


#iwtv#interview with the vampire#the vampire armand#amc tvl#assad zaman

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⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪—— matt dillon “play girl” magazine.
the young actor around 1983 does an article sharing his experience with drugs. 🍃
────୨ৎ────
— Alex Michaelides, The Silent Patient.
White Feather Hawk Tail Deer Hunter
summary: After the cordyceps outbreak in 2003, you very nearly escape into the wilderness of Wyoming. For two decades you helplessly wander, becoming more isolated and feeling less human with every season that passes. After a particularly harsh winter, and a close call with a horde of those things, you run into a pair of brothers before the lack of food catches up to you. You awake in the nearly normal town of Jackson, shocked to find yourself taken care of, and more importantly, invited into a community. After attempting to flee like a caged animal, you're coaxed back into resting by one of the brothers that saved you: Joel Miller. He's stubborn, arrogant, and quite frankly an asshole. But you stay. What other choice do you have? You're given a home, a dilapidated one, but a home nonetheless. You reluctantly settle into a routine in Jackson, using the skills you developed after years of surviving on your own. And slowly, you learn how to live again.
pairing: Joel Miller x F!Reader
word count: 5,494 words
warnings: horror, mild descriptions of injuries, angst, marijuana use, MDNI (it will get 18+)
notes: i'm really tired of the plague of dbf Joel fics so I'm writing my own to scratch an itch of a non-mischaracterized Joel fic. This is my second fic ever so any feedback is appreciated! Thank you for reading!
AO3 Link:
Chapter 1: Born to Die
Laramie, Wyoming
September 26th, 2003
You were hyper-focused in a particularly dense chapter in your art history textbook when you heard the front door of your apartment open. You heard your roommate, Jennifer, announcing her return.
"Hey, loser! I got something for you!" She called out, her voice echoing through the small space as you rolled your eyes. You hadn't expected her to be back this early, as she was the designated party girl while you more often than not manned home base.
"In here!" You called out, attempting to absorb the information in front of you as you heard your roommate stumble into the living room. Jen, as you liked to call her, plopped into the cushion next to you, a dopey smile spread across her face as she met your gaze with a half-lidded drunken stare.
"Have fun?" You asked in a teasing tone, glancing at her before returning to the passage you were so desperately trying to remember for your upcoming test.
"The most fun. Wish you coulda been there though..." Jen whined, pouting her lip at you and batting her dark lashes dramatically.
"I told you, I ain't the party goin type." You admitted, which was true. You'd much rather stay in and read a book or finish a painting, especially with the police sirens as rampant as they were today. The constant sound made you particularly anxious, and certainly not in a partying mood.
"Yeah, yeah, so you say. Oh! I did get you somethin' though." Jen exclaimed, her blue eyes lighting up as she began fishing around in her small bedazzled purse. You ignored the fact that she repeated herself and gawked at her as she pulled out... a joint.
"Are you out of your mind?" You asked, wondering how she could've possibly thought that you'd partake in drugs instead of going to a party.
"Just one hit! Then you never have to do it again if you don't want to. It might even help you remember details better." Jen begged, clasping her hands together like a child begging for a toy.
If it meant getting her to leave you alone, then fine. Maybe one hit wouldn't hurt...
You let out an annoyed sigh, before nodding and cringing as Jen let out a squeal of glee. She dived back into her bag, the sounds of makeup and other knickknacks clinking together before she pulled out a hot pink lighter.
You watched as Jen began lighting the little roll, a small trail of smoke curling into the air as she took in a deep inhale. Her face scrunched up for a moment before she let out a large puff of smoke, a skunk-like scent filling the room as you both let out coughs. Jen passed the joint off to you, and without thinking about it you quickly took a decent sized hit off of the substance.
Your lungs burned as you let out a particularly long coughing fit, your eyes watering and your mouth suddenly feeling dry as bone. Jen chuckled and rubbed soothing circles on your back at the fit came down. You took the heavy textbook that had been sitting on your lap and set it down on the coffee table in front of you, deciding that you were done for the night.
"Finally. Nice to see you relax." Jen teased before taking a large hit off of the burning spliff.
"Where'd you get that from anyway?" You asked, wondering where one would've been able to get their hands on the stuff, especially in this small college town.
