Chapter 10: Lose Control

The next day, Ed and Ellie were on another one of their nature walks outside the settlement. The weather was expected to be beautiful, a complete turnaround from yesterday's mess. The sun was high in the sky, the humidity was at a comfortable level, and every now and then a breeze would come through to keep things steady.

Ellie wore blue jeans, converse and a light blue flannel shirt but because of the decrease in temperature, she wrapped the flannel around her waist, leaving her in her gray tank top.

At the advisement of Joel, Tommy and Maria, Ellie always kept her bite wound wrapped with medical tape, excusing it as a nasty scar caused by a shot gun. The news of her bite mark remained between the four of them and the medical staff. A full medical profile was required for everyone but the staff swore everything would remain confidential. Public knowledge of it could cause massive amounts of panic and misunderstandings would create chaos, the very thing that everyone here strived to get away from.

Same went with Ed's bites which were faded and scarred enough to be excused as stab wounds (except the fresh one on his collarbone, it's always wrapped) and Baron's scratch, which is excused as a narrow escape from a hatchet.

"God damn it's hot." Ellie said, wiping a few beads of sweat from her forehead.

Ed hummed in response, keeping a firm eye on the ground, as if he were looking for something.

"Everything okay, Ed?" Ellie asked.

Ed's head snapped up. "Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry." He glanced over at Ellie and saw the medical tape wrapped around the mark on her forearm.

"I've been meaning to ask, but has there been any change with your bite mark?" Ed asked.

Ellie brought her arm up and looked at the tape, feeling the bite. Every once in a while, she felt pain run through it, as if she had been bitten just yesterday.

"Not really, but sometimes I feel some burning and itchiness. The medical team has some cream for it and that usually relieves it."

Ed nodded his head. "Any change in appearance?"

"Back in March it looked like it was getting worse, like the fungus that surrounded it started swelling a bit, but it's been going down. Joel says that pretty soon the bite may be all that's left. Then it could fade away on its own."

Ed crossed his arms in thought.

"How do you feel though? Even if that bite mark heals, the fungus just going away might not happen."

"I get headaches sometimes but Joel usually hands me some pain killers and they go away. But they've been getting a little worse lately."

Ed made a mental note of this information. He began running calculations in his head…

"I'm…I'm not going to turn right?" Ellie asked softly, the slightest hints of fear in her eyes.

Ed flickered back to reality, walked closer to her and placed his hands on her shoulders to comfort her.

"Sweetie, I've been bitten twice…rather three times now and I'm nowhere near to losing my mind."

"Do you get headaches too? Do your bite marks burn?"

"I get the occasional migraine but I've suffered from them for most of my life. Don't really have them now." Ed responded. "As for the bites, yeah they flare up sometimes but I use ice packs to soothe them. The one on my collarbone is a bitch to deal with sometimes but it's nothing I can't handle."

Ellie still didn't feel sure. Every time she looked at her bite, she didn't feel like she was really immune. Riley turned before her. Maybe some people just take longer than others.

But when she thinks about Ed, her father, his first bite was almost twenty years ago. There's no way the timer could run that long.

Ellie just didn't know.

"Ellie listen to me. I swear you will never turn. I promise you that."

"But how do you really know?" Ellie asked.

"Maybe I should let her in…" Ed opened his mouth to answer but was promptly cut off by the bone chilling sound of a gun cocking. He looked up and saw three hunters emerge from the bushes, one of them armed with assault rifle.

"Stay by me sweetie." Ed pushed Ellie behind him to shield her from any immediate danger.

"Well what do we have here?" The leader of this group spoke up.

"What do you want?" Ed spoke up.

"When the world becomes one without laws, it's up to us to make our own. Normally we would shoot tourists like you on the spot for trespassing on our territory, you feel?"

"We didn't know this area was occupied, we'll leave, alright?" Ed said, grabbing Ellie's hand.

"Ah-ah-ah." The hunter wagged his finger. "Though I'm glad you seem like the negotiating type, because we're a negotiating type of group, y'know?" The hunter waved his machete around. "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Bray. My friends here are Luke and David."

Ellie felt a chill run up her spine at the mention of the name David. She shook her head looked at the man known as David breathed out a small sigh of relief when she didn't see any noticeable similarities to the David she used to know.

Or any scars.

But really, all three of them were…Ellie couldn't find any words to describe them. Bray had a long bushy beard and long hair. He was tall, probably just a shade shorter than Joel, but was a bit rounder. Not as big as Bill, but he wasn't skinny. The most remarkable thing about him were his eyes, a deep blue and looked like they could glare a hole through the strongest steel. Ellie dared to not make any contact.

