"Look, baby girl, the door's stuck, you gotta go." He hollered, looking as the bloater came closer.
Ellie's face fell as she realized what he was saying. "N-no, Joel, Joel… I don't want to leave you." Ellie cried, looking back at the bloater slowly approaching, only a couple of yards away now. "Please, please, don't make me go, I'm scared."
Joel frowned and suddenly, the bloater grabbed her, her, shoving her head through the glass of the window. He heard her scream, but it was cut off. It was replaced with the sound of blood gurgling and skin burning in the acid of the bloater. No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No, no this isn't happening. This isn't real, this isn't happening.
Joel looked up, but he wished he didn't. The sight of Ellie's bloody frame sat in front of him. A piece of glass was lodged in her throat. The bloater, satisfied with his work and not hearing Joel, retreated into the darkness, leaving Joel alone. "Ellie. Ellie, get up." Joel shook her, turning her over so he could see her face.
A dark eye covered the left side of her face while blood dripped down her throat. He could see the inside of her. Suddenly, bile sprinted up his throat, landing beside him. "No." He sobbed, wiping the vomit from his lips. "No, baby. Don't do this, baby girl. Listen, you're gonna be okay, c'mon baby girl. Come on, baby."
Even though she was long gone, he could still hear that last second of a scream ringing through his ears, taunting him with the thought that she was still alive. "No, no, c'mon, baby girl. Come on, come on."
Joel sobbed, taking Ellie's frame in his hands and squeezing her as tight as he could, hoping they would switch places. They didn't. She remained still, her blood dripping onto his shirt and quickly soaking both of their clothes. He looked up to the door the bloater had come from, screaming out unintelligible words. "FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU!" He roared, cries interrupting his pleas for this to end. "Ellie… ELLIE!" He yelled, trying to get some sort of response in the darkness. "Don't do this to me, baby, don't do this. Come on, get up, I know you can. Get up." He held Ellie's body with one hand, unclipping his holster with the other. A gunshot suddenly went off and in an instant, a new ocean of blood washed over Ellie, pouring from Joel's head. You jump, I jump.
"Ellie!" He screamed, instantly jolting up only to find that his wrists were chained behind him. Just a dream… He sighed… and that was when he remembered everything. "No… Ellie, Ellie!" He called, realizing he wasn't in the room with her. "Ellie!" He roared, shaking against his chains. A bruise was hidden in his beard, a line of blood decorated thigh, but it didn't look like it was his. I gotta find her… I gotta find her.
The room around him was dark and the pattern of stars reflected from the windows. How long have we been in here? Where is she? How many are there? Joel's mind was going a mile a minute. He prayed they didn't find the medicine in his bag, as he doubted she would be in better shape when he got to her. They fixed her wound, that's what that prick said. She's alive. She has to be.
Suddenly, he realized a figure watching him in the distance. "Where am I? Where's the girl?!" Joel demanded, shaking against his chains. "Fuckin' answer me!"
"Your whore ain't being too friendly. She's with Charlie. The bitch nearly took my fuckin' eye out… almost got out. Before we could even have any fun, too." Joel snarled, rattling against the chains. No… no, no. I need a plan. I need to get us out of here.
Joel growled, seeing red because of the names he called Ellie. I will fucking crack your skull, you son of a bitch. "Something funny, old man?" The hunter hissed, his knife in his hand. The room smelled of rum and blood, but mostly flesh.
"I'll use every fucking one of you for new paint if you even touch her." Joel wore a dangerous glare, challenging the man to do something. Suddenly feeling a jolt of pain run through him as the hunter's fist ran across his face with a thud. "Fuck…" Joel groaned, regaining himself quickly. Stay strong for her. I need to find her. Her wound could be infected by now, she could have hours. Fuck, I need to do this quick.
"You better start beggin' because if you don't start fuckin' talking, I'm making you watch every second, douchebag." Joel roared, spitting in the hunter's face with hatred. The man simply laughed, wiping his face. "Are there any more of you?" Joel simply ignored him, trying to think of where they could be keeping Ellie. This can't be a big camp, we didn't even notice it. "I can make this so much worse for you and her. Or better."
