Chapter 26: Thresholds

The ranger station was behind them now, a silhouette swallowed by the morning mist. Snow crunched beneath their boots as they moved through the thinning woods. Ethan stayed close to Ellie and Joel, speaking only when necessary. He didn't offer directions, didn't assert leadership. Hale and Carrow walked a little behind them, quietly conversing in military shorthand.

Ethan had no intention of leading—not with strangers. Not with people he didn't trust.

He followed Joel's lead, occasionally glancing at Ellie, silently checking in. Their steps were measured, careful. This wasn't just travel—it was survival.

The wind had quieted since dawn, but tension hummed in its place. Every branch that snapped underfoot, every birdcall cut short, was a warning.

"Ridgeline's too exposed," Joel muttered, scanning the slope. "We'll take the lower tree cover. Circle south."

Ethan gave a slight nod. "Safer that way."

Hale raised an eyebrow at the quiet exchange. "You've got something to add, kid?"

Ethan didn't answer.

Joel looked back at them. "You want input, talk to me."

That silenced them—for now.

As they descended into the forest basin, the terrain grew more treacherous—frozen mud, tangled roots, snow camouflaging crevices deep enough to break an ankle. They moved in silence until Carrow broke it.

"Still think we're alone out here?"

"No," Joel said. "But we're not marching into an ambush blind, either."

Ethan stayed quiet, absorbing everything. His mind mapped the terrain, catalogued sound shifts, watched shadows. But he said nothing.

They stopped near a fallen tree to eat what little they had. Joel kept watch while they chewed. Ethan shared a glance with Ellie. She didn't ask why he was so quiet. She understood.

By noon, they neared the remains of a burned-out radio tower. Joel raised a fist. "Motion. Three figures. Far ridge."

Hale adjusted his rifle. "Not infected. Spread pattern. Could be scouts."

Joel ducked low, using his scope. "It's the Wardens—mercs, not individuals. Ex-FEDRA squad types."

"They sweeping?" Ellie asked.

"Looks like it," Joel said.

Ethan stayed silent, watching the movements.

"We draw them into the ravine," Hale said. "Split, flank, contain."

Joel shook his head. "Too loud. Too open."

Hale scoffed. "Got a better plan?"

Joel looked to Ethan. "You see anything?"

Ethan hesitated. Then: "There's a gully behind the tower. Old logging route. It'll split the approach without exposing us."

Joel nodded once. "That'll do."

The others didn't question it, but Ethan noticed Carrow's narrowed eyes.

They took the gully, slowly vanishing from the patrol's line of sight. Joel led them along the snow-laden trail, but their progress was careful and slow.

Half an hour in, they heard movement up ahead—branches cracking, boots pressing snow. Joel raised a hand, signaling them down.

The group sank behind a fallen log. Ethan counted the shadows—two pairs this time, Wardens, closer than expected.

Joel whispered, "If they get closer, we split left and scatter. We meet at the treeline with the broken birch."

Ellie nodded. Ethan pulled out a small rock, rubbed it in snow, then tossed it across a thicket.

The guards froze at the sound. One raised a flashlight, aiming it toward the opposite side. They turned, slowly creeping that direction.

Joel gave the signal, and the group shifted noiselessly through the brush, slipping through trees with calculated patience.

Only when the sound of boots faded did Ethan exhale.

"Twice in a day," Ellie murmured.

"Too close," Joel said.

Ethan frowned. "They're tightening the net. They know someone's here."

They didn't speak again until the bunker came into sight.

...

Ellie leaned close. "Why didn't you say more earlier?"

"Didn't trust them," Ethan said.

"But you trust me and Joel?"

He looked at her. "Yeah. That's why I spoke at all."

She didn't say anything, but her faint smile said enough.

The rest of the journey to the old bunker passed in thick silence. When they arrived, Ethan helped Joel pry open the hatch, but he let Joel go in first. When they found the terminal, he hung back while Carrow examined it. Only when it started glitching did Ethan quietly kneel beside her.

"Try the manual bypass," he murmured.

She blinked. "You know this model?"

Ethan shrugged. "Sort of."

He tapped in a sequence, and the screen flickered to life. Fragmented logs scrolled across, detailing Greyreach's logistics and encrypted route maps.

Joel and Ellie scanned the walls while Hale watched the entrance.

Ethan pointed to a line in one log:

Escort lost contact near Echo Ridge.

"Two days southwest," he said softly. "Maybe where they lost my parents."

Ellie appeared at his side. "You want to go there?"

He nodded.

Joel stood nearby, watching them. "If there's even a chance your folks had something to do with what makes you immune... it's worth checking out. Tommy can wait two more days."

Ellie added, "And if those Wardens are circling this place too, we're better off knowing what's out there than getting surprised later."

Joel's voice cut in. "More patrols. We need to move."

Ethan scanned the escape hatch at the rear. "Back tunnel loops north. Let's go."

They moved quickly, Ethan taking rear watch beside Ellie. He said little, but his eyes never stopped scanning. Joel took point.

When they finally emerged from the underground shaft into a snow-dusted gulch, the sky had dimmed.

They made camp in silence.

That night, Ethan sat by the fire. Only Ellie joined him.

"You ever think maybe... some answers aren't meant to be found?" she asked softly.

Ethan stared into the flames. "Then why does it feel like someone wanted me to find them?"

She nodded.

"I don't show them what I can do," Ethan said. "Only you. Only Joel."

Ellie glanced at him. "Good. Keep it that way."

She hesitated, then added, "Sometimes I wonder if you're like... born for this."

Ethan gave a faint laugh. "Maybe I was made for it. Doesn't mean I wanted it."

Ellie looked at the fire again. "Yeah... same."

The wind stirred the trees above. And from somewhere beyond, Echo Ridge waited.

Ellie poked at the fire with a stick. "You ever miss it? Y'know... before?"

Ethan blinked. "Before what?"

"Before all this. Before infected, before the hiding, before... blood."

Ethan paused. "I don't remember much of that world. Just pieces. Static and warmth. I don't think I had a normal life even back then."

"Yeah?" she said, voice quiet. "I used to think I'd grow up, get a job, maybe join the army. Or be a vet. Now I just hope to live through next week."

Ethan looked at her. "You still could. Be anything, I mean."

Ellie smiled weakly. "Could say the same to you."

He shrugged. "I think my future got hijacked a long time ago."

There was a beat of silence, then Ellie said, "Still. I'm glad I met you. Even if this world's gone to shit."

Ethan turned toward her, eyes softer than before. "Same."

To be continued.