(Ellie)

The morning sun peaked through a crack in the curtains. The streak of light crossed the room. It trailed up from the floor and onto the bed where Ellie lie, alone.

She slowly woke, eyes still closed. She imminently noticed that she was not wrapped in Joel's embrace. Ellie rolled over, swinging her arm over. She was surprised when she felt no resistance.

Ellie opened her eyes slightly before muttering slow and sleepily. "Joel?"

Her hand ran up and down the musky sheets of the mattress. Realizing that Joel wasn't there; Ellie's eyes flew open, blinding her momentarily as she hadn't adapted to the brightness of the morning.

She sat up.

"Joel?" She called.

The bedroom was empty.

Probably just downstairs...

Ellie padded downstairs to the kitchen in nothing but the black shorts and Joel's brown T-shirt, just in case someone had arrived.

That's probably why he was out of bed so quickly. Unless it was a surprise breakfast! Oh, man that would be... Her train of thought stopped as she entered the empty kitchen.

Her face scrunched up as she looked over her shoulder and back to the kitchen.

"Joel!?"

(Joel)

"God-dammit..." Joel cursed under his breath.

He stomped, fists clenching and unclenching, through town in the cold morning.

"Stupid ol' man..."

He was looking for some work. Something to do to keep what he'd done off his mind.

"Justa' curious, young girl and you jump all fuckin' over her."

But he couldn't keep it off his mind. Nobody started any work on a Sunday until about twelve.

"Ya' dun fucked it al' up now."

That night shouldn't have happened. A sixteen year old. His sixteen year old at that.

He couldn't just keep walking round in the cold. Nobody else was awake. He had to go home.

Maybe if I just go out the wall for a sec...

He left his gun at home. Of all the days...

He had to go home.

He stood outside the door for about fifteen minutes.

Maybe she ain't awake yet. I can get my gun, anotha' coat and then do sum' overtime wall duty. Joel thought.

He huffed the air out his nose and sighed before quietly opening the door.

As soon as he was inside he detected the crackling of the fire and footsteps. He didn't have time to turn around as Ellie came out and stood in the kitchen door way.

"Hey, you." She smiled.

Joel cleared his throat and looked at the floor. It killed him to see the energetic, young girl, knowing she had traded favors with himself, a dirty, old man.

"Yeah- uh," He stammered and shook his head. "Hello."

He could feel Ellie's warming smile drop to a weak, frightened one.

"Where've you been?"

Joel faked a cough and pointed to the door. "Jus' out for a'walk."

"At the crack of dawn?" Ellie chuckled unconvincingly.

Joel pulled his eyes from the floor to look at her for a few seconds before looking back down.

"Yeah."

She squeezed her fingers with her hand.

"Bit cold for a walk, don't cha think?" She tried to laugh again.

"Yeah." Joel responded flatly.

"Okay."

Joel noticed some tightness in her throat.

"W-Well I was gonna' ask if you wanted to get lunch or something but..." Her voice was uneven and uncertain, it made Joel's eyes snapped to her.

"Okay, I guess." She said as she turned away and trudged up the stairs.

"Ellie,"

She completely ignored him.

(Ellie)

She had to really try hard to not slam her bedroom door with all her might.

She couldn't believe him.

The way he spoke and acted. Guilt! It was written all over him. He would take back what happened in a instant. He just realized that that's not what he wanted in the long run. He didn't want a relationship.

Stupid girl, he doesn't need you like you need him!

Ellie was furiously pacing up and down in her room. Her breathing was harsh and without realizing, her eyes had become red and wet

She stood in-front of the mirror and looked at herself. Tears leaked out of her eyes and down her face as her chest raised up and down.

You idiot!

The bang on the door pulled her from her thoughts.

"Ellie. Is'it alright if I come in?" Joel asked.

She closed her eyes tightly and didn't answer.

"Ellie..." She heard him gulp. "Do'I have permission to come in?"

Ellie clenched her fists and turned to the door. "I don't think you do."

She could see by the way the door shifted that Joel was leaning his weight on it.

"Can I ask why?"

She felt like screaming. She wanted to grab his neck and make him understand how much it hurts. But a part of her felt like he already knew and he just didn't care.

Ellie was silent as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"Ellie?"

She sighed and sagged her shoulders before plopping down on her bed.

"We both know why, Joel..." She said disspiritedly. "Just leave me alone."

"Ellie, please can I come in!"

She rolled her eyes and sat up.

"Sure..." She said lowly.

Joel opened the door and entered her bedroom. She'd never seen him so awkward and uncertain.

"Look, Ellie, I know how this must seem. It's not you, it's me, just trust-"

She snorted at him. "Are you seriously dropping that cliché on me?"

"Ellie..."

"If you don't want this then just leave me alone. I don't need your reason."

"Listen to me!" Joel said hostilely.

Ellie's nervous eyes looked up at him.

"I'm-I'm sorry. You need ta' understand, it's a bit more difficult for me, we had a lot more rules about this in the ol' world and I've known you for quite a long time."

Ellie gingerly stood up and offered her hand.

"I understand, Joel. But that world- those rules, arn't around."

Joel ignored her gesture and kept his eyes away from her.

"That may be true, but you can still do a lot better for yourself than..." He said as he swallowed hard, like he was preparing himself.

"It don't matter... You can find someone your own age." He growled but looked pained. The venom in his words was hurting him too. "You'll thank me in a couple years." He said as he turned.

