Plot: After a series of tragic loss Joel Miller travels far and wide surviving on his wits and experience. Always moving forward despite the unforgiving environment he encounters because a quest keeps him going in his journey.
Note: From the game The Last of Us and the live action TV series.
Music: THE LAST OF US Ambient Music & Ambience 🎵 Post Apocalyptic Peace (The Last of Us OST | Soundtrack) by z3n Pnk (Joel is in the vid)
THE LAST JOURNEY
CHAPTER 2
He had a rough look to him. Most would say he looked angry all the time, but I knew differently.
It was his battles he'd lost with love and his wars he'd won to survive that made him that way.
His hands were worn and his nails were dirty. Most would say he had working man's hands, but I knew better.
It was from all the times he clawed his way out of hell, and that never comes clean.
~L.L. Musings
"How did you survive the cannibals?" Lee asks Joel.
"I killed them all."
"Damn." Lee cursed in his own language. He didn't expect a straight and stark answer like that. "How many?"
"Seven." The bearded man spoke simply, quietly; no bragging tone, no smile. Joel gazes on the wall far beyond the cell. He shows total disregard on what they feel or think about him.
Exchanging a glance with Lee Maya holds up her hand to break the awkward silence that followed. "Let's continue this outside the cage."
"So, you agree to take him in?"
"Yeah. I agree." Maya added a shrug and turns back at the man behind the cell.
"Maya," the man spoke quietly. Lee expresses his worry whenever he takes off the black NY Yankees baseball cap; under it the man's curly hair shows some spattering of gray. A deep breath follows. "you also need to be on the lookout against…" Lee nods beyond the walls of the building. Beyond the perimeter wall…the general population of their community.
"Really?" Maya is dismayed by the news.
"I can't trust the men to be neutral."
"Great! Thank you very much for putting my safety first! Sure! My life isn't important to you anyway!"
"What's he sayin'?" Joel sighs. These two are always snapping at each other, always on the verge of killing one another.
"We're talking about my responsibilities when I take you in."
"What's that?"
"To defend you from the…"
"What?"
"To defend…" Maya snorts. "Oh, I said something funny! That's a first."
"I'm sorry. I don't need you…" Joel's quiet merriment continues.
"Oh, really? Well, no problem on my end." Maya shrugs at him. "I could just walk away and carry on with my day."
"I don't see what you can do."
"Maya has a…" Joel was surprised Lee acted like a dog with his tail between his legs after Maya made a sound of warning.
"Here's your reality, okay? Listen to me." The men begin to feel dizzy as Maya starts to get worked up, pacing back and forth like a tornado. "Right now you can't walk around without getting your ass kicked or worse! The family and friends of the people you beat up and shot? Those people?" she pointed outside. "They could be after you! If you're with me they'll have second thoughts about it!" Maya raises her chin as she stops in front of Joel's cell. "But if you're too much of a man to need my help you can stay here until you die!" Joel gets up from the bunk face serious and worried that he upset her this much.
"Maya, the hell….!"
"Don't talk to me, Lee! Let him out." Back stiff Maya turns around. The woman violently pushes the double doors open. "I'll wait outside."
"Shit. There goes the record," Lee sighs when it banged shut, "Of not pissing her off."
"Ex-wife?" Joel's face clears up in understanding at Lee's weary nod, "Figures your fight."
"Were you married?"
"Once." Joel steps out and waits for the other man as he locks up the cell again.
"Children?"
"Daughter." Joel shook his head at Lee's questioning brow. "No. An accident."
"Damn. Sorry, man." Lee looks away from the bearded man's haunted eyes.
"Long time ago."
"We have a daughter too. She's around here somewhere. Here, your things." Lee points to a table at the hallway. The taller man shows his relief after inspecting his personal effects. "Bandits would not return your things, right?"
"These are all I have."
"That's a nice revolver."
"Yes. It was a gift." Joel chose to carry his rifle after he drapes the well-worn backpack on his shoulders. "Look man, I apologize for beating up and shooting your men."
"Apology accepted but they're not my men."
"What?"
"I'm just the village president."
"Whose then?"
"You're her charge now. Don't let her wait." Lee nods to the door. "Good luck."
-[+]-[+]-
"Mom?" The woman looks up as the curly haired woman sits beside her at the stairs. The older woman raises angry eyes. The young lady put her arm around Maya. "Aww…Dad again?"
"Not all." Maya shakes her head, "just half of it."
"What happened?"
"Same thing. We fought. I'm always being criticized about what I do as if I'm a freak but now they…" Stiff jawed, she shakes her head in utter frustration.
"Ah yeah. Same thing…" The young woman tightens her hold on her mother. Maya, isn't a very vocal kind of person. She prefers to show how she feels in other ways.
"I don't know if I'm gonna be flattered or that they're just using me."
"Is it the man? Kai told me. Mom, if you don't want to just say no."
"You know what's gonna happen, egg. I can't allow that." Maya's anger ebbs when she held her daughter's hand.
"Well, he brought it upon himself. It's not your responsibility, mom."
"I owe it to Rick, to my friend, at least. He took the man in for a reason. He protected him in his way. Rick has…had scoliosis and it got so bad that maybe he couldn't walk properly anymore. He would've been cannibal food if Joel hadn't arrived. I can't let his effort go to waste."
"Rick. Who is that? I don't remember Rick."
"Ah, I met him way before I got married. I went to New York, remember I told you that?"
"Yes. And dad didn't like it that you went there even when he said 'no'."
"I didn't want to miss out on an adventure and," Maya shrugs. "I was never good at following orders."
"Were you and Rick a couple?"
