There was a knock on the door, but Ellie already knew the two characters that stood behind it. It had been a day. Ellie hadn't slept even for a second during the night, afraid of what she would see if she shut her eyes. So, Joel stayed up with her again, saying they should watch a movie as they'd done a week ago. But this time, she didn't fall asleep, she didn't scare easy, and the cheap jumpscares didn't even make her flinch.
The knocks were low and quiet and Joel gave Ellie's hand a squeeze before going to answer the door. Tommy and Maria had been by the previous day, bringing food and trying to bring comfort for Ellie. She smiled once at a cheesy joke Tommy had made, and it made the ocean of stress that lived on Joel only slightly easier. He was terrified this was Ellie's future, her dead and stale state. He'd been able to resuscitate her in Winter, but he had no idea if he could a second time. "Hi…" A small voice whispered to him as he opened the door, seeing Jesse and Dina's grim faces meeting him.
Dina seemed to be better. She still had a slight limp, and a small, single uncovered burn was visible on her cheek. She looked somewhat well-rested, but the dark concern on both Jesse's and her face was apparent, weighing down her normally cheery attitude. "We heard what happened, we just… we thought Ellie might like it if we visited." Dina spoke softly, looking up at Joel. His hair was slightly messy, and he was dressed in a dark green shirt that didn't look like it'd been changed in at least a day or two. "We're sorry if this is overstepping, we didn't-"
"No, it's fine, it's okay. I reckon she'll like you two coming over." Joel spoke, moving from the door frame and letting them in. Dina and Jesse shuffled into the door, sharing heavy looks with each other. "She's, uh, she's upstairs." Joel spoke, shutting the door behind them and watching them nod. They moved up the steps, holding each other's hands with worry. And then, they moved towards Ellie's room and saw her sitting on the bed, looking at the comforter as if it were haunted.
"Hey, Ellie." Jesse greeted quietly, waving as Ellie moved her head to look at her two friends. She tried to tidy her hair back with her palms and wiped under her eyes, trying to make the subtle bags go away.
"Hey, El." Dina whispered, sitting on the foot of the bed. She mumbled a greeting back, scratching her nails against her skin. She could still see the blood on her hands, even though Joel had bathed her yesterday. She wore a bathing suit while he wiped the blood from her hands and face. The warm water soothed her bruises, but nothing would qualm the trauma that still lived in her. "We heard what happened." Dina whispered softly, taking Ellie's hand. Dina's bracelet still clung to Ellie's wrist, but a shot of blood covered the hand charm. "It's meant to represent protection." Dina remembered telling Ellie and she felt sick looking at the blood, only imagining what Ellie was feeling.
"Yeah." Ellie spoke, looking at her friends. A constant state of fear and depression hung over her and both Jesse and Dina cringed, not used to seeing Ellie's chipper person so quiet. "Did… does everyone know?" She asked, only imagining what the townspeople must've thought of her. Joel hadn't told her anything of what had become of the two boys she spared, too afraid he'd trigger anything or make something worse.
"No. Maria… um, Maria told us." Jesse spoke, leaning on Ellie's dressed beside her bed. He saw a bloody handprint on her window sill and turned away, feeling physical disgust when he thought of what Chase had almost done to Ellie, to his friend. "They didn't tell anyone else… it's just us." He muttered, seeing Ellie nod. She was trying to slip on a mask, but her destroyed mental health prevented that ability, even if it had become such a common skill for her.
"Ellie, we're so sorry. It was our idea with the spray paint, they wouldn't have-"
"No, this… this isn't your fault, guys, really." Ellie shook her head, feeling Dina squeeze her hand and suddenly sit next to her on the bed. The bed squeaked under Dina's weight and the girl wrapped her arms around Ellie, taking her into a hug and squeezing her.
"Are you alright?" Dina asked, taking the sight of the long slit down Ellie's arm, stitches still visible where Chase had cut her. Ellie usually would instantly say 'yes' and try to deflect any sort of pity someone would give her, but she was too tired. So, she just shrugged, leaning into Dina's hug and hiding her head in Dina's shoulder. Jesse watched them, taking Dina's place where she'd been sitting on the foot of the bed. "Sorry, that's a stupid question."