"No!" Ellie shouted and grabbed his arm. "You're not gonna' do this to me!"

His age didn't matter to her. As much as she adored Joel's body, she didn't need him to be attractive for her to love him.

His voice broke as he spoke. "Ya' don't know what you're gettin' yourself into." He kept his sad, dark eyes away from her pleading, bright ones.

"Joel." She cried as he pulled her off of him.

"That's enough!" Joel shouted. He finally looked at her. His face broke as he watched the young girl cry on the floor. "Jus'... Jus' don't give up," He looked away again as her tearful face looked up at him. "and your find the right person." And with that statement he left.

Ellie cried into her hands as the front door slammed.

(Joel)

"God-damn..." He wiped his eyes as he walked through the cold.

He didn't need to ruin her anymore. He had served his purpose, now she was old and experienced enough to take care of herself. She could find real love.

Joel made his way to the South gate, he needed to get away for a while... or forever.

Tommy'll understand.

He approached the South gate and looked up at the stageing where the one wall guard stood.

"Somebody said they saw something, I'm gonna' check the perimeter." Joel called up to him.

The guard looked over the wall and back at Joel below him.

"You gota' gun?"

Joel nodded and showed him his worn, 5 inch, sliver revolver. Then without hesitation the guard opened the gate.

Joel tightened his backpack as he exited the town.

It's the right thing to do... He repeated in his head. Keep findin' somethin' to fight for.

Joel was pulled out his thoughts when he heard a crispy ruffle of leaves and twigs.

He put his hand on handle of his revolver, still in it's holster. He scanned the brown and orange forest, ready for infect or animals.

He turned to check behind himself. He froze as he heard a gun cock.

Joel squeezed the revolver handle; deciding whether to surrender or turn around and try his luck.

"Leggo of the gun." The person behind him said.

The person behind him sounded male and his voice was... Familiar. He sounded dark and flat yet Joel could detect some excitement at the same time.

Slowly Joel realised his grip on the revolver and turned around, his hands in the air.

He turned to grubby asian man that held a large desert eagle pistol to his head.

"Dillon?"

He looked different to say the least. He had a lot more facial hair, seemed ungroomed. He'd been out for a while. His eyes were restless and he was slowly rocking side to side as he moved his legs.

"That's right!" Dillon exclaimed.

"How..." Joel shook his head. "What the fuck are you doin'?"

The dirty man let out a loud laugh.

"Why cha' think?"

Joel coldly stared at him with his hands raised.

"You killed Murray! Without a look out we had no idea what was comin'!" Dillon said wide-eyed. Firm grip on his pistol.

Joel didn't even blink. The losses meant nothing to him like Dillon thought they would, so he went further into detail.

"John ran off with as many supplies as he could carry. Then a herd overran the town and we had no car to quickly get away in." Dillon swallowed, remembering the harsh memories. "We've been waiting for you to pop your head out your little fortress for a while now." He smiled. "Can't believe I fuckin' found ya'!"

Joel wondered how they found him but had no time for that. If he didn't think of something now he was going to be killed.

"Maggy is with you then?" Joel asked lowly.

He noticed a small reaction whenever Dillon said 'We'.

The asian man's smile faded.

"She..." He closed his eyes for a moment. "She got bit..."

Get him to react again and I could maybe have time to-

"Because of you..." Dillon said like he didn't believe it. He looked up to Joel's cold stare as a rage released from him. "Because of you!" He shouted again through clenched teeth.
"I'LL KILL YOU!"

Suddenly the bushes between begin to rustle and the two men and a redhead girl appears out of them. Ellie.

Caught by surprise, Dillon turns and fires in her direction. Ellie lets out a cry as the beefy bullet hits her upper left arm, exploding blood out of the exit and enterence wound.

The man is taken back from the shot and paced backwards. Joel ripped his revolver from his holster and fired, hitting Dillon in the chest and making him stumble backwards.

Joel ran up, using his strength and speed together to knock Dillon to the crunchy leaves on the floor with his gun handle.

He lay on his front, clasping his mouth and nose with one hand as blood poured out. Joel rolled him over to his back and grabbed a handful of his shirt.

Before Dillon could say anything else, Joel had begun smashing him in the face with the handle of his gun. Over and over as blood was beaten out of him it stained Joel's shirt and gun.

He lowly growled with each swing.

"Ever- Hurt- My- Girl-" He was defiantly dead Joel decided as he smashed his jaw off through the bloody mess. "Motherfucker..."

"Oh, god..." Ellie muttered behind him.

"Ellie!" Joel called as he ran over to her. She clenched her eyes shut and her small pale hand was painted bright red from the blood spilling out her arm.

She looked at him and looked away.

"I just- Oh, fucking thing!-" She retracted her hand in pain.

Joel crouched down next to her and put his and on her good arm.

"Oh my god, Ellie. Are ya' alright?"

"Yes!" Ellie said irritated. "It's fine, let's go."

Joel gently held her back. "Ellie that weren't no regular bullet. I think you severed a artiary." He said worryingly. "C-Can you try and move it?"

"I don't think so." She replied.

"Oh no," He whispered. "We gotta' get ya' back right now, okay."

She nodded. "Just help me up and-"

She paused as Joel tucked his arms under her legs and on her back.

"J-Joel." She said as he picked her up. "I can walk."

"It's okay," He reassured her. "It'll be quicker."

Joel weaved through the forest with a bloody Ellie in his arms.