup effort was already in full swing when i got there. a group of people were shoveling snow off the streets, trying to get the worst of it cleared so they could start repairing the damage.

i found myself gravitating toward the pile of broken wood and downed trees that had blocked off part of the town. some of the people were already starting to cut the trees into manageable pieces, and i was about to pitch in when i spotted jesse in the distance.

i walked over, the crunch of snow beneath my boots louder than usual in the quiet. "hey," i called out when i was close enough, my voice rough from sleep.

jesse looked up, offering me a tired smile. "hey, you good?" he asked, his eyes scanning me like he could tell something was off. "figured you'd be out helping with the cleanup."

"you know me," i said, trying to brush it off, though i couldn't quite manage to make my words sound convincing. "just... a lot of cleanup to do, huh?"

"yeah, that's an understatement," he said, shaking his head. "but we'll get it done. jackson's tougher than it looks."

"i know," i said, glancing around at the others working. "just feels like every time we start to get a handle on things, something else comes up."

"story of our lives," jesse muttered with a wry grin. "so, what're you working on?"

i just gestured toward the pile of wood. "figured i'd help with this. looks like it's gonna take a while."

"sounds good," he said, looking at the wood pile and then back at me. "wanna tag team it?"

"sure," i said, feeling a little better about the idea.

- leilani's pov -

i tightened the straps of my gloves as tommy handed me another box of supplies to sort through. the storm had left a mess of things—collapsed fences, busted storage sheds, and, of course, the usual scramble to make sure we hadn't lost anything too important.

"you doin' okay over there?" tommy asked, glancing over his shoulder while he sifted through a pile of damaged equipment.

"yep," i said, placing the box down and starting to go through its contents. "just a little slower than you, apparently."

he chuckled. "ain't a competition. but if it was, i'd be winnin'."

i rolled my eyes, but a faint smile tugged at my lips. working with tommy was easy, almost too easy. his laid-back attitude was a nice break from the usual tension around town.

"so, what do we do with all this?" i asked, holding up a water-damaged box of ammo. the bullets looked like they'd seen better days, most of them rusted or useless.

"toss it," tommy said without hesitation. "ain't worth the risk. but we're gonna need to make a run for more soon."

"today?" i asked, raising an eyebrow.

"yeah," he said, glancing at the time. "can't wait. storm hit us harder than we thought, and the longer we wait, the worse it'll get."

"you need me to come with?" i offered, already shrugging my jacket on.

he paused, studying me for a moment before nodding. "yeah, could use the extra set of hands. you sure you're up for it?"

"always," i said with a shrug.

within an hour, tommy and i were on the trail, the snow crunching underfoot as we made our way toward the old outpost a few miles outside of jackson. the cold air stung my cheeks, the wind biting at the exposed skin of my face. i adjusted the strap of my rifle, the weight of it a steady reminder to stay sharp.

"how far is this place?" i asked, my breath fogging in the freezing air.

"not far," tommy said, his voice low, his eyes scanning the tree line. "should be a quick in-and-out. long as we don't run into anything."

as we neared the outpost, something in the air shifted—a tension that prickled at the back of my neck.

"hold up," tommy said, stopping dead in his tracks. he tilted his head, listening.

i froze, gripping my rifle tighter. "what is it?"

at first, i heard nothing, just the wind cutting through the trees. then, faintly, a sound that made my stomach drop: snow crunching, deliberate and heavy.

"shit," tommy muttered under his breath. "runners. stay close."

my heart thudded against my ribs as we moved forward, our steps slower, quieter now. i flicked the safety off my rifle, my hands tightening around it.

the outpost came into view through the trees—half-buried in snow, its roof sagging under the weight. but before we could get any closer, a guttural growl ripped through the air.

"leilani, down!" tommy barked.

i turned just as a blur of motion lunged from the side. a runner slammed into me, sending me sprawling into the snow. the cold bit at my back, but it was nothing compared to the weight pinning me down.

"get off me!" i snarled, shoving at the thing as its teeth snapped inches from my face. its rotted hands clawed at my jacket, trying to get at my throat.

i managed to get my pistol free from its holster, pressing the muzzle against its temple and pulling the trigger. the runner collapsed onto me with a wet thud, its body limp and heavy.

"damn it," tommy hissed, firing off another shot at a second runner that came barreling out of the trees. it dropped into the snow, but he didn't lower his rifle, his eyes scanning for more.

i shoved the body off me, my breathing ragged as i scrambled to my feet. "thanks for the warning," i muttered, brushing snow off my pants.

"you alright?" tommy asked, his voice tense, his eyes flicking to me.

"i'm fine," i started to say, but then i felt it—a sharp, hot pain slicing through my side. i pressed a hand to it instinctively and pulled it back, the sight of blood making my stomach churn.

"shit," i muttered, biting down on the sting.

tommy turned, his expression hardening when he saw the blood. "you're hit," he said, striding over to me.

"it's nothing," i said quickly, trying to wave him off. "just a scratch."

"doesn't look like just a scratch," he shot back, already pulling my hand away to get a better look.

the gash wasn't deep, but it wasn't shallow either, blood soaking into my jacket and dripping onto the snow.

"we can still finish this," i insisted, swallowing the pain.

"like hell we can," tommy snapped, his tone sharper than i'd ever heard. "you're bleeding, leilani. we're going back. now."

"i can handle it," i argued, trying to push past him.

he stepped in front of me, his hand gripping my shoulder. "don't be stupid," he said, his voice low but firm. "you think you're proving something? you can't help anyone if you bleed out here."

his words hit harder than i wanted to admit, and reluctantly, i nodded. he was right, even if i hated it.

as we turned back toward jackson, the pain in my side grew sharper with each step, every movement a reminder of my failure. i tightened my grip on my rifle, ignoring the blood soaking through my jacket, frustration burning in my chest. i'd wanted to prove i could handle this, that i wasn't some liability. but now, all i'd done was slow us down.