"Hey Joel? Do you think we are actually going to find anything?" Ellie asked.
Joel let out a sigh as he jumped over a downed tree. They had been sent out by Tommy to look for some extra supplies because the town was running a little low. Joel and Ellie have been living in Jackson County for a month. They were given their own Cabin in the town, but in return they had to help around the County especially when it came to scrounging supplies.
"I don't know baby girl but we have to look 'round anyway" Joel said helping Ellie over the downed tree.
A silence came between the two for a while until they finally reached an abandoned house they have never seen before. "Hold up" Joel said as he and Ellie crouched behind a bush observing the house from afar. Joel took his backpack off and took out the map Tommy gave him that marked all of the houses in the area.
"Well whaddya know" Joel said as he noticed this house was not marked on the map. He put the map back in his backpack and quickly took out his revolver.
"This house isn't marked on Tommy's map" Joel said to Ellie.
Ellie thought for a response until she heard a gunshot come from inside the house. Joel was looking at the house at the time and saw the light from the gun go off on the second floor at the top right corner. Now Ellie brought out her 9mm handgun and looked at Joel waiting for his order.
Joel overlooked the house to see no one outside guarding the house meaning there were only possibly a few hunters in the house. He knew that he and Ellie could easily take them out and maybe they would have a decent amount of supplies with them. "Alright Ellie we are going to take a look in that house, now since there is no one guarding the house from the outside I'm guessing there should only be a few hunters. Now when we get in the house I want you to take out any hunters you see and look around for supplies. I will go upstairs and see what the problem is with that gunshot. Alright?"
Ellie thought about it for a second before she looked at her friend and nodded her head in agreement. Joel jumped over the bush followed by Ellie and they both ran fast towards the front door. When they got there they noticed the door was kicked off of its hinges with blood stains around it. Joel looked through the door carefully to see if anyone was in the living room and saw no one.
He looked over to Ellie seeing her looking at him as well. He motioned his fingers forward and Ellie nodded. She turned around the corner quickly with her 9mm ready in front of her. Joel did the same thing waiting to see if anyone would jump out at them. Nothing happened so he tapped the shoulder of Ellie and pointed her in the direction of the kitchen right next to the living room. Ellie nodded and went towards the kitchen.
She stood next to the doorway of the kitchen and spun around the corner with her gun ready. To her surprise it was clear no one was scavenging down here. She looked back to Joel and shook her head. Joel got the message and motioned her to search. Ellie got the message and put her gun in her holster and ran into the kitchen.
Joel sighed knowing there had to be someone upstairs so he silently walked over to the steps and looked up them. There was light upstairs because of the sun outside shining through the windows.
Joel walked up the stairs trying to hear any talking. He reached the top of the stairs and cautiously looked left and right before he heard talking coming from down the hall. He walked silently down the hall and stopped outside the door as he continued to listen to the talking of men.
"I don't know about you man but I get first dibs on this little slice of heaven" a man said.
"Whatever dude as long as you don't destroy her to much so I can have a little fun" another man's voice quickly came in response followed by laughter from the two men.
"You're not going to do anything to me" a woman's voice said. Joel felt his heart stop he knew what they were going to do to that poor women. He opened his chamber to his revolver and saw he only had three shots left. He knew he had to be precise to take down these hunters.
Joel was about to turn the corner when he heard the screams of the two men and then silence. Joel was utterly confused and knew it was the time to show himself. He turned the corner of the door with his revolver ready and what he saw made his heart nearly stop.
On the floor were the two male hunters with their throats sliced open and dead in their own pool of blood. Joel felt sick to his stomach at the sight, he was never truly immune to see someone covered in that much of their own blood.
Joel looked up to see the girl was gone. 'Where did she go' he thought to himself as he looked around the room. But his question was answered when he felt the cold metal point of a gun against his right temple.
"Don't move or you're dead" the woman said taking the revolver out of his hand and placing it in her back pocket. She moved in front of him so he could clearly see her face and the sight made Joel speechless. Standing in front of him was a gorgeous woman with Blonde hair and the deepest blue eyes he had ever seen. She was about his height and looked very fragile even though the way she killed those two hunters.
"Look I'm not going to hurt you. I heard the gunshot from the woods and came to investigate" Joel said putting his hands up in defense.
