Dot [Ellie]
They were able to make it out of the classroom, retreating deeper into the hallways surrounding the center of the building. Through their retreat, she'd gotten a glimpse of the interior of the school, which seemed to be some sort of common area with an open space above it, leading all the way up to the roof dozens of feet above them.
They ran into a couple of bandits along the way, and she'd scavenged some supplies from them. Another magazine's worth of bullets, and a bow and about fifteen arrows. Both would definitely be handy in getting out of this shithole.
They reached a balcony after fighting through another group, Ellie searching around for the exit down below, but she couldn't make it out from this angle. They'd have to-
The door opened behind them. Joel reacted first, turning around, and Ellie followed suit. Their gazes were met by a bandit who rushed towards Joel, shouting angrily as he tried to choke him out, pushing Joel against the glass railing separating them from the emptiness beyond.
Ellie's hand went for her gun, but it would be too late to do anything.
Kentucky [Joel]
Gunfire, sparks, and blood. That was all Joel saw as he busted his knuckles upon heads, crushing ribs and destroying skulls, gunning men down as they continued away. Guilt gnawed at him; Lee and Clementine, gone. There was little room in his mind for optimism, optimism for them meeting up again. Why did this have to happen? Why did this keep having to happen?! Something tugged at him; something told him they could make it, they could survive , but that was naive, a naive voice that only served to further bring Joel down into a spiral that was ignorance to reality.
"C'mon." He spoke, walking out onto the balcony, speaking to Ellie. He had little time to move, little time to react as his head spun around at the sound of a door being kicked open. "Got you asshole! " The bandit cried, grabbing onto Joel's throat before he could stop him. He was shoved against the glass railing, Joel's hands pushing on the man's face, his strength outweighing the other's. He pushed the man off of him; tried to, at least. Breaking the man's jaw with one swift punch, he felt the bandit's grip loosen, then tighten once more around Joel's waist as the glass railing behind him shattered.
The fall was quick and followed by a series of yells from both men. The bandit hit head first into a crashed support beam, his neck cracking with a sickening sound. Joel felt pain swim through his stomach, blood of his own splashing onto his chin. "Gaaaaaahhh! " He groaned, his hands instinctively reaching towards the injury. His eyes saw it for a second; something metal sticking out of his gut like a snapped bone. He dropped his head back, blowing air through his teeth to escape the pain, closing his eyes and clawing at the air. " Ah shit. " He murmured, sucking in breaths of air.
Dot [Ellie]
The glass broke in a violent eruption, sending shards scattering in all directions. One instant, Joel and the bandit were right next to her, and the next, they were plummeting to the ground below. She clenched her eyes shut as the bandit's head collided with the support beam, effectively killing the man before his body even hit the floor.
She let out the breath she'd been holding, her heart wrenching as Joel grasped his hands around something near his stomach. It only took a second to register in her brain what it was.
"Oh man…!" She breathed as she desperately searched around her for a way down, finding a bunch of cables wrapped around each other hanging down towards the ground and sliding down them. Once her feet touched the floor, the sound of bandits throwing themselves into the double doors behind her only accentuated the panic rising in her chest.
Then there was the blood. Fuck , there was so much of it. She forced her gaze away from the rebar sticking through Joel and towards his face, taking a step towards him to try and help him up. "W - What do you want me to do?!"
Kentucky [Joel]
His vision blackened for a moment. Blurry and dark from the pain of metal through his side. Ellie was coming, he could see her as she ran towards him, and his hand reached out to her while the other clawed at his chest. His nerves were firing on all cylinders, pain shooting up into his chest as well as into his groin. As she questioned exactly what to do, he replied instantly with a near delirious mutter. "Move..." His voice was like gravel under a wheel, as his hand reached up to her shoulder. One of his hands reached into his jeans, pulling the revolver out. This time, his voice rose into a shout.
" Move!" He cried out, pushing her away and taking aim with his revolver, firing a shot and watching it implode into a bandit's chest as two burst through the doors. The one he shot clutched at his wound as Joel fired again, this one entering his eye and sending him to the ground. The other one escaped his sight, as he tried to turn to shoot him as well but found himself stuck. The damned rebar, pressing up against his bare flesh cause bile to rise in his throat as he threw himself back down, hearing another gunshot go off.