The room smelled of bleach, but it was subtle, since it had been slowly taken over by the natural use of the room. They'd stayed the night at Tommy's, since Tommy and a group of his trusted guards cleaned up the bodies and blood, trying to make it any easier for Ellie. "I heard they, um… they finished rebuilding the ranch." Ellie spoke, her discomfort screaming from her personality. Dina finally released Ellie, but she kept her arm wrapped around Ellie's shoulder, rubbing her back and trying to comfort her.
"Did you… did you guys hear what's happening to them?" Ellie asked, talking about the survivors of the attack. Ellie didn't consider herself a survivor of the ambush, she knew part of her had died that night, and it would never return. "Joel won't tell me anything."
Jesse sighed, squeezing the comforter beneath him. Two pill bottles hung on Ellie's dresser, both of them most likely some sort of painkillers. But, when he read the label on the first bottle, his heart sank. It read prazosin. One of Jesse's friends' parents had been a doctor, and he knew well enough what the medicine was for. He felt useless and guilty all at the same time, and it was apparent in the thick silence in the air. "Tommy's holding them until he can find out how to deal with it. They're not going fucking free this time." Jesse spoke, taking Ellie's other hand, but she seemed uncomfortable with the contact. He understood and slinked his hand away. Dina still had her arm on Ellie's shoulder, Dina's head nestled into the crook of Ellie's neck.
"Okay." She responded shortly, and the conversation ended. Neither Jesse nor Dina knew what to say, and Ellie's mind was elsewhere. But eventually, Dina looked straight in Ellie's eyes, her eyebrows knitting up in hurt and concern.
"Ellie, you can talk to us, you know that, right? We're here if you need to talk to us." Dina spoke softly and Ellie looked down. She would've rolled her eyes, but her emotions were muted with the dull pain that rang through her body. Jesse had brought something, because he knew Ellie, and he knew she wouldn't want to talk about it.
"Me and Dina were talking earlier… and we assumed… since you're the most badass out of the three of us…" Jesse spoke, pulling something from his bag and presenting it to Ellie. It was a gaming console, a portable one. There were two joysticks on each side and a small pencil that stuck from the little device. "She thinks you'll wipe the floor with me in around… eh, fifteen seconds. I'll give you thirty."
Ellie actually smiled and she took the console from Jesse, holding it like it was magical and turning it on. Small sound effects emitted from the machine as she began to figure her way around the machine, quickly finding a game in Jesse's collection she liked and smiled when she saw the thumbnail for it. This was the one Joel told me about. She thought back to right after she broke her leg and the comic book store they'd found: "Yeah, Tommy liked this monkey one." It's name was in thick letters and she pressed the button, starting the game.
Jesse and Dina both felt relief flow through them as Ellie seemed to -just for a second- forget about what had happened and was consumed in the game, little beeps and music coming from the console's damaged speaker. It was a miracle Jesse found it, but he didn't plan on keeping it. It seemed to give Ellie immense joy and he smiled, grateful that he'd managed to keep Ellie's mind at bay if only for a second.
Neither Dina nor Jesse had ever seen Ellie so silent and damaged. She always seemed so strong, but right now, she just seemed so beaten down and reserved. Dina suddenly giggled as she passed Jesse's highscore. A loud beep ran through the device and Ellie smiled once again, but only for a second. "You owe me three bucks." Dina told Jesse, a small grin on her lips. Her gaze thanked the boy for coming up with the idea and he nodded, priding himself in lessening Ellie's pain only for a minute.
Joel listened from his room, smiling when he heard Ellie's giggle. He felt tears coming from his face at the sound of her laugh and wiped them, grateful Ellie had some little part of Ellie left. He screamed thank you's to Dina and Jesse in his head, so grateful they'd distracted her for a second. Nearly an hour went by as Ellie, Dina and Jesse all took turns with the console, poking fun at each other when they finally died. They cursed and Joel had brought them food at one point. Ellie didn't even notice she was eating, she only felt the comfort of her friends around her. It was like she could forget for just a second, and it was just an almost normal hour. And they were almost normal teengers for just a little bit, but then the real world returned.
Jesse's parents had come to collect Dina and him. They exchanged a few words with Joel once again, but the conversation died quickly. Joel simply stalled as long as he could so Ellie could have as much time with her friends as they could spare, but his tricks eventually ran out. He climbed up the stairs, knocking gently on the door. If he tried, he could still see the pool of blood outside Ellie's door. He tried to get her out of the room as much as possible, only because it was the room the nightmare had never taken place. "Hey, Jesse, your folks are here." Joel spoke, his face warm when he saw he had interrupted Ellie's laughing. He was relieved she was laughing at all.
