(The Return Home) "Joel's Closure"
Last of us Fanfiction

By Kyle Doyle.

Chapter 1

As Joel and Ellie walked down the street passing numerous dilapidated timber framed houses they're walls weathered by years of blistering texas heat,

"What does it feel like to be back in the ol' lone star state?" Ellie asked warily knowing what Joel had been through here 20 years before.

"It's a lot different than before but it's still as I remember it" Joel said quietly.

They had passed the "Welcome to Travis County" sign some miles back and Memories began to flood back to Joel of times before the infection, as they where passing the place where Joel's job was stationed they where half constructed overgrown timber house frames.

"Hey kiddo I worked on that house before all hell broke loose" He said with a slight break in his voice,

"What!? What was it like?" Ellie replied excitedly,

"It was hard work baby girl but it payed the damn bills, The good times I had when I was workin' there though" Joel said looking up at the timber shell which mother nature was now taking back,

"Bills sound like a pain in the ass and I ain't talkin' about the one in Lincoln" Ellie laughed. Joel couldn't help but crack a smile at that.

Around 20 minutes later they passed the Travis County Elementry and High School, most of the windows had been smashed and the brick work was well aged with moss and greenery taking over it. Numerous teenage and child size skeletons lay upon the sidewalk and steps outside the school they're torn and frayed uniforms where lightly fluttering in the spring breeze. The eye catching school emblem was the only thing that eligible on the breast of the blazer, A white star with an American Bald Eagle rising above it.

"This is the school Sarah went to kiddo" Joel said mournfully, Remembering the times Sarah would run down the steps and greet him at the car,

"The military school in the zone shits on this place! There where bars on the windows outside every room there, Bet it was a fucksight better here though" She said angrily remembering what happened to Herself and Riley after escaping the school,

"You could say that baby girl, There wasn't teachers ya had to salute and follow around like a trail o' ducks. all ya had to do was call em' sir or miss" he said,

"Much easier for everyone back then" she murmured.

"Yeah" Joel said under his breath with a tone of sadness in his voice.

After another 10 minutes of walking they where now entering the suburbs of Travis County to a place that Joel remembered like it was yesterday. He couldn't believe it he was stood at the end of his old street. Memories of people milling about in the houses around him where begining to flood back with sadness slowly following, He walked in a daze along the sidewalk with Ellie at his side fiddling with her switchblade mumbling the lyrics to one of her songs walking past the desolate houses Joel couldn't help but take a deep breath to hold back the lump in his throat, He then stopped dead outside his own house, An unaware Ellie walking into him

'Fuck, Joel? You OK?' She said sounding annoyed.

"Yeah kiddo... This was my house before the outbreak" He said with a clear shudder of sadness in his voice.

"I bet it was nice before the outbreak" Joel just stood stock still with a glazed look on his face looking up at what was the residence of his former happy life.

His rusted and broken truck being reclaimed by mother nature sat stuck in time on the drive way, Walking over to it he brushed away the dead and decaying weeds and foilage and peered in, His work coat and lunchbox where still sat on the passenger seat as he left them 20 years ago. He sighed bleakly.

"I take it the truck was yours Joel?" Ellie inquired,

"Yeah she was ol' faithful, got me from A to B, Come on kiddo lets go inside" he said.

As they walked upto the broken and beaten front door the timbers of the porch creaked and groaned...

pushing the door open ajar they where greeted by a completely upturned room, the couch was cushionless and the back cushions looked as if they had been violently slashed the tv was screen down on the floor the back shield had been smashed off and a carpet of dirt and paper was strewn on the floor, moving forward Joel heard glass crunching under his feet, looking down a grimy photo frame containing a Photo of Sarah in her school uniform, Her beautiful smile making his heart flutter, after he picked it up he took the photograph out of its frame and kissed it and then put it in his breast pocket,

"She was so beautiful Joel, She was a credit to you" Ellie said quietly,

Joel just mumbled something under his breath and walked around the corner into another room just across from the living room and stopped dead,

"Oh God, Jimmy!"

Ellie came running to where Joel was and was greeted by a Skeleton that was covered from head to foot in dead and flaking Fungus, A warm dry mummified smell hung in the air.

"You knew this Guy?" she asked,

"Yeah I shot him... he went to attack Me and Sarah just before we got the hell out of here, He had just turned, I remember walking outside after hearing screamin' and shoutin' and there he was in my yard going insane" he said

"Jeez that must have frightened the shit out of you Joel!" she said,

"Yeah it did but I was more worried about Sarah at the time wondering if she was bein' attacked but she was safe when I got to her". he said quietly

Joel found a sheet and began to cover Jimmy's corpse

"I hope you forgive me my old friend, Rest in Peace ol' buddy" Joel said.

He then stood up and walked towards the stairs with Ellie in close quarters as they ascended the stairs Joel collected every Photograph from the frames on the wall. Sarah and Joel at the Carnival. Sarah Joel and Tommy Hiking. and Sarah and Tommy Sitting on a couch. They where all folded neatly and then placed into his left breast pocket near to his heart. he walked into what was his own bedroom and said to Ellie,

"My Room... It's alot messier than I left it" He joked.

Walking on because there wasn't anything of interest to scavenge in there. Passing the wrecked bathroom with a damp smell wafting from it, they finally came upon Sarah's bedroom door.

"Are you sure you're ready for this Joel?" Ellie asked comforting Joel.

(I do not own The Last of Us or the characters involved)