"Fuck you." Joel spat, turning away from him. Ellie would survive for him, he knew it. He would get to her in time. He wouldn't let her be raped, nor again.
"That's okay. I have some presents for you in the meantime." The man smiled, placing a plate in front of Joel. "See, this… this here is Joey. You killed Joey. That was a mistake."
"He shouldn't have touched my daughter." Joel snarled, looking towards a dish of meat. Fucking disgusting… they better not touch Ellie.
Suddenly, a bell rang from outside, putting a smile on the hunter's face. "Charlie's shift is done." The man taunted, licking his lips. No. No, no, no, no, no.
"I swear to Christ, if you touch a fucking hair on her head, I will hang you by each finger." Joel looked the hunter directly in the eyes, a white fire burning from his irises. The hunter chuckled, clapping his hands together like a child with a sick grin on his face.
"That's good, that's good." He cackled, his hands settling on just below his belt. He looked back towards the door as Joel breathed heavily, struggling against his chains. "Listen, buddy, I gotta go… don't worry, I'll tell your girl you said hey." He taunted, slowly leaving the tent.
"No!" Joel snarled, wrestling his binds. "No, no, no." He whispered to himself, shaking desperately. Rope was controlling his wrists, but his ankles were oddly free. "Okay, okay…"
Idiots. Joel growled, noticing a knife lying on a table beside him. His head was ringing. They must've hit me while I was out… Ellie has to be okay. She has to be. I need to get to her. She must be so scared.
Part of Joel wished Ellie wasn't awake… so she didn't have to see his failure to protect her. There was no way her injuries would be better unless they healed her to… no… he didn't know if he preferred her dying over having to go through that again. No, I can stop it this time.
Joel shook his chair, knocking into the table. "Yes, yes…" Joel smiled for a second, reveling in the hunters' idiocy. He knocked the table again, the knife falling onto the floor beside his ankle. "Bastards…" Joel snarled, moving his ankles together against the blade to pick it up, slowly moving it to his right hand.
He rested it on the top of his hand, moving his mouth down and picking the handle of the knife up by his teeth, smiling. "Yes. Yes, yes…" He muttered to himself, beginning to cut the rope with the knife as the handle rested in his teeth.
Soon enough, his hand was free. There were red burns where the role had been, due to him fighting against them. Joel breathed, shaking the rope off his hand and holding the knife, beginning to cut through the left rope. And suddenly, he was free. "Oh God." Joel breathed, standing slowly, stretching his legs.
He held the knife in his hand, searching the room for his belongings. From the corner of his eyesight, he saw a spot of brown. My pack. He raced towards it, slipping the handles over his shoulders and taking his revolver in his hand. I'm coming, Ellie.
Joel peeked out of the tent, seeing four men instantly. All of them looked the same, a familiar hungry look in their eyes. There were three tents. Two were small and one was double their size, around the size of Joel's. A man stood outside the tent, guarding it. She's in there. Joel knew it. Her energy drew him to the tent. No screams. Maybe she's okay.
Okay, what's my play here? Can't shoot that guard, they'll kill her if they know I'm out. Joel sighed, looking down at the knife in his holster. Slowly, he went back inside the tent, crawling to the back and cutting a hole in the canvas, giving him another exit. Looks like we're doing this the old fashioned way.
This isn't happening, this isn't real. Joel's coming for me. He'll be here any second. Ellie opened her eyes expectantly, scanning her vision for Joel. Okay, again, Ellie. Once again, she closed her eyes, then opened them, but still… nothing. What if he escaped? Did he leave me here? No, Ellie. He wouldn't leave me with these animals.
"Listen, cupcake, this can get a lot worse for you in a couple of seconds." The hunter ahead of her spoke, stroking her chin. She winced, her stomach churning.
"Fuck you." Ellie jerked her face away, closing her eyes once again. She was clinging to consciousness. From what she could tell, they had stopped the bleeding, but no medicine had been given to her. Her wound felt so much worse, so she assumed it was infected. Not good. "It turns all green and kills you… but we ain't gonna let that happen." Am I going to die? What if Joel didn't get any medicine? What if they took it off him, what if they killed him, what if no one's coming? What are they going to do to me?
