"Hey, Joel. How do you make holy water? You boil the hell out of it." Joel smiled, flipping through the joke book he'd gifted her as they began to return to Jackson. It'd been another day, and Ellie had forced him to return to the museum with her, as she wanted to take a souvenir. So, she had a velociraptor's tiny skull in her bag and she planned on decorating her room with it. Joel only laughed at her, messing her head once again.

"Alright, here's one…" Joel grumbled, thinking of another joke and looking to Ellie with a smirk. "If a kid refuses to sleep, are they guilty of resisting a rest?" Ellie cackled, slipping her bag back into her bag with a goofy smile.

They were almost back to Jackson, maybe an hour or two out. Ellie felt as if someone had been watching them on their way back, but she wrote it off as an uneasiness that lived in her after Winter and Chase. "Hey, Joel, look…" Ellie whispered, pointing towards a fawn in the distance. Joel smiled, bending beside her behind a branch. "I'm going to name him Timothy."

Joel chuckled, rolling his eyes and slowly standing as the fawn trotted away in the mystical looking woods. "God, it's hot…" Ellie groaned, wiping her hair behind her ears and releasing a prolonged groan. She was dressed in large beige shorts and the same tank top she'd been wearing the previous day, but she'd washed it in the river, because of the warm, sweaty temperature. "You need to tell Tommy to get A.C in Jackson, Jesus."

"Noted." Joel smirked, wiping his own hair and smudging his arm across his forehead. "Alright, almost there kiddo." There was the sign, welcoming them to Jackson County like a peaceful hug. Walls are going to be nice again.

Ellie had almost forgotten what being on the road was like, and though she liked the break, having to look over her shoulder every second once again wasn't a welcome change. But suddenly, a twig snapped behind them and Ellie spun around, surveying the woods. Joel scanned the treeline, his brows furrowing and his hand resting above his revolver. "What the fuck was that?" Ellie asked him, taking Joel's hand and looking up towards him. He always teased her about how she only was able to measure up to just below his shoulders. Still, Joel was worried about why she was so tiny. He always brought food with him and the pills she'd been prescribed in his backpack.

"Probably just a deer, kiddo." Joel shrugged, but then, another sound emerged from the woods, and this one was a footstep. Ellie's lips let a gasp escape and she drew her pistol from back pocket, aiming it towards the treeline. "Stay behind me." Joel ordered softly, protecting her with his arm and pulling his revolver from his pocket, leaving her temporarily to move towards the woods.

"Joel." Ellie whined, trying to follow him but he gently hushed her, looking towards the woods. Another snap of a twig sounded through her ears and she felt her fear grow, looking back towards Joel desperately. "Joel, I don't like this." She whispered, moving towards him and clutching the back of his shirt.

The mood had suddenly shifted into terror and Joel felt her fear. He frowned, taking her hand while keeping the other wrapped around his revolver. He aimed it towards the woods, and suddenly, Ellie's hands were ripped from his, almost tearing her shirt because of her death grip. " Joel !" Ellie squealed, hearing the whispers of a hunter in her ear. She screeched, fighting against the grip as hard as she could but it wasn't good enough.

Joel's eyes widened and he felt a fury looking at the hunter and his disgusting grip on Ellie. She let out another roar, smacking her fists against the man but it seemed to do little. Cold shock raced through her. The weekend had been one of the best of her life, but of course, life condemned them and it had to end.

"Come here, you!" The hunter growled, pulling her back and lifting her up into the air. Joel's eyes widened and he aimed his pistol, pulling the trigger and sinking lead into the man's eye.

"Ellie!" Joel yelled, moving towards her as the hunter dropped her. She let out a series of coughs, as the man had been choking her when he held her. "Ellie, are you-"
Ellie's eyes widened when he framed her face with his hands and she pushed herself from his grip. Ellie aimed her pistol, shooting a bullet into the neck of a man that was inches from Joel. Joel spun around, seeing that a pack of hunters -around five or six men- were rushing towards Ellie and him, guns aimed towards the pair. "Get off of me!" Ellie screamed as two more hunters took her in their arms, strangling her and holding her still.

"Motherfucker!" Joel roared, bashing one of the men's heads in. He fell to the ground, and Ellie threw her knife into the other's neck, blood spilling all over. She gasped, seeing what she'd done. It had been so long since she'd killed someone, and the familiar cold shock that wrapped around her whenever she was forced to wasn't a welcomed or pleasant feeling. "Ellie, c'mon, we have to run." Joel ordered, taking her hand and dragging her through the woods, but someone tackled Joel, and another took Ellie in his arms, holding her so hard that bruises appeared on her arms.

Joel let out a furious roar, seeing two men hold Ellie as she screamed and cried for Joel. He tried to fight against their grip, desperate to get to her. Pure rage and hate ran through his veins when he saw a cut on Ellie's cheek. Ellie cried out Joel's name and she fought against the men holding her and eventually, one of them slammed their pistol against her head, making her slink into an unconscious state. " ELLIE! " He roared, but soon, he too, was seeing nothing but black.

She felt someone nudging her and she jumped up, her breath quick and dry tears on her face. A nasty cut lived on her cheek and Ellie's eyes were covered by a cloth. She held her fists up, seeing they were bound together but she was able to move them in unison, and the same went for her ankles.

Her head whipped around and Ellie realized she was curled up into a ball against her will. Her body sensed that she was in a closed space and she fought against a body beside her, fearing it was one of the hunters. "Hey, hey, it's me. It's me." Joel's voice met her ears and she stopped moving, looking around her desperately, trying to find him.

"Joel?" Ellie whispered, her voice barely standing in the river of tears that wanted to barricade her right to speak. He nodded, slowly pulling her blindfold off and meeting her eyes. They were in the back of a truck of some kind, but it didn't feel like they were moving. "Dad." Ellie whispered, falling into her eyes and feeling tears run down her face. Her body hurt and she was absolutely exhausted. They must've been in there for at least half a day and her stomach was begging for anything.

"It's okay now, baby girl. It's okay." Joel whispered, his hands binded as well, but they were looser, so he could pat her hair with a struggle and wrap his arms over her head, taking her into a hug. "We're together, it's alright… We're going to find a way outta here." He promised, letting her cry in his arms from having to face the hunters once again, and memories were swarming here. "Okay, it's alright."

She eventually pulled herself from him, still softly weeping. He murmured her comfort, but she felt fear slick around her spine when she heard the muffled conversations of the hunters outside. "W-what are they going to do to us?" Ellie whispered, her eyes red and a fair bit of blood dotted across her cheek. He wiped the bloody cut with his sleeve gently, but he only smeared it. What are they going to do to me? Ellie asked herself in a terrified question, and she looked back into Joel's eyes.

He frowned, caressing her cheek and seeing small bruises in the shape of hand prints on her arms. He bared his teeth, but didn't allow himself to bang against the walls. The longer the hunters believed they were asleep, the better. "We're going to be okay… we'll find a way out." Joel swore to her and she sighed, small cries still emerging from her but finally, they stalled and were left with shallow breaths. Fuck, I'm hungry. Ellie's stomach growled and Joel frowned, cursing under his breath. "Alright, just hold on a little longer, okay, baby girl?" He asked and she nodded, feeling worse for wear.

Her body felt disgusting due to the men touching her and she rubbed it to the point where it hurt, but Joel took her hand, stopping her. "We'll be back home soon, I promise." He whispered, looking straight in her eyes. He had a split eyebrow and there were two small cuts on his nose, and a bruise on his cheek.

Ellie's fists dug her nails in in fury and she wished she could have a minute alone with the hunters and a bat. As protective as Joel was of Ellie, it multiplied twenty times for her, as she had lost too many people for it to happen again. He'd lost his daughter, but she'd lost so many people directly due to her actions, and he was able to accept it wasn't his fault… but that was something Ellie'd never accomplish. "O-okay." Ellie whispered, her stomach roaring again but she tried to ignore it.

Joel looked around, inspecting their surroundings. He noticed Ellie's hoodie had been stripped from her and his absolute white rage only grew. I'm going to kill every last one of them. He promised her, cursing when he saw nothing that could get them out. "Do you have your knife?" Joel asked, seeing her rub her hands above her pocket, looking for the firm weight of the knife.

"Fuck… they must've taken it when I stabbed that fucker." Ellie whispered, swearing and looking back up at Joel. He cursed under his breath and tried struggling out of the itchy rope binds. "Wait, I… I think I can slip my hand out if I bend my thumb." Ellie sickly knew that nearly dislocating her finger was the only way for them to get out and Joel swore underneath his breath, his inhales heavy and stressed. "If I bend it out, I can get it, I think." She nodded, looking up to Joel for him to tell her what to do. "It's the only way out, you know it."

"No, we'll find another way, Ellie." He answered sternly, shaking his head and once again tracing the wall of the metal truck. They still didn't seem to be moving and Joel assumed that it was later in the day and they were settling down for the night. Shit. Joel realized that they'd been gone a day -due to the attack- later than he'd told Tommy. He just hoped his little brother didn't come out looking and find these fuckers.