Maya shook her head, amused. "No, we were not like that. Rick has a husband, maybe had a husband. I met him in a café' and just started talking about the book he was reading. We had many things in common. Rick is gone."
"Oh mom…I'm sorry."
"For so many years I've been wondering what happened to them."
"We lost so many people because of this fucking infection…"
"Hi." The two women jumped and turn around. AS they get up Patty frowns at the bearded man behind them. "I'm Joel."
"Patty, this is Joel."
Joel grins as he looks at the two women. "You look like sisters."
"We heard that before." Maya smirks.
"Mom likes it when people say that." The curly haired woman scowls at Joel "Jerry was my high school classmate."
"Jerry?" Joel is slightly confused as he turns to Maya.
"The guy you shot." Maya sighs. "It begins." She sent him a quick fake smile.
"Uh, it was unfortunate…"
"Jerry was kinda impressed at your moves."
"My…moves?"
"He likes those kinds of things. He's never stopped talking about you. I think he kinda admires you."
"That's good news, right?" Maya just shrugs at Joel's question.
"Yeah, you have one less enemy but he has a condition."
"What is it?"
"You'll help his family transfer to a new house. There's lots of heavy lifting. "
"When?"
"Tomorrow."
"That doesn't sound bad. I'll be there."
"Good answer."
"I'll come with him. Make sure he stays alive." The two women laugh.
"Ah…I see." Joel lowers his head.
"Your 'penance' begins." Maya raises a brow at her daughter after the girl gave her mother a slight poke on her back. What? Patty gestures with a puckered lip to Joel leaning on the wall a thumb hooked in his belt. The daughter smiles at her mother's eye roll. Oh, please. The women's swift interchange stops when Joel raises his head. "Let's go. I'm hungry. I haven't had breakfast."
"I've something for you. Mama Linda sent this over."
"What the fuck? Is that…?" Joel eyes the thing sitting on a bed of broad leaf in the woven basket.
"Pork." Patty gave the basket to Joel.
"My God….I haven't had this in a while." He smiles at his new 'defender' after covering it with the same broad leaf.
"I think it's more than enough for the two of you." Patty winks at her mom on the sly.
"I'll send over some goat cheese. Thank her for me. " Maya and her daughter exchanges hugs. "Bye, egg."
"Bye, mother egg. Nice to meet you, Joel. My mom can kick your butt so don't do anything stupid." Unlike her father, Patty grins at the hush from her mother.
"Thanks for the warning and for the meat. Egg?" Joel asks Maya after Patty went to another door in the cinema area.
It was only after her daughter went out of view that Maya starts walking down the stairs. Maya adjusts the weapon she carries over her shoulder. "She's from my…you know, egg. Never mind." Maya waves it off.
"Ah, no." Joel chuckles. "I get it. Egg. She's your egg. I get it."
"What's wrong with you?"
"This is a little…a little strange for me."
"Strange?" Maya guides her new charge down the back way where there were few guards. Though the passage looks dark and most of the stores have been chained closed or boarded up Joel observe that Maya was not extremely wary to pass through this place.
"Normal."
"Normal?" Maya frowns as she avoids one step that is a little slippery as they climb down the dark stairs. Joel extended his arm for her to grasp much to her surprise. "Oh. I'm fine. Thanks." She did, however, give him a smile.
"I had to be on guard all the time."
"Sounds tough."
"It's nerve wracking, it's hard to sleep even when I'm dead tired." Joel stops at the bottom of the stairs. "I thought those men were keeping me from you." Maya looks away from him; she appeared a little uncomfortable. "I wonder why in the places I passed by were almost deserted of people but the buildings and houses are mostly intact."
"That's good. It means there were no riots. When everything went bad people like us created our own fortified villages. We've never gone out of the wall for many years now. There's no reason to."
"Believe me when I say that you and your people are lucky. I hope this is real but…"
"That's just hunger talking. We need a few more things to turn that meat into a decent meal. Let's get some stuff from the garden."
"Garden? A real garden?" Joel almost gasps in surprise.
"Yes. You know, with plants and vegetables and soil and worms…"
"I still can't believe it. The few people I met on the road…they helped me. They told me where to go…how to get here… to reach this place…to find you. I didn't understand it…shit! I hope I'm not just dreaming. Fuck!" A sharp sound echoed the almost empty hall.
"Does that feel like a dream?" Maya bent down to pick up the basket Joel dropped. "We didn't deserve this life. Someone should pay for what they did to the planet and to its people."
"Thanks…" Joel took back the basket. 'Thanks, Maya." He brushes the cheek that is still stinging.
"Sure," Maya blocks him. "Listen. We're going out. From this point be on your toes. Don't use any weapon. I'll do all the talking." she stressed the words out. "and fighting."
"Fighting?" Joel eyes what she carries on her person. He'd met many people who carry weapons. Many have taken armaments from other people or found it along the way but without really knowing how to properly wield or apply them.
Maya shrugs. "Maybe."
"Okay." Joel remembers not to sound disdainful. He got on the wrong footing with Maya and her people and despite what happened he is okay. First of all he was not beaten. He was bound and shoved here and there but nothing more than that. The man called Lee even asked him if wanted water after the man shook his depleted water bottle when he inspected his things. He didn't want to sleep fearing that he might be beaten in the cell that night but he was so exhausted that he slept sitting up. Nothing happened. He was woken up in the morning by someone who gave him a plate of food and some hot tea. Perhaps the mention of Maya's name made all the difference why overall he was treated well. That's still a question. But he must count his blessings that he made it and he must remember that this is not the same place he had been to. It's now up to him to make the best of it or bungle everything up. Rick calls it 'pay it forward', all because of a woman called Maya. Joel counts the men patrolling the closed mall. "I'll follow you."
Maