Disclaimer: I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, Sony, and their creators.
A/N: Again thanks to the people that are reading the story. Thanks to the ones that are leaving a comment on it I really appreciate that. Now lest continuing with the adventure.
Chapter 6: The little Family
Joel walked back to where they left the bike and dragged it back to the gas station and put it on the side of the building to hide it from sight. The last thing he needs is for those men to come back here and see it. Ellie got out of the store and got to him asking him for the med-pack to help the boy. After Ellie grabbed it and went back inside, Joel reloaded his gun and walked to the entrance of the store. Soon he made sure that no one was coming from the road in front of them. Joel walked inside the store, to see how they could help the boy.
Soon he gets to the back of the store, he sees Ellie helping the old man with the boy's injury. He knows how good Ellie was with injuries, maybe she can make that a career for herself back in Jackson. They need good doctors to help with the injuries and sick people and Ellie was good at that.
"Is he going to live?" he asked as soon as he got closer.
Ellie turns her head and looks at him. "He will, the hit on the head is the worst one and he got a few ribs busted, but nothing too serious."
"Well that is good news, so he can walk?" Joel asked quickly.
"Not yet… but thank you for helping us…" said the old man, while finishing bandaging the boy's head. My name is Tomas, Tomas Jefferson and my grandson here is Alex-"
"Yeah, yeah… not needed for all that. I just want to know what is the story here? What do those men want with all of you?"
"Well, we were in the closer town looking for supplies when those men attacked us. I try to give them all we have but their leader wants my little girl…" he stood up and looked at both Ellie and Joel. "She managed to get away before they could put their hands on her… And now we need to find her before they do… Are you going to help us?" asked the old man with a sad tone.
Joel crosses his arm in front of his chest "Well we did not come here to get into other people's trouble and we already saved you and your boy life… but we have some need and you help us with that-"
"Joel!" Ellie was going to protect but Joel gave her a look.
He turned his head back to the old man. "She mentioned that you have some gas… we can help you if you give us some… but right now I don't see how you're going to do that."
"I can help you with the gas… but you need to help my little girl… you need to find her first… please…" he said moving close to Joel.
Joel looks at Ellie, he can't believe that he is going to do this, but Ellie begging eyes melt him up. "Okay… we're going to help you, but I need to know what happened. And where the direction you girl runs… also how many men go after her and how armed they were."
"Sure… I can tell you anything you need to know, but not here, we have to get my grandson back to our house. He needs the rest to recover and maybe Molly will go in that direction too."
"So you know where she was going?" asked Ellie.
The man turns his head and looks at Ellie. "Well, not sure she is going there. When those men tried to take her, I told her to run into the forest. She knows a few places there to hide, but probably she will try to get back home.
"And those men? They know where you live?" asked Ellie again.
"No, they attack us after we leave the town that is a few miles from here. I try to get away but they ambush us here."
"Where is this house of yours?" asked Joel this time.
"A few miles from here in the opposite direction of the town. It goes deeper into the forest so no one knows where it is…" explain the old man. "We can go there and you can go to find Molly if she is not there. I can give you bullets and anything you need."
"A few miles? And how are we supposed to get there with an injured boy and not a vehicle?" said Joel while looking at the boy
"Do you not have transportation? You were looking for gas right?" asked the old man quickly.
"Yeah we have one, but our transportation is a motorcycle and only can carry two people."
"Oh," the man turned his head and looked at the boy on the floor. He started to move a little, so that meant that he was waking up. "I have a car, but those assholes took it. They thought that they could catch my girl in the forest with it, but there is not a road there for a car. At least not the way she goes."
"So what are we going to do? As you said, he needs to rest and he can't walk like that even if he wakes up,"
The man moves around trying to think, but they do not have too many choices. After a few minutes, He looks at Joel. "You can take my boy on your bike to my house and your girl and I can walk there. Is a path through the forest close to here that can take us faster there? Is going through the mountain behind us, but you can't use your motorcycle to get through that way, but on foot, we can cut half of the time to get to my house."
Joel moves closer to the man and grabs his shirt. "Are you crazy? Do you think I will let Ellie go with you alone Just like that and with those men around there too?" yell Joel to the man.
Ellie moves closer and pulls Joe away from the old man. "Joel is okay, that sounds like a good plan… don't need to worry about me, I can manage myself," she said, moving him away from the man.
Joel looked at her with surprised eyes. "You're not considering this, do you? Is it not the way in hell that I will let you go alone with this man just like that…, no way?"
