YO GUYS! Sorry for the late update! This is by far the longest chapter i wrote HAHA

Anyway, this is the final chapter of this story :) AT LEAST, FOR THE MAIN PLOT!

TELL ME IF YOU WANT ME TO WRITE AN EPILOGUE, THOUGH I THINK THIS IS ALREADY AN EPILOGUE.

I'm also planning to write more chapters in this story, but it won't be "canon". SO please don't think it's over just yet.

THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS! PLEASE REVIEW YEA? HAHA!

"No…no…i-it can't be…" Ellie stammered, falling to her knees in front of a human body. A charred, blackened and almost unrecognizable body. The fire had done its job well. Fires were meant to burn or cook things, and it had certainly cooked this body.

Tears spilled from her eyes as her whole body quivered like a leaf. Sobs escaped from her mouth as she stared, wide-eyed, at the body that belonged to Joel in disbelief.

"Why? Why? WHY?" She screamed repeatedly, going into hysteria, grief crushing down on her mercilessly, guilt crawling and overwhelming her heart like what millions of ants would do to a food, loneliness echoing in her soul.

And most of all, regret. It was rampant, it was everywhere. It filled her mind, it filled her soul, it filled her entire being. She couldn't push it away, she couldn't' stop it. It was like a huge, invincible bowling ball tearing through her emotional well-being, causing her to sob and cry and go into a frenzy.

He had died for her. He had sacrificed himself for her. He had thrown himself into the fiery inferno, held her and consoled her, like a father for a daughter. And finally, with all his effort, he had thrown her out of the hell she was experiencing, and he had died saving her.

And he had died thinking she still hated him. He had died thinking that she would never forgive him. He had died thinking that his most precious thing thought of him as a heartless monster. He had thought that the girl he considered as his own daughter wanted him dead.

And the worst thing was that she could remember. Even though it had been vague, she could remember certain details about when she was in the prison of her own nightmares. With David stalking her, a dreadful, horrifying ghost from the past. She could remember struggling frantically, with all her might, against what she now knew was Joel. She had been the reason why they couldn't both get out in time. It was her fault Joel had died.

She had not even said a word to him. She had not even said sorry, had not even thanked him, had not even seen him since the time she ran from the town. He had done so much for her, and she had only returned the favor by running away, not even showing that she appreciated what he did, appreciated that he cared for her. Not even letting him know that she had forgiven him, and now, she had killed him. She had wanted to meet him again; she had thought she could meet him again.

And here he was, but not in the way she wanted to see him. She had imagined her reunion with him to be…well, she had expected to flare up at him, to release all her pent up emotions on him, and then try to make up with him. She had thought that after she talked to him, she would probably find a way to handle, and overcome the incident about the fireflies, and she would spend the rest of the days trying to live as peacefully as it could get with Joel.

She had not imagined him dying. She had not imagined him sacrificing himself to save her. She had definitely not imagined him to be dead when she saw him.

She had thought that she had time, which she had the chance to make up with Joel, with the person who cared for her the most out of everyone else.

But now, he's gone. Just…gone. His soul is gone, his body not even recognizable easily. Ellie's body shook more and more violently as the seconds passed, as her thoughts ran through her head one by one, each one finding something to regret about for Joel.

She could feel Tommy's, Maria's, as well as the remaining men of Tommy's eyes staring at her. She could feel the pity, feel the sympathy, and she hated it.

The sun was shining brightly now. Ash was floating around in the air, and the fire had died down on its own, finally done with its job. The smell of blood and smoke filled the air, but there was a slightly cool breeze that blew across the place, slowly driving away the smoke and ash. She could hear the leaves on the surrounding trees rustle gently. She could hear the birds chirping cheerfully, ignorant of the battle that had just took place.

And she hated all of that. Why was the surroundings so comfortable, so bright and happy? The birds should be mourning. The sun should be hidden. It should be raining, with thunder and lightning everywhere. The wind should be much more violent.

Joel had died, and the world was so happy. Why, why were they so happy? Were they overjoyed that Joel had died? Was it because they had thought he deserved it? Was it because he had killed many innocents in cold blood in the past?