"Feisty little bitch, aren't you?" Ellie's eyebrows knitted together in anger, but she calmed herself. Fear was building in her veins as the hunter looked her up and down. She didn't wake up in her clothes, they were shorter and tighter. They itched and made her ribs bunch against them in pain. Her hair was down, the tips coated with a small array of blood. "How many of you are there? Where did you two come from?"
Ellie simply shut her eyes again, waves of exhaustion rolling over her. "Fuck… you." Ellie panted, wanting desperately to grab at her wound. It hurt like absolute hell. The hunter clicked his tongue, walking around her.
"You don't look so good, baby."
"Shut up." Ellie growled, opening her eyes. His face was staring back at her with every second, making the air colder as if it were winter once again. "You're all going to fucking die." Ellie breathed heavily, her head hanging forward as she began to lose energy.
"Is that so?" The hunter smiled, running his finger down her freckled cheek. Fucking creep. Ellie tried to move her face away, but the man used his other hand to stop her from being able to move her face. His eyes bore into her round, plush cheeks and lips. A hungry expression filled his gaze and she felt herself shamefully cringe. I'm so weak. Why am I afraid of him? Ellie thought, ashamed of her fear.
"Get the fuck off of me." Ellie growled, tears beginning to rise in her eyes. Ellie squeezed her eyes shut, squirming in the binds and the man's grip.
"Aw, your old man was wrong. You ain't a threat. You're just a scared little girl." He smiled, pushing his hands through her hair, violating her. Her lips curled down as her nose twitched like a scared bunny.
"Tell that to the bitch scar on your face." She seethed through a sniffle, tears running down her face. What are they going to do when I have a nightmare? Will I be able to wake up without Joel? Did they hurt him?
Suddenly, Ellie felt him rip the bottom inch of her shirt off, revealing her wound. He thinks we have a group… he thinks someone's coming for them. For me. "See, I know you two have a group. So, you F.E.D.R.A? Firefly?" Ellie almost scoffed at that, not saying a word.
"Listen, sweetheart. You're dying. This wound here? Ain't looking too good. I can make that better. Or…" He peeled the bandage off of the wound, scratching it with his nail before pushing his finger in, making her scream in pain. "... so much worse."
Ellie whimpered, desperately trying to get him away from her. He retracted his grip, letting her breathe. A whimper escaped her lips as she looked towards the exit of the tent, wondering where Joel was. Would he come save her? Or was this her future, trapped with these pigs? "We're not from any fucking group." Ellie cried, her head hanging back on the head of the chair. She closed her eyes, falling asleep.
"Hey!" A violent slap awoke her, causing her to cry out once more. "Did I say you can sleep? From now on, you don't take fucking breath without me saying so." She's David's newest pet. Ellie opened her eyes in anger as the man began to come onto her, moving his lips against her cheek. She tried to move away from him in disgust, but she had nowhere to go.
"Fuck… off!" She grunted, taking the chance to sink her teeth into his ear, managing to actually saw off his ear lobe. He instantly recoiled back, screaming in pain and pushing his hand to his ear. Ellie frowned, spitting the portion of his ear from her mouth in disgust. Eat it. She thought in hatred.
As expected, the man looked towards her, his ears steaming. "You fucking bitch!" He roared, curling his hand into a fist and slamming it against her head, quickly making a bruise appear on her forehead. Before Ellie even had time to react, he hit her again, berating her with open fists. "Come on." He roared, releasing her hastily and dragging her by her hair.
"Let me go, you chickenshit!" She growled, pulling against him. It only made her pain worse, though. "Fucking get off!" She was dragged into the center of the camp. No, no… Joel took in the sight of her from behind a box of ammunition.
She looked horrible. Her right eye was nearly swollen shut and she could barely stand, much less protect herself as the main hunter dragged her through the gravel, kicking rocks up in her face.
Joel's finger twitched on his trigger, but as much as he wanted to end Ellie's suffering, he could cause more by taking a shot right now. "Chris, the hell are you doing, get her back in her cage!"