Dot [Ellie]
Ellie struggled to stay on her feet as Joel pushed her away, firing off a shot towards one of the bandits bursting through the doors behind them. She pulled her pistol out as soon as she had righted herself, firing at the other bandit. The bullet ripped through his throat, and he fell to the ground, gurgling.
She pocketed the pistol, returning to Joel. "Oh man… Joel?" She looked to him for guidance, to tell her what to do, because at that moment, she was seconds away from freezing up.
The sight of the rebar didn't help.
Kentucky [Joel]
Joel threw his head back as the hunters fell dead, readying himself to say those oh so hurtful words. He knew it was going to hurt; he knew it was going to hurt worse than anything he ever did. But if she didn't do this, he'd be surely dead and so would she. "I'm gonna need you to pull." He held out to her, ready to assist in the matter. He was sure she couldn't do it all by herself.
Dot [Ellie]
This was the part she wasn't looking forward to. She cringed, quickly nodding her head. "Okay…" She took in a deep breath as she grabbed Joel's hands, readying herself to pull him up.
A sickening sensation crawled down her spine, realizing just how badly this could end if one small mistake was made. He could bleed out as soon as he was pulled from from the rebar… his guts could come tumbling out, or- or- fuck!
She didn't have a choice. Either she got him off of there or she left him, and the latter wasn't an option.
She exhaled the breath she'd been holding. "Alright, you ready?" She tightened her grip on his hands, counting down from three before pulling with as much force as she could manage. Joel screamed, but eventually, they managed to get him off of the rebar and onto his feet, albeit barely. "Here," she let him go, waiting for him to stand up fully while her eyes turned towards the open door. If bandits were coming, she'd be ready for them.
Kentucky [Joel]
" Gaaaaaaah! " Joel cried, blood leaking from the hole in his side. He could hardly take this anymore, his mind was growing weak from pain and maiming. He could almost no longer feel his hands, looking over them quickly to make sure they were indeed still there. He fell to a knee, but was helped by Ellie. He clenched his teeth, starting to move forward. "Just get to the damn horse..." He rasped.
Dot [Ellie]
Joel's command was like a surge of adrenaline as she took a step back, breathing "okay" while she pulled out her pistol once more. As Joel stumbled after her, she approached the door, aiming her weapon down both sides of the hallway before calling out to Joel. "I don't see anyone. Let's go!"
She did the same for the classroom across the hallway. When no one jumped out, she entered the room, heading for an open window leading into the next classroom over.
Two wooden planks were leaned against the wall, blocking their path, and she pushed them over, shouting over her shoulder. "Joel? How we doing?!"
Kentucky [Joel]
Joel chased after her as fast as he could, hand over the open wound to prevent any more of his life from leaking out. "I'm fine, I'm fine..." He muttered, limping towards the window that she tore towards. Her concern was welcome, if expected. But his mind was focused on the hole in his lower body now, little room for much else.
Dot [Ellie]
She didn't put much faith in Joel's words, her muscles tensing as she leaned against the closed side of the window, looking back towards him. "Can you handle the window?"
Joel nodded, a "yeah" reaching her ears, and once again, she found herself not believing him. Still, she hopped through the window, clearing the room with her pistol raised before turning back to him.
"Okay…" She watched as Joel tried to climb over the windowsill, only to fall face-first onto the ground.
"Jesus…" She bent down to try and pick him up, grunting. "Come on, move!"
Before she could get him back on his feet, though, the door at the far end of the room was kicked open, and a harsh voice pierced the air.
"I see you!"
" Shit, " she breathed, pushing Joel against the side of a desk to hide. The bandit fired off a shot from his shotgun, cursing.
" Come on, man. "
Another shot made her ears ring, and she leaned closer to Joel, avoiding the splintering wood that exploded from the desk. "Alright, just stay here," she breathed, her fingers clenching harder around her weapon. "I'm gonna flank this asshole."
