Her leg had almost fully healed and though she still had a long, sturdy stick to help her with walking, Ellie was almost fully able to hobble around by herself. Her recovery had taken a weight off of both of them, but she didn't toss any of the comic books she'd found in her illness. She savored each issue, even if she'd read them a thousand times.
"Hey, Joel." Ellie smiled, staring at Joel's birthday present for her, flipping through it happily. She was feeling better and it was showing. "My friend keeps saying 'cheer up, man, it could be worse. You could be stuck underground in a hole full of water.' I know he means well." Joel snickered, looking back at her with a smile. They were in another city, something Ellie had grown to hate. All of those towns had the stupidest names, things Ellie would cackle at when he told her. He told her about how the streets were filled with people… and part of her was glad she was born now. Too many people… the trauma of winter still had a hand on her throat, even if it eased its grip.
"That's pretty good, Ellie." He grinned, planting his hand on her back and ticking her back gently as they walked through the city. Ellie's tension released, but she was still scared. Being in big places like this, it made her uncomfortable. There were too many places to hide. "Here's one." Joel cracked a smile, looking down at her with a calm expression. "What do ya call a hippie's wife?"
"Oh, come on. That's the most dad joke of dad jokes, Joel." Ellie laughed, breaking her gaze from him to let out another laugh. "It's Mississippi."
"That's cheatin'..." Joel grumbled, faking a glare. Ellie rolled her eyes, letting out another small giggle. My Ellie's almost back… my baby girl's almost back. Joel felt a weight begin to lift itself off of him as she smiled again, a silence falling over the two.
"Whatever, old man." Ellie still held a small grin on her lips as she bore her eyes into the ground, wondering what they'd have to go through today, and that was when she saw it. "Um… how are we gonna get through this?"
The streets ahead of them were flooded, most of them looking deeper than Ellie could stand and Joel sighed, shaking his head. "I can carry you, I reckon… maybe find somethin' to carry you across…" Joel grumbled, swearing under his breath. He could tell fear was beginning to rise in Ellie as they stepped into the water, their hands clasped. "'T's okay, just keep my hand."
"Okay…" She grumbled, cringing as the water seeped into her shoes, soaking her socks. "Fuck, this is cold." Ellie groaned, squeezing Joel's hand as they continued through the water.
"Yeah… br." Joel shook his head, looking down at Ellie with a smile. Ellie's hand was beginning to grow tight in his as the water sloped down, making it to her chest and to his ribs. "Okay, stay close, kiddo." Joel warned, feeling the water become deeper. Might need ta find somethin' for her to climb on. Ellie began to feel coldness cover her. Joel shivered as well, frowning at the dirty water. Leaves and lily pads bobbed as something seemed to move under the water.
"Here's a better one."
"Oh, this should be good." Ellie laughed, letting a small bit of tension release from her body. She felt something suddenly run by her foot and she let out a scream since she was already full of tension due to the high water. Joel whipped around, releasing her hand momentarily and searching for the source of her fear.
"Jesus Christ, you okay?" Joel asked, taking a deep breath as he saw that she was fine, looking down into the water. "Ellie." He shook her slightly, feeling her release from her sudden fear and look up at him.
"Y-yeah, sorry… I thought something touched me. Sorry, I'm just on edge." Ellie stuttered, shaking off the fear and freeing herself, letting her muscles release their sudden tension. "Sorry."
"'T's, okay… scared the shit out of me, though." Joel breathed, running his hand through his hair in relief. Ellie giggled for a second, making Joel send a fake glare at her. "Anyway… Why couldn't the bicycle stand up by itself?" Ellie shrugged her shoulders, waiting to hear his corny joke with a smile on her face. She forgot the creature that had brushed past her ankle and now was enveloped in Joel being the biggest dad ever. "Because it was two tired."
"Oh my God, you're such a dad, Joel." Ellie groaned happily, shutting her eyes and letting a small laugh escape her ribcage. Joel smirked with satisfaction, rejoicing the smile that spread on her face. Ellie's pain in her abdomen was still there but it came in shorter waves now. The pain was as bad, but at least it didn't seem to last as long. Joel found her these funny looking things he told her would help with the bleeding. "Ah." Ellie gently pressed her hand against her abdomen, feeling another small drip of pain go through her.
Joel turned to her, giving her a sad look. "It's fine… it's getting a bit better, at least." Ellie responded before he could talk, knowing they needed to conserve their medicine in case one of them got sick, or something happened. "Still fucking sucks, though…"
"Yeah, suppose it would."
"Why don't guys have to deal with this shit?" Ellie asked him, a small wave of anger flashing on her. "'T's not fair…"
"I dunno, guess it's just how we're made." Joel shrugged, lacing his fingers around hers once again. "It don't last forever, though, it'll go away once you're older." If I fucking make it 'till then. Ellie thought morbidly, dreading the fact that she knew she would most likely be gone before Joel. She didn't even want to think about what living without him would entail. I won't have to think about that for decades… it's okay.
