Prologue

"Joel! Get off your lazy ass!" Shouted Ellie from outside. "Ben spotted that damn moose!"

Joel sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes. "I'm comin', I'm comin'."

He reached down and slung his backpack on. His back popped and crackled, he wasn't as spry as he was three years ago, when he first stepped through these gates, into the place where he would stay forever. He stepped out of the door and looked around. Suddenly Ellie jumped out from under the porch and shouted.

"Damn it Ellie!" He jumped back.

Ellie laughed. "Well, your old ass keeps falling for it! Now come on! We're gonna lose this moose again if we stand around, sniffing each other's asses all day!"

Ellie grabbed his hand and ran, leading him toward the gate. The guard stepped out and shoved it open. He wished them luck as the flew past. Soon they came over a hill and they saw Ben sitting there, his rifle unslung.

"I was clearing out any lurking infected when I saw him. I remember Ellie bitching about you sneezing and scaring him off." He paused as Joel gave Ellie a little shove. "You got yourselves quite the bull here."

"Cut the shit Ben, we'll talk later." Ellie said, standing on her toes and looking around. "Where's this damn moose?"

Ben shook his head and smirked. "Just over that hill there." He pointed east. "He was drinking at Fischer's pond."

Ellie shot off down the hill. Joel started after her, but turned back to Ben. "Thanks."

Ben made a shooing motion. "Go on now! Don't wanna piss her off!"

Joel turned back and jogged after Ellie. She had slung her bow off her back and was crouched by a tree. Joel slipped in behind her. He was a massive beast; bigger than any Joel had ever seen before. He just sat there by the lake and chewed some grass; easy pickings.

"Joel." Ellie whispered. "Have your rifle ready, if the bastard runs, put him down. We're not losing him this time."

Joel pulled his rifle out of his backpack and laid it in the crotch of a tree. He sighted in on the bull. Ellie caught his attention as she snuck between cover. Inching ever closer to the moose. She knocked an arrow and drew back her bowstring. Joel sighted in just in time to see the arrow pierce between the ribs and punch through the lungs and heart. The moose jumped and called before collapsing into the shallow water.

Ellie cheered and then called to Joel. "Got the fucker!"

Joel made his way down to Ellie, now standing over the corpse. "Not a bad shot, eh?" She asked, cocking her head sideways.

"I've seen better." Joel said, cracking a smile.

Ellie slugged him on the shoulder. "Asshole." She laughed then grabbed the antlers and shook them around. "I'm gonna mount these bad boys right above my bed." She looked over it, as if to see how she would move it.

"Hold on, I've got a little something special for this occasion. Been saving it for a while." Joel began to dig around in his bag.

Ellie began to bounce up and down as if she were a little girl again. "What could it be!" She said in a sarcastic tone.

Joel shot a quick glare, then pulled out a polaroid camera. "I think I'll save this moment."

"Where did you find that?"

Joel turned it over and inspected it. "Well, Maria gave it to me a few months back, right before she found out she was pregnant. She may regret that decision later on." Joel let out a short laugh.

"Well, let's see if she's still got some juice!" Ellie crouched over the moose's head and hoisted it up by its antlers. "God damn, this bastard's heavy! Hurry up!"

Joel fumbled around with it a bit. "Give me a break, it's been twenty-three years since I've so much as seen one of these." He finally got it ready and looked through the veiwport. "Damn it, it's blacked out."

Ellie let her arms go slack. "Well, what the hell does that mean?"

"It means, I'll just have to guess what I'm taking a picture of." Joel moved it into position as Ellie hoisted the head again. "Say 'cheese'!"

"What?"

"Just smile." Ellie made a huge grin, and Joel depressed the lever.

"Now what?" Ellie said, letting the head slump back into the water.

Joel pulled the picture out of the camera and shook it. "Now, we wait."

"Well, let's get this guy's fat ass back home." She began to drag him from the water. She looked back at Joel who was admiring the developing photo. "Shit Joel, give me a hand will ya'?"

"Yeah, yeah, be right there." Joel slid the photo into his breast pocket. He grabbed the hind legs. "God damn Ellie, of all things to want to hunt."

"Hey! I didn't know he'd weigh as much as a truck!"

When they reached the road, they found Ben waiting with a horse and a sled. "Figured you may need this." He said, slapping the hindquarters.

"You figured right." Joel said, stretching his back.

"We had it handled." Ellie spat, crossing her arms.

Ben looked at her condescendingly. "Sure you did."

They hoisted it onto the sled and walked along side. "So, how'd that picture of ours turn out?" Ellie asked leaning into Joel's arm.

Joel slid it out of his pocket and shook it. "Looks like my aim translates to photography too." He and Ellie both admired the picture, which placed Ellie and the moose on the far left side.

Joel went to hand it to her, but she pushed it away. "No, you keep it, as a testament to your awesome photography skills." She laughed and ran up next to Ben. "Told you I could get him."

Ben handed her a bottle, which she slid into her bag. "Yeah, well, fuck you too."

"No thanks, you're not my type." She gave him a mocking smile and slapped him on the back. She then dropped back to Joel.

"What was that about?" Joel gestured to the bag.

"Oh, this?" She pulled the bottle out. "It's for you."

Joel took it in his hand and turned it over. He pulled back the peeling label. "John Jameson and Sons, Irish Whiskey. What's this for?"

"I remember you mentioning something about it a long time ago, back in Ohio." She rubbed the back of her neck. "I overheard Ben bragging that he'd found a case of the stuff and that it was still good. So I made a bet that if I bagged this moose in one shot, I'd get the whole case."

"Well, it is my favorite, but there's something wrong."

"What's that?"

"This isn't a case, it's just one bottle." He tossed it between his hands.

Ellie threw her head back and groaned. "Joel, I know that. Just, consider this a down payment, a sign of good faith."

"If you say so." They walked up to the gate and Ben handed Joel the reigns to the horse. Joel mounted and turned to him. "Leave the rest on my doorstep." He smiled and began to ride off.

Ben saluted lazily. "Yes, sir!" He said jokingly.

They unloaded the moose at Charlie's butcher shop. Charlie walked out to greet them. "Jesus fellas! How do you want 'im carved up?"

Ellie piped up. "Get me as many mid-sized cuts as possible, and save me the antlers will ya'?"

Charlie heaved the bull onto the large slab in the center of his room. "Can do missy, how're you payin' this'un off?"

"You get a quarter, as usual." Ellie said, looking around the shop. "How much do you want for the boar bacon?"

"Do you have any empty bottles?"

"What kind and what for?" Joel interjected.

Charlie turned to him and wiped his hands on the buckskin leather apron. "Well, me and Dora started brewing beer with the stuff we get from Simon's farm. All we're missin' is some bottles to put the stuff in."

Joel thought for a second. "Yeah, there's a place just down the road, I saw a ton of intact ones there. Ellie and I will grab 'em for ya' tomorrow."

"Much appreciated Joel!" Charlie turned back to the bull. "Come'n back in a couple hours, I'll have 'im ready by then."

Ellie sauntered out the door. "C'mon Joel, we gotta' go get the rest of that case."