Eventually, Joel realized there was no other way, but he shook his head, continuing his search. "Joel, I can handle it…" Ellie murmured, looking down at the agitated skin of her hand and beginning to itch it, but Joel stopped her, shaking his head.

Ellie groaned, taking action into her own hands. She didn't think she'd been pulling her weight, and she felt like a burden to everyone, but this time, she was going to help. Ellie abruptly yanked her hand out and a sickening, subtle crack went through the air, like how it sounded if one cracked their knuckles or neck. Her breath quickened in pain and she threw the rope of, clutching her thumb in pain. "Fucker." She hissed, looking down at it and seeing that it had been popped from its socket. Still, she'd freed her hands. "Motherfucker." She spoke harshly, wrapping her hand around the thumb, but Joel shook his head, taking it gently and sickly readying to snap it back. Her breathing was quick and eventually she groaned, looking up at him. "Just do-"

Ellie had to muffle her near scream as Joel snapped it back in place and she held it close to her, her breathing rapid. "I know, it's okay." Joel whispered, rubbing her back while she recovered from the horrible pain.

"Let's just fucking get out of here." Ellie whispered, shaking her hand in pain and using her good one to untie Joel. He rubbed his wrists where the tight ropes had suffocated her skin. Ellie watched him move around the truck, now able to use his hands and feet. She rubbed her hand in pain, holding it close to her like an injured puppy.

"Alright…" Joel exhaled, looking through the small window that showed the front of the truck, and the front showed the rest of the camp. There were five of them. Ellie and Joel had both taken out a fair amount of them, maybe three or four. "Okay, we're gon wait until night, alright? Till they go to sleep." Joel explained to her and she nodded, peering out of the truck before slinking back down against the wall, tired and hungry.

Joel's eyes widened and he saw their bags lying in the front seat. He praised the gods, taking both of them and pulling them into the back where they resided, closing the gap between the spaces. "Here we go, we got some food, baby girl." Her eyes picked up and she desperately looked to him, her stomach growling again.

"God, I'm so fucking hungry." Ellie whispered, still holding her right hand in her chest, but using her left to extend towards the small wrapped sandwich Joel had packed for the trip. "Fuck yeah." She smiled, devouring the sandwich as if she were a black hole.

"Reckon that's a bit better for you…" Joel stroked her hair gently as she ate, taking a small bite himself but allowing her to eat almost all of it. She needs it more. "Okay, we're going to be alright now. We wait until night time."

She finished the food, tossing the wrapper aside and looking up to Joel tiredly. Laughter emerged from the outside of the truck and Ellie scowled, her face erupting into anger. "Fuckers… we're gonna show them." She glared, remembering the men grabbing her when they'd first been captured. Joel frowned, hating that she had to talk like that and she couldn't lead what could be considered a normal life.

Ellie missed the ranch slightly, and she wondered what Jesse and Dina would be doing right now. Jesse wouldn't believe her when she told him. The boy had found her stories enjoyable, like the comic books that she loved. Ellie found it sweet.

Joel kept the ropes close by, just in case the men came back to check on them and they needed to cloak themselves. "Try and get some rest, baby girl… we're gonna need to rush to Jackson when we get out." Ellie nodded, hiding in his arms and trying to fall asleep, even with the looming figures of the hunters within earshot. "It's okay… nothing's gon' happen, I'm right here."

Ellie nodded her head, slowly slumbering in Joel's arms. He squeezed her hand, watching over them while she slept, exhausted from the day's events and for going without food for so long. So much for 'taking it easy.' She snorted, but finally, falling asleep. Joel sighed, brushing her hair gently and keeping her hidden in his arms.

I'm going to keep you safe… no matter what. Joel swore and slowly, day turned to night, and the uproaring and laughter of the hunters outside grew slow. They're sleepin'... they're going to regret ever touching her. Joel snarled in his mind, remembering the horrible moment he'd heard her first scream. The amount of anger that lived in his veins when he saw those grown men holding his daughter and rubbing against her. He knew he wouldn't regret the actions that they were about to transpire in.

When he heard the soothing chirps of the crickets, Joel gently shook Ellie awake, making sure that his face was in front of hers so that she knew it was him. "It's okay, just me." He raised his hands in surrender and she sighed, closing her eyes again for a second before letting out an adorable -in Joel's opinion- yawn. "You ready?" Ellie nodded, taking her gun that she'd acquired from her bag and holding it between her hands.

"Fuck yeah." Ellie whispered, missing the feeling of Joel's and her bed. She missed her friends and their days at work, just spending the entire day laughing and being chaotic together. "What's the game plan?" Ellie asked. Her hand was even more sore, but sleeping temporarily muted the pain. Joel was sure that they'd have something back at Jackson to help her, and a few days would heal the wound. Just another badass scar. Ellie tried to cheer herself up, succeeded slightly.