"Josh. In exchange for the worst kiss of my life. Worth it though." Jen explained, her face contorting in disgust as she mentioned your classmate. You let out a small laugh, finding the image of one of the most popular girls in your grade kissing a greasy stoner for one joint. Jen slapped your shoulder playfully, "Don't laugh! It was for you! Ugh! I should've brought home some of that pizza..."
Pizza did sound good... but it was too late at night for you to want to really eat anything. So the both of you surfed channels for God knows how long, before Jen said something about not feeling well, and returning to her room shortly after. You barely heard her as you tried to focus on whatever the news reporter was trying to say. Something about an escalated amount of violent incidents today... That was the last thing you heard before falling into a stiff sleep on the couch.
A big boom in the distance followed by TV static jolted you out of your heavy slumber, your eyes squinting at the harsh light of the TV as you slowly sat up. You could hear a dog barking and a car alarm going off in the distance. Why has today been so noisy? A digital alarm clock read 2:16 as you fumbled for the remote for a moment, accidentally knocking several items off the coffee table in the process.
When you finally focused your vision, you changed the channel, wondering why the one you had been on suddenly went off air. The message that appeared on the screen accompanied with a blaring alarm made your blood run cold:
NATIONAL ALERT
PRIMARY ENTRY POINT SYSTEM
ISSUED AN EMERGENCY ACTION NOTIFICATION
An automated man's voice said something about law enforcement being in the area, them being in contact shortly, and to stay indoors. A small thud came from Jennifer's room, making you flinch as you quickly stood up. You felt lightheaded for a moment, before giving your head a small shake to wake yourself up. You attempted to rub sleep from your eyes as you briefly debated calling your mother. You shut the TV off, before stumbling past the couch and making your way down the hallway. Maybe it was a tornado? Or a storm? But why would law enforcement be involved with that?
Your thoughts were racing a mile a minute as you heard a crash come from Jennifer's bedroom, causing a knot of anxiety to tie itself in your belly. Was the weed you had earlier laced? Were you imagining things?
"Jennifer? You okay? I think we need to call our parents..." You called out as you hesitantly continued on your path, feeling less unsure of your actions by the second. The floorboards groaned underneath your weight as you heard someone, or something, let out a... cough? It was wet and ragged, making your heart race as you slowly leaned your ear up against Jennifer's door. Your hand trembled as you went to reach for the door handle.
"Jen? Are you alright?" You asked, your voice wavering as your shaking hand settled on the handle.
You gasped and immediately backed away from the door as an animalistic shriek rang through the air. It was followed by violent banging on the door, and something became eerily clear to you in a millisecond: that was not your roommate.
Out. You needed to get out. Your feet finally remembered that they could move as you dove for your bedroom, frantically collecting anything you deemed valuable. Your phone, car keys, your small handgun your brother bought for you, and your beloved sketchbook were all shoved into your backpack. After that you shoved your feet into your converse shoes, knowing you wouldn't make it very far barefoot. You flung the backpack over your shoulder, and whirled around to a horrific sight.
Jennifer was breaking through the door. Not with a tool, not with her hands, but with her head. You barely heard the door cracking open as blood roared in your ears. Somehow she had slammed herself through the splintered wood of the door, blood trickling down her face as you locked eyes for a moment. She tilted her head, before pale tendrils pushed their way past her lips.
You finally found your voice as you let out a horrified scream, before bolting down the hallway towards the front door. You very nearly tripped over a pair of heels left on the ground as you attempted to yank the front door open, but the action was interrupted by the small chain that kept the door locked tight. Your clammy, quivering fingers fumbled with the chain, finally undoing it after what seemed like an eternity.
You dared one more glance over your shoulder, your stomach sinking as you caught sight of Jennifer quickly pushing her body through the broken door. It wouldn't hold forever, that much was certain.
So you flung the door open, not bothering to close it as you began running down the stairs to your car. You heard similar inhuman snarls coming from the apartment next to you, but didn't dare to look back as your feet carried you down the flight of stairs. The sound of your car unlocking brought you relief for a split second as your body slammed into the driver side door.
You looked back over your shoulder to assess how much time you had to escape. Your eyes widened as you saw Jennifer finally barreling out the front door, snarling and shrieking like something out of a nightmare. She didn't slow down as she ran straight into the railing, before tumbling over near face first into the bushes below. Maybe that would knock her unconscious... You threw the car door open, before diving into the driver's seat and slamming the door shut.