She didn't wait to hear his response, crouching low as she circled around the classroom. She could hear the bandit talking angrily, approaching Joel's position.
"Those were my friends you killed, asshole."
She was almost in position, holding in her breath just in case the bandit would hear it.
"Come on out. You want to do this the hard way?"
Another gunshot exploded in the room, and Ellie stood up, aiming her pistol towards the man. She fired, and the bullet pierced his shoulder. The man grunted, spinning towards her.
"You little bitch!" He raised his shotgun, and she stared it down, readying herself for another shot.
Kentucky [Joel]
"Ellie..." He called out, reaching towards her as she disappeared around the corner of the table. He was alone now, the bandit approaching with a hearty fervor and a hefty shotgun. Joel tried to point his revolver out at him, but the blast of a shotgun sent chunks of wood spiraling into the distance. He threw his arm back to shield his face, eyes shut to save them from splinters. He heard a gunshot followed by the bandit yelling and his instincts kicked in. His gun flew over and fired, hitting the man somewhere . The grunt of pain was all telling. Joel fell back, left hand still bloodied from holding his wound.
Dot [Ellie]
Ellie rushed back towards Joel, letting out the breath she'd been holding. When she noticed Joel trying to stand, failing, she gasped. "Oh man… we gotta get you out of here."
She bent down to help pick him up, breathing heavily.
Kentucky [Joel]
As Ellie tried to help him, the man attempting to contribute to this poor attempt, he mumbled reassurances under his breath. "I'm okay." He said, before using the counter to pull himself up with her help.
Dot [Ellie]
"You're not okay, Joel!" She shouted at him as he tried to downplay his wounds. The fact he could barely stand told her everything that she needed to know. Right now, she wasn't even sure if they were going to make it to the horses, but they had to try. "Now c'mon!"
She pushed towards the open door the bandit had come through, pointing her pistol through it. Turning back to Joel, she called to him with a harsh "move it!" Another look through the door. "There's no one here, hurry!"
They made it into the hallway, and Ellie's gaze was drawn to the next doorway. Above the door was a label reading 'North Hall', and a large, open space expanded beyond the threshold.
She swiveled towards Joel, seeing that he was continuing to keep up. "You're doing good… just keep at it."
That was, until he fell to the floor, hand reaching for the fallen vending machine next to the door to keep him from collapsing completely.
"Oh man… here, lean on me." She rushed towards him, trying to pull him back onto his feet.
Kentucky [Joel]
He continued his stumbled gait, following Ellie even as she poked and prodded at him harshly. The pain grew to its worst when he doubled over next to the vending machine, leaning onto it for help. Ellie offered her own form of assistance to him and he let her pull him up, but her second offer made him brush her away. "No." He said as loud as he could, still using the vending machine as his leg.
Dot [Ellie]
She stepped away from him, looking towards him incredulously. "Well, can you walk?"
Kentucky [Joel]
He continued forward to prove that he could. "Yes."
Dot [Ellie]
"Then fucking walk!" She responded to his comment with vigor, mentally cursing as she pushed into the next room. She swiveled her gaze, clearing the room, before tossing a "come on" over her shoulder.
At the other end of the room, sunlight filtered through several glass doors. She let out a sigh of relief. "Okay. There's the exit. Just a little bit more, come on."
Another few steps took her between two barricades, and she glanced towards the stairs leading to the second floor. Still clear.
The squeak of shoes caught her attention, and she turned back just in time to see Joel collapsing to the floor once more. She called out to him, a scared "Hey, hey! Joel!"
Joel said something then, far too quiet for her to make out over the sound of her heartbeat. "What?" She called back to him incredulously. His gaze had locked onto the balcony above them, and she raised her pistol in that direction.
Two bandits were descending the steps, brandishing pipes. Joel had fallen over once more, and Ellie took a step back, shouting towards them before firing two shots. "Stay the fuck back!"
"The kid's got a gun. Watch out!" One of the bandits yelled, jumping down onto a table, only to end up with a bullet in his chest. She fired another two bullets, missing the second man completely. She pulled the trigger again, her efforts being met with a clicking sound.
