Sun shone through the window – Well, if you could call it a window. It was more like a hole, considering the fact that all the glass was gone, broken.
You squint your eyes, reaching to pull the blankets above your face – But there's none. Just the mattress below you and the clothes you wore. Despite the Summer's heat, you suddenly feel very cold.
With a sigh, you slowly sit up, stretching your arms and leaning back. Your shoulder blades create a satisfying cracking sound, and you suddenly feel a bit better. You turn around to face the mattress that lay beside you, only to find that Joel is missing from it. This strikes panic in you.
Heart immediately racing, you're on your feet, walking out of the room you were currently in. You find yourself in the hallway, but you don't find Joel.
". . . Joel?" You call out, hoping for a response.
. . .
You wait for a few moments, but there's absolutely nothing.
"Joel?" You call, louder now, making your way down the hallway. This was bad. This was really, really bad. Why would he just get up and leave like that? Did something happen?
Your thoughts revert back to the last time you were on the road like this. It wasn't long ago – Just months. Maybe less. You weren't really sure anymore.
You remember times though, where Joel would leave like this, just out of the blue, without telling you. And he always, always came back.
So why wouldn't he this time?
You stop. You take a breath. And you turn around. Joel is fine. Joel is fine. Joel. Is. Fine.
As you walk down the hallway, into the office-type room, (though more like a makeshift bedroom at this point), that you spent the night in, you sit down on the mattress where you slept.
Staring out your window, and watching clouds roll by in the sky, you couldn't help but give a tiny smile.
Maybe. . . Things were going to be okay. Maybe –
Your thoughts come to an immediate halt as you hear a gunshot. You're frozen, paralyzed, stuck. You can't move. Your thoughts go from blank to rushing.
Oh god, oh fuck, oh god. Where the hell is Joel? Is he okay? What happened, what happened, what happened. . .
You linger against the windowsill for a few minutes longer, even peeking outside. But you see and hear absolutely nothing.
Okay, this was not fucking cool.
You straighten up, grabbing your backpack off the floor and slinging it over your shoulders. You pull the 9ml from its holster, and point it in front of you, slowly exiting the room and making your way down the hallway a second time.
For some reason you couldn't quite explain, you had a truly eerie feeling as you walked down the hall. Your own footsteps were echoing, your every breath ringing in your ears. You felt so, so incredibly loud in such an incredibly quiet place.
"Joel!" You hiss out, in what could only be described as a loud whisper. You cock your head to the side each time you pass a door, just peeking in. Honestly a bit too scared to actually go into any of them.
You soon reach the end of the hall, and find yourself going down the flight of stairs to the lower floor. It's dark, and somehow turning on your flashlight just seems to make you more anxious than you were already. Like you're expecting to see something.
Joel had better be fucking okay.
You open the door labeled 'STAIRWELL C', and doing so seems to push some items that were lying on the ground outside of it, just creating more noise.
"Fanfuckingtasitc," You mumble in distress.
You find the gun in your hands to be unsteady, as your calloused fingers shake.
Whythehellareyousonervous. Quitbeingapussy. Holyshithebetterbeokay.
"Joel," You call, once again, "I swear to god, if you can hear me and you're not – "
A hand is covering your mouth, and another grabbing you and pulling you into a nearby room. The door shuts, and you're shoved into the corner.
"What the fu –"
But you don't even have time to yell that before their hand is covering the lower half of your face once more. You groan and struggle, before actually looking up at your captor.
Joel.
Finally, he pulls away from you, but is still signaling for you to shut your mouth.
"What the hell is going on?" You mouth to him.
He simply shakes his head, and is suddenly staring downcast, and that's when you see it.
He's gripping his side, and even through the dark-colored flannel, you clearly see the blood.
"Joel, what the hell happened to you?" Although your voice is audible again, it's still quite a whisper.
"Hunters. Just – Stay here, okay?" And with that he was standing up and heading towards the same door you'd just been pulled into.
But you're immediately after him.
"No way, Joel," You start, "I am not letting you go out there alone. You're injured, for fucks sake."
"And I am sure as hell not letting the same happen to you. I'll be fine."
"I'm not a child, just let me help –"
"No!" He interrupts you, and his voice is stern, "I am not letting you get hurt. Stay. Here."
You're not entirely sure how to react to his sudden hostility. You pause before nodding slowly, and returning to the corner of the room. He gives you a look – One you can't quite read – And walks out.
AN: I'M SO SORRY I HAVENT UPDATED IN SO LONG. AAAHHH, But with the new year, I hope to bring more chapters! Stay tuned, lovelies 3