You immediately locked the doors as you forced the key into the ignition, twisting it and praying that your piece-of-shit Chevy Malibu would start without issues.
Terror settled deep within your bone marrow as that familiar stuttering noise emanated from the engine. You slammed on your steering wheel as you cursed yourself for not letting your brother fix your car. He had even offered before you had left for the university at the beginning of the school year.
You let out a shrill yelp as something banged against the driver side door— Jennifer. You were shocked to see that her eyes were bloodshot and that her nose looked broken, but even worse was how she was letting out those same unsettling noises. What happened? Why were you fine and she wasn't?
There was no time to think about that as she started slamming her head into the glass of your window, effectively cracking it as you realized she was going to try to get to you no matter what.
Tears were streaming down your cheeks as you silently begged for your car to start, flinching as each subsequent bang wore the glass down bit by bit.
By some miracle, your car finally managed to start, right as Jennifer's head breached the window. You screamed as your hand reached for your gun, as you had kept it in the pouch meant for water bottles, flicking the safety off with a flick of your thumb. You struggled as Jennifer's hands clawed and tried to pull you closer to her gnashing teeth.
"Jennifer, please!" You cried out as you finally broke free and fired a single shot in her direction. Time seemed to slow as you watched your roommate fall limp as blood trickled down from the bullet hole in her head. You let out a devastated sob as you pushed her body out of your now broken window. You swallowed the rising bile in your throat and shifted the gear into drive as soon as you heard her body slump to the ground.
Your attention snapped back towards your apartment as you heard your neighbor's door open. You watched as the couple that had lived next to you stagger out of their apartment, their movements twitching as they gargled on tendrils that resembled Jennifer's.
So you slammed your foot on the gas, burning out your tires slightly as your car peeled onto the main road. To your shock traffic was heavy, and not only heavy, but chaos incarnate. You drove past car wrecks, people fleeing, and a burning building. You finally remembered you had your phone, and began digging around for it in your backpack. You were slowing down to a red light when your fingers located the device, quickly speed dialing your mother's number as you tried to take in even breaths.
It was getting harder to breathe by the second, especially when you noticed speckles of your roommate's blood on your hands and clothes. You refused to meet your own gaze in the rear view mirror as you heard the ringing of the phone, praying that your mother would pick up and tell you where to go.
That damn tone continued, before going to her voicemail. You opened your phone fully and saw that there was a message in your own voicemail, from your mother. You tried to reroute to a less busy street, only being forced to stop by a mob of screaming people. They were running from those things—
You forced yourself forward, surely running over a couple toes as you pressed play and pulled the phone close to your ear.
Hey, honey— You're probably asleep, but I need to leave — message. It's important, whatever — do, do not come home to Cheyenne. It's not any safer — than Laramie. It's— everywhere. And your brother and I, well, we ain't gonna make it baby.
You slammed on your breaks just in the nick of time at another red light, very nearly hitting the car in front of you. You forced yourself to listen to what was most likely your mother's last words. You could hear banging and snarling in the background of the recording, making you fear the worst.
But you can. I know you can. You're strong, you're kind, and you're so smart. Go north, as far as you can. Somewhere remote, barely — lives in Thermopolis. Remember when we went there? Get on I-80 and find it. Don't let anyone, or anything, stop you. I love you, we both do.
You let out a cry of anguish and grief as you threw the phone into the passenger seat. Your wish for guidance had been granted, but at what cost? What was left of your family was gone, but you wouldn't let their demise go in vain. You silently swore to your mother and brother that you wouldn't give up. You had no idea what was happening to the town you had grown to know so well, but you weren't about to stay and find out.
As soon as the light flashed green you aggressively passed the person in front of you, ignoring the angry honk that was being blared your way. You clenched your jaw as you sped down an alternate route, your mind focused on one thing: escaping. You swerved past all obstacles, most of it being the carnage of the mayhem around you, and your heart sank as you saw that everyone had the same idea.
I-80 was flooded with honking cars, and it became clear you couldn't go that way. Not if you wanted to live. You forced yourself think of alternate routes as you idled for a moment, remembering Snowy Range Road would eventually take you to Centennial, and you'd be able to reassess there. It was your only hope.
Your engine revved as you accelerated down W Jackson St, becoming more numb to the sounds of people screaming in agony by the second. You were relieved to find that the traffic was significantly less heavy on this road. You sucked in a shaky breath and attempted to wipe the tears and snot off your face. You were finally passing the Laramie Regional Airport, jealous of the folks managing to escape this hell hole via plane.
A plane flew overhead as the airport grew tinier in your rear view mirror, and to your relief your heartbeat was finally starting to slow down. Then, like some twisted cosmic joke, you watched in horror as an incoming plane crashed down into the building. A large boom reverberated in the air as you sped up, passing the person in front of you as a large mushroom cloud billowed into the air from the crash site.
"What... the... fuck?" You asked no one in particular as wind blew in from the broken window.
You wouldn't get an answer of what happened until many years later.
Hoback, Wyoming
May 6th, 2023
Happy fucking birthday to you. Not only did you dream about the day the world went to shit, but you woke up surrounded by a horde of runners. You hadn't eaten anything of actual sustenance in days, causing you to feel dizzy as you had leapt to your feet to make your escape. Worse than the starvation, you were injured in a way that affected your speed. Twisted your ankle on a damn tree root like you were 19 again.
Somehow you'd managed to evade them, hiding behind trees and occasionally taking out a runner with a lucky hit. Normally you'd be hiding high up in the trees, taking each individual out with your bow and arrows that you'd been given by an old friend. But somehow these fuckers had gotten the drop on you, resulting in the chase that was sending you down a steep ravine.
But you weren't even strong enough to pull an arrow back, much less shoot them effectively. You'd lost track of how many you had gotten rid of, but three were still hot on your tail as you stumbled through the scattered pine trees. Your lungs burned as you gasped for air, and your whole body ached as you'd been running for what felt like hours. In reality it was probably 30 minutes or so, but time was something that had faded into obscurity for you over the years.
You took a moment to catch your breath behind a particularly large tree and reloaded your handgun, the same one you've had for years. You were running dangerously low on ammo, but you had avoided being turned into one of those things so far, you weren't going to let them get you now. You whirled around and aimed at the one closest to you, thankfully putting it down. Just two more, two more and you could finally rest.
Pain shot through your ankle as you continued to flee from the twitching humanoids staggering in your direction. Grunts and cries of pain were pushing their way past your lips, creating a disturbing symphony with the snarls and growls of the enemy behind you.
"They... don't... call you fuckers runners for nothin'." You huffed the joke to yourself, praying that if you did get torn apart you'd at least go out laughing.
Time slowed as two gunshots rang through the air, but you were still limping through the thicket of trees as you whirled around to find that the last two runners were crumpling to the ground. You stumbled for a moment, trying to process what just happened as your vision grew spotty. Nausea churned in your belly in tandem with the aching hunger as you turned on your heel, trying to identify your savior.
Two dark-haired men on horseback, armed to the teeth, were riding towards you. Their rifles were aimed right at you, and you held your hands up in surrender as you stared daggers at the men before you. There had been so many times in the past where raiders had wanted to kidnap and extort you, you had always managed to slip out of their grasp by some miracle. Why would this time be any different? You weren't about to go down without a fight.
"You hurt?" The older looking one asked gruffly, his brown eyes hard as steel as he met your glare with unwavering intensity.
"Just a twisted ankle. I'm not bit, or infected." You blurted out, your voice hoarse from the lack of speaking out loud over the years.
"You look pale, and you're sweatin'. What's that about?" He continued, a southern twang decorating his baritone voice. Made you feel at home, despite his shitty tone.
You swallowed hard, blinking rapidly in an attempt to keep yourself conscious. "Starving, not infected." That was all you could manage to say as the world went dark, and you fell into a memory of you horseback riding at the Terry Bison Ranch.
"So... what do we do?" Joel asked Tommy as he watched you lose consciousness. If what you said was true, your body was probably attempting to conserve energy. But was some starving woman really worth the trouble of bringing back? What was the custom for Jackson patrols? Especially ones as extensive as the one he found himself on.
"We bring her back." Tommy said simply as he swung his leg over the saddle, moving to turn you over on your back as he began collecting your weapons.
"What? Are you serious?" Joel questioned as he watched his brother peel a considerable amount of weapons from your form. A bow and a quiver of arrows, a handgun, a hunting knife, and a smaller pocket knife hidden in your combat boot.
