#endur4nce

" ellie, listen ── " the sigh that leaves him hollows out his chest a bit, as if his body knows exactly how this conversation is going to go before his mind can convince it otherwise. it seemed every line between them was thin, walking any of them was a danger he never took caution of. hope was a fickle thing. " i think you should stay back a week or so on patrols. a couple trails got washed out in the weather, and reports ain't been . . . predictable, lately. "

“  did  you  hear  that?  ”   she  whispers,  freezing  in  place  as  she  tries  to  listen  for  the  sound  to  repeat  itself.  arm  outstretched  to  stop  ellie  from  continuing  beside  her  as  they  both  remain  crouched  along  the  side  of  the  building.  dina's  gaze  flicks  to  to  the  other  as  she  withdraws  her  hand  to  put  her  finger  at  her  lips  to  ensure  they're  both  quiet  before  she  dares  to  take  a  few  more  steps  forward  to  glance  around  the  edge.  dark  eyes  glance  around  for  a  few  seconds  before  jumping  right  to  her  feet  and  turning  slightly  to  ellie.  “ i  think  everyone  left  for  the  night,  we  should  be  good  to  go, ”   she  says  at  a  more  normal  volume  before  stepping  around  the  building.

there's  a  hint  of  a  smile  at  the  corner  of  his  lips  as  he  lingers  in  the  doorway,  not  ready  to  interrupt  the  quiet  strumming  of  the  guitar  along  to  the  music  playing  from  the  old  jukebox.  it  was  the  best  way  to  learn,  he'd  told  her  in  the  past.  particularly  when  sheet  music  wasn't  the  easiest  thing  to  come  across  these  days.  but  pair  a  good  ear  with  a  tuned  guitar,  you  could  make  due.  he  wasn't  familiar  with  the  song,  but  from  what  he  could  tell  she  was  doing  pretty  good.  improving  from  their  last  lesson.

he pauses, hands still clasped securely around his pistol as he turns his gaze to ellie. eyes squint slightly as he listens closely, lifting a finger to his lips as an unnecessary reminder to her to be quiet — watch her step. joel takes a few, slow steps, carefully going over broken glass as he reaches the nearby wall. he turns his back towards it, head tipped down briefly as he listens to the all to familiar sounds. they set his teeth on edge. taking a risk to peer around the corner to see what they were up against.

nothing too bad. five infected, three clickers, two runners. reasonable on his own, let alone with help. his shoulders relax slightly as he looks back to ellie. “   how many bullets you got on you?   ” joel asks, already flicking his own gun into safety before checking his chamber. five was easy with or without their guns, but it would be quicker. that only mattered if they were stocked up enough to handle the rest of the building. dark eyes flit back to her in expectation, s n a p p i n g the chamber back in place. | @endur4nce ♡

♡ this post for a closed starter ( alex diaz ) @endur4nce.

❛  sometimes the quiet nights are the ones you remember the most.  ❜

christmas  lights  are  still  strung  from  corner  to  corner  in  their  quaint  dorm.    bella  likes  them    –    she  doesn’t  think  she  wants  to  take  them  down  when  they  decide  to  pack  up  the  tree  and  stockings  into  a  storage  bin  to  collect  dust  in  her  fathers  attic  until  december.    her  back  is  pressed  against  the  soft  rug  they’d  thrifted  last  summer,    two  empty  bottles  of  wine  on  the  coffee  table  but  their  glasses  remain  half  full.    saturday  nights  like  these  are  her  favorite.    after  the  chaos  and  hustle  and  bustle  of  monday  through  friday    –    classes,    shifts  at  the  diner,    all  work  and  no  play.    bella’s    god  i  love  being  a  woman    playlist  is  playing  from  the  speakers,    just  loud  enough  that  their  neighbor  won’t  call  resident  hall  security.  ( hopefully )  ❛  i  can’t  believe  it’s  january.  you  know  what?    that’s  kinda  fucked  up.    literally,    it  was  january  this  time  last  year  too,    and  what’s  up  with  that?    like,    a  whole year  has  passed  since  it  was  last  january?    crazy.  ❜    bella  laughs,    lifting  herself  up  with  her  elbows,   scooting  over  to  the  table  to  grab  her  glass  of  wine.    it  isn’t  lost  on  her  how  soft  angela’s  features  appear  in  this  lighting    –    perhaps  it’s  the  whole  reason  she  wants  to  keep  them  up.    suddenly,    she’s  forgotten  the  task  at  hand.    glass  of  wine  remaining  stagnant  on  the  wooden  surface,    bellas  soft  palm  finding  the  other  femme’s  cheek  instead.    substituting  the  direct  taste  of  vanilla,    oak,    and  cherries  for  the  soft notes of  it  lingering  upon  angelas  lips.