Next of Us: Chapter 11

Ellie looks down at her feet, then back at Joel. She remembers how he'd just been shot and goes over to help him. Hunter is sitting against a building sharpening his knife. Looking over with one eye.

"I'm sorry I had to do that." Hunter says, his voice right behind Ellie. She jumps a little at this and he can't help but smile.

"Ah shit..." Ellie says, slowing her breathing to a normal pace. After their encounter with the bandits, they looted their enemies, acquiring a good amount of ammo and other supplies, but Joel was still in pain.

"Apology accepted." Joel grunts, then lays down on his back, wincing in agony. Ellie takes off Joel's boot and closes her eyes when she sees the blood pouring out of the wound in his foot. Hunter sifts through his pack looking for something, or anything to help with the injury. Hunter hands Ellie a bottle of alcohol and some makeshift bandages.

"Thanks." Ellie whispers to herself. She counts to three and quickly pours the alcohol and wraps the bandages around the wound in one quick motion. Joel moans at first contact with the liquid and slowly eases down.

"You're welcome." Hunter says throwing a hand up over his back as he walks around. Ellie smiles to herself and shakes her head. Its only now that she realized how much she really did miss him, but something seems off about him. He's being more independent, and wandering off more often. They haven't had an actual conversation with each other since back at the house, before Lola had died. Ellie ignores the thought and brings her attention back to Joel.

"How do you feel?" She asks him.

"Like I just got shot." Joel replies through a moan, his small laugh turning into a cough.

"Okay wise ass, how about you try to stand up." Ellie holds out her hand and Joel takes it. He strains to get to his feet and when he does he takes a few limping steps before falling again. Joel knows it will be a few days before he can walk properly, so he lays down.

"Why don't you go find him, Ell?" Joel tells Ellie. "I'll be here if you need me."

Ellie's eyes widen with joy as she springs to her feet. She turns her back and starts walking. She turns back around runs to Joel and gives him a hug.

"I'll be right back..." Ellie tells him "Don't get shot again." With that she runs off in hopes of finding Hunter.

After what seemed like hours of looking, Ellie found Hunter sitting along the shore of a small river in between two large buildings. He's holding something in his hand, she struggles to make out what it could be. She sits down next to him, and Hunter quickly turns to her knife raised. He eyes gleam with recognition and he puts away his weapon.

"Oh shit...scared me there." Hunter tells her.

"Now we're even" She replies with a smile. Ellie shifts closer next to him and notices what he's been holding in his hand. Hunter is holding a locket of some sort and her heart drops when she sees the sadness in his eyes. He is staring at the pictures, running his fingers over them and holding back tears. Inside is a picture of him and his family, the dirt and blood making it hard to see but still clearly visible. Hunter notices her looking and closes it, quickly pocketing it.

"It was hers.." Hunter trails off looking out onto the water.

"Im really sorry..." Ellie can't help but feel like its her fault. Like everything that happened was because of her.

"Yea me too.." Hunter says through a shuddering breath. It looks like he could break down in tears. Ellie doesn't know what to say so she stays quiet. They both look out onto the lake and watch the sunset slowly gloom overhead.

"I feel like everything that happened was my fault." Ellie says breaking the silence.

"Only partially." Hunter tells her. "Its my fault too, my fault for loving you." Hunter stops. "If I didn't they wouldn't have made me choose."

Ellie is almost in tears watching Hunter act like this. He was supposed to ensure her that nothing was her fault and that everything was going to be okay.

"He's gone now Hunter, he's dead, all the bad things are going away." She says leaning against his shoulder.

"That doesn't bring her back now does it!" Hunter yells then stands up, making Ellie fall on her face. "He should have killed you, Lola should be alive right now!" Hunter screams back at her, tears streaming down his face. He rips the locket from his neck and throws it at Ellie's feet, then storms off. Ellie is in such shock she doesn't have any time to react. Ellie has just been heartbroken, she sits there in sadness. She cries, and curses at herself for trying to talk to him when he wanted to be alone. After her eyes are out of tears to use, she picks up the locket with a shaky hand. She looks at the heart shaped metal and opens the pin holding it shut. Ellie opens the locket and stares at the picture inside. She reads the engraving out loud to herself.

"I love you little lamb, Mom." Ellie feels like she has just been shot in the heart and she cries more and more. This was her fault and she knew it. There was nothing she could possibly do to fix. Ellie glares at the picture for a few more minutes before noticing a piece of paper sticking out from underneath the photo. She pulls it out and sees a portrait of her own face, drawn in dark gray lines. The caption reads "Ellie, the only one I have left to love." This makes Ellie only feel worse, she tucks the paper back into its home and begins walking back to Joel.

"It should have been me..." Ellie says out loud to herself. "It should have been me...It should have been me...It should have been me...It should have been me...It should have been me...It should have been me...It should have been me..." Ellie repeats this phrase on the entire walk back to Joel. Even when she arrives and Joel asks her what's wrong she only tells him.

"It should have been me!"