RESTLESS SPIRITS ▷ ELLIE WILLIAMS

CHAPTER EIGHT: NOT SO DEAD GHOSTS

Marlowe's raging headache and bruises along her throat were all that remained of the fight in Bend by the time they made it to the Idaho border. Following the graveyard of road signs, they managed to follow the interstate toward Boise.

Upon nearing Boise, Marlowe led them around the city as it was still under FEDRA control. Unfortunately, the weather hadn't let up in the new state as they waded through snow and rain. They skirted around the base of the Boise National Forest, staying clear of the major roadways nearby. Despite their luck getting around FEDRA, much of the surrounding area was crawling with infected in various stages. Most were runners, herding together like packs of wounded animals.

Nights in Idaho were restless. Every noise or bump in the night made Ellie and Marlowe jolt awake. The mornings were gilded in sunlight, almost making the terrors of the hours previous worth living through.

Marlowe had never been more pleased when Ellie pointed out the first sign directing them toward the Wyoming border. The faded 'Welcome to Wyoming' sign nearly made Marlowe jump for joy. After that point, Ellie took the lead as they crossed the threshold into Wyoming.

Snow-capped hills rolled into the distance until they collided with the mountains that soared into the cloudy sky. As they rode deeper into the Wyoming wilderness, the ground became increasingly snowy. Trees creaked and groaned under the weight of the snow.

Ellie found them a place to rest for the night. A small cave carved into a hillside provided enough shelter for the two humans, though the horses were left outside to tough out the elements.

Wyoming was a new territory to Marlowe. When she had traveled through the United States, her traveling party had crested above, following the Canadian border until they dipped into Washington and down to Oregon.

There was a mysticism that came with traveling through the US. At times, it felt like stepping into another world. A masterpiece, undefiled by the human touch, instead carved by its own imperfect hands. Steep jagged mountains, soft rolling plains. There was beauty in the honesty of the land. Marlowe hoped others would admire her for that, too, someday.

Ellie explained how some folks had revived Jackson after the pandemic swept through. She explained how the nearby water damn powered the town.

Through Ellie's recounting of her first time in Jackson, Marlowe learned that she had traveled with a man named Joel. It didn't take much of their conversation to discover it was Joel's watch that was strapped to Ellie's wrist. Though she spoke of the man with reverence, there was still remorse in her eyes, like a ghost that had yet parted from her. Marlowe was too familiar with the art of being haunted.

"Wait, so Joel and Tommy are brothers?" Marlowe asked. Ellie had gotten to the point in her story where they had arrived at the Jackson Dam when she was fourteen.

Ellie nodded, "Yeah,"

"Did they look alike?"

"In some ways." Ellie led them down a small embankment,

"They had similar facial shapes, but Joel was older, taller too. It wasn't till they started talking that it really clicked for me,"

Marlowe could vaguely envision Tommy from his brief time in Oakridge and their brief conversation. She wondered if Joel, too, had shaggy blonde hair, deep green eyes, and wrinkles under his eyes when he smiled and on his forehead when he frowned. She wondered if he, too, had a limp or flinched when someone moved too fast.

She was pulled from her thoughts of the ghost of Joel as the tops of the Resort City began to peek over the treetops. Ellie had explained they would need to get through the abandoned town before making it to the central city.