"The bitch took my ear off, I'm ending this now. Thought you all would enjoy the show." Ellie looked up below him, his boot on her neck. She growled beneath him, trying to get up. She collapsed without the hunter having to even do anything. Her body was exhausted and the soreness that had lived in it hours ago increased by tenfold because of her moving around.
"Woah, wait a minute, boss. They could have people coming after us, she could have information." One of them argued, taking Ellie's chin in his hand. She swirled her spit, shooting it in his face. The only response was the main hunter pressing his boot on her head, pushing her face into the rubble. Where is Joel? She whimpered audibly, barely loud enough for Joel to hear.
He frowned, looking at the scene through his scope. His finger rubbed against the trigger. Not until she has an opening. If she can even walk.
"It's been a hard winter, could use a cupcake like her around." One of the other men chimed in, looking down at Ellie with a grin. She screamed in fury, fighting against the boot on her head, but it roughly sent her back into the ground.
"You fucking assholes! I'm going to fucking kill every last one of you!" She roared, desperately trying to get back up. Fucking get up, get up. She screamed at herself, fighting as hard as she could. Suddenly, more weight sat on her back, pushing her ribs into the dirt.
Ellie coughed up a drip of blood, growling, though it quickly turned into a cry. A plea. Joel… Joel, where are you? Did he leave me? Ellie looked around the camp, surveying it for any sign of him. He left me… he left me, he left me. I'm alone, I don't have anyone, he left me.
She started hyperventilating, her ribs rejecting it and causing her to cough. He left me, he left me. She repeated in her mind, tears spilling down her face as she breathed in and out rapidly.
"She serves the same purpose dead. We can preserve the body, use it for the horses." Joel sneered, finally deciding to take a move. Even if Ellie got hurt: she needed him right now. Her anxiety was increasing with each millisecond, not allowing her to breathe. She's having a goddamn panic attack. Joel thought, taking his aim. "Might as well get some use before we kill her." The hunter thought, sitting atop Ellie. Her ribs couldn't take the weight. It felt like they were going to crack. It felt like David was sitting on top of her.
"Get off of me." Ellie sobbed, trying to push him off to no avail. Her eyes were squinted closed as the hunter began stripping her of her jacket and beginning to tear her shirt. "Fucking get-"
Ellie was cut off as a gunshot rang through the air, pausing everything. She felt the weight on her back slump over beside her. As she looked to her right, she saw the hunter, a bullet right between his eyes. "Argh!" She screamed, using her arms to back away from the body in terror.
"What the fuck?" One of the hunters asked, seizing Ellie by her hair. Abruptly ending the attack, another rifle shot went off, letting another body drop beside Ellie. Once again, she let out a yell, before she realized… wait… that's… that's my rifle! Joel!
Tears swelled in her eyes as she suddenly took in the sight of someone running to her right, dark, shaggy hair and a brown leather coat decorating his features. "J-Joel…" Ellie stuttered, her voice breaking.
Two other hunters sprinted beside her, rifles held in their hands. "No, no, you fucking don't." Ellie snarled, tackling one of them to the ground. No, not now… Ellie felt her body shutting down, mostly from exhaustion, but also, she hadn't eaten since the bloater attack. Her body began shutting down, involuntarily making her fall to the ground, almost paralyzed in a way.
"You bitch!" The hunter screamed from behind her. But, before he could even touch Ellie, another, final gunshot cleared the area. Ellie felt a final body fall next to her before she moved her arms, struggling to even move without collapsing. I'm so fucking tired.
Footsteps approached behind her before she felt hands wrap around her body, pulling her into a hug. "J-Joel?" Ellie whispered, slowly moving her arms so that she could hug him back.
"Are you okay, are you hurt?" Joel asked her, keeping her trapped in his hug. She nodded slightly, her adrenaline calming down and soon replacing with pain. Nature's natural painkiller was wearing off.
"My side… they made it bleed… again." She muttered, taking in the sight of him as he separated from her shoulder. "And my eye hurts." She said, pointing to the bruise on her right eye. Joel frowned, caressing her cheek, but not in the way the hunters did. This was filled with love and concern. "Really… really, tired."