"Shit, guess we gotta go." Jesse spoke, both Dina and Jesse hoisting themselves off of the bed, giving Ellie a sad look. Dina squeezed her hand, eyeing Ellie sadly. Her glum expression had returned as her friends began to leave.
"Is it okay if we come back tomorrow?" Dina asked Joel, begging the man would say yes. Thankfully, the man nodded, ducking his head. Ellie had been somewhat distracted for the first time since the horror happened, and he knew she needed more of that.
"Yeah, of course…" Joel nodded, but eventually, they had to leave. Jesse and Dina muttered their final goodbyes, each of them giving Ellie a hug and then, it was just Joel and Ellie. "What's this?" Joel asked, seeing the game console Jesse had been carrying with him when he entered the house.
"Jesse gave it to me. It's his game thing… it has that monkey one you told me about." Joel nodded and powered it on, swiping through the games with the joysticks and seeing the familiar titles. Ellie sighed, leaning her head into Joel's neck just as Dina had done with her.
"Yeah, I recognize some of these. Reckon we could have a tournament later, winner chooses our next movie." Ellie nodded, but her quietness had returned.
"Did Tommy tell you anything new?" Ellie asked and Joel sighed, nodding. Ellie impatiently awaited, picking her head up and looking up at him. Tommy had said that he could come and provide a 'testimony' of sorts against them, as he'd been the first to find Ellie and the mess that she'd left her in. "What?"
"They're, uh, bein' sentenced later. He said I could go an' speak against 'em, make sure they get what they deserve." If it was up to Joel, he would have both of them banished, which wasn't an impossible outcome. What they'd done was against the rules, but he knew their privileged parents would argue that what Ellie had done was against the rules as well.
"Are they going to get off free again?" Ellie asked, and Joel violently shook his head, grasping Ellie's hand. "That's what you said last time." His throat closed around him as he heard those words and he squeezed Ellie's hand, looking directly in her eyes.
"No… I promise you, Tommy swore to me that they'd get what they deserve." Joel whispered, brushing a strand of hair behind Ellie's ear. He didn't mussy her hair or joke around like he usually would. A thick layer of seriousness was lingering in the air and Joel hated that he couldn't even find anything to say to her. "He said they're probably gon' be kicked out. You won't have to see them again."
Not during the day. She thought, still fearing the nightmares that came to her. She avoided sleep like the plague, and whenever she felt herself beginning to tire, she slapped the pony-tail holder on her wrist against her skin, waking herself. She didn't want to go to sleep. She was afraid.
"I'm sorry… I know you want me to talk to you." Ellie spoke suddenly, contradicting against her silent person that had become a theme in the past week. "I'm sorry I'm being so quiet." Ellie whispered. It felt like she was being imprisoned in her own body and some stranger had taken over her. She was trying to break away from the alien Ellie and signal to Joel that the true her was inside, and it just needed his saving. "It gets better with time, I know that… I just need some time."
"You've got nothin' to be sorry about, baby girl." Joel promised her and took her hands, rubbing them until they were warm. It was oddly cold, even though summer had begun to precipitate through the water and heat that began to take over the lost world. "And no one's rushin' you, okay? Like I said, we do this together, step by step." Ellie actually let a miniscule smile escape her lips and Joel breathed once again, relishing each little sign of improvement.
"Okay… I think… I think I want to try eating." Ellie whispered, feeling her stomach complain once again at its empty content. Joel nodded, giving her his hand and she took it, following him down the steps slowly. She had a small limp, since during the attack, she'd been battered and bruised. There was a dark imprint on her right cheek and her left eye, along with bruises on her chest and the area around it. There were the marks of scratches on her calves, those caused by human finger-nails.
"Alright, I got some food already heated up anyway." Joel muttered, taking a plate and placing it in front of Ellie. She slowly picked up the meat, eating it slowly and trying not to gag. Ellie waged a victory over her gut, able to stomach just one meal without vomiting. Her stomach thanked her graciously and its growls retreated. Part of her cheered up, because it almost felt like she was taking power back from Chase and the absolute wastes of human life that had attacked her. So, she ate another bite, this time, not needing to gag. "There you go." Joel praised her, making her smile return for just a second. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and Ellie jumped, dropping her fork with a loud clang. "'T's alright, maybe jus' your friends again."