Ellie separates Joel from the man and moves him away. "Joel is okay… I don't think he will try anything, besides I can take care of myself," she said in a lower voice so the man would not hear her.
"Ellie… I agreed to help him, but getting separated is out of the question."
"Then what do you suggest? We need to take his boy out of here and that seems to be the only way."
Joel moved away from Ellie and shook his head. After a few minutes, he turned around and looked at her. "Maybe you can take him… I mean take the bike and go to his house with the boy and let me go with the old man," he suggested quickly.
"That can work if I knew how to drive that thing… and I guess that we don't have time for you to teach me how."
The man walked toward them and looked at Joel. "I understand you're worried about your girl going with a stranger, I will too… but I promise you that I am not going to do anything to harm her… I have a little girl too, that is out there alone with those men after her and the last thing I want is to mess things up with the only two-person that can help her."
Joel looks at him with some distrust, but Ellie insists that she will be fine. After some talk, Ellie convinces him to let her go with the old man and promises him that she will get to the house safely. After that, the old man grabs some paper he finds and makes a map for Joel to follow. After that, they grab what they can and prepare to go. They move the dead men's bodies and put them in the back room, so that way when the rest of the men return they don't see them in plain sight.
When they finish, they help the boy that was starting to wake up and help him out of the gas station store. The boy didn't say much at first, he only was moaning in pain. Tomas helps him walk toward the motorcycle.
"Grandpa… what is going on… where is Molly?" asked the boy in a lower voice.
"Don't worry about that Alex… Your sister will be fine… now I need you to go with this man to our house and wait for me there… okay?"
"My head hurts… and also the rest of my body…"
"I know they kick you a lot… but you will be fine…"
Joel looks at them and tries to think of something else. He doesn't really want to leave Ellie with this man so maybe he can take the boy to the house and come back for Ellie. He knows the gas on the bike won't be enough for that, but maybe the old man has some in his house that he can use. "You said you have a car right?"
"Yes, but they took it… I already told you that" answered the old man
"Yeah, I know, but do you have some gas in your house that I can use? So that way I can leave the boy there and come back for Ellie and then you." Joel liked that option better than letting Ellie walk alone with the man. He doesn't trust him, at least not completely.
"Yes, I had some in my house, but I used all I had left on our last trip. But don't worry, I know where to get more. I will tell you where if you find my little girl, is that a deal?"
"Well, that will not help us much if I run out of gas before I reach your house… "
"My house is not far from a vehicle, so I don't think you will have any problem getting there. Just help me and I can guarantee you a lot of it. I know you're worried about your girl, but we will be okay… the path is close from here and we will be there in no time."
"I don't like this… I normally don't trust strangers, but you have Ellie here convinced of all this, but I promise you that if something happens to her because of all this, I am not going to hold myself back."
"JOEL!" Ellie tries to protest knowing what Joel means by that.
"No, he is right. We're just strangers that need help, and you do not have any obligation to help us out. But I offer you trade for your help; gas, food, bullets all you can carry it is a good deal don't you think?"
"Maybe it looks like that, but getting in a fight with some hunters can be bad for us. But since we don't have too much choice, let go and finish with it."
"Okay, thanks." said the man looking more at Ellie than at Joel. "Just follow the map I give you and you will be there in less than an hour. Is going to make us more than that to get there, but I can assure you that we will be there before the night comes." Joel tells the man that he wants to talk to Ellie alone so he moves away.
"You know that I don't like this a little bit, I don't trust him… I think he is lying or at least doesn't telling the whole truth," said Joel in a lower voice.
"Joel, I think they're telling the truth about the girl and the hunter and we can't let them get to her. Just take the boy back to their house and wait for me there."
"I don't like this… I don't want you to go alone… what if something happens and I'm not there to protect you?" he said with a worried tone.
Ellie moved closer to him and put one hand on his cheek. "I know that you're worried about me, but you need to trust me that I will be fine… you teach me how to survive and I learn well."
"I still don't like it, but I will go with it. So promise me that you will keep an eye on him, and at the first sight of trouble you do whatever you need to do to stay safe… okay?"
"I know what to do, don't worry… I'm a big girl now, I will be okay."
"Just get to that house in one pice okay?" He put one hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. "I love you kiddo… so be safe."
"I love you too Joel… and don't worry, I will be there in no time."
Both of them walk back to where the bike was. The old man was talking with the boy that it didn't look right, but who can blame him after the beating he apparently got from the hunters. Joel hates those kinds of hunters. They only get joy from hurting other people, even killing them for pleasure and not just for surviving. He was with a hunter group before met Tess, but it was only for survival, he never hurt people just for the fun of it.