"Okay. Okay. C'mon, let's get back to the tents. Have some stuff there." Ellie nodded, feeling Joel help her stand, relying on his muscle. Before long, she collapsed to the ground, falling in Joel's arms. Ellie clutched her side, peeling back her shirt. It's infected. She realized, gulping audibly.
"What's wrong, what hurts?" Joel asked, taking her in his arms and simply carrying her. He looked down at her side, frowning deeply. "It's okay, it's okay. I found some stuff before we got taken. It'll ease the pain."
"Mhm." Ellie moaned, clutching Joel's shoulder tightly. He looked deep into her eyes as she did the same, inspecting every single color in his irses. "I really thought you left… I'm so glad you're here, Joel." She whispered, hiding in his chest and taking in his scent. He smells like him again.
"Me, too." Joel whispered, his mind taking him back to that awful moment when he saw the hunter atop Ellie. "I'm so sorry, Ellie… you were right. We never should've separated." He finally said, clutching her in his arms gently. She sniffled below him, nodding and shaking her hands. Her palms twisted his shirt, trying to get as close to him as possible. Being alone from him for even a second was too much. She'd experienced such horrible things, it was like horror after horror for her recently… but she had him to keep her above it all. Ellie had that taken away for her. It was the worst thing she ever felt.
"Joel, this isn't your fault." She croaked, barely able to make a noise. "It's theirs. I knew I should've come with you." Joel shook his head violently, closing his eyes and running into the tent, ashamed that he didn't have anywhere else he could bring her. Memories were swarming her, pushing her down into black water that she couldn't surface from. Ellie was crying out for help and commonly in her life, there was no lifeguard. She was drowning and no one could help her. That's what she thought, at least.
"No, nuh uh. Don't you dare do that. You did everything you were supposed to." Joel said sharply, trying to get it through her head. She didn't seem to listen. Usually in situations similar to this one, Ellie would cry and hide herself in Joel's arms. But… not this time. This time, she was angry. Furious.
Why me? Why is the world out to destroy me? Is it because I'm immune? Because I can make this shithole just a little bit better? Ellie thought, her eyebrows fitting together in fury. A spark was running through her emerald eyes, one that burned dark with blood, most of it her own. A murderous want filled her and suddenly, she was ashamed that Joel had to kill those hunters instead of her. I need to stop being weak. If someone hurts us, they deserve to die. That's it. I need to pull my weight. "Are you okay?" Joel asked, realizing what a stupid question it was. He was shocked by her silence, realizing the most he'd her from her was a small cry once every other second. She was dead silent. But something… something about her demeanor had changed. It wasn't… wasn't her.
"I'm fine." Ellie lied, trying to get up. Joel gently pushed her back down onto the cot, but once again she arose. And once again, he pushed her back down. "I said I'm fine. Don't you believe me?" She asked quickly, avoiding his eyes. A sudden anger hung over her as she felt him push her back down. A deep breath lingered in the air and Joel looked back to her, the supplies he'd found at the hospital in his hands. He pulled out the bottle of painkillers, cracking off the top and taking out one pill. Look good to eat… hopefully these still do some good.
"I do, but you ain't okay right now. You need to rest."
"No, I've done enough resting. I haven't been normal since Tommy's, Joel! I'm done with it! I just want to be me again…" She exploded, ripping his grip from her and shooting up, but her body almost instantly rejecting the movement, causing her to topple over. Joel caught her, a plagued feeling down in his gut. He didn't know which Ellie he preferred. This one, or the one he'd come to know. The one he'd replaced his Ellie with.
"I know, baby girl. But it ain't gonna happen overnight. We can do it together." She shook her head, standing again. When he reached for her, she shook him away, escaping the tent, barely able to walk. "Ellie!" He called after her, but she wouldn't even let him touch her. Ellie was done with it. I want to be me again. Not this… this thing that's taken my fucking body over.
"You always say that, Joel! That's what you always say, but nothing ever gets better! It's just gotten worse!" Ellie cried, finally looking back at him. Bags were living under her eyes and a new spark had emerged in her eyes: one that… did not belong to his Ellie. "Anyone who wants to hurt us deserves to die! David, those hunters, anyone who wants to hurt us deserves to die!" She hissed, walking towards the hunters' bodies, a venomous pain hidden in her.