"Thank fuck. This fucking sucks." Ellie hissed, taking Joel's hand as the wave of pain passed. She let out a deep breath, nodding her head in gratitude as she began to feel a little better. "Okay… it's gone now."
"Alrighty… maybe we can find somethin' to help you in this shithole." Joel frowned, messing Ellie's hair up. She groaned, rolling her eyes and trying to fix it.
"That's not fair, I wasn't prepared that time." They had made it a game of theirs to fight each other for the ability for Joel to scruffle her hair, which Ellie playfully hated. If she won, she got to mess his hair up, which she also hated because he annoyingly didn't mind, just returned the gesture with a smile.
"Gotta watch your back, kiddo." He smiled, but it soon disappeared as he felt the water slope down. It was up to his chest and Ellie's shoulders and she gulped, looking up at Joel. "I know… worst case, you can just ride on my back or somethin'." Ellie giggled, now almost hoping the water got deeper. Joel was sweet in knowing how desperate she was for love. Ellie didn't exactly get much love before they met, so he was happy with oversupplying it and making up for lost time.
Suddenly, there was a slope, not letting Ellie stand anymore. She squealed in fear, feeling herself slip off of the edge. Joel instantly caught her, bringing her back to where she could stand as she kept a death grip to his neck. "It's okay, I got ya. Okay, here… you can climb on…" He kneeled down in the water, letting her climb onto his back with a small smile. She felt silly like this but couldn't help the giddy expression that went across her face. "You holdin' on?" He asked, hearing her reply with a little 'yes.'
"This is better than those fucking palettes." Ellie remembered them with distaste. Joel was much more balanced and she didn't feel like she was going to slip off at every given second. Besides that, a large grin was on her face as Joel began walking, the gravity of the water letting him carry Ellie easily on his back. Besides that, she was very light… too light for her age. She knew it worried him but she never minded it. If anything, it was an advantage. It allowed her to sneak better and slip into places other people couldn't. Still… it worried Joel.
"Yeah, suppose that ain't too fun for ya, huh?" Ellie shook her head, sticking her tongue out in disgust. "One of these days, I'm gon' have to teach you how to swim. Sarah learned before she could walk, but she never really needed it to survive, I suppose." Ellie nodded, noticing his demeanor change as he discussed his actual daughter. I am his actual daughter… right? Does he think I am? He suddenly felt something in his hair and he looked back towards her, seeing her play with it. "Just what you think you're doin'?"
"I'm braiding your hair." Ellie simply responded, continuing to braid the bottom strands into miniscule braids, smiling as she saw his eyes roll and he shook her off playfully. "Hey! I'm in the middle of something here."
"Mhm." Joel replied, shaking his head once again. Ellie groaned, playing with the fabric of his shirt. Her legs were wrapped under his arms and her hands grabbed his backpack, using the straps as handles to stay on him. Another ripple went through the water ahead of them but she ignored it, thinking it was just the thing that had brushed past her ankle. It was, but it was no fish.
"Hey, Joel." He grunted, acknowledging her calling of his name. He finally allowed her to braid the edges of his hair. Even he couldn't deny the small smirk that hid behind his beard and moustache.
"How… how did Sarah die?" Joel froze, letting out a cough. Ellie released his hair, knowing she had hit a sore spot. Joel slowly continued, clearly trying to speak. Ellie knew that Sarah was his greatest tragedy and after he quieted for a second, remembering those horrible memories, she wished she could take back the question. "Sorry, I… I didn't mean to-"
"It was… um, it was a bullet." Joel whispered, barely moving through the water anymore. "Tommy and me, we… we were gettin' her out of that hellhole… some officer comes up to us, pointin' his gun." Joel's mouth was dry as he continued, hearing nothing but Ellie's breaths behind him. "I told we weren't sick, but… he didn't listen, and… he shot her. Right in front of me." Joel suddenly paused, letting a tear fall into the water with a small ripple.
"I'm so sorry…" Ellie whispered, wrapping her hands around him while staying on and hugging him tightly. It was horrifying to see Joel cry because her sense of security was Joel, and to see him cry was a wakeup.
"I watched her die in front of me." Joel muttered under his breath and suddenly, more tears were dripping down his face quickly, making Ellie grimace. "Right in front of me." He finished, feeling Ellie climb down from his back, still holding onto him with a death grip. Joel looked down to her, seeing her own tears shimmering in her eyes and suddenly, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, squeezing him as hard as possible. It's my turn now… I'm going to make this better for you, Dad.