"Okay let's move before it gets late," said Joel as soon as they got close to them. "Are you sure you're an alright kid?" asked Joel.
"No…no really... they… they kick me and hit me a lot… but I will be fine," he said with some hesitation while looking at both Ellie and Joel. "My grandpa said... that you will help us to find… my sister… is that right?"
"Yes… it looks like it," answered Joel.
"Why?" he asked curiously. I now my grandpa offered you gas for your help...but-"
Joel looked at him and got on the bike. "Just get on the bike boy… I don't want to waste more time on this," he said with a cold voice.
"Is okay Alex, this man is going to take you back to the house so you can get some rest. Then they will help us to find Molly, so go with him."
The boy turned his head and looked at him. "What about you? They took the car, how are you… planning to go there?" he said with a weak voice.
"I will take the old path, I will be there in a little more than an hour... I will be fine, don't worry," he said while guiding the boy to the bike and helping him up.
Joel starts it and looks at Ellie. "Be safe… and remember what I told you… okay?"
"See you soon Joel… and you do the same," After that Joel drove off into the road and toward the old man's house. Ellie looks at him until she can't see him anymore. She knew this was a great risk to take for people that they just met, but she really wanted to help that girl and save her from those hunters.
Ellie turned around and looked at the old man. "Okay, old men lead the way…"
"Yeah, just follow me…" he turned around, grabbed his things, and started walking in the direction of the little mountains that are behind the gas station. "You can call me Tomas…" he said while walking into the forest. "What is your name? I hear you dad-I mean your partner calls you Ellie… is that your name?"
Ellie was walking behind him and ready for anything. She didn't think the old man was going to try anything, but Jowl was right they can't trust everybody. "Yes… that is my name…" she answered him.
Half an hour later Joel saw the house in the middle of the forest not too far from the main road but hiding enough for someone to see it. The boy asked a lot of questions during the ride, but obviously, Joel didn't answer them, at least not all of them. Soon Joel gets close to the house, he stops the bike.
"Why do you stop? The house is over there..." said the young boy.
"And how do you know that no one has come here? What if those hunters find it and are waiting here for the girl to come back…"
The boy got out of the bike and looked at the house. "That is unlikely… First, they didn't know about this place… they asked us but my grandfather told them that we came from another state. And second, we have a few traps set that they could trigger if they did find this place." The boy started to walk slowly in the direction of the house. "C'mon, I can assure you that there is nobody here… at least not yet."
Joel gets off the bike and pushes it forward. "Are you sure you should be walking?" he said, not even knowing why he cared. He is only doing this because they need the gas and Ellie convinces him to help them even if he thinks that something is going to go wrong. He needs to stop letting her go her way… or they will end up dead one of these days.
Soon they got closer to the front of the house, Joel saw the boy moving his hand to his head and falling to his knees on the ground. Joel put the bike to the side and moved closer to the boy.
"Are you okay?" he asked, grabbing the boy's shoulders.
"Yeah… just a little dizzy… my head hurts a little." answer the boy.
"They must hit you pretty hard… What did you do to piss them off? Or they just do it for fun?"
"It's a long story… Who are you again?" he said, a little confused.
"C'mon boy… let's get you inside… and find something for the pain." Joel helped the boy up and walked him into the house. The house was a two-story place, not so big inside but a lot of space around. He saw the fence that covered the back and the food they planted there. It seems that they have been living here for a long time. No sight of any fight either, so no one has found this place yet, just like the boy said. The boy told Joel how to open the door without activating one of the traps.
Soon they get inside and the boy talks again. "We have some pills in the kitchen for the pain and a med-pack in the bathroom."
"Okay, just sit here on the couch… I will go looking for them." Joel helps the boy to sit and walk to the kitchen. "How long have you three been living here?" Joel asked from the kitchen. The boy looked in his direction but did not answer him. After a few minutes, Joel walks out with some pills in hand. "Look I know you don't know me, but we just saved your ass back there." Joel stops in front of him and passes him the pills.
"Sorry, but we don't trust strangers… I don't know how grandpa let you bring me here… he never let anyone know where we live… that is what keeps us alive so long." answer the boy after taking the pills.
"I get you, kid… I'm the same and believe me I don't want to be here as much as you don't want me to. But circumstances have brought us here and now we have to deal with it." Joel moves away from the boy and goes to check outside through one of the front windows. "How old are you... kid?" he asked without looking at the boy.
The boy put some of the pills in his mouth and looked at Joel. "I'm 18, but I will be 19 in a few months."
