Ellie sighed for the fifth time in the past five minutes.

Joel, fed up, turned and shot her an annoyed look, “Will you keep your brooding to yourself?”

Ellie frowned, “I’m not brooding” she muttered.

The older man scoffed, “Right…”

Ellie scrunched her face in annoyance, “It’s… we just escaped Pittsburgh and you want to go right back into another city? Doesn’t this seem a bit dumb?”

Joel sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You think I wanna do this? You think I like cities?” He gestured around them, towards the broken highway stretching ahead. “We don’t have a goddamn choice, kid.”

Ellie huffed, kicking at a stray rock. “We could just… I don’t know, go south? Find another way?”

Joel shook his head. “And run into what? That whole stretch down through Kentucky is a goddamn graveyard. The military set up quarantine zones, and when those fell, all they left behind were dead ends and minefields.”

Ellie raised an eyebrow. “So what, we just know every road’s blocked? You check every single one?”

Joel clenched his jaw, keeping his patience in check. “Tried that area once. Years ago. Didn’t end well.” He glanced over at the crumbling overpass ahead. “Even if we could get through, half the roads are either underwater or crawling with infected hordes. We’d waste weeks trying to navigate that mess—weeks we don’t have.”

Ellie crossed her arms. “Okay, so we don’t go south. Why not just search here? Find another way west that doesn’t involve walking into another death trap? Like you can teach me how to swim and we can swim across.”

Joel exhaled sharply and waved toward the river below. “See that?”

Ellie followed his gaze. The river was swollen, dark, and fast-moving, choked with debris and rusting vehicles. Half a collapsed bridge jutted out over the water like broken bones.

“That’s the Ohio River. Used to be a dozen ways across, but now?” Joel shook his head. “Every bridge that ain’t collapsed is either crawling with infected or locked down by raiders. And swimming? You wanna end up tangled in some sunken mess, or worse, get dragged under by an infected stuck in the current?”

Ellie had a flashback to when they jumped into that river while escaping pittsburgh. “Yeah… okay, no swimming.”

Joel continued. “I found a crossing further west, but some real mean sons of bitches run that stretch. Not the ‘give us your stuff and leave’ kind either. They see us, we’re dead.”

Ellie hesitated, chewing her lip. “So what’s in Cleveland that’s so much better?”

Joel shrugged. “Dunno. Maybe a bridge, maybe a boat, maybe a tunnel we can get through.” He adjusted his pack. “Only thing I do know is, we sure as hell ain’t getting across here.”

Ellie kicked at another rock, grumbling. “Just saying, if we end up in another mess of psychos trying to kill us, I’m blaming you.”

Joel sighed. “Yeah, yeah. Add it to the list.”

And with that, they started north heading straight into Cleveland hoping another fresh hell doesn’t await them.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The duo moved cautiously through the abandoned city, staying close to cover as they made their way toward their destination—a skyscraper near the lake. Joel never cut corners when entering a new city. Rule number one: scout first, move later. The best way to do that? A bird’s-eye view.

That’s why they were heading toward one of the few remaining skyscrapers still standing, hoping to get a lay of the land before pushing any deeper.

The streets of Cleveland were eerily quiet—too quiet. The sight of overgrown roads, crumbling buildings, and rusted-out cars was familiar, but this time, it did little to ease Joel’s paranoia. Something about this place felt… wrong.

By now, they should have seen something—a stray infected, a distant shuffle, a corpse too fresh to ignore. But so far? Nothing.

Joel’s grip on his rifle tightened as his instincts screamed a warning he couldn’t quite place.

This city gives me the shivers, he thought grimly.

Ellie, however, was bored.

They’d been trekking through this damn city for hours now, all so Joel could get his precious “high”-quality view of the place. Ellie snickered to herself at the joke.

The young girl hopped over a chunk of broken pavement, scanning the ruined street ahead for anything interesting. Her boots crunched against bits of shattered glass and dried leaves as they walked.

Then she spotted it.

A very dead, belly-up rat on the sidewalk.

Her eyes lit up.

She snatched it up by the tail, holding it out proudly. "Hey, Joel! I found dinner!"

Joel, who had been surveying a nearby alley for threats, turned just in time to see her holding the dead rodent in front of her face like a prize.

"Ellie. Put that down."

Ellie grinned, "Oh, c’mon! It’s all-natural, free-range, and—" she lifted it higher, inspecting the dried-out corpse, "…a little extra aged."

Joel looked like he was seriously reconsidering his life choices. "Ellie. I swear to God—"

She waved the rat in his direction, stepping closer.

"I mean, think about it, Joel. You like protein, right?"

Joel took a deliberate step back, glaring. "Ellie, I ain't playin'."