"Oh shit, oh shit!" She popped out the magazine while the bandit drew closer.
"You little shit!"
She popped one in just in time to try and aim at the bandit, but it was already too late. The pipe collided with her arm, the sheer strength of the blow being enough to send her crashing to the ground. She grunted from the pain, channeling it into the adrenaline rush that overwhelmed her as she aimed at the bandit, putting three bullets in his chest before he finally collapsed to the ground.
Her heart was practically in her throat. She pushed herself to her feet, scrambling towards Joel. "Joel… here, stand up!" She grabbed him by his shoulders, trying desperately to get him back on his feet. Once he was up, she drew closer to him. "Put your arm around me." She wrapped his right arm over her shoulder, practically carrying him towards the exit. "Alright, let's go."
In the silence that followed, only their breathing could be heard.
"I swear to God, I get you out of this… you're so singing for me," she breathed, clutching his arm tighter around her neck.
Kentucky [Joel]
He continued as best as he could, he tried so hard but it was ultimately fruitless. Joel swerved and swayed, unable to keep his footing and then... it was over for a moment. His vision went black as he hit the floor, eyes falling on two of the bandits running down the stairs. He reached his hand out, trying to tell Ellie to run, trying to tell her to get out of there, but she wouldn't make it without him, would she? "...behind you," was all he could manage to mumble. One of the bandits was killed swiftly, but the other one survived long enough to run at Ellie with a pipe and even hit her. He could do nothing, barely even move forward to stop the weapon from clanging into her arm and dropping her.
He was down after three gunshots, dropping lifelessly while Ellie helped him up. Her voice was soaked in concern and a childlike helplessness, something that nearly drove him to keep going. He wanted to give up, he wanted so desperately to just lay down and let it all end , but he had to keep moving. He laughed thinly, smiling as best as he could behind the pain. "You wish."
Dot [Ellie]
Joel's response would've made her smile under normal circumstances, but not today. Instead, she kept carrying him forward, straight to a metal cabinet lying on its side near the door, and letting him lean against it.
"Wait here, I'll get the door."
Three quick steps to the door, then pushing it open. She couldn't see anyone outside, at least from this angle. She turned back towards Joel, waving him over. "Come on."
He stumbled through the door, and she found herself holding out her hand to catch him if he fell again. "There you go…" He made it to the door, pushing through it, his momentum far too great as he was thrown over, rolling down the steps and onto the ground.
Ellie quickly followed him, though a noise from her right caught her attention. She looked up to see another bandit trying to wrestle control of Callus, the man eliciting a "What the fuck? Ah, shit!" as he noticed their presence.
He went for his gun, but Ellie wouldn't give him a chance to use it. She fired two bullets into his chest, reloading in quick succession. She descended the steps to Joel, grabbing his arm to help him up. "Come on."
Kentucky [Joel]
Joel looked up just as the man fell to the ground, dead. He was in a world of pain, groaning as Ellie ran down to grab him. At her command, he bit his tongue and aimed his hand at Callus. "Just... get the horse." His raspy voice came, eyes falling on the blood trail he had left on the steps.
Art [Clementine]
Other than amassing a few bruises, the girl had made it through the gunfight unscathed. The assholes with the guns were still lurking around searching for them, and Clementine did whatever she could to escape their line of sight. The lower floors of the science building were unfamiliar and perhaps even more inhospitable, the stench of blood now prevalent and just as repulsive as it'd always been.
Given enough time, it was just a matter of following the bodies.
She saw them - Joel and Ellie - through her narrowed, beaten eyes. They'd made it to the horses... and so had she. For an instant, her voice struggled to come out, choked up behind a sea of remorse. Whatever hesitance the girl still had, however, couldn't possibly last long. "Holy shit... Joel!?" It was hard to tell, as she first laid her eyes on it. Was he shot? He looked awful. F - Fuck, he- He looked like he was dying. Through a wince and clenched fists, Clementine held herself back from asking any questions. Anything that didn't pertain to the most important thing.
