TWD - Zomboid - Chapter 286: Rebecca? Still Not as Good as Ada (Patreon)

Hershel continued teaching Ellie something useful.

“A horse’s hooves grow just like our fingernails.”

Without looking up, Hershel explained, “If the hoof grows unevenly, the horse won’t walk properly. It might even start limping.”

“Trimming the hoof is the part that takes real skill. Cut too deep and you’ll hurt the horse.”

“But if you don’t trim enough, the hoof stays uneven and you haven’t accomplished anything. You have to get it just right.”

Ellie watched with intense concentration.

There was something strangely satisfying about watching a horse’s hoof being trimmed.

“Third, you put on the new horseshoe.”

Hershel picked out a horseshoe of the right size and held it against the freshly trimmed hoof to check the fit. Once he was satisfied, he took several specialized horseshoe nails and drove them at the proper angle into the hard outer layer of the hoof, securing the shoe firmly in place.

“Remember, the nails need to angle outward,” he said as he worked the small hammer. “Here’s a trick. Follow the line of the hoof wall. Drive the nail in from underneath and have it come out through the outer wall. That way, you won’t hit the sensitive tissue inside.”

“If you nail into the flesh, the horse will be in terrible pain. It could even become infected and start to rot.”

After several crisp strikes of the hammer, the new horseshoe was firmly secured.

Hershel then bent over the exposed nail tips and filed them smooth against the hoof wall.

“There. Done.”

He lowered the mare’s hoof and gave her a light pat on the rump.

The mare stamped her hoof and snorted contentedly.

Ellie watched in fascination.

Before they left, Hershel took a cowboy hat down from the wall. It was somewhat worn, but had been kept meticulously clean.

He placed it directly on Ellie’s head.

“It’s yours, young lady.” The old man smiled warmly. “You’ve got the same lively spirit my daughter had when she was your age. I bet you’ll make a fine little cowgirl someday.”

Ellie stared blankly for a moment before reaching up to touch the hat.

Her nose suddenly stung.

This place was completely different from the world outside.

Out there, she had to constantly watch everyone around her.

Here, people offered kindness without asking for anything in return. They helped one another, relied on one another, and did their best to keep living together in the middle of the apocalypse.

Joel would definitely like it here too.

Hershel had simply seen a little of young Maggie in Ellie. His eldest daughter had always been a source of pride for him.

Of course, there was also another motive.

It was his indirect way of reminding Luke to hurry up and have children.

Maybe one day Hershel would even get to teach his grandson or granddaughter how to shoe a horse.

...

By the time they finished wandering around, the sun was already sinking toward the horizon.

“All right.” Luke looked at the sky. “Time to take you to see Rebecca.”

“Who’s Rebecca?” Ellie asked.

“The head of the laboratory. I appointed her to oversee our research into viral vaccines. You’ve eaten quite a lot today, so you probably shouldn’t undergo any tests right now. I’ll just introduce you first.”

At the word “laboratory,” Ellie tensed slightly.

Joel had warned her over and over that plenty of people would want to use her because she was immune.

The Firefly Lab...

But after everything she had seen today, most of Ellie’s wariness had already faded.

Luke might have a terrible personality and an even worse mouth, but he genuinely didn’t seem like a bad person.

And the Commonwealth really did seem like an ark carrying humanity’s hope for survival.

She steadied herself and followed Luke into the laboratory.

Outside, Luis was playing with Sherry in the open area.

When he saw Luke approaching, the roguishly handsome researcher raised an eyebrow and called out, “Well, look at that. Our lord has brought back another young lady. May I be so fortunate as to learn her name?”

Luke glanced at him, then turned to Ellie with a completely serious expression.

“See him? That’s what a real creepy guy looks like. Keep your guard up.”

Luis immediately protested. “Hey! What do you mean, creepy guy? I, Luis, am a proper Good Samaritan and gentleman. Everyone loves me!”

“Sure, sure.” Luke brushed him off and walked past with Ellie. “Mr. Gentleman, keep an eye on your little shadow.”

Inside the laboratory, Rebecca was bent over a workbench.

She wasn’t wearing her usual white lab coat today.

Instead, she wore a fitted light gray shirt with the sleeves rolled up, tucked neatly into dark trousers.

Her short black hair was tucked behind her ears, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses rested on the bridge of her nose. With her eyes lowered as she carefully recorded data, she gave off a calm, capable, intellectual charm.

Rebecca really did know how to dress.

“Hey, Rebecca.” Luke wandered inside. “How come you haven’t been pestering me for blood lately?”

Rebecca didn’t even look up.

“You’re not a blood bag,” she said calmly. “I already took enough last time. I have to let you recover before I draw any more.”

“Don’t worry. I’m keeping track. When the time comes, I’ll show up beside your bed right on schedule.”

Luke pictured himself waking up in the middle of the night to find a female scientist standing beside his bed with a blood-drawing needle in hand and her eyes gleaming with excitement.

He shuddered.

That was scarier than a walker.

With a perfectly serious expression, he turned to Ellie.

“See? Evil scientist. Ever heard of Frankenstein? Give this woman enough time and she’ll probably stitch one together herself.”

Rebecca’s expression darkened.

Then she turned to Ellie and said gently, “Ignore him. This idiot loves messing with young girls.”

“I have no interest in messing with little girls,” Luke said innocently. “Now, a grown woman like you...”

He paused.

“Actually, never mind.”

Rebecca immediately looked annoyed.

What was that supposed to mean?

Did having short hair somehow make her less feminine?

Or did the fact that she was always carrying syringes scare men away?

“You’re not as good as Ada anyway,” Luke added.

There were some things you simply shouldn’t say to one woman about another woman.

Even if those two women happened to get along.

“Smack!”

Without another word, Rebecca yanked off one of her slippers and hurled it at Luke.

The slipper whistled through the air and flew past his head.

The laboratory instantly descended into chaos.

Ellie stood off to the side, staring at the ridiculous scene.

Was the world ending all over again?

Could this laboratory really produce anything useful?

This was nothing like what she had imagined.

After quite a bit of commotion, the two finally settled down.

Rebecca irritably straightened her clothes and quickly recovered her usual composed, intellectual demeanor.

Only then did she turn her attention to Ellie.

“So what kind of test subject is this girl?”

“She’s immune to Cordyceps infection,” Luke said. “It’s a fungus that can turn living people into an entirely different kind of infected.”

“Oh?”

Rebecca’s eyes immediately lit up.

Her instincts as a research fanatic had been awakened in an instant.

A completely new pathogen and a perfectly immune specimen.

To her, there were few things more fascinating.

Of course, Rebecca was still very interested in Luke as well.

Luke watched her stare at Ellie as if she had just discovered buried treasure.

“I keep bringing you perfect test subjects, and what do I get? Not even a thank-you. Not so much as a little reward.”

“Next time,” Rebecca replied absentmindedly.

She didn’t even look at him.

Her eyes were already glued to Ellie.

Luke pursed his lips.

As expected, this woman only knew how to take.