Ellie gave the rat a mock thoughtful look, "I bet we could fry it up real nice. Maybe even make a little rat stew. You ever had rat stew, Joel?"

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Joel let out a long, suffering sigh, rubbing his temple. "No, and I ain’t startin’ today."

Ellie gasped dramatically. "Oh my god. You’re a food snob! That’s it, isn’t it?" She smirked. "What, you only eat the fanciest apocalypse meals? Maybe a nice, aged can of beans, huh?"

Joel shot her a deadpan look. "You got ten seconds to drop that thing before I make you eat it."

Ellie immediately launched the rat at him—not actually trying to hit him, but just enough to make it look like she was.

Joel reacted on pure instinct, taking a full step back with a pissed-off grunt as the rat flopped onto the pavement between them.

Ellie howled with laughter.

Joel glared, exhaling sharply through his nose. "You think that’s funny?"

Ellie was doubled over, wheezing. "Y-you should’ve seen your face!"

Joel grumbled something under his breath that definitely wasn’t family-friendly, before stepping right over the rat and continuing down the street like he was done with her nonsense.

Ellie wiped a tear from her eye, still chuckling as she followed him. "Aw, c’mon, don’t be mad! It was a little funny."

Joel didn’t even look at her. "Keep talkin’ and you’re eatin’ the next one."

Ellie grinned. "Ooooh, you finally warming up to rat stew?"

Joel let out the deepest sigh in human history and they continued on their path, they were almost there.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The streets of Cleveland were silent.

Not just quiet—but dead.

No infected. No looters. Not a single distant gunshot. Just emptiness, stretching out between abandoned cars, crumbling buildings, and overgrown streets.

Ellie pulled her jacket tighter around herself. "Okay. I’ll say it. This place is weird."

Joel didn’t answer at first. He was too busy scanning the rooftops, the alleyways, the shattered windows—waiting for something. Anything.

But there was nothing.

Ellie frowned. "Not even a single Runner. No fresh bodies. Not a damn thing. What’s up with that?"

"Dunno." Joel’s voice was low, unreadable. "But I don’t like it."

Ellie kicked a loose brick down the sidewalk. The sound echoed too much, bouncing off empty buildings, making the city feel even more abandoned.

"Maybe everyone just left?" she suggested.

Joel adjusted the strap on his backpack. "Or maybe they’re hidin’."

The thought sat heavy between them. Ellie stayed quiet for a while, glancing at the buildings they passed. Some had doors left wide open, others were barricaded shut, as if their occupants had tried to keep something out.

She shivered. "Kinda wish we’d run into somebody. Even a crazy raider or something. At least then we’d know what happened here."

Joel shot her a look. "Trust me, no you don’t."

Ellie huffed. "Yeah, yeah. But you gotta admit, this whole ‘ghost town’ thing is creepy as hell."

Joel didn’t argue.

They walked for another few minutes, the only sound their boots crunching against the cracked pavement.

Then Ellie spotted it.

Up ahead, rising above the rest of the city, was a skyscraper—in surprisingly good condition, with only the top floor being a bit caved in, almost like it was hit by something.

She nodded toward it. "That the place?"

Joel followed her gaze and gave a small grunt of approval. "Yeah. Best vantage point we’re gonna get."

"So we climb, look around, and—what? Just hope we see a nice little ‘Bridge to the West’ sign pointing us in the right direction?"

"Somethin’ like that."

Ellie sighed. "Awesome. Love when the whole plan is just ‘get high and figure it out.’"

Joel ignored her sarcasm and picked up the pace. She followed, but as they got closer to the building, the eerie silence around them started to feel heavier.

Something wasn’t right.

Ellie glanced at Joel. He felt it too. His grip tightened around his rifle.

“Let's just get inside.” He muttered.

Joel and Ellie moved along the boarded-up skyscraper, its towering frame blotting out what little light remained. They circled the building twice, but every entrance was sealed tight. The ground floor was barricaded from the inside—plywood hammered over doorways, metal grates welded shut, and windows reinforced with whatever scrap the inhabitants could find.

Ellie frowned, "Well, looks like whoever’s in there doesn’t want company."

Joel grunted in agreement, his gaze scanning upward toward the higher floors.

They both stood in silence for a moment, listening to the dead air of the city. No infected, no distant gunfire—just the unsettling sound of wind whistling through broken glass.

"So…?" Ellie broke the silence, tilting her head toward Joel. "What’s the plan?"

Joel didn’t answer right away. His eyes flicked to the smaller building across the alley, running parallel to the skyscraper. That’s when he spotted it—a rusted ladder bolted to its side, leading up to the roof.

"There." He pointed.

Ellie followed his gaze, a grin spreading across her face. "Nice." She said. She started heading towards it, slinging her backpack tighter.

