The top floor of the skyscraper felt too still. The kind of stillness that made Joel’s skin crawl.

While Ellie sat cross-legged on the dusty floor, flipping through the Stranded Starlight comic she’d found, Joel paced the makeshift camp around them.

A sleeping bag lay tossed in the corner, its edges still rumpled like someone had just gotten up and left in a hurry. Near it sat a small stash of canned food, barely enough for a couple of days. Not enough unless whoever was living here was constantly scavenging. A half-used roll of duct tape was tossed beside the scattered pieces of what looked like a disassembled bike—the frame sitting on the ground, the bike chain who knows where, and a couple wheels piled next to each other. Seemed like someone had been trying to fix themselves up a bike but either didn’t know how to or couldn’t find the right parts.

But what really caught Joel’s eye was the small potted plant on the windowsill. Its leaves were healthy, clearly well taken care of. Fragile, out of place in the middle of this ruined building. You didn’t keep something like that unless you were trying to hold on to something normal.

Joel’s brow furrowed. Whoever stayed here wasn’t just surviving. They were trying to live.

"Ellie." His voice cut through the stillness.

She didn’t even glance up from her comic. "Five more minutes, Joel. You can pry me off the floor later."

"Put it down." His voice was firmer this time.

Ellie groaned but closed the comic carefully, sliding it back into the pile. "You’re no fun, y’know that?"

Joel didn’t respond. He moved toward the collapsed section of the wall, where the city stretched out beneath them in the fading light. He pointed toward the elevator shaft.

"Keep an eye on that," he instructed. "If anything moves, you yell."

Ellie gave him a lazy salute. "Yes, sir, Captain Buzzkill."

Joel ignored her, spotting a rope that led up to the roof. Climbing up it he stomped a couple times to test the integrity of the roof, and once he was satisfied he focused on the ruins of Cleveland below. The sun was sinking lower, casting long, jagged shadows across the crumbling streets. From this height, he could see miles in every direction, and he pulled out a pair of binoculars to help, his eyes quickly honing in on anything that might help them get west.

Directly ahead, the Detroit-Superior Bridge stretched across the Cuyahoga River. Joel could see the upper deck had partially collapsed, but parts of the lower deck might still be intact. If they were lucky, it could be their best shot at crossing. But bridges? Bridges were always risky. Bottlenecks. Perfect places to get trapped—by infected or worse, raiders.

Further out, Joel’s eyes traced the elevated stretch of I-90, the highway overpass. From here, it looked mostly intact, though he could see abandoned cars clogging parts of it. High ground meant visibility, but highways were exposed. If they got ambushed, there’d be nowhere to hide.

On the edge of the city, where Lake Erie lapped against the shoreline, Joel spotted the wide, open fields of Edgewater Park. The openness meant fewer places for infected to hide, and if there was a boat left behind, they might use it to skirt around the city. But it was a gamble. If there were no boats, they’d be trapped, with their backs to the water and nowhere to run.

And then, just barely visible in the distance, Joel saw it: a thin column of smoke, rising steadily into the sky. Could be other survivors—maybe even friendly ones. But Joel’s experience told him otherwise. Smoke meant people, and people meant trouble.

Joel’s mind ran through the risks, trying to piece together a plan. But before he could make a decision, the world around them shifted.

A distant, low rumble echoed through the air. At first, Joel thought it was just the wind, but the sound grew louder, heavier, until it vibrated in his chest.

Stomping. Screaming. Moaning.

Joel’s stomach clenched and he jumped down from the roof.

"Ellie," he barked, his voice tight.

She was at his side in an instant, her eyes wide. "What is that?"

Joel didn’t answer. He just pointed.

Over the horizon, the horde came into view.

It was a living wave, pouring down the street, hundreds of infected moving in a frenzied mass. Runners led the charge, their bodies lurching and flailing, while Clickers stumbled behind them, their guttural screeches echoing through the ruins.

And there, leading the charge, was a figure sprinting as fast as they could. Joel took out his binoculars to get a better look but still wasn’t quite able to make out the figures' appearance.

Ellie’s breath caught in her throat. "Oh my god. That’s… that’s the most infected I’ve ever seen."

Joel’s voice was low, but there was an edge to it Ellie had never heard before. "Me too."

And that was saying something.

They watched in tense silence as the figure sprinted toward the very building they were in. Joel’s mind raced. Why here? Why this building? Did he live here? What were the chances?