The girl didn't know to trust this man or not and she noticed how handsome this man was and she kind of blushed when she saw how ripped he was. But she threw those emotions away quickly wanting to know about this guy more. "How do I not know you're lying to me? Hunters always travel in packs and there are always reinforcements on the way" the girl said holding the trigger to her Glock 18 a little bit tighter waiting for a response.
Joel instantly knew a way to show is truthfulness. "Hunters never carry kids around with them right?" Joel asked the girl already knowing the answer to his own question. The girl nodded a 'yes' and Joel continued "I can show you that I am not a hunter. If you let me?"
The girl thought about it and again nodded a 'yes'. Joel moved his hand slowly to his back pocket and felt around for the picture of him and Ellie that Tommy took a while ago hopefully getting her to believe him. He felt around for a while and he felt something that made him stop in his tracks. It was his backup 9mm handgun he looked up to the girl to see her facial expression change.
She saw the handgun and immediately got the wrong idea. She picked her handgun up and before Joel could explain anything she fired her weapon and Joel felt pain course threw him as the bullet passed through his stomach. He looked down at the bullet wound and felt the blood pouring out of it and down his body. He fell backwards and landed on the ground with his back against the wall.
Down in the kitchen Ellie was searching around the kitchen looking for some supplies when she came across something that made her jump in joy. It was a backpack from one of the hunters and it was filled with cans of beans and tons of ammunition for the County. "Joel's going to be stoked when he sees all of this" Ellie said happily and then it happened.
BANG
Ellie heard the loud gunshot and her heart sank. She ran out of the kitchen not caring if anyone could hear her or not, but she silently walked up the stairs. She walked down the hall and saw blood coming out of one of the doors and she walked next to the door just like Joel taught her to and wait to hear if there was any talking.
"No. Please let me explain" she heard Joel explain and instantly she thought the worse.
"No I knew you were a no good hunter. Time to die" Ellie heard a female voice say and then she heard the cockback of the pistol and that's all she needed to hear to act. Ellie swung around the corner of the door and saw Joel on the floor with a girl holding a pistol to his forehead.
"Freeze! Drop the fucking gun now!" Ellie yelled at the woman immediately getting her attention. The girl nearly dropped her gun in shock when she saw this little girl pointing a gun at her. "I said drop the gun and get away from him" Ellie said again in an angry tone.
The woman dropped her gun and Ellie moved in front of Joel in a protective way "No one is taking him from me especially after what we have been through" Ellie said before crouching next to Joel. "Joel how are you holding up?" Ellie asked looking over him.
Before he could reply the woman spoke up "Wait you're traveling with this girl? You weren't lying when you said you weren't a hunter" the woman said unbelievably and watched as the scene unfolded in front of her.
"Yes I was going to show you a picture of me and her but I guess you saw my backup handgun right?" Joel said while wincing in pain.
"Yes I did I am so sorry. I didn't mean to shoot you but I thought you were going to attack me" the woman said with tears forming in her eyes.
Ellie couldn't believe what she heard 'shoot you' played over and over again in her head until she turned to Joel "you – you're hit" Ellie said in an unbelievable tone. Joel nodded a 'yes' and pulled up his shirt revealing the gunshot in his stomach with all of the blood coming out of it. Ellie felt her anger boil as she looked over the wound. After a little while she got off of her knees and started to walk towards the woman ready to pull the trigger at any moment. She put the gun close to her face "You bitch I could kill you right now. Do you have any idea what I have been through with this man? All he has ever done is sacrifice his own wellbeing for mine and now he could die because of a bitch like you?" Ellie asked cocking back the pistol.
"Wait I can help him I was a nurse before the outbreak I can take out the bullet and stitch it" the girl said feeling guilty about the whole incident.
Ellie felt her anger go down when she heard the woman say she was a nurse. She put the gun away from the woman's face and breathed in "Alright I have the supplies to help you, but if you fail and he dies I will not hesitate to kill you understand".
The girl nodded "I understand"
The two girls walked towards Joel who was now unconscious. Ellie ran to his side and started to shake him hoping that he was still alive "Joel? Joel wake up!" Ellie said with tears threatening to fall. The woman got on her knees next to the unconscious man and checked his pulse in his neck. She felt a slight pulse but it was very weak and slow.
"He is alive but he is unconscious from the loss of blood" the woman said looking around for a place to operate on when she spotted the bed in the room "Ellie help me get him on the bed". Ellie nodded in response and with the combined strength they picked up Joel and placed him on the bed and soon she got to work hoping to let this man live long enough to say she was sorry.