"Hey, look at me, okay?" Ellie asked, watching him follow her hushed order. Their eyes connected and all of their pain was shared instantly, lightening the load on both of them. "I'm so sorry that happened to you, but… hey, you're not losing me, okay? You can't get rid of me if you try." Ellie felt relieved when Joel let out a tragic chuckle, nodding his head and letting another tear fall down his beard. Ellie took a sigh again, feeling the word leave her lips: "I'm not going anywhere, Dad…"
Joel's head picked up and he felt his last tear drop down his skin. Suddenly, he hugged Ellie back, squeezing her tightly. "Okay… I believe you, baby girl." Joel whispered back, feeling childish. Ellie gave him another squeeze before climbing back up, feeling uncomfortable with her feet dangling helplessly in the water.
Suddenly ruining their tender moment, a splash sounded ahead of them, drawing a jump from Ellie. Joel's head perked up, looking up towards her first then towards the splash. He wiped his eyes, his small moment of his shields dropping gone. Ellie's fear was audible and he took her hand, squeezing it and slightly easing it. "Probably… probably some fish." Then, another splash echoed, closer to them. Ellie gasped again, drawing her knife in her hand with tension riddled in her.
"Joel… what was that?" Ellie asked, dropping his hair and looking up, tensing her hands on his backpack. Joel shook his head, backing up slightly.
"I… I dunno. Hold onto me, baby girl." He ordered, feeling her nod. He unlatched his shotgun from his bag, holding it above the surface of the water with a frown. Fear coursed through her as a shadow began to move from the water towards them and Joel backed away from him, feeling Ellie's breath beginning to quicken around him. "Ellie, stay holdin' on."
"W-what is that?" Ellie asked, watching as the shadow grew closer to them, and then… Joel was underwater, Ellie being knocked away from him. "Joel!" Ellie screamed, watching as a clicker wrestled him underwater, allowing Ellie to flail underwater, her hand reaching for her knife as she breathed in the water, beginning to drown. Even though she couldn't breathe, she didn't care: Joel was losing the battle against the clicker. With a rain of terror in her she thrashed towards it, somehow landing the blade in its neck. Ellie began to sink towards the bottom. She was around ten feet below the water as she saw Joel rush towards her, his arms propelling her forward. Joel's body ran itself towards her, every cell in her body screaming to get to her.
A horrible silence fell through the water as she slowly drowned before him. He finally grabbed her, almost letting out air when he felt her freezing cold touch. Ellie had no air left from her scream and she began to inhale the water, coughing even underwater. Joel cringed, moving his arms as fast as he could to get them to the surface while she clung to him like a lost orphan, begging for a home.
Ellie clung to Joel's waist, squeezing her eyes shut as he propelled them towards the surface. It looked like a mirror from below the water as Joel finally broke them through to air, a long gasp for oxygen escaping his lips. Ellie instantly let out a sputter of coughs, feeling Joel tread water as he moved them to somewhere he could stand. Water spurted from her lips as Joel brought her in front of him, taking in the sight of her absolutely soaked body. Her skin was coated in water and her hair sank flatly due to its wetness. "It's okay, breathe, baby girl." He whispered, watching her let out another round of coughs before finally being able to breathe, her skin retreating from its pale color as she took in air. "It's okay, it's okay."
"Fucking… hell." Ellie coughed out, covering her mouth with her sleeve as Joel held her in the water, keeping her afloat. "Are you clean?" Ellie asked, rejoicing when Joel nodded. She let out another series of coughs, hacking water from her nostrils and mouth with a horrible sound. Joel frowned, taking her in his arms and sinking so their faces were equal. He cupped her face with his hands as her coughing began to cease.
"You okay?" Ellie nodded, taking a deep breath and letting out one final cough. "Okay… just a scare, that's all. It's alright now, baby girl." Ellie nodded, surprised to find she couldn't cry or be afraid. Her trauma had hardened her and her scale of fear had grown, and this: it just didn't fit. They were both okay, Joel was alive… and that was enough to keep her calm.
"Yeah, I… I'm okay." Ellie nodded in between breaths, feeling Joel take her in his arms and squeeze her tightly, hugging her and getting as close to her as she could.
"Gave me a good scare there, kiddo." Joel mumbled, letting Ellie breath but keeping her close and tight.
"Let's just… stay away from water now, please?"
Joel let out a chuckle, nodding and continuing through the river, feeling Ellie's want to just get out and find somewhere to sleep. "Reckon I ain't gon' fight you on that one." Ellie let out an exhausted breath, climbing back to her original position on Joel's back. She took deep breaths, relishing the feeling of oxygen in her lungs. "Should be out of here in a bit, kiddo."
Ellie had already begun to relax, feeling the warmth of Joel beneath her. Still, her exhaustion was taking over her and before she knew it, her eyes were closed and she was asleep.
Joel looked up to her, remembering his confession of Sarah's death. He shook his head, grimacing and looking down to his own shaky reflection in the water. His brow furrowed and he let out a small growl, vigorously shaking his head. I'm not letting anything happen to you. He thought with determination, savoring the sound of Ellie's drawn out breaths and the weight of her on his back.