Joel quietly himself through the gap between both of the parts of the truck, landing in the front silently. Ellie followed behind him and they settled their eyes on the campsite. A dead fire was in the center, surrounded by a gaggle of tents. "Take 'em out one by one. There's six, so we stick together, okay?"

"Okay." Ellie whispered back and Joel silently opened the door to the truck. Ellie followed behind him and she noiselessly closed it, but the slightest of sounds escaped the door. She winced, but no consequence seemed to come from the decibel. Joel and Ellie lowered themselves, using the shadows to their advantage and going undetected. Joel signaled towards one of the tents and Ellie nodded.

He silently cut a gap in the back of the tent, granting them entrance. And so, they went in, taking both of the men inhabiting the space quickly. Both of them dipped their head as a compliment for the others and they looted the tent quickly. They moved through the tents, finally getting to the last one. Ellie had blood dripping from her hands, but Joel took care of the majority, not wanting to put her in that position to hurt someone when she didn't want to, and that cheered her up a little. Joel held a finger to his lips, but before he could even open the tent's gap, someone pounced on him from the interior, throwing him to the floor. "Joel!" She yelled, running towards him and noticing her pocket knife in the back of the hunter's jeans. She grabbed it, wielding the blade and stabbing the man, slitting his throat.

Ellie cringed, seeing the blood run down her hands, but she shook it off, throwing the body off of Joel and looking down to him, breathing once again when she saw that he was alright. "Are you okay?" She demanded, seeing him nod and take her hand, balancing himself and standing once again. Suddenly, another one of the men grabbed Joel when he'd gone to loot the tent, but this time, Joel wasn't able to dodge away so quickly. The hunter took Joel and held his own revolver to his head, looking to Ellie in the diminished fire light.

"Don't move." He ordered, his tongue sharp. Joel growled, struggling against the man's grip, but when the hunter cocked the gun, Joel paused, looking at Ellie's trembling pistol. The hunter laughed, looking at her nose, which had begun to tremble in fear just like that of a bunny. "Aw, you're just a scared little girl." The hunter cackled, looking to her then to Joel, laughing at her and mocking her. Her eyebrows furrowed together and her hands rubbed against the gun's metal. "Ah, you're just a girl… not a threat-" The man was cut off as Ellie suddenly fired, sending shot after shot into his head until Joel held his hand up, running towards her and throwing the gun away.

"It's okay, it's okay." He whispered, combing her hair while she cried. They hadn't run into hunters since… since David. It was a fresh wound and she didn't want to think of it. She thought of all of the times after him they'd nearly collided, but narrowly escaped the disgusting species of pigs. "It's okay, we're okay now." Joel promised her, letting her release her tears. Blood was splattered on both of their faces and he scrunched his features together, separating from her for a second. "Okay, let's get out of here, alright, baby girl?" She nodded vigorously and they slowly walked into the dark woods, their flashlights illuminating the way for them. The bitter summer night nipped at Ellie's bare legs and arms, but Joel's hand in hers warmed her. She looked up to her father, squeezing his hand and growing closer to him. "It's alright, baby girl."

The lights of Jackson were just barely visible and Ellie breathed, wanting to return to the safe walls. She'd almost taken them for granted, a mistake that would not happen again. "I'm tired." Ellie whispered and Joel returned the sentence, uttering the same thing.

"I know, me, too. Let's get us some sleep, alright?" Joel asked her and she nodded, growing closer and closer to Jackson. Finally, she nearly fell, her exhaustion getting the better of her. "Ellie!" He called, catching her and holding her in his arms. She shook her head, shutting her eyes in his grip.

"I'm alright… I'm just tired." She repeated and he sighed, slipping his hands under her knee caps and on her neck, holding her in his arms. A stray hair was brushed from her face and Joel kissed her forehead, looking down to her in the darkness.

"Okay… get some rest, baby girl. I'll get us back." Joel whispered, rubbing her and warming her up slightly. He looked down into her eyes, only to see she'd already fallen asleep, tired from the exhausting weekend, but she knew it was among the best days of her life. Her birthday was special, he made sure of that, and Ellie loved him for it. "Love you, kiddo." He murmured softly, getting them to Jackson and returning them to their house. He opened the door, treading upstairs and slipping her into his -their- bed.

He unfastened her shoes and tucked the blankets under her arms, watching her breathing relax in the feeling of their own bed. Joel smiled warmly, getting into the bed beside her and feeling her crawl into his arms, searching for his grip. He grinned gently, stroking her back and slowly falling asleep right beside her.