Joel made his way towards the door, opening it to find Tommy. Tommy looked at him, a wicked grin on his face. Joel looked at him in confusion, confused as to why and how he could be so happy with Ellie in such a state. "They're getting kicked out." Was all he said, and he felt a physical weight being lifted off from his. Joel let out a shaky exhale and he looked back towards Ellie, who was somberly picking at her food with her fork, clearly consumed by her thoughts. Both of the brothers' sights settled on her and she looked up, sensing their sight on her.
"What?" She asked, her voice quiet and vulnerable. Joel made his way towards her, looking her in the eyes with an emotional smile. "Joel, what?"
"They're gettin' kicked out. They're paying for it." Joel whispered to her, framing her cheek with his left hand. She almost seemed to smile for a second and for just a moment, the true Ellie seemed to show her colors. It was as if Ellie was trapped in a cell in her own body and for just a second, she was permitted freedom to say just one thing to Joel. It was like she had just a second to show to him that the true Ellie was buried in her body, and he only had so long to save her before she was truly gone. And then, the true Ellie's second of freedom was over. She nuzzled into his hand, but then turned back down to her food, picking at it again and returning to her thoughts.
Joel frowned, turning around and meeting Tommy's equally destroyed face. He didn't know what he was expecting; as if telling her that her near rapists were being banished from Jackson would be like an on switch to her recovery. She was just as hurt and as terrified as before. Only a slight amount of her pain was chipped away by that fact, and Joel prayed he'd be able to find something to bring her back. She seemed to return momentarily when Dina and Jesse visited, but Joel thought he had an idea.
The clinking of her fork against the glass plate rhythmically steadied through the house almost like a nightmare that Ellie couldn't seem to wake up from. "Thanks, Tommy, I'll… I'll figure somethin' out." He spoke to Tommy, beckoning his brother goodbye and watching him retreat back towards his house. "Hey, Ellie." Joel shook her out of her thoughts and he cringed when she nearly winced. She was so scared once again, just as she had been a few months ago.
"Yeah?" She asked, and eventually dropped her fork and looked up to him, awaiting his response. "Sorry, I'm just super tired." She whispered, rubbing her eyes and fishing her hands through her hair, resting her head on her hand. Still, she didn't let herself fall asleep. Ellie didn't want to see the terrors her mind had been conspiring in the time that she was avoiding sleep.
"You sure you don't wanna try taking a nap?" She violently shook her head, thinking of how she'd woken up the last time she took a nap… it was the day of when it'd happened. "Maybe it'll make you feel a bit better-"
"No, I'm not sleeping." Ellie said quickly, shaking her head violently and forcing herself to sit up. Joel frowned, sighing and taking her in his arms momentarily before releasing her. "What were you talking about…?"
"I got a surprise for you." Ellie let a small smile creep on her lips and she felt Joel taking her hand, leading her towards the door. "It's outside the wall." Part of her was hesitant, heading outside again after what had because of her actions the previous times. "Don't worry, I had Tommy patrol yesterday to clear everythin'." Ellie tried to ease herself at that and she nodded, letting Joel lead her towards the exit of the fence. He held the gap in the fence she'd used to escape earlier, making sure it didn't catch her hair or scratch her. "Watch your arm." She nodded, holding her arm close to her and crawling through the gap. Joel followed close behind her, leading her towards his surprise. "You're gon' like this, I promise."
Ellie nodded, holding tightly onto Joel's hand and looking around them, almost as if someone would come and jump out at them any second. It was silent and anticipation bubbled in her and then, she saw it. Well, not really. There was a warm creek ahead of them and Joel looked at her, smiling. "I promised you I'd teach you how to swim." Joel shrugged, smiling at her and begging that this would free her mind for just a second. Ellie's lips tugged into a smile and she felt a break from the terror and pain that had become so normal for her.
"You did." She nodded, moving closer towards the water and dipping her finger in. It felt warm and she looked up to Joel, seeing him give her a smirk. He had stripped his jacket off and was now in a t-shirt and jeans. Ellie watched him sit on the edge of the land. He took his shoes and socks off, laying them beside him and stepping into the water slowly. "Isn't it cold?" She asked as he turned around, looking back at her. He shook his head, and began to unite her sneakers. The water went up to around his waist, which translated to just by her collarbone.