"My daugt- I mean the girl that is with me is only 17 and now she is out there with you old man… and I don't like that. Your grandfather said he knows where we can find some gas, but I know you still have some here. So if you give me some, I can go out and pick them up," said Joel, turning his head and looking at him.
The boy rolled his eyes. "I may be 18, but I not stupid… if I tell you where the gas is, you just go and let those men find us... so nice try."
"Look boy, we are no mercenaries or heroes… this is not our fight. I wanted to be out of here before all this shit started, but I need the gas. I really like to help you sister, but I need your help with that. My girl has a big heart and wants to help you, little sister and I don't want anything happening to her…" Joel moves closer to the couch and looks at the boy. "What happened to your parents anyway?" Joel asked more curiously than care.
The boy turned his head and looked away. He does not feel like talking with a stranger even if they help them. Trust is something that can get you killed in this world and he knows that Joel feels the same way. After a few minutes of silence, a tear went out of the boy's eyes.
"They're dead…" he finally answered.
Joel looks at him, trying to not get involved in their problems because getting attached to people out here always ends badly. Joel looks around the living room checking things up. Giving him pity is not going to work either, so it was better to do something else before he went crazy thinking about Ellie.
"Where did you say the med kit was?" he finally asked the boy.
Outside in the path through the mountain that leads to the house, Ellie and the old man were walking. As Joel told her she let the man walk in front and always kept an eye on him.
"Soooo… do you use this path frequently?" she asked while looking at the ground. It looks like no one has passed through here in a long time. She needs to get some information out of the man and since it is going to take more than an hour to get to his house it was better to get some now. Joel is always the one that does the interrogation, but he is not always polite about it.
"We don't use it much… just only in an emergency situation… it's more like an escape route just in case someone finds our house," he said while still walking.
"Oh… I see. So is it just you and your grandchildren? Or do you have more people back at home… I mean they're parents are there… right?"
"If you're thinking about your father… or whatever he is to you… no need to worry it's just me and my grandchildren there," he said without looking back. And if you want to know about their parents… they are dead."
"Sorry… I do not want to sound insensitive… but even if I want to help you I don't know you. So I just want to be careful… and Joel... he is not my father, we're just... partners… yeah that it… partners." That is not what Ellie thinks of Joel, but these people don't need to know what she feels or what Joel meant to her.
"Is okay… I understand… it's good that you want to keep him safe the same he does to you… but I can assure you that we're decent people and nothing is going to happen to him."
Ellie is not sure about all that, but they look like decent people. "So… what happened? How do you and your grandchildren end up with those hunters?" asked Ellie while moving beside him.
"As I mentioned before, we go into the city close to here once or twice a month. We do some shopping to get what we need. We plant our own food and hunt sometimes, but we need other things that we can only find in the city." he started.
"So, you go to the city to get the stuff? What about hunters and infected people? Is it not dangerous to go there with your grandchildren?" she asked.
"I never took Molly with us… she always stays at home until we get back. And Alex is almost 19 he can take care of himself…" he explained to her. Yeah, we encounter some infected people, but we always try to avoid them. We never saw any hunters there before, so that took us by surprise."
"So how Molly ended up with you this time?"
"As I said, we never take her with us but yesterday she wanted to come with us. She said that she did not want to stay at home alone anymore, that she wanted to help… but I said no and somehow she managed to get in the back of our SUV and hide. When those men stop us outside the city, they ask me for a fee. I told them to take whatever they wanted and leave us alone, but when they opened the back door, they found Molly."
"So you told her to run?"
"Yeah, they want to take her with them… especially their boss. He said that he didn't get laid in months and that he wanted her to warm his bed. I wanted to kill the bastard right there, but they had weapons and were too many. But Alex didn't care about that and he punched their boss in the face, giving his sister the chance to run and get away."
"So they beat you and you boy after that?"
"Yeah, they hit him more than me, but we keep them busy and make sure that they don't follow her right away. We know this part more than them, so it was easy for her to get away before they caught her."
"Oh… I see… well don't worry we're going to help you to find her." They talk a little bit about other things while continuing walking. The path was small and well hidden so it looked like it had not been used for a while. After one hour of walking, they finally crossed the path and got to the other side.
"Okay, my house is like half an hour in that direction, If we don't stop, maybe we can get there early," said the old man while pointing to a specific part of the forest.
"Great, lest move fast so we-" Ellie stopped as soon she heard some gunshot coming closer from that direction. "Joel!... nooo!" she said while starting to run toward the sound of the gunfire.