"Ellie, we gotta go back! He's-" Clem suddenly gave in to a fit of coughing, a leftover present from all the running minutes ago. Her legs were shaking, and yet she stood, dread in her eyes. "Lee's still there...! We've gotta help him!"
Dot [Ellie]
"Alright…" She backed away from Joel, heading for the horse, but stopped dead in her tracks as Clem's voice echoed in her ear. She swiveled around to see the girl stumbling down the steps towards them.
Without Lee.
Guilt washed over her as she realized what Clem was asking. She found herself clenching her fingers into fists, closing her eyes for a brief moment. She continued to bring the horse over, letting Joel climb on before turning towards Clem.
"He's going to bleed out if I don't get him out of here." The guilt was drowning her now, but what choice did she have? She wasn't going to trade Joel's life for the chance of rescuing Lee. If he was still alive, he'd just have to get himself out of there. "I'm sorry, Clem, but - there's nothing we can do."
She climbed onto the horse, sitting behind Joel. She wasn't even sure if he'd be able to stay on the horse, let alone wait for them to mount an ill-advised rescue. Clementine just had to accept that.
Kentucky [Joel]
Joel looked at Clementine for a few brief seconds. He couldn't go back in there; he wanted to help Lee, but there was nothing he could do. He was too tired, and now Lee... Lee was dead. That was the fatal truth, something that Joel could only barely handle. He had played guitar with this man, Lee had looked for Ellie with him, Lee had saved him from drowning, Lee had come back for him ultimately. Yet Joel couldn't do the same... faced with the same situation, it was either all of them dead or it was just Lee. There was nothing they could do. At least the girl'll never have to deal with the truth, at least. It was a horrible thought and he knew it but it didn't stop him from thinking it.
There was nothing he could say though, as his vision continued going. He was dying, wasn't he? This was what it felt like. This was what Tess went through, Sarah, and now Lee. This was what all of them experienced he was sure of it. Now he was going to face the same fate. Dying. He had heard it would feel peaceful. Whoever had told him that had lied, they had lied horribly because the pain in Joel's torso had gone to his head and now he was dizzy and nauseous and paranoid and oh God he just wanted it to stopalready why wouldn't it just stop-
He slumped over, closing his eyes and spilling off the horse. His breaths were barely there as he hit the ground, not so much as a cough to warn of his tumble. He was still except for the arrhythmic up and down of his chest. His mind drifted slowly into that distant void of unconsciousness.
Art [Clementine]
Clem could only let out one more heave of breath before she stopped breathing altogether, the girl's teeth chattering, as fear took complete hold of her, pressing around her neck like a rope. Her shoulders were as stiff as a statue's, and even the attempt to raise her voice, to beg Ellie for help, proved to be a pointless endeavor. Clementine didn't have the strength to do anything... one delicate push away from falling to her knees.
Lee was dead, and it was her fault.
Tears garnered around her eyes in small drops, her left hand rushing to wipe them off her face. This couldn't be happening, she thought, and yet it did. He was gone. Clementine's chest ached as though her heart had been ripped out from it, turning her into a weak, sobbing mess.
It wouldn't be the first time she hadn't been given the time to mourn.
A loud thudreached her ears not a second after, Ellie rushing after it in a fit of panic. A silent, yet resonant "oh god" escaped Clem's lips, her eyes shooting open. There was little thought put into what followed, like her body moved on its own. In many ways, she supposed it did. As the girl's shadow covered Joel well-nigh completely, it dawned on her that this hadn't been the first time. The whole thing felt so familiar, that... desperation. Not one bit different from how it felt back on that beach. She couldn't stand to watch him die, too. Clementine couldn't take any more of it. "Ellie, grab the other arm!"
Dot [Ellie]
Ellie averted her gaze as the hurt on Clementine's face became too much to bear. Ellie knew what she was saying, what she was insinuating by choosing Joel over Lee, and Clementine did too. But… what other choice did she have? Joel was dying. Joel was-
Oh my god…!