"Nah, it's nice and warm." In the past two days, he'd spoken very softly to her, almost as if something too loud would make her afraid. "Promise." She let out a small laugh as he enveloped his pinky with hers, giving her a pink promise. A small smile stayed on her lips and Joel smirked at that, removing her socks and scooping her from under her arms, lowering her into the water slowly. "There we go." He smiled down at her. She tightened her breath for just a minute at the somewhat cold water, but let it fall away when she felt Joel holding her.
"Not cold, my ass." She tried to joke, rubbing her arms and standing on her own. Joel smiled, and suddenly, he lowered himself into the water, slicking his hair back and surfacing again, wiping his face.
"Nah, it's refreshing, kiddo." Joel smiled, swimming out and floating on his back. Ellie watched by the edge of the creek, careful to be able to get out if something were to jump out of the water, or if the ground beneath her seemingly gave out. "'T's alright, gotta get comfortable with the water." Joel smiled, taking her hand and slowly leading her out, but she eventually pulled her hand back when the water met her neck. "Okay, let me hold you, then?" He asked holding her and making her float on her stomach with her head just above the water.
His left hand took hers and he began helping her stroke, telling her to kick as well. She looked like a fish on water and she was still slightly quiet, but as hard as she tried to deny it, a small smile crept on her lips. "Gotta punch the water with your whole arm." He ordered, smiling when she began to float without him having to exert such force.
"D-don't let me go." She ordered him slightly, and he nodded, keeping his grip on her. Her confidence in herself was decimated after the boys' attack and after the initial shock, she was simply left in a state of shyness and quiet.
"There ya go." Ellie smiled as she began to float without Joel having to carry her, but then she let him go. But, she didn't see, and she started moving forward through the water, kicking and 'punching it with her whole arm.' "There you go, kiddo, you got it." Joel smiled and she grinned after popping in and out of the water like a frog, doing breaststroke. But she suddenly remembered that Joel was no longer holding her and she raced back towards him, afraid of drowning. "You had it, kiddo." Joel smiled when she dove back into his arms, looking up at him. Ellie smiled for a second, grateful for his praise, since she wasn't allowed to do that for herself.
"That wasn't… horrible." Ellie whispered, smiling up at Joel. Her hair was slicked back and she wiped the water from her face. She wore a tank top and it clung to her skin, soaked.
"You wanna try on your own?" Joel asked, and Ellie looked up, still sort of uneasy about doing it without Joel there, or doing anything without Joel there. "It's alright, I'm right here." Joel assured her, walking them a little deeper out and slowly letting her go. She began swimming again and took a deep breath, ducking underwater and vanishing from Joel's sight. He grinned, thankful that she'd seemed to be happy for just a second. It'd been so hard seeing her so broken.
Winter was traumatic for both of them, but especially Ellie. She was silent and traumatized, just as she'd been in Winter. He hated that her only solution to her nightmares was not to sleep. She was exhausted, and Joel didn't know how to help. He had no idea how she was swimming around after not sleeping for almost two days straight. She didn't even allow herself to shut her eyes, afraid of what she would see. Joel watch her silently torture herself, not able to help at all.
Finally, he realized that he couldn't see her anymore. He looked around, searching for her. "Ellie?" He called in the air, ducking his head under and looking in the water for her. "Ellie?" He called again, his voice growing more panicked. He called her name again, beginning to move around. Cold panic ran through him and he checked underneath the water once again, surfacing and finding nothing. "Ellie?!" Joel yelled through the air, his breath increasing and he squeezed his nails into his palms, spinning around and looking for any sort of splash or ripple, but there was nothing. "Baby, where are you?" He roared, running through the water and looking under to see anything, but there was nothing there. "Ellie!" He screamed, growing more and more panicked. He felt his throat close around him as he realized he couldn't find her.
"Ellie, where are you?!" He called through the air, sprinting through the water and looking for any color under the waves. It was his fault, he brought her here and now she was drowning of being eaten by some shark because of him. "ELLIE!" Joel roared, frantically splashing through the water, and then he heard a splash and a gasp for air. Joel spun around, seeing that Ellie was at the far edge of the creek. The creek was at the edge of Jackson, and the hill that Jackson rested on. So, the edge of the creek had a sheer drop that was blocked by a small dirt wall that acted as a sort of dam. "Oh, my God." Joel breathed, wiping the tire and sheer panic that had been running through him. He quickly swam to Ellie, seeing that her eyes were closed. He shook Ellie gently and she flinched, almost raising her fists until she saw it was Joel. "You scared the shit out of me." Joel breathed, taking Ellie in his arms and squeezing her tightly, shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath.