Tommy shot him a look that conveyed shock as he pat you down, failing to find any other weapons as he motioned for Joel's help. "Yes, I'm serious. We're not monsters, and we let you and Ellie in. She's the first straggler we've seen in months, now help me get her up on my horse." Tommy replied as he draped one of your arms over his shoulders and waited for Joel to follow through.
Joel let out an annoyed sigh as he began to dismount his horse, glancing at the smaller stallion Tommy had chosen before they had set out on this patrol. For whatever reason Joel had been given a larger horse, the stable worker even made a joke about how the older brother got the bigger horse.
"Put her on mine, she'll fit better on there." Joel offered as he began to help Tommy lift your limp body up. Judging by how little you weighed, you were indeed telling the truth about starving. Tommy glanced at Joel again, his brow pinching in confusion for a moment before managing to get your body slung over the saddle.
"You think she's alone?" Joel asked over his shoulder as he began leading the way back home, ignoring how the warmth of your body draped over his lap filled him with a kind of comfort he couldn't explain.
"Looks like it." Tommy replied, before a familiar silence fell between the two brothers once more.
It was hard not to memorize every detail of you during the five hour ride home, it was the only thing Joel could really focus on. Your hair was streaked with slivers of gray, a scar and bump on your nose revealed it had probably been broken in the past, and freckles were sprinkled your face. You muttered in your sleep, your brows furrowing as you whimpered softly every now and again. It eerily mirrored his own sleeping habits, especially before meeting Ellie.
For so long, Joel didn't give a shit about anything or anyone. And then Ellie came into his life, and he committed one last sin before taking her to the safety of Jackson. And now she was living a normal life, as normal as it could be anyway. She was going to school, making friends, and had recently turned fifteen. Ellie was the center of his world, his reason for living, and she occupied his thoughts more than anyone.
So why was he suddenly wanting to know your story? Why was he finding himself trying to get his horse to go faster the closer he got to Jackson?
Joel forced himself to push those thoughts away as he and his brother finally arrived at the main gate of Jackson, earning a familiar wave from the people on guard duty up above.
"What do you have there?” Jesse, a promising young man and one of Ellie's friends, called from the post.
"A woman who needs our help. Now open up, will ya?" Tommy hollered, clearly annoyed at everyone's reluctance to let you into Jackson. Jesse seemed to grumble something to himself, but the gate opened for Joel and Tommy nonetheless.
Tommy began ordering for a medical team to come and take you, but Joel found himself wanting to ensure that you got to the infirmary safely.
"I can take her." Joel blurted out, earning another confused look from Tommy as Joel began guiding his horse towards the medical center without waiting for a response. When he arrived, he gently slid your form off of the horse and began to carry you inside.
The head doctor met him at the door, and guided Joel down a hallway into one of the rooms with a bed and drip IV ready to go. Joel gently set your tattered body on the bed, stepping back to let the doctor assess your condition.
"Poor girl... must've been out there for a long time by the looks of it." The doctor murmured as she began to feel for your pulse, making Joel feel foolish for not doing so earlier.
"Will she be alright?" Joel questioned, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans, briefly wondering if this was worth the trouble.
"She'll be fine, just needs rest and food. Thank you for bringing her in, Mr. Miller, but we got it from here." The doctor replied, motioning for Joel to take his leave as a nurse pushed her way past him with some supplies.
Joel nodded, before making his way out of the building and returning to his horse. He didn't stop thinking about you, and it didn't help that when he returned home Ellie was pestering him with questions about finding you. What had you looked like? What was your name? Joel hated that he couldn't give her more answers, and was annoyed by the teasing that followed on the walk to the dining hall.
"Maybe you finally found a girlfriend." Ellie had joked, nudging his arm with her elbow as they entered the building.
"I'm too old for that." Joel grumbled, almost positive that you were younger than he was. By how much, it was difficult to say, as you didn't look a day over 40.
"Never too old for love!" Ellie gushed in a teasing tone, making an obnoxious kissing noise as Joel rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest.
He wanted to snap back that he had found love, just a paternal one for Ellie and… not romantic love. Ever. Maybe a little with Tess… but never anything serious. It wasn’t worth it in Joel’s eyes. More often than not Joel could barely open up to Ellie and Tommy, let alone anyone else.
On the walk back home after eating dinner, Ellie was skipping a few paces ahead of him, before she asked, "You think they're gonna let her have that house?"
