Chapter 29: Nightmares

Ellie ran as soon as the bullet left her pistol, trying not to see the scene in front of her.

She was too slow though; the image being forever engraved into her mind to haunt her.

Her breath came in short gasps as she ran through the forest, trying to get anywhere that could be safe.

Fear gripped her heart when she stopped, listening for any clicking sounds coming from behind her. She didn't hear any, almost wishing that she would.

Joel said dead people don't become Infected, so of course I wouldn't hear anything, she thought, then felt tears blur her vision.

"Joel," she whispered, wanting to just lie down and stay where she was, but refusing to.

Joel had said that she had to find the others; that she would be safer if she did. Exhaustion swept over her when she realized she had no idea where she could start looking.

"The state's so big," she mumbled, sitting down despite Joel's warning.

She knew that the Infected would sense the shed blood, not as much as they would hers, but they would still find out soon enough.

After all, I am covered in it, she thought bitterly, in his.

She got up, walking further away from the sight, not wanting to make it haunt her so long as she was there.

She came to a river; seeing her bloodstained reflection in it made her only feel worse.

Loneliness fell over her, and she sat down and wept. She was alone on her own accord; she knew he had told her to shoot, but she didn't have to. She could have tried to find a different way.

He was infected; there was nothing I could have done, she repeated the words he had told her in her head over and over, until she felt dizzy and sick with the weight of them.

Clicking sounded in the distance, but she didn't care.

Joel was dead because of her.


Ellie jolted awake with a start, feeling her breath coming fast and wetness soaking her face.

It's the same dream, but it's always the same, and always different.

Her thought made her almost hysterical; she started to search for Joel's form in the darkness. Her eyes fell on him sleeping, and she somewhat relaxed.

"Just a dream," she whispered to herself, trying to calm down.

Joel was just a few feet away; he was fine, so why did she feel so panicked?

Almost like he's going to leave while I'm sleeping.

Tears blurred her vision as she stared at him, trying to differentiate between the blood soaked form from her dreams, and the Joel that was lying a few feet.

She crawled over towards him, still shaking, and hoped that he wouldn't be too mad.


Joel felt something real invade his sleep, making him somewhat wary. His eyes opened and his hand reached for his revolver, but he relaxed when he realized it was just Ellie.

Now more awake, he realized that her shaking form was pressed against his back.

Why is she shaking? He shook his head, turning around to see her blue eyes full of fear; tears already staining her face.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked her, sitting up a bit. She shook her head, more tears falling down her face.

Wrong thing to ask, he thought, wanting to somewhat smack himself for not knowing how to act around her.

"You're talking," her voice was a whisper, making her hard to hear, but he was able to figure out what she had said.

Confusion filled him as she stared at him.

Maybe she means I was talking in my sleep, but I don't think I do, and why would that bother her so much?

Questions assaulted his mind, making him shake his head. He opened his mouth to ask her what she meant, but then stopped.

She wouldn't be bothered by me talking in my sleep, so it has to be something else.

Joel knew that Ellie had been waking up several times a night for the past few weeks since entering New Mexico, but she probably didn't know that he could tell. This time though, he had been asleep.

Is she having nightmares?

The realization made him think back to their first night traveling together, and her "lack of" nightmares, as she had put it.

So what would be giving her the nightmares now?

His question remained unanswered; he wouldn't ask her now since the memory of the dream would be too fresh.

It would just upset her more, he thought as he stared at her.

"Are you having nightmares again?" he asked, confirming his answer when shock filled her eyes.

She doesn't know that I knew, he concluded, feeling like he should have told her.

"Do you want to stay over here?" he asked, feeling somewhat awkward for saying it.

They had stopped "snuggling" (as Ellie had playfully called it one day) once they had left Nebraska, so he wasn't sure how she would react to the question.

Her nod surprised him a bit, but he lied back down nonetheless.

He saw her eyes flutter closed, and he smiled slightly, wondering what could be bothering her.

His eyes wandered over to his backpack a few feet away, and he glanced down at Ellie, shaking his head.

Not now, he thought, dismissing his attention from the letter. He closed his eyes, content when he heard Ellie's steady breathing beside him.


This chapter might actually be the shortest one yet (although I thought it was cute). I always thought that Ellie would have nightmares about Joel dying or getting infected (as she obviously has been since they entered New Mexico). Next chapter is a bit of a time skip (not too much though, only around a few days), and you will finally be able to know the contents of the letter Ellie refuses to read. Please tell me what you thought of this chapter as well as any ideas or comments in a review! (Also, I need ideas for Firefly names, so if you would like to send any feel free too)

-AnimeWolfGirl9