"Sorry, I… I was spacing out." Ellie whispered, gently taking herself from Joel's grip and rested herself on the dirt wall, looking out at the landscape before them. "Kinda pretty, ain't it?" It was the words he'd said to her when they first got to Jackson. She'd seen him underwater. In the darkness, she saw him. At first it was Chase, and then David, and she just swam until she ran out of air.
Ellie looked out towards the horizon and sighed, scraping the dirt damn with her fingernail, wondering what would happen if she fell and she fell with it, to her death.
"I'm sorry." Joel whispered, looking down. They'd talked about what had happened, but Ellie was still a mess. She was certainly better than she was the previous day, but better was not good. Dina and Jesse had managed to cheer her up a little bit, and her smiling was less rare -much less rare- than it had been the first time she'd had to go through this.
"No, Joel, this isn't your fault… I've done this before… I can do it again." I think. Ellie thought and Joel took her hand, squeezing it in the now warm water. He stood next to her, keeping her afloat even though she could roughly now do it herself. "It gets better after a little bit… the nightmares go away if you bury it enough." Joel sighed, suddenly taking Ellie into his arms and squeezing her tightly. She leaned into him, shutting her eyes and just trying to pretend it was them on the road again… just her and him, like it was meant to be. "I know… I'm sorry. I just… I let my guard down." I got too comfortable… I forgot what kind of world we lived in. Joel kissed the top of her forehead and bended down to her height, meeting her eyes and inspecting every shade of skin on her face.
"Listen to me… you're going to be safe here now… those bastards are leavin', and I'm right here now." Ellie took a deep breath and built up all of the pain that she felt, building it into one giant mess. And then she exhaled, and let it run from her system, falling into the chasm beneath them. "Okay?" He whispered, trying to smile at her warmly, but it fell at her state.
"Okay, I believe you." Ellie whispered, nuzzling into the hand he'd laid on her jaw and shutting her eyes, hiding in Joel's chest while he kept them afloat. "I'm sorry…" Ellie whispered, hating that she'd kept Joel in suspense and pain while she remained broken. "I love you." She murmured and realized it was one of the first times she'd said it to him since they got to Jackson. She'd been so caught up with his massive lie, and then of course everything that had happened with the fire, and with what Chase had almost done to her.
"I love you, too, baby girl." He kissed the top of her head again and they quieted, both of them staring at the view in silence. And then the cold began to settle across Ellie's skin as the sun set, and it began to become darker. She shivered in Joel's arms and he rubbed her back, getting cold as well. "Yeah, reckon it's time we get dry." He whispered, taking her hand and beginning to lead her through the water again. He pulled himself up onto land and then reached down to her, lifting her by her armpits. "There you are."
"Shit, it's fucking cold." Ellie shivered now that the freezing air met her wet skin. Her arms were bare and she chattered her teeth. Joel quickly picked up his bag, wielding a large towel and draping it over her, before getting his own and doing the same. "J-Jesus." She whispered, rubbing the fabric on her wet arms and legs. She was dressed in shorts and a tanktop, due to the fact that the start of summer had fallen upon them.
"I know, lemme make a fire." He hushed her softly, beginning to collect twigs and branches, throwing them into a pile and making a makeshift firepit. He took his lighter from his bag, setting the branches on fire and letting it quickly spread. He beckoned Ellie over, fanning the flames with his hands. "Alright, over here, baby girl."
She nodded, holding her palms over the fire and warming up quickly. Joel had taken out another set of clothes for her along with himself, and as they'd always done, they both turned around quickly changing. Once they were done, Joel took Ellie in his arms, trying to warm her up. She still chattered her teeth and he let her nestle under his arm, crawling into his chest. They leaned against a large log, using it as a seat. Darkness was spreading across the sky and the fire provided a warmth that was rare. It felt like they were both on the road again and Ellie smiled, lightened when it was just him and her. "So, I, uh… I brought you somethin'." Joel smiled, taking from behind him a medium-sized guitar.
Ellie realized with wonder that it was one that he had made his own. It still had fresh sawdust on it and it smelled like a new house. Ellie's face crept into a giant smile and he watched as he presented her with it. There were somewhat fresh strings on them, and it was gleaming. It was the cleanest thing she'd seen since they left the QZ. "I promised I'd make you one. Reckon you'd like to put your own design on it?" Ellie vigorously nodded, her mind already burning with ideas.
