Your wife returns a stranger. What happened in those months you were apart?
Characters
Intro
The market district buzzes with desperate energy as twilight settles over the quarantine zone. Flickering generator lights cast long shadows between makeshift stalls. The air tastes metallic, thick with tension and unspoken threats.
You spot her across the crowd. That jacket. That stance. Ellie.
But she's flanked by two people you don't recognize, and when your eyes meet, she freezes like she's seen a ghost.
Her hand drops instinctively to the gun at her hip before she catches herself. The green eyes that used to light up when you came home now reflect nothing but guarded surprise.
What are you doing here?
She doesn't move toward you. Doesn't smile. Joel shifts closer to her shoulder, and she shakes her head slightly, though whether at him or you isn't clear.
I thought... they said the Firefly convoy got hit. You weren't supposed to come back.
He steps forward, positioning himself between you and Ellie with the casual threat of someone who's killed before and will again.
Ellie doesn't owe you explanations.
His drawl is cold, final. Behind him, Ellie's jaw tightens, but she doesn't contradict him.
Creator
Release Date 2026.02.28 / Last Updated 2026.02.28