That thought made her hate them even more,

Suddenly, all the hate and anger and guilt drained away, leaving only a sense of weariness, a huge, gaping, empty hole in her heart, and the echoes of regret and sadness.

Her tears ran out, her sobs died down. She laid there, staring at the body that once held the soul of a man that she had started to consider a father. Even as the sun went down, and all but Tommy and Maria left to get back to the town, Ellie still laid there, her eyes lifeless, her heart shattered, her soul empty.

And stared.

And stared.

At least now, nature knew that they should be sad. It had been a week since Joel died, and this was his funeral.

The skies were gloomy. Dark clouds travelled ominously overhead, and rain poured down as thunder shook the Earth and lightning lit the skies. The winds buffeted anything and everything with a staggering force. There were no birds chirping happily. No gentle breeze blowing. No bright and cheerful sunshine lighting up the place. It was a sad, dark occasion.

But, only a few were there.

Tommy and Maria were there. So were Arthur and the few men who had went to fight the battle at Wyoming. Compared to the whole population of the town, it was a meager amount.

But Ellie knew that Joel would prefer it this way anyway. He was never the social type.

They had decided-with Ellie's consent, of course- that whatever remained of Joel's body be cremated. It was better than putting him in a casket. She didn't want to see his disfigured face, as it was a disgrace to whatever memory she held of him.

His ashes- white and powdery- was kept and stored in a small, wooden, plain brown urn. And it was placed in front of a tombstone, which had Joel's name carved on it. The words written below his name were chosen by herself.

"A Brave man, a strong protector, a selfless father" That was all she could think of that described him, from when they had first met to when it had all ended.

It had started off with her thinking he was brave-brave to challenge all the infected, brave to go out of his safety zone to smuggle someone he didn't even know.

A strong protector. That he was. He had overcome almost everything that had gotten in his way, and more importantly, in her way. He had went forward and dealt with all the dangers more times than not when they were travelling. He was a strong, and a reliable protector.

A selfless father. Even though no one commented on it, they knew that Ellie wrote those names because she had looked to Joel as a surrogate father. He had, in many ways, not acted as a normal dad, but he had the fatherly actions in his own way. And lastly, selfless. She had not said he was a selfless man, just a selfless father. She doubted he would have sacrificed his life for a random stranger.

But he had sacrificed himself for her, as a father to a daughter.

The tears trickling down her cheek mingled with the raindrops that showered on her. No one said anything. It was a silent period of mourning. Mourning the loss of a great man.

To her, at least.

As she stared at the tombstone, the emotions came back. The emotions that had left her as an empty shell a week ago came rushing back like a tidal wave. So much strength. So much force. She could barely keep herself from going into another round of hysteria.

She had fallen to her knees, her hands slamming onto the hard, rough surface of the earth with so much force that her hand bled. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed quietly. Thunder boomed overhead, and lightning flashed across the dark sky. Even God was feeling the pain, even he was crying over the loss.

Memories flitted through her mind. Her meeting with Joel, the sewers, Tess, Bill, the forest, Sam and Henry, their first time at Tommy's, their journey to the university.

…David, the icy, cold period of time he was out, the time he had rushed back in, embraced her tightly and consoled her, and lastly, their time at the great salt lake city.

"He shouldn't have died…he…I never…Joel…" She muttered softly, her eyes tightly shut, her fists and jaws clenched as she tried to stop herself from sobbing.

"Fuck you, Joel…" She cursed him loudly, and lightning flashed as thunder boomed.

"Joel!" Ellie screamed, her hand shooting forward and grasping the air in front of her as she shot up from bed. She was sweating profusely, her light, grey t-shirt and her Bermuda drenched with sweat. She was panting, her eyes wide, her body shivering from the aftershock of the nightmare.

"It wasn't real. It wasn't real." She said out loud, trying to convince herself and slowly succeeding. Her breath calming down second by second, and her body stopped shaking. Her shoulders sagged as she took a deep breath and exhaled.

