The Last of Us: Three Past the Witching Hour

Another year older.

But did it really matter at this point? Joel stopped paying attention years ago. It just became one of those things that dropped to the bottom of the list after the outbreak. But if Joel was ever genuinely curious, the math wasn't that hard to do. This year would place him at 48.

Like every year, he always woke up during in the middle of the night on this day. Even when time stopped for him, he always knew. It was the exact same time. Approximately three hours after the witching hour.

The moment when he lost his world.

He would just stare blankly at the ceiling, replaying that scene over in his head, thinking of the alternatives. If he had the chance to go back and do something, just something differently, would she be by his side today?

Would she have met Ellie?

He would turn and stare at the stars and the moon, just getting lost in the cosmos.

Was she really gone?

Joel was never really one to believe in the afterlife, especially these days more than ever, but he always felt…something more on this day.

Maybe it was someone.

Then again, it would be roughly three in the morning. While one half of the brain was insistent on exploring the greatest mysteries, attempt to solve the unsolved questions of this time, and god knows what; while the other side was just screaming at the other to shut up and shut down.

Whoever screamed the loudest got their wish granted.

~T~L~O~U~

What was once a yearly occurrence abruptly became a monthly one.

At least once a month, he would wake up at a specific point in the night. And every time, the feeling got stronger.

He wasn't alone. No, Ellie was next door in her own room. His door was closed and only his thoughts could be heard in the room. But his sixth sense said there was something off in here. And each time he tried to sleep it off, it his unconsciousness would keep him awake, ironically. All he could do and stare helplessly at the ceiling, counting down the minutes that he would be able to slip away once more.

As interesting ceiling may appear to be, Joel just couldn't help it at certain points.

There was just something about a damned darkened corner that always diverted his attention.

One night he fell asleep staring at it.

And something in the back of his mind questioned if something was staring back.

~T~L~O~U~

Weekly.

And the feeling was getting stronger.

Whenever the moon as out in any form, it always hit his room just right, giving it the perfect amount of light.

But there were always dark corners. And that's where his attention never failed to be deterred to. He would just stare and feel like something was staring back.

Sometimes he just wanted to grab his flashlight and point it at the dark corners. What he expected, he didn't know. Maybe something out of those typical horror movies; something absolutely terrifying, even more than a clicker, just staring him down. Something with a distorted face, inhuman, just something fucking demonic. Something where the second the light shined on it, his heart and stomach would switch places so quickly his body wouldn't register it for hours. Probably never even figure out the difference.

Maybe he was just being paranoid. Lack of sleep can do many things to the brain and none of them particularly positive.

Those never existed, they simply can't. If they did, then not any more.

But as each week passed, he couldn't deny that he may slowly become a believer.

~T~L~O~U~

Was old age finally beginning to get the best of him? Was this what it meant to be senile? These were the questions that became a prominent part of his mind, joining the queue containing thousands of others.

Now as soon as nightfall came, sleep would make a mad dash out the window. But Joel didn't feel anything until at that specific point in the night.

He managed to scrounge up a working clock and soon found out his guess was right. As soon as those numbers changed to that specific sequence, the feeling in the room shifted. The atmosphere became dense, warmer.

But he was able to deduce one thing that relieved him.

It wasn't anything sinister.

It felt like something…innocent, pure. He couldn't place it but he could guarantee that any chance of seeing anything out of a horror movie comfortingly low.

He would stay in bed and just look around his room, hoping to catch some glance of whatever it was. The moon wasn't out tonight so things were more difficult.

His flashlight was right there.

Maybe he didn't want to know? They say there can be a certain thrill to a chase. His eyes would dart back and forth without break all over his room.

But one drawback.

The mind is an unforgiving organ. Staring at nothing can become dull and the brain has no choice but to take entertainment and stimuli into its own hands.

Joel saw numerous things and granted, some were straight out of a horror movie. Some were even real life (how heart stopping it was to see the image of a bloater).

But as the feeling left and Joel began drifting back to sleep he got the lingering feeling.

There was one thing he saw. It stood out from the rest and was more realistic than anything. He had his doubts at first but he knew. He knew, no, he believed.

Whatever he saw wasn't a trick of the mind.

She was here.

~T~L~O~U~

Now it was daytime.

And the feeling made its debut under the sunlight. Chills and Goosebumps ran rampant up and down his body. He felt a small pressure around his waist and turned around to see if it weren't Ellie by chance.

Nobody there.

The pressure kept him in place. He couldn't move.

But he didn't want to fight it. It lasted for five minutes and the feeling disappeared.

And Joel felt empty.

Later that night, he shocked himself when he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He slept straight through the night. There were points when his consciousness would try to pull himself back to the real world, but he was in too deep.

And frankly he didn't want to find the way out.

~T~L~O~U~

There was no denying it.

There was contact.

He hadn't woken up in the middle of the night for a while, but did wake up groggy during the night when Mother Nature commanded he do so.

While he was making his way back his room, the numbers on his clock changed.

And his lingering state of drowsiness was ripped from him.

Joel was wide awake now, whether he liked it or not.

He felt the need to look for something.

Then he felt a grip and a tug.

And he had no choice but to follow.

He quickly found himself back in his room and right back in bed. His head softly hit the pillow and covers were gently pulled over him, the warmth and comfort bringing him right back to the state of drowsiness before and the countdown began before he would leave the conscious world.

But right before he left completely he heard a voice. Soft and comforting. Long gone, but familiar.

"Sorry daddy. Sleep now."

And sleep he did.

Every single night.

~T~L~O~U~

Joel no longer got the feeling of someone being there. No longer was he up during the nights, sleeping through them like a child with a full stomach. A clicker standing at his bedside wouldn't be enough to wake him. The atmosphere around him was always the same and not once did the energy ever shift.

But he always heard her voice, echoing in his mind. Whenever he said something, he would hear a response in the back of his mind. Her voice. Sometimes laughing along with him, agreeing or disagreeing with a point he had and then giving her two cents to a dollar about it. There were times he could swear he had full on conversations with her, right in his head.

It was her voice that quickly lulled him to sleep at night. It was her voice that kept his mind steady and calm, ironically enough.

It was the voice that told him that it wasn't his fault she was gone. That he should stop thinking about what he could have done differently to save her. To move on from the past and stay in the present. Look forward the future. He has been given this second chance and should live it to the fullest.

And when it was time, they would see each other again.

Then she faded away.

And he cried

~T~L~O~U~

While time seemed to be an endless concept, it does have an end. He lasted longer than he thought he would and his way out unexpectedly peaceful.

He just went to sleep one day to the sound of her voice…and then daylight never came.

Ellie was devastated, even getting characteristically angry for leaving her, but eventually thanked him for being a part of her life and letting her be a part of his. She thanked him for raising her, for making the last 20 years some of the best of her life. They were years she would cherish for the rest of her life. And she would continue to do her best to make him proud.

While he was gone for good, she didn't completely lose him. She would never be alone. That won't be allowed. Joel's met the rest of them, including her (which was the sweetest of reunions), and they all came to the same agreement. Until Ellie comes and joins them, her fear of being left alone will be quelled.

Because they would always visit. All together this time.

At three past the witching hour.

Everything about this is weird. Weird title, weird concept, weird everything YAS.

But if it relieves the pain of doing this overwhelmingly dull assignment than it shall be XD.

Call it a delayed Halloween-thing type story. I was itching to write something in the spirit of Halloween but I didn't have any ideas. Leave it to me to have an idea after the dang holiday LOL.

Thanks for reading and please leave a review if you want XD =)