Luke seemed to be…out of it to be frank. He had no visible weapons on him but looked like he could take on a bloater with his bare fists. He wore a sleeveless denim jacket, dirty jeans and black boots.

David, the one with the assault rifle, appeared to be the more normal ones out of the two. He was bald but had a black goatee. He wore a dark green hooded sweater, green camouflage pants, and black shoes. He was also around the same height as Joel but had more muscle mass.

These were nothing like Ellie and Joel had encountered before. Something about these three just seemed…off.

"Now here's how things work here. We only allow tourists such as yourselves pass through for a little toll."

"We don't have anything." Ed responded, internally cursing himself for not bringing some sort of firearm with him. He didn't plan to wander as far as they did from the settlement.

"Don't be quick to jump to conclusions. We accept anything. Bits of food, raw supplies, ammunition, shivs, you gotta have something?" Bray asked once more.

Ellie had her switchblade tucked in the back of her pants, but there was no way in hell she was giving it up to these assholes.

"We swear we don't have anything. We just momentarily left our camp to find a river to relieve ourselves from the heat. Honest." Telling them about the settlement could just be fuel to this burning inferno.

"Don't wrap yourselves up in more lies. That does nothing but grant you bullet between your lying eyes. Or that lying tongue being cut out of your smart mouth, you hear?"

Ed gulped, tightened the grip on Ellie's hand (her grip equally tight), and kept her as close to him as possible.

"You too are to clean, too well kept to have been wandering these harsh lands. You come from some place good, those safe havens we've been hearing so much about." Bray twirled his machete. "We come from one as well. We use these tolls as a means to keep our little community prospering. Make sure all of ours are well and happy. And David has been particularly angry lately. His methods of release haven't been doing the trick so please excuse him if he appears a bit trigger happy."

All three of these men were unstable. A special kind of unstable.

"And the point remains, you have to pay the price for your mistake. And I think I spy your method of payment." Bray looked Ellie. She went to pull out her switchblade but Ed silently advised her not to.

"Mind telling me your name little one?" Bray asked.

"It's none of your god damn business."

"Feisty." Bray sickeningly licked his lips.

"You aren't getting anywhere near her. We haven't done anything wrong. Just drop this nonsense and let us go. You won't find us here anymore."

"Oh really, Ed-boy? You haven't done anything wrong? Because I have a million different reasons that'll big to differ."

Ed flinched at the nickname. He used to have that nickname when he was with the fireflies.

But the way he said it…

Before Ed or Ellie had time to react, Bray went on the attack, separating them. Bray held Ed back at knifepoint while Luke grabbed Ellie. She reached for her switchblade but before she had a chance to grab it, Luke had restrained her.

"Let go of me you fuck face!" Ellie did her best to break the hold but Luke was as strong as he looked, if not stronger.

"She's a little young, but you take what you can get, right?" Bray said, laughing.

David nodded his head and gave a crooked smile.

"Now indulge! And I am certain you will be sated for many months to come, David. We can't have you shooting potentials before they can plead their case."

Something outside Ed snapped. His mind just shut down. All he cared about at the moment was punishing these men for trying to harm his little girl.

He reared his head back and connected it with Bray's nose. Bray involuntarily released his hold on Ed, allowing for Ed to grab his machete and plunge it into Bray's side, until the blade stuck out of his back. He ran to David and wrestled the assault rifle out of his hands and shot him directly in the head. Luke went to punch him but Ed quickly countered with a hard punch of his own to Luke's jaw. He kneed Luke where it always mattered, bringing him to his knees.

Ed should have stopped right then, just punching him once or twice to knock him out.

But he didn't.

Instead he had Luke in a modified headlock. He placed two fingers in the top part of Luke's mouth and another two at the bottom.

And he began to pull.

Luke tried to fight his way back but it shockingly enough Ed was far too strong.

"You don't touch my little girl ever. Let this be a message."

With one final pull a sickening crack filled the air.

Luke's body fell to the ground, with his head torn in two and almost nothing left of it. Remnants of were splattered on the green grass, some landing on the innocent flowers.

Ed breathed heavily as he looked at the corpses, making sure they wouldn't rise up for a second round.

"You don't touch my little girl, you don't touch her ever in her life!" He bellowed out.

"Only bloaters…only…bloaters..." Ellie has seen how bloaters can kill their prey. Ed's was far too similar.

Bloaters were the last stage of the CBI, the result of years of infection.

Years of infection.

Was he infected this whole time, just with no fungus to show for it?

Is that what was going to happen to her?

"He promised…"

Ellie was no stranger to gruesome to violence. Joel was as brutal as they come. But in each in every brutal encounter where Joel battles for survival, Ellie always knew that Joel would cool down as soon as the threat was clear.