"He’s coming here, isn’t he?" Ellie whispered, her voice tight.

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Joel didn’t respond. He was already moving, grabbing his rifle. "Get ready."

They boy disappeared from their sight around the building, going towards the ladder they climbed up.

Then, gunshots rang out from below.

Bang!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sharp cracks of a gun echoed through the building as the boy fired at something, finally though they saw him climb onto the roof. The figure, clearly male, laid there for a while as the infected swarm moaned and clawed at the building, the person clearly being exhausted.

Then he stood and walked towards the building, Joel contemplated shooting him before a gentle hand on his arm stopped him. He looked to the side and saw Ellie shake her head with a frown. The older man grunted and pulled his gun away, heading towards the elevator in preparation. The man strapped the rifle to his back and pulled out a revolver.

For a moment, all they could hear was the sound of their own breathing. Then came the clatter of boots against metal.

The man was climbing the elevator shaft.

Joel moved to the side of the opening, pistol raised, muscles tense. Ellie crouched behind a nearby desk, pistol in hand, her heart pounding in her chest.

They heard the labored breathing before they saw him. A hand gripped the ledge of the elevator shaft, knuckles scraped raw. Then, with a final burst of effort, the man-no, the boy hauled himself onto the floor and collapsed, gasping for breath.

"Fuck… I’m never going back to that hospital," he wheezed, voice hoarse and broken, although there was a strange tone of elation in it.

Before he could catch his breath, the click of Joel's revolver startled him, the older man's voice was cold and steady. "Drop the rifle and put your hands up."

The boy’s head shot up in alarm, before he took a good look at them and confusion washed over his face. "What the fuck are you doing here?” he asked in confusion, slowly unclipping his rifle and sliding it to Joel.

Joel slid the military rifle to the corner of the room and took a good look at the boy and internally grimaced, he never liked pointing guns at kids but understood sometimes it was necessary in this hellscape of a world. The boy’s eyes were wide, his chest still heaving. He looked dead on his feet, sweat matting his hair to his forehead, brown eyes flicking between Joel and Ellie in bewilderment.

Despite the uncomfortable feeling in his gut Joel’s eyes narrowed. "I could ask you the same thing. Why did you come here, leading the largest horde I've ever seen right behind you no less."

The boy scowled, “Hey! I live here asshole! This is the only place I could think to go.” he said in between heaving breaths, “And I ran into them” he spat out.

Joel filed that information away and kept glaring at him, “You bit?” he asked.

“No, somehow” the boy grunted out.

Joel needed to make sure, “Prove it, strip.”

The boy made a face, “Pervert”

Ellie choked on a laugh as Joel scowled, “I ain’t playin’ games!” he yelled back.

The boy sighed, “Fine, I have one of those infection scanners FEDRA carries around in my backpack. I can take it out if you’d let me.” he said.

Joel stared at him for a second before nodding, “Slowly…”

The boy moved with painstaking slowness, his arms trembling in exhaustion as he reached for the straps of his pack. Joel’s finger hovered near the trigger, eyes sharp and unblinking. Ellie, still crouched behind the desk, had her pistol raised but her expression was tense—more out of curiosity now than fear.

"Man, you’ve got some real trust issues," the boy muttered under his breath as he unzipped the pack.

“Tell me about it.” Ellie said under her breath, ignoring the side eye Joel gave her.

The boy carefully pulled out a FEDRA infection scanner, the plastic device scratched but still intact. He tossed it toward Joel, who caught it with one hand, never lowering his gun.

"You know how to use that thing, Grandpa?" the boy sneered, though the exhaustion in his voice dulled the bite.

Ellie snorted from behind the desk. "Wow, you’re just asking for trouble, huh?" she was starting to like this boy, it’s not often she met someone around her age. Her mind flashed back to a young black kid she met in Pittsburgh and she crushed the horrible memory brutally.

Joel ignored them both, checking out the blocky device and activating the scanner with a quick press. The device buzzed to life, the tiny screen flickering before settling into a steady glow. He motioned with his chin. "Where’d you get this?” he asked, eying the FEDRA vest the kid had on.

The boy shrugged nonchalantly, “Corpse”

Joel nodded in understanding before taking a step forward, “Show me your neck.”

