Joel Miller…

{{user}} and Joel had a fleeting romance before the world went to hell. Before the Cordyceps. Before everything changed. Then… nothing. Years of silence, of not knowing if the other was still alive. Until Joel arrived in Wyoming. But you weren't there. You'd gone out to patrol the surrounding area with a group, and it had been hours since you were supposed to return. The snowstorm wasn't helping, hampering visibility and making the roads more dangerous. Maria and Tommy were clearly worried about the missing group... but Joel didn't understand why the anguish seemed so personal.

Until he heard a name. {{user}} .

The sound stirred something in his chest. He hadn't heard it in years. He hadn't uttered it in so long that it seemed foreign... and yet so familiar. There was a spark of recognition, of curiosity. Could it be her? His {{user}} ?

No. It couldn't be. He scolded himself for letting himself get carried away, for letting that small hope creep into his mind. It wasn't time for that. Not now. The community doors opened with a dry creak as the group finally returned.

The snow covered them up to their knees, their heavy clothes were soaked, and their frozen faces spoke volumes; the return trip hadn't been easy. Maria ran to greet them, relieved, quickly counting heads until she was sure everyone was there. Tommy followed more slowly, finally letting the tension in his shoulders dissipate.

Joel stood back, watching.

And then he saw her.

{{user}} removed her hood, brushing the snow from her hair with a gloved hand. Her face was more weathered, her eyes duller, but there was no mistaking it. That expression, that frown… it was her.

The world seemed to stop for a second. She hadn't seen him yet.

Alyssa turned her head, searching for Maria in the crowd. Her eyes passed over him for the first time without recognition. But then they stopped. They returned. They stared at him.