She looked out of the window, wondering what time it was. She could see the sun still rising from the east, only half-revealed. It's fluorescent, gentle rays lighting up the town beautifully. She could hear the birds chirping their usual morning tune as some of them flapped their winds leisurely, black silhouettes against the slowly brightening sky.

She was in their house. Hers and Joel's. And, to say the least, they had one of the best houses in the town. The room she was currently sleeping in was the highest room of the house, which was located at the third floor.

She shifted her legs off the bed, and winced as her whole body ached with that movement. She glanced at the clock, and groaned. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. It was only six-thirty in the morning. Stupid nightmare.

She got up and went to her wardrobe- a simple two meter high wooden cupboard.

Her wardrobe consisted of around eight to ten sets of clothes. They were all arranged in a manner that one set of clothing fit together perfectly. She took out the first set from the right- a faded blue polo shirt and a pair of slim jeans.

After spending about half an hour washing up, changing and fussing over her ponytail, she was ready to go.

"Made breakfast for you again." Maria pointed at the sandwiches on the table as she stood by the sink, washing some utensils. Ever since that incident, which had happened three months ago, Maria and Tommy had been treating her as well as they could.

"You didn't need to." She said quietly. "But thanks anyway." A small smile appeared on her face as she gave Maria a thankful look before approaching the table to pick up one of the sandwiches.

She wasn't particularly hungry. She had lost some weight over the months due to her small appetite, and had worked herself dead day and night throughout the months, but her body still maintained its shape and size.

She still had to eat though. For energy to go through another torturous day.

Maria sighed as Ellie chewed on her sandwich mechanically as her eyes turned into a look that told Maria that Ellie had once again dived into her own world, her own thoughts and opinions.

She had been doing that very often ever since the incident. She never smiled widely anymore. She never talked unless someone asked her a question, and even then, she would talk very quietly, very slowly. She always seemed to be far away, as though she didn't even notice anything around her, and didn't care.

"I'm going off now." Ellie quietly informed her.

"Take care…" Maria trailed off as she heard the door close before she could even finish her sentence. She turned away from her task and looked back. She had only eaten one out of the five sandwiches she had prepared for her.

She sighed and shook her head in sympathy.

She knew how losing a loved one felt like. But she had Tommy to help her.

Ellie had only one person, and that person was Joel. And that person wasn't able to help her now.

Ellie closed her eyes as she felt the soft breeze kiss her face, her arms andlegs. It was a pleasant feeling. To have the breeze blowing gently at you, to have the rays of sunlight giving shining at you, providing warmth in the cold winter.

Just that it wasn't winter anymore. Winter had ended about a week ago. The trees, whose leaves had withered away due to the snow, were starting to grow back its leaves to its previous state. It was spring.

She nodded at a passer-by who had greeted her with a wave and a 'good morning, Ellie." It's not that she wanted to be rude. It was just that she was too wrapped up in her own thoughts, and also that she hadn't really felt like being polite for a while.

Five minutes later, she found herself in front of a two-story white building. She was surprised when she saw it. She hadn't been planning to walk here. Not yet. But, somehow, her legs had unconsciously brought her here.

She shrugged as she walked into the building. Since she was already here, guess she'd just do what she always did.

"Hey Ellie." The receptionist greeted her. She nodded at him and walked past the counter without returning any sort of verbal greeting. She heard the receptionist sigh as she left him behind, but he sounded far away, as though he and her was separated by a thick, glass wall.

That's how she had felt like towards the rest of the wall for the past three months. Distant, withdrawn, solitary. No one could get her to have a light conversation. No one could get her to go out and have a rest from the work she did without stop. No one could get her to watch the movies that even the adults enjoyed.

The past three months had been one of the most dreadful times of her life. She would have many sleepless nights as she thought about Joel. She would work non-stop from before dawn to after midnight, patrolling, hunting for food, and tending to the crops and animals. She never stopped working; as to do so would mean that she would have to think about something. And she knew that her brain would automatically turn to Joel.

Only during the night times, when she went to visit Joel, would be her break times. Only then were the times she would be able to stop working, and to start talking.