Joel looked up at the slightly worn down pale green house that sat directly across the street from them. He hoped not, given how much work needed to be done to the building.
"Let's worry about her surviving the night first." Joel told Ellie, and even if she did, would she want to stay? He had met plenty of people that were perfectly content on their own, why would you be any different?
Ellie looked back at him with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, looking like she wanted to say something, but whatever it was she held back as they returned home.
Joel did not sleep well that night, tossing and turning and replaying the events of the day over and over in his head. By the time dawn began shining through the curtains, he had decided that he would stop by the infirmary... just to check on you.
The hum of fluorescent lights was the first thing you heard as your eyes fluttered open. You swallowed thickly, your mouth feeling painfully dry as you took in your surroundings.
A pale room, resembling a normal hospital room. Were you dead? Was this heaven?
The stinging pain of an IV in your arm and the feeling of oxygen being pumped into your nose made it clear that this was in fact, not heaven. With all of the energy you could muster, you lurched upright and yanked the stinging needle out of your arm. You had no idea where you were, or who had taken you, but you weren't going to stay to find out.
You were in a thin gown, much to your dismay, and you had no idea what had happened to all of your belongings. You took a moment to mourn them, before slipping out of the bed and slowly making your way over to the door. You began to tremble as a shiver danced its way up your spine, before slowly cracking the door open to survey the activity outside your room.
A hallway with... nurses? You wondered if you were dreaming instead, but the heaviness of exhaustion made it clear you were wide awake. There were only two women discussing something quietly a few yards away, and you could see a door with sunlight leaking through it past them.
Sunlight meant the outside world, and that meant escaping... wherever you were. If you made a good run, you'd make it and could reassess from there. You sucked in a few deep breaths as you watched the two women walk into a nearby room, this was your chance. Now or never.
You flung the door open and began barreling down the hallway, wincing as pain shot through your legs and stomach as the light became brighter. You couldn't believe it was working, you were almost free, almost out. You heard one of the women calling for you, and the sound of sneakers beginning to squeak on the tile floor as you neared the glass doors.
You flung the door open without a moment to spare, your feet carrying you into a bustling street. It looked almost normal, but you couldn't think about that when two women were calling for you to come back inside. The worst people you ever met lived in a place like this, and you weren't about to get stuck in another prison.
So your legs continued running, pushing past people and nearly tripping over innocent standbys as you bolted down the sidewalk.
"Joel! Tommy! Stop her!" You heard one of the women yell as you passed two familiar men, not risking slowing down for a second. There was a gate, and it was open. You needed to get there, and you weren't gonna let anyone get in your way.
You slowed your pace for a moment, before pushing for one last burst as you inhaled in through your nose, out through your mouth. The distance was closing so fast, you could practically taste freedom on your tongue.
A man shouting and tackling you to the ground made you finally let out a scream of protest, beginning to scratch and claw at whoever was holding your thrashing arms.
"Hey! Hey! It's me! The one who saved your sorry ass!" The man cried out as he forced you to look at him. The southern one... the older one.
"Joel!" A feminine voice called out, snapping his attention and yours to a heavily pregnant woman with braids and a scowl on her face.
"Let her up, let me talk to her." The woman ordered, motioning for this 'Joel' to stand and release his firm grip on you. He shot you a glare, before releasing you and rising to his feet. There was a crowd gathered around you, making your heart race in your chest as you waited for the woman to address you.
She stepped forward, making you shuffle backwards slightly as you blinked up at the woman before you.
"My name is Maria. What's yours?" She asked as she crouched down to properly meet your gaze. For whatever reason the man named Joel was still lingering near you. You forced yourself to ignore him as you hoarsely told the woman your name, earning a smile and nod from her as she repeated it.
"This isn't a prison. This isn't a camp of raiders. This isn't an overrun town. It's a settlement, and you're welcome to it. But only if you come with me back inside the infirmary." Maria explained, her voice steady and her eyes soft with empathy.
You looked around, shocked to see families, mothers with babies and toddlers, old couples, children of all ages...
It reminded you of home.
"Where am I?" You finally asked, at least wanting to know where you ended up. You couldn't have been in any other state, not with the large mountains looming practically next door to the settlement. Not with the clear, crisp mountain air filling your lungs with every breath you took.
Maria smiled again, reaching out her hand to you.
"Welcome to Jackson, Wyoming."
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