Tess tells herself that she doesn't owe Joel anything, anymore. Hell, she almost had herself convinced of it, right up until his damn daughter showed up. But she can't just leave Sarah to her own devices.

Maybe it's not obligation. Maybe it's simply loyalty - a kind of stubborn, bullheaded loyalty that Tess has only ever given to Joel. Even after all this time, even after what happened in Boston, and now being here, without him, Tess won't break those bonds.

She knows very little about Sarah, save that she is his daughter, and that she died in the initial outbreak - at the hands of a soldier. That's it. It's weird for her to think about it, but she knows she's technically only five, six years older than Sarah. It's weird, but maybe - remembering what it was like to be a kid before everything went to hell - maybe that'll help her find some common ground.

She spots the girl, and her mouth gets dry at the sight of all that blood on her clothes. Shit. No one should see her like this. She's glad, for a moment, that Joel isn't here to see it. She's got a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, the smallest she could find on short notice, hopefully they'll work okay. Tess is a small, skinny woman, at least.

"Hey there," she says, approaching, unable to completely mask the concern in her eyes at the sight of the girl. "Let's get rid of that stuff, yeah?"