The door creaked as she pushed it open, revealing a somewhat large room. The curtains were drawn open, letting the sunlight enter and lighten up the room, making everything in the room- the polished wooden cupboard leaning against the side of the room, extremely rare medical equipment that stood beside a bed, and most of all, the bed in the middle of the room with its occupant- look like they're shining and emitting their own gentle light.

The steady 'beep' emitted by the strange machine echoed throughout the sparse room as she closed the door behind her. As usual, the room felt eerie, and yet it comforted her at the same time. Eerie because of how quiet the place was, with only the steady 'beep', and comforting because of the deep breathing, the presence of the person that lay in the bed, with a few wires attached to different parts of his body.

"Joel. I'm here early today," She whispered as she sat down on a cushioned chair by his bed. He responded as he always did- with no reaction. His eyes remained closed, his breathing remained deep and even, his face remained motionless as ever.

She exhaled wearily. It had been three months since had went into coma.

She didn't know if it was just luck God's will, but it had immediately started raining a few seconds after Joel had been buried under the debris. The rain had extinguished the fire rather quickly, and Tommy and his men had finished off the last of the hunters quickly as they spotted the building collapsing.

Joel had suffered multiple burns all across his body. His legs and an arm were crushed, and he had several deep gashes and cuts all over his body. It had been a terrifying nightmare for that period of time.

When Tommy and his men cleared the debris and pulled Joel out, she had already recovered enough to think rationally, and when she saw his mangled body, her hand had flew up to her mouth, her eyes had widened into humongous, large saucer-like shapes, and tears had fallen within seconds.

Blood was literally flowing from everywhere around his body. His body was limp and crushed. He looked worse than he did during the last winter.

Then came the memories. They rushed in violently, unstoppably, She had broke down like nothing else. She had cried like never before, shouting his name as Tommy and his men carried him towards their horses in the jungle and rushed back to the town.

They had attached that medical stuff onto him, strange looking equipment that she had never seen before in her life. She had watched as they tended to his body hastily, carefully but swiftly, wrapping his body in bandages, applying medicine onto the angry looking red welts and pus all over his body.

After all that, they had brought him into the very room she was currently in, placed him on the bed and told her that he was in coma. When she had asked, desperately, when he would wake up, they told her that they didn't know.

Ever since then, she had visited everyday, hoping he would be awake. Hoping he would open his eyes and look at her with his usual gruff but somewhat warm look.

But, after each day, her hope slowly diminished bit by bit, as each day she visited, he never woke up. He never moved an inch when she was there.

After three months, his body had recovered well. More than well, actually. Even Tommy was awed by the amazing rate his body was recovering. His broken bones were already almost completely healed. His cuts and gashes had all sealed up, and his burns-most of them minor- had almost completely disappeared. There were only around three to four patches that would certainly leave scars.

"Joel…Y'know, we found another movie yesterday?" She started. She always talked to him, even though she knew he couldn't hear her. He was the only person she was comfortable to talk to. It was ironic. The only person she was comfortable to make a conversation with, and he himself couldn't reply. "It's called Despicable Me. Something about yellow creatures and a man with three daughters."

She sighed. "Have you ever watched it before? Maybe with Sarah? I'm pretty sure it was made before the infection," She breathed out deeply. "They're watching it tonight. I don't think I'm gonna join them."

She smiled shakily, trying to restrain her tears, but they fell anyway. Her smile was still intact though. She spoke in a watery voice. "I got another nightmare again, Joel. It was horrible." She whispered. "You were...you were dead. Not breathing. Your eyes were lifeless, your body was charred beyond recognition. It felt so real…"

"Joel…I don't think I'd be able to leave this room today," She chuckled weakly. "Last time, I would be itching to move, but now…I can't handle it. I need to know that you're still alive." She was finally giving in to the emotions that she had been holding back since the nightmare.

"I know that I've said this over a hundred times, but Joel, I'm sorry," She spoke the words out, her voice filled with fear and grief. "Please, I need you to wake up. I need you to. I don't know how much longer I can survive with these nightmares." She pleaded, her hands now clenching one of his limp, large, rough hands tightly. No response. No twitch, no movement, no nothing.