The boy rolled his eyes but tilted his neck to the side revealing pale, bruised skin. Joel pressed the scanner to the boy’s neck, the tension in the room thick enough to choke on. A needle shot out of the tip with a sharp clack, causing James to wince.

Beep

The scanner flashed green.

Joel exhaled through his nose and finally relaxed, lowering his revolver but keeping it in his grip. He passed the scanner back, his eyes never leaving the boy’s face.

"Name," Joel barked.

The boy wiped sweat from his brow, his chest still heaving. "James." His voice was hoarse, but there was a spark of defiance in his eyes. "Convinced I'm not infected now?" he asked in annoyance.

"Mhm” Ellie grunted, “You’ll forgive us for not taking your word for it," Ellie shot back, crossing her arms. "It’s kinda a thing we do—making sure people don’t, y’know, try to eat us."

James gave a dry chuckle. "Yeah, well, you’re not my type, so I think you’re safe."

Ellie made a face. "Gross."

James let out another laugh before turning back to Joel. "Didn’t expect company, you really scared me." he said with an easy smile.

Joel didn’t return the smile. His eyes stayed sharp, unreadable. "You led a damn horde right to your front door."

James huffed a laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, well… wasn’t exactly part of the plan."

Joel wasn’t laughing. “You live here?”

James nodded, his grin fading into something more serious. “Yeah… although I think I've had enough of this city. Kinda hard to call it home when there’s a thousand infected pounding on the walls.” He jerked his thumb toward the windows where the faint, distant moans still echoed through the building.

Joel’s jaw tightened. “You led them here.” He repeated angrily, “Now were trapped here with you”

James’s smile dropped completely, replaced by a flash of frustration. “It’s not like I had a choice! I ran into them near the hospital. Trust me, I was trying not to die. This was the only place I knew where I'd be safe.” He gestured around the room in annoyance. “You guys had no business being here but yet you are.”

Ellie, who had been looking through his backpack shamelessly, raised an eyebrow and glanced at Joel. “He’s got a point. We did kinda break in.”

Joel shot her a look. “We didn’t have much choice.” he said, “You the one that blocked off the first floor?” he asked.

James shrugged, leaning back against the wall. “That wasn’t me. All I did was block up the stairs.”

For a moment, the room fell into silence, the only sounds being James’s labored breathing and the faint groans below.

Ellie looked up from her search through his bag, staring at him with a curious face “So, you went to the hospital?”

James nodded, running a hand through his sweat-soaked hair. “Yeah.”

Ellie smirked, pulling out the worn map and holding it up, her eyebrow cocked. “Guess you didn’t read your own map then.” She pointed to the giant red skull with ‘Avoid at ALL COSTS’ scrawled above it. Joel glanced over, his scowl deepening.

James shrugged, a mischievous glint in his eye. “Found that map on a corpse. I mean, come on—it’s basically a treasure map. Of course I’m gonna check out the most interesting spot in the city.”

Ellie gave him a look like he’d just grown a second head. “Interesting? The big red skull doesn’t scream dangerous to you? It’s practically a neon sign saying ‘Welcome to your horrible, messy death.’”

James laughed, loud and unbothered. “That’s what makes it fun!”

Now even Joel was staring at him, his brow furrowed. “Fun?”

James nodded enthusiastically, like this was the most normal thing in the world. “Yeah, nothing makes you feel more alive than walking the line between life and death.” He flashed them a grin that was way too bright for someone who had just nearly gotten eaten.

Ellie’s smile faded, her skin prickling. “Okaaay…” She exchanged a glance with Joel, who didn’t look much more comfortable. “You’re kind of a freak, y’know that?”

Joel’s patience was wearing thin, his voice hardening. “Well, thanks to your idea of ‘fun,’ we’re now trapped in this building with a swarm outside. So unless you’ve got some brilliant escape plan, maybe stop smiling like this is a damn field trip.”

James, unfazed, stretched his legs out with a lazy grin. “Hey, I haven’t talked to anyone in over a year, so honestly? I’m not complaining.” He glanced between Joel and Ellie, his grin widening. “You two are way more interesting than a bunch of dead guys.”

Ellie blinked, her lips twitching in disbelief.

Joel just glared at the boy harder, “You better not try to have any more of your ‘fun’.” he said, “You do anything stupid that risks our lives and I’ll kill you” he warned.

James just chuckled, like they were talking about the weather.