"Ellie, this ain't you. I know-"
"No, you don't! You say you know what I'm going through, but you don't! You didn't get raped, you didn't have to kill your own friends, you didn't have to be by yourself for an entire month, not knowing if I'd leave you or not! You haven't had to deal with the entire world being on your shoulder! Every single fucking time someone gets Infected, that's on me. Because I wasn't quick enough, because we aren't in Salt Lake yet, because of me! Because of this, because I can't even fucking walk without collapsing!" Ellie exploded all of a sudden, letting all of the pain and anger she'd been concealing for the past month roar out, destroying everything around her, especially Joel. "This is all my fault, even you need to believe that. You can try and lie to me, but I know it is."
"Baby girl, I know I haven't been through what you have, but that doesn't mean that we can't do this together." Joel stepped towards her, but Ellie backed up once again, tears beginning to pool in her eyes. It felt like she was a bomb, about to explode at any second. At any second, screams and sobs could rack here. At any second she could collapse, finally taken by her injuries. "I promise you, it will get better."
Joel took another step, but this time, Ellie didn't retract. Her face began to break her down as her exhaustion returned and her tears began to once again swarm. "The world is not on your shoulders. It isn't fair that you were chosen for this, I know you wish it was different, but it ain't. And that ain't fair, it ain't, but that's the way it is… I will be here for you every single damn step of the way." Joel took another step, getting closer to Ellie. The sun was beginning to set, casting a red and orange haze across the flat terrain. "All those people who get hurt, that ain't on you."
"But it is." She responded quietly, looking in his eyes for the first time. They were a warm brown, squirming with hurt and concern. A dark bruise was hidden in his beard, and a fraction of her anger was reborn, only for a second.
"No, it ain't. It's on the people who did the hurting. And as much pain as they deserve, we ain't allowed to give it to them, or else we're as bad as them." Joel said gravely, taking a final step towards Ellie, but she didn't let him hug her yet. "It is not your fault that I got hurt in Fall. You did so good keepin' me alive. Reckon I'd be dead fifty times over if you weren't there."
A small smile spread on Ellie's face, but it fleeted quickly. "We stay together forever, alright? We do everything together, we share our pain together." Joel whispered into her ear and suddenly, she pounced into his arms, exploding into a ball of sobs. Words weren't distinguishable and she let all of it out, everything she'd been holding back.
Killing David, being captured, the Bloater attack, returning to their journey, being separated from Joel: all of it came out in the tears that sprinted down her face with each second. Joel felt his throat close around him and looked around the two, observing the bodies on the ground and the sun blazing ahead of them. "I know, I know…" Joel quickly took her in his arms, nuzzling his head between her shoulders and neck. She was so tiny compared to him, going just above his chest. He realized that she smelled like the horrible stinging smell of alcohol and cringed, hugging her tighter. "I'm right here, baby girl. That's never, ever going to change. It's you and me forever, no one else."
"Do… do you promise?" She asked, her voice broken and wet. Ellie paused her crying, awaiting Joel's response. It seemed to die down a little, but her sobs could still be heard from a mile away.
"I swear on my life, we ain't ever being separated, baby." He responded instantly, feeling her breath for a second at his answer. "Okay?"
Ellie nodded, squeezing him as tight as she could. Pain bled through her and she let out a whimper, letting him go to clutch at her side. "I think… I think it's infected." She answered his question before he even asked, seeing a frown spread across his expression. "Is that bad?" Ellie asked, sniffling and wiping her nose with her sleeve innocently.
"Don't worry, we can take care of it. These assholes probably got some medicine, and we got that stuff from the hospital." Ellie nodded, instantly going back to Joel's arms. She felt him sweep her up like a feather, carrying her back towards the tent. Wind crawled through it from where Joel ripped it and Ellie shivered, though she wasn't even cold. "It's okay. Let's get you fixed up, kiddo."
Ellie nodded, falling asleep as Joel tended to her, exhaustion dragging her down from the day's events. We're together… he won't leave me. She smiled, falling to slumber with that warm thought.