But looking at Ed? She wasn't even sure if Ed would even cool down and recognize her.

And that scared her.

She let out a whimper and that was enough to bring Ed back. He looked at her and saw the look of fear on her face.

Rage was immediately replaced by guilt

"Sweetie…" Ed saw how much Ellie was shaking.

"Get away from me." Ellie said.

"Sweetie, I'm not going to hurt you…"

"No! Get the fuck away from me!" Ellie kicked him away, quickly stood up and ran back to the settlement.

"Ellie!" Ed called after her but she showed no signs of turning around. He then took a moment to take in what had truly happened.

"What is going on with me? I thought I had this under control." Ed looked at his hands, covered with Luke's blood. "This hasn't happened in years…" Ed placed a hand on his newest bite mark.

"Damn." He muttered. "The new bite must have neutralized it." He rubbed the bite mark and looked at the bodies laid before him.

Bray, Luke, David, those names were too familiar to Ed. A sense of dread soon took over him.

"No, no, no, no…!"

He had to check.

We went to Luke and David first and pulled back the collars on their shirts.

They wore the necklaces.

Ed could feel his heart rate quickening as he walked over to Bray. With shaking hands he pulled back Bray's shirt. Ed's moved back as if he had been burned.

Not only did he have the necklace but Bray's had the golden stamp, like his once did.

That meant one thing.

They're here.

They found him.

Ellie ran back to the settlement without looking back, with tears in her eyes. Once she reached the gates, she banged on them, begging and pleading to be let in. The guards let her in but were distraught by her behavior. They tried to stop her and ask what was wrong but she just ran by them.

They alerted Tommy who in turned alerted Joel and told the rest of the guard to keep an eye out just in case she decided to run off again.

Joel was at home, his guard duty shift didn't start until 2 so he was just lying around reading one of Ellie's comics to kill time. But once he got the call from Tommy, he was alert, waiting for Ellie to come home.

Callus had also picked up on the distress and waited with Joel for Ellie's arrival.

Ellie eventually came barging home and ran directly up the stairs, completely ignoring Joel and Callus.

Joel quickly followed her but before he could reach her, her door was already closed shut.

"Ellie? Ellie, what happened?" He knocked on the door.

No response, just muffled sounds of crying.

Joel tried to open the door, but found that it was locked.

"And me with no shiv…" Joel muttered, scratching the back of his head.

Right beside him, Callus scratched at the door and whined, trying to get Ellie to open the door as well.

"Good boy, Callus." Joel said.

"Ellie, baby girl, please open up?" Joel tried once more.

"I just want to be alone for a little bit, okay?" Ellie said.

Joel sighed. The only way he could get into her room was through the window and God knows he was too old for that. He went back downstairs, Callus choosing to stay by Ellie's door. Joel began theorize what the hell had happened. Ed was with her what could have possibly gone wrong?

Ed. She was on a walk with Ed.

Joel ran out of the house, seething.

Ed had gone to the river to clean off some of the blood on his skin. There was some on his clothing but that couldn't be helped. Once he was somewhat presentable, he made his way back to the settlement. While walking he couldn't help but look over his shoulder every so often. This bit of news frightened him. Did they somehow track him?

Just what sort of mess had he brought here?

On top of that, Ed knew that he may have somehow ruined his relationship with Ellie. Even if she lost him, she still had Joel. He doesn't know what came over him. It was pure instinct to get his daughter out of harm's way but his method was nothing short of questionable.

Now he had to face Joel. And a man of that stature would no doubt pack more than just a punch.

And he knew he was going to get more than just a punch.

"You have to pay the price for your mistake…"

Bray's words echoed in his head as he approached the settlement. The guards immediately recognized him and opened the gates. He stepped inside and saw Tommy and Joel standing there.

And as he expected, Joel was beyond pissed, almost murderous.

"You're making a mistake…you have to pay for your mistake…method of payment."

Ed tried to shake his head loose of Bray's words. Now was not the time.

Joel ran at him. Ed made no move to defend himself.

Joel punched him hard, knocking him on the ground. Ed's nose was certainly broken, the blood not hesitating to flow out.

"Did…did Ellie make it back here safely?" Ed had a hunch that it was a poorly timed question but he would hate himself if Ellie had gotten hurt before she reached the settlement.

Especially by them.

Joel answered his question by kicking him hard in the ribs.

"Joel." Tommy spoke up.

Joel took a step back.

Ed took the time to gather himself. With every movement he made, pain shot through his chest. He wouldn't be surprised if he had a broken rib or two.