"Joel? Joel…?!" The man she was so desperately trying to save slumped off the horse, falling to the ground with a sickening thump. Ellie immediately got off the horse, heaving in breaths that were beginning to come out in pale wisps. "Ah, shit…" She fell to her knees, turning him over to face upwards. His eyes were closed, and she fumbled to feel for a pulse. There was something, but it was weak. "C'mon… get up, get up, get up… you gotta tell me what to do…!"
Clementine's voice was almost distant, yet she felt the girl's presence right next to her. She watched as the baseball-capped girl grabbed onto Joel's left arm, trying to pull him. She gulped, hands shaking. He was going to die… wasn't he? They were going to lose them both. They were going to be alone.
Alone…
She couldn't let that happen.
She pushed herself to her feet, grabbing onto Joel's other arm, helping her friend drag Joel away from Callus's hooves. She grunted from the exertion, realizing then that there'd be no way they could put him back on the horse.
She twisted her neck to look towards the building behind them. There was still no sign of the bandits coming after them, which was… unnerving.
She whistled towards Callus and Whiskers, hoping that they would follow them as the two girls dragged Joel away from the scene.
With one final look towards the school, they disappeared into the university.
I'm sorry, Lee.
Ledge [Lee Everett]
He watched as the look of horror overtook Clementine, threatening to have her freeze entirely... but she listened. Just like he asked her to do… she used the distraction to her advantage. Clem had made it out… she was strong… and she was going to get out of here, he'd made sure of it. If this was going to be the end, then that was what he wanted his last thought to be. As several other men rushed him, he didn't fight back… only staring at the empty door that Clementine had disappeared through.
Lee mumbled out something barely audible to himself, before feeling a sharp pain in the back of his head. His vision went blurry, then before long… everything went black.
Shadowman [Will]
"Slimy prick." Will spat out, staring at the man on the floor that he'd just knocked out with the butt of his gun, before sending a kick into the stomach of his limp body. It made him feel a bit better, at least. His attention then turned to Saint Arthur, the one who was in charge of this expedition. "You okay, sir?"
After the men had effectively cleared the room and seized the shotgun, Will then turned his attention towards the door that the girl had run out of.
"It was her , that little weasel shot Nathan in the stomach. I just know it." When they were exchanging fire, Will had seen where the bullet came from… the one that had ended his friend's life. He'd gotten a glimpse of a hat peeping out from cover, and it was the same one the girl up here was wearing before she escaped. Nonetheless, he was seething.
"He didn't make it. Had to put him down." He spoke, gaze lowered at the floor and teeth gritted, before he again looked back towards his superior. "We saw two more heading the other way, we've got people searching for them."
"So, what's the plan with these guys?" His gaze then levelled to the unconscious man slumped down on the floor, wondering what they were going to do with him, and if they were going to continue the pursuit on the others. Regardless, he didn't voice his opinion as he awaited an order.
Arthur [Arthur Saint]
And so Arthur's biggest fear came true as he and the man began wrestling for the gun in a quick movie by the latter. There wasn't much to do but to keep the firm grip on the gun, if he lost it, Arthur knew he'd be nothing but a dead man. His sweaty hands weren't helping, but he fought as best as he could, even when he was pinned to a wall and it seemed like all was lost.
Will then came as a saving angel, knocking the man out before he could take the gun away from Arthur. Sweat coming down the forehead, breathing like he had just ran a hundred miles in one minute, Arthur found himself relieved that the man was on the ground, but was disappointed that girl escaped.
"I'm fine, William, thank you for helping me. Now, my son, first off, do not let Nathan's death be in vain. His soul is yet transitioning to the afterlife, we can still feed ourselves off his light. His meat will strengthen us on the journey back home, after this poor quest for food. Save a piece for our friend here." Arthur said, looking down at the knocked body of Lee, using his right foot to check if he was truly knocked out. "We'll take him with us, tie his arms and legs, the conditions didn't allow me to properly show him the new gospel, but he will become one of us, you will see.."
Arthur proceeded to tap Will on the shoulder and walk closer to his men, telling them to pack their stuff and head back to the trucks. He wasn't going to waste time and strength following the girl, they already had a reason for her to come to them anyway.