Joel shook his head but followed without a word. They reached the ladder, and Ellie grabbed the first rung without hesitation, starting her climb.

"Don’t fall, kid," Joel muttered from below.

"Pfft, please," Ellie shot back, her voice drifting down. "You think heights scare me after all the crap we’ve been through?"

Joel couldn’t help but smirk, even if it was fleeting.

They reached the rooftop, and Ellie pulled herself up with ease. Across the roof she spotted a crude bridge made out of planks and walked over to it. She stood at the edge, hands on her hips, staring at the wooden board that stretched across the alley—a narrow bridge connecting their rooftop to the shattered window of the skyscraper.

"Huh. That’s definitely not up to code." She turned to Joel with a mischievous glint in her eye. "You want me to go first? Y'know, make sure it doesn't collapse under all that… old man weight?"

Joel shot her a look that could've withered plants. "Just move."

Ellie chuckled and walked across the plank without hesitation, her steps light and sure. The board creaked slightly under her weight, but she didn’t flinch. She hopped through the broken window like it was nothing.

Joel followed, slower but steady. The plank groaned a little more under him, but it held. When he stepped into the dark office space, the air inside was stale, thick with dust and the faint scent of mildew.

The office was a frozen relic of the past—cubicles stood half-collapsed, papers scattered across the floor like forgotten memories. Sunlight filtered through the broken windows, casting long, eerie shadows.

But Joel’s eyes weren’t on the decay. They were on the dirt footprints going all around the office.

"Someone’s been here," he muttered.

Ellie crouched down, tracing the outline of a boot print with her finger. "Think they’re still around?"

Joel didn’t answer. His eyes flicked toward the barricaded stairwell at the far end of the room. Heavy desks, filing cabinets, and even some metal scaffolding had been stacked against the door. The barricade wasn’t old—it was fresh.

"They’re close," Joel finally said, his voice low.

Ellie’s hand drifted toward her pistol. "Friendly close or… ‘shoot-first’ close?"

Joel’s expression darkened. "Don’t know. Stay sharp."

They moved carefully toward the stairwell that led upward, stepping over broken chairs and debris. But as they approached the door, a sound stopped them cold.

A low, guttural moan echoed from below.

Ellie froze, her breath catching in her throat. "Shit…" she whispered.

Joel was already moving, pressing his ear against the barricaded door leading downward. More sounds drifted up—the wet, ragged breaths of Runners, mixed with the sharp, clicking screeches that turned Joel’s stomach. Clickers.

"They’re below us," he whispered, stepping back.

Ellie’s hand tightened around her pistol. "Great. So we’ve got mystery people and infected. This just keeps getting better."

Joel didn’t waste time. "We’re not stayin’ down here to find out which one gets to us first. C’mon."

They found another stairwell leading upward, but as they pushed through the door, their hopes dropped. The stairs were collapsed, nothing but a gaping hole where the next flight should’ve been.

"You’ve gotta be kidding me," Ellie groaned, staring at the jagged concrete. "What now?"

Joel scanned the hallway, his eyes narrowing as he spotted something at the far end—an open elevator shaft.

"There."

They approached cautiously. The shaft yawned before them, a dark void that seemed to stretch forever below. The moans of the infected were faint here but still too close for comfort.

Ellie peered over the edge, whistling low.

But then she saw it—a metal ladder bolted to the side of the shaft, leading upward into the shadows.

"Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me." She glanced at Joel with an unspoken question.

Joel gave her a dry look. "Better than bein’ dead. The longer we're down here the more likely it is for those infected to hear us."

Ellie rolled her eyes but grabbed the ladder, starting to climb. The metal was cold against her hands, but she moved quickly, determined to put as much distance between herself and the sounds below as possible.

Joel followed, his ears tuned to every creak of the ladder and every distant moan from below. The city had been silent, but now, the threat felt closer than ever.

When they finally reached the top floor, Ellie hauled herself up and flopped onto the dusty concrete.

Joel climbed up behind her, scanning the dimly lit space. The top floor was half-collapsed, open to the darkening sky, but that wasn’t what caught his attention.

It was the makeshift camp in the corner—a sleeping bag, fireplace, some supplies stacked up thoughtlessly, and a dresser with clothes and comic books spilling out.

Joel’s jaw tightened. "Someone’s been livin’ here."

Ellie, drawn to the comics, crouched down and picked one up. Her eyes lit up.

"No way," she whispered. "Savage Starlight? They’ve got Volume 6! I’ve been looking for this one for months!" she said in awe before digging a bit deeper, “Holy crap! He has almost all of them! Where did they get these?”

But Joel wasn’t listening. His hand drifted to his rifle as he moved deeper into the camp.

Whoever lived here wasn’t just passing through. This was a home.