Joel grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him to his feet.

"You better explain what happened and you better fucking explain right now." Joel growled.

"We were ambushed by these…hunters." It hurt Ed to talk.

"What. The. Hell. Happened."

"Joel, let him talk." Tommy said. "As a matter of fact, how about we go somewhere a bit more private. I think we've caused enough of a scene."

"My house should be good enough." Ed grabbed at his ribs. "I have the medical supplies to take care of myself so you don't have to worry."

Tommy nodded his head. "Maria's at your house, Joel. She can calm Ellie down no doubt."

"Alright." Joel said. "Let's talk."

They arrived at Ed's house and walked in. However, Joel had shoved Ed in, causing him to fall.

"Easy Joel." Tommy said, taking a seat on Ed's chair. "So Eddy, mind telling us why Ellie came back here in hysterics?"

Ed had made his way to the fridge and pulled out an ice pack, placing it on his nose.

"Damn he hits hard…"

"We seemed to have wandered further from the settlement than intended, much further up north. Like I said before, we got ambushed by a group of hunters. We weren't armed but they said they were willing to negotiate on the matters that we trespassed on their territory. We had to pay a toll." Ed paused as the images and words flashes through his mind once more.

"They got their hands on Ellie and I just…snapped." Ed said. "The one that was holding me at knife point, I managed broke his hold on me and stabbed him. Shot the guy with the gun and then I…"

"You what?" Tommy asked.

"I…tore the third guy's jaw apart."

"Come again?" Joel said, taking a step forward.

"You know how bloaters can kill you? By tearing your jaw apart? That essentially what I did."

"God damn it." Tommy muttered. "I thought you said you had this under control?"

Joel was confused. "Have what-"

"I do! I think the third bite mark might have done something. You have my word, I'll get right on this."

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" Joel asked.

"Joel your shift is about to start. Go on, I'll finish things up with Ed and fill you in."

"I ain't going anywhere until you tell me what's going on. What do you mean by-?"

"Tommy, come in Tommy!" Maria's voice had broken through the walkie-talkie.

"What is it honey?"

"I just got word from Fred that there's trouble at the southern gates. I'm on my way there."

"What about Ellie?"

"Erm, don't worry Callus is keeping her company." Maria responded.

They heard faint sounds of gunfire.

"Sounds like some real trouble." Joel said.

"Yeah, you might want to start your shift now."

Tommy and Joel ran out of the house, leaving Ed alone.

"I should start working on this problem…" Ed made his way upstairs to tend to his wounds. In the back of his mind, he knew that he wouldn't get much sleep tonight.

He had a lot of critical thinking to do.

Once Joel was done with his shift, he stopped by the diner to get some food to go. He hoped Ellie was calm now. He still hasn't fully grasped why she was so distraught, for one who has traveled across the country and just about seen and experienced everything, her reaction was still a bit strange.

Joel got home and locked the door behind him. After the incident at the south gate today, which involved a group of bandits trying to break through the gates, everyone was advised to lock their doors and seal their windows.

Joel went upstairs to check on Ellie, bringing her serving of the food with him. He knocked on the door but got no answer. He placed a hand on a knob, turned it and felt no resistance. Once he opened the door to her bedroom he encountered a sight that all fathers feared. He feared this with Sarah.

Well maybe he was over-exaggerating it.

Ellie and Ryker were lying in bed, Ellie on top of him, both of them fast asleep. Fully clothed, thank the good lord.

Joel's initial thought was to wake them up and then proceed to chase Ryker out of his home. But he paused. With everything she's been through today, and now she's calm enough to sleep, it would be best to not cause any more trouble. So he let it slide.

For now.

Joel stepped inside, placed her food on the table in case she was woken up by hunger during the night, then left the room. He shot one more look at Ryker and Ellie. He was holding her tight to him and she seemed more than happy to be there in his arms.

Joel closed the door gently behind him and went to his bedroom. He also found Callus asleep on his bed. But once he closed the door behind him, Callus immediately woke up and went to go greet him

"Evening to you too, Callus." Joel muttered.

Despite it being a long and rather exhausting day, Joel wasn't close to being tired. He looked over at his desk and noticed his notebook and pencil laying there. It's been a good while since he worked on the song for Ellie. He figured that he'd do any edits and finishing touches in hopes that could knock him out.

"Wow." Ellie muttered sleepily.

"Hmm?" Ryker's ears perked up.

"Joel just walked in on us and he didn't kill you on the spot."

"I am a lucky guy." Ryker muttered, subconsciously tightening his hold on Ellie.

"Luck can run out you know."

"Quiet."

Ellie giggled and fell back asleep.