Sorry for the wait. I really appreciate a review to tell me if I'm doing alright or if I need to change something. Anyway, thanks for reading, should be more chapters out soon.

(Joel)

I was traveling through the crumbling hospital. I walked past the sprouting weeds and vines that attached to the hallway walls, and into a old coffee shop. The shop was at the end of hospital, and the entire wall had been destroyed so you could see the whole of the outside. Parts of bricks were scattered on the floor and some where still loose in the wall. I looked outside into the vast white distance. There was something out there though... Something red? It was coming closer and-

"ELLIE!" I called as I saw her running towards me.

I ran up to her too. She was here, I couldn't believe it! I could almost feel her in my arms already!

Our bodies crashed together and latched onto each other as we met.

"Oh, Ellie I missed you so much!"

She squeezed me tightly.
"Oh, baby girl..." I whispered. "I'm so happy I have you, I'm so happy I-"

"Shhh." Ellie interrupted. "It's alright, we're together now..." She quietly and gently whispered. My body was sinking and shivering, Ellie's soft words were the most relaxing thing I had ever experienced.

I stroked her soft hair with one hand and the other was spread across her back while she was buried in my chest. "Goodbye, Joel." Ellie uttered as she began to pull away.

"W-What?" I was shocked. Why was she saying goodbye? "I have to go now. I love you." She said flatly as she used more force to get off of me. Something in me snapped, she wasn't going to leave me, not this time. "No." I said affirmatively. "Your staying with me." Ellie shook her head and pulled away with more force, yet she didn't seem like she was even putting in effort.

"Please!" I begged as I hugged her tighter. "Don't leave me! Please don't leave me, Ellie." She was ripping away from me with strength greater than mine.

"P-Please don't..."

Joel open his eyes like he was hit by lighting. He was shaking, sweating and his breathing was heavy. He was still laying in the position to hide his cuff and shiv.

"Jesus Christ..." Joel mumbled as he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, exposing the shiv for a moment. Dreams are weird He thought. Joel looked at the door, it hadn't been moved. He listened. He heard three people outside talking.

"Hey, man, Sonny was a good friend of mine, I need to get a bit of action on his guy!" "Alright fine, but don't hurt him too bad." A croaky voice said. "You sure Jasper is okay with this? I saw what he did to you." A younger bandit said.

The two bandits chuckled.

"Shut the fuck up!" The voice wheezed. "He's not the leader, we can do what we want."

"Okay, man, chill. I'm gonna' go mess him up a bit then let you have em'." The voice was closer to the door. "Okay, don't take too long..." The younger bandit said.

How did I fall asleep? If I woke up any later I would be dead.

The door creaked, Joel dropped his head and pretended to be asleep.

The bandit walked in and closed the door. He was quite old. He looked older than Joel.

He took out a small lead pipe out from his white camouflage coat. "Wakey-Wakey my little princess..." He mocked as he got closer to Joel. He bent down and grabbed Joel's shoulder. Joel slid his hand out of the loose cuff and gripped the shiv hard. "I SAID WAKE U-" Joel swung his shiv up into the bandit's neck. His other hand held the bandit's back to stop him falling. He slowly and gently placed him down to prevent noise. Joel pulled out the shiv while the man gurgled, the blood made a small pool around him. Joel picked up the bandit's small lead pipe and put it in his pocket. He moved to the door and listened. There was one more outside the door, the other had walked away. He gripped his shiv again and slowly opened the door. The younger looking bandit had his back on Joel. He was staring down the hallway with his arms crossed. Joel crept up on him and grabbed him. He was in a neck lock from behind.

"Easy, son." Joel felt retaliation from him before he put the blade on his neck.

The bandit's breaths were now jumpy and he held his hands out in front of him to show he wasn't going to try anything.

"Where is my stuff." "L-Locker-room." "You got keys?" "You don't need keys t-to get in." "Where is it?" "E-End of the hall."

The bandit was surprisingly co-operate.

Joel would have killed him with the shiv but he didn't want to break it. Joel got his neck in a tight lock and lowered him to the floor. The bandit flung his arms behind him to try and reach Joel, but he couldn't. He coughed and sputtered as Joel choked him out until he was dead. Joel let his limp body hit the floor and searched him. He found four .357 bullets. The bandit didn't have a gun, just another small lead pipe.

Joel listened, he heard three bandits outside the building.

The building was some golf resort the bandits had build their camp around.

Joel walked over to the end of the hall. He opened the door to find a small armory. It wasn't where their main guns were but it had Joel's stuff in it. Joel walked over to the table were his backpack was, the contents of it were spilled out over the table. Joel began refilling his backpack. My revolver, ammo, couple notes... He listed the items he put in his bag. Ah shit, where's the map of the dam? Joel had the blueprints of the dam in his bag and they were gone. The bandits had taken it but there was no time to look for it now. Some rag, alcohol, a bit of binding and... Joel picked up the picture of him and Sarah, back in the old world. Joel smiled. He was so proud when she won that trophy, she was good at soccer. Joel had a special kind of happiness when he was with Sarah, he had that feeling when he was someone else as well.

Joel let out a deep exhale.

I'm gonna' come back, Ellie. I promise.

Joel wasn't sure if Ellie would miss him or not but it gave some hope.

Joel put the picture in his bag. He slung his bag on his back and was about to leave but he noticed a assault rifle in the corner of the room. Joel picked it up, there was a pile of ammo and magazines next to it. Joel loaded the gun and stuffed his pocket with three full magazines.

Joel walked out the locker room and moved to the window. There were three bandits right outside and about a dozen walking about in the distance.

Guess I'm not going this way. Maybe if I move out the back way of the building.

Joel began to sneak in the opposite direction. He listened and heard laughing. He crouched and moved to the door were the noise was coming from. It was a hall with a big table with a few chairs scattered around it. There were bandits eating and joking. Joel moved past the door and continued moving to the back exit of the resort.

Joel walked out the back doors of the resort, the bandits in the hall didn't notice him. The back of the camp only had a few tents, a truck and six bandits. Two bandits were patrolling the area while the other three talked. Joel hid on the side of the truck, the three bandits were on the opposite side of it. Joel noticed the oil drums on the right of him, near a tent. He took out the small lead pipe and threw it at the drums. It made a loud metallic crash. The bandits heads turned to the source of the noise while Joel moved left behind a row of crates and pallets were he wasn't visible to the three men. There was a bandit with his back on Joel, moving down the path in front of him. Joel caught up behind him and took out his revolver. Joel grabbed the bandit and stuck the gun barrel on the side of his head. "Not a fuckin' word..." Joel whispered aggressively. Joel could feel the bandit try to control his breathing. Joel checked his surrounding. He lowered the bandit and silently choked him to death.

Joel moved to the end of the row and hid behind some oil drums. He planned what to do next. There was a small gate with a platform on it to pass but it had no guard on it, he could easily walk up the platform and jump over it if he waited for the other patrolling bandit to- "HE GOT OUT! HE FUCKING-" A bandit burst open the resort exit doors and dropped to the floor coughing. "What's wrong?" One of the three talking bandits asked. The coughing bandit ran over to the three bandits with another four bandits from the hall behind him. "The fucking guy we caught got out! He fucking killed Aaron and Billy!" "Oh shit... Okay well he has to pass through here so look alive and shoot this mother-fucker as soon as you see him." "But-" The croaky voiced bandit was interrupted. "Kyle, I don't give a shit about torturing him. Your 'revenge' bullshit could get us all killed!"

Kyle was silent now, he didn't need another beating.

"Let's just spread out and look for him." The bandit said.

This messed up Joel's plan. He saw a bandit walked down the row Joel came from, the bandit noticed the body and ran up to it. He was going to tell the others and they would know he was here. Joel pulled his shiv out and ran up to the investigating bandit. The bandit looked up and saw Joel but it was too late for him. Joel had dug the shiv into his eye, the shiv snapped in his socket and the bandit screamed.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" A bandit shouted from the other end of the row. In a instant Joel pulled out his revolver and popped a shot in the bandit's stomach, knocking him to the floor. The two bandit's screams and a gunshot was more than he could sneak out of. They knew where he was.

"He's on the other side of that stuff!" A bandit shouted. Joel dropped to the floor and covered his head as bullets began flying through the row of pallets and crates. Splinters of wood burst out of them.

The bullets stopped and Joel crawled back to the oil drums. "Did we get him?" "I don't know, keep looking, and someone get on the gate."

There was a bandit walking towards Joel now. His only option was to fight. There was six bandits to fight and they were all in front of him. He pulled the assault rifle off of his backpack and cocked the firing pin. Joel looked down at the big, black, military-grade monster. He channelled his breath to steady himself. "Okay..." Joel whispered to himself.

Joel aimed the assault rifle over the oil drums. "There he is!" A bandit pointed to him. Joel held down the trigger. Bullets were flying at the bandits, piercing through their bodies and splattering blood on the floor. One of the bandits had tried to light the Molotov he was holding before Joel began shooting but as the force of the bullets pushed him backwards, the Molotov flew out his hand and hit the truck behind.

Joel stopped shooting. All the bandits were laying dead on the floor except Kyle who was standing by the back doors when the shooting happened. Joel saw him and aimed the gun at him but he ran through the doors. Joel saw the truck that was burning. Should be a nice distraction. He thought. Joel flung the assault rifle on his back and ran to the guard platform on the gate and jumped over it.

Joel was sprinting through the the dark woods.

I'm out! I'm made it out! I'm going to find her!

He turned back to see smoke and firelight coming from the bandit camp, it looked beautiful on the night sky.

I'm going to find her. Joel repeated in his head.