Joel carefully handed it to her and she took it graciously, fingering the strings and plucking them, letting out a melodic tone. Ellie smiled, looking up at Joel with a giant grin. "Ya like it?"
"'Like it?' Joel, are you insane, this is fucking amazing." Ellie giggled, looking up at him and seeing a face of pride as she began to methodically fiddle with the strings. "This is so fucking cool…" She whispered, playing a small tune with the guitar, but she really didn't have any idea what she was doing.
"Reckon I can start teachin' ya?" Ellie nodded excitedly, letting Joel separate from her and she handed him the guitar again, looking up at him. He let out a chuckle, looking down at her. "What, right now?" He asked with a grin and she nodded, her excitement beaming out. It'd been the happiest he'd seen her since Chase and he nodded his head, wanting that to continue.
"Yes, right now." Ellie giggled, letting out a squeal of victory when Joel muttered a 'yes,' placing his hands on the guitar. "Thank you, thank you!" She hugged him with a large grin and he let himself release a laugh.
"Alright, alright. Now, pay attention." And so, the night went on. He began to play small melodies, teaching her the strings and having her repeat them. They stayed up for hours, just practicing songs and smiling together. It was like they were on the road again and it felt better than anything Ellie had ever felt since they got to Jackson, beside meeting her friends.
Soon enough, after an hour or two, Ellie began to be able to roughly play songs, but there were still many things she had to learn. And eventually, Joel took back the guitar and she laid down next to him, listening to his soothing music with a relaxed expression and a grin.
Ellie hadn't slept in fifty hours, around two and a half days. So, exhaustion began to weigh her down. Her desperate attempts to chase it away were slowly weakening as Joel continued playing. He'd begun singing again, watching her eyes slowly drift closed. "Put your dreams away for another day, and I will take their place in your heart… Wishing on a star never got you far, and so it's time to make a new start." She smiled, nestling on his lap as he continued to play. For the first time in days, her fears and worries began to melt from her face and all she could hear was Joel's husked over voice and his warm breath right on her skin. She placed her hand on his heart, feeling each thump with another smile of her own.
"When your dreams at night fade before you… Then I'll have the right to adore you." Joel looked down at her, seeing that she was still fighting to stay awake, but he was slowly winning his plan of trying to get her to rest, if only for a few hours. She was relaxed, and he had faith that her nightmares would release her, maybe for just a day, but a day she desperately needed. "Let your kiss confess this is happiness, darling, and put all your dreams away. When your dreams at night fade before you then I'll have the right to adore you."
She lost her fight and her eyes had shut. He slowly placed the guitar down, incredibly careful not to wake her. Joel took in the sight of her sleeping, letting a relieved sigh run through him. It'd been days since she slept, terrified of what she would see in her dreams. It all felt so real, like she was living the literal nightmare all over again… but, Joel's singing had seemed to lull her to sleep like a child, and like he was singing her a lullaby. "Goodnight, baby girl…" He whispered, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear that had fallen into her eyes.
Ellie looked so peaceful sleeping and he relished it, letting a small smirk run on his lips when he saw her slow breaths. No nightmares. He prided himself on his song, seeing it had calmed her. He considered playing while she slept, but he didn't want to chance waking her. So, he closed his eyes, rubbing her back and making sure that she felt his presence. I'm right here, baby girl. I'm never leaving you alone again. I can't believe those bastards tried to… Jesus. I hope they get bit, they deserve everything coming to them.
Joel made sure to get her out of the town while they were getting banished, because he knew that if someone had tried to take Ellie from him, he wouldn't be too happy. He didn't want her to have to go through anything more. If some of the boys' school friends tried to do something, or if any of their family did, Ellie wouldn't be there for them to attack her. He was going to keep her safe, whether it killed him or not. But he wouldn't let it, because she needed him. And he needed her. If either of them stopped living, both of them did. He knew it was a fact, and so did she. So they protected each other because their lives depended on it.
He was thankful that she seemed to be recovering from the boys' attack and Dina and Jesse had certainly aided it that. He liked both of them, and was surprised Dina had killed someone before. She seemed so sweet and caring, but so did Ellie at first, well… not really, but the message was hidden somewhere in her. Goodnight, baby girl. He whispered, feeling sleep begin to claim him and soon enough, he was asleep with her in his arms, the new guitar laying beside them.