She put her head down onto his covered chest- his body was covered from toe to neck with a blanket- and closed her eyes, just managing to halt the flow of tears.

She buried her face into the blanket, the tears on her cheeks absorbed by it, making it slightly wet.

"I'm afraid, Joel," She spoke into the blanket, her voice muffled. "I'm scared of being left alone again. You better not die."

She felt the steady, strong heartbeat on his chest. She felt the steady rise and fall as he breathed in and out. She felt the sturdy chest that he had used to keep her safe so many times, that he had held her close to as he comforted her.

All those made her relax, made her feel…well, made her feel not alone. It was strange. The whole town had supported her, comforted her, tried to talk to her, but the only person that could actually make her feel that she was not alone was him.

He had grown in on her that much, huh.

She closed her eyes, and basked in the knowledge that he was still alive, basked in his presence.

"Shit, I fell asleep." She muttered as she blinked blearily. She lifted her face from the blanket, and cursed as she saw the dark spot on the blanket. She had drooled on his blanket. Disgusting.

She looked outside and saw that it was already night time. The sun was nowhere to be seen. She gawked at the sunless sky.

"What the fuck? I was here for so long? What time is it exactly?" She exclaimed in utter astonishment, shooting up from her chair.

She had slept the whole day. That meant that she had missed what she was supposed to do. She frowned. The receptionist should have woken her up, as Tommy would have surely looked for her here.

Unfortunately, no matter how much she wanted to stay right now, she still had to bathe, and her sense of responsibility was weighing down on her so much. She had to apologise to Tommy first, then she would return.

She looked at Joel again, and sighed sadly, disappointedly. Nothing had changed. She turned around and took heavy, draggy steps towards the door. She was silently pleading to the lord, as she did so many times before, that a voice would stop her from walking. Would call her name. Would make her stop in her tracks.

It was an irrational hope, but she still hoped against hope that that would happen. It never did, but the hope, the want for it to happen never diminished. And that's why the grief and disappointment never got any lesser either. Instead, it seemed to get worse by the day.

She closed her eyes as she took the final step to the door. Still no sound but the 'beep' that she had loved and hated at the same time.

She opened the door slowly, the creaking echoing throughout the empty, dimly lit hallway. It would have crept her out, but she was still focusing on the sound in the room to notice that. Still no sound but the 'beep'.

She exhaled, the disappointment now extremely heavy in her breath. She closed her eyes, held back a tear, took a step forward, and started to close the door. The hope that she held already converting into the usual grief and disappointment and weariness. And the memories of the nightmare did nothing to help.

Then she heard it. A movement. A shift somewhere behind her. No normal person would be able to hear it, but she had trained her ears to be as sharp as a bat, and she heard it.

It had came from the bed.

She didn't dare to turn. She didn't dare to hope, and yet it was already storming back into her heart. Could it be? After so long, after so much hoping, grief, regret, disappointment, loneliness, fear, and a ton of other emotions?

Her feet were rooted to the ground. Her shoulders were tensed, and her eyes were shut tightly. She tried to push back down the hope, as she knew that it would only turn into even more intense disappointment.

Then she heard his voice, the voice she had so dearly missed for so long. It held the usual coldness and toughness, but she could identify the underlying kindness and warmth that was directed only to her.

"Ellie." His weak yet sturdy voice carried out of the room.

And her feelings took over, washed over her. Her shoulders shook uncontrollably, her tears flowed like a river, and her sobs escaped her mouth forcibly.

She turned, opened the door, and saw him looking at her, his eyes open, his body already getting up slowly. Her eyes met his, and she couldn't stop the smile that forced itself onto her face.

She had imagined a million scenarios about how things would happen, about how she would react when he finally woke up, finally called her name. but now, she couldn't react properly, couldn't say the things she had wanted to say to him for a long, long time.

And so, all she could say, with a shaky voice filled with relief and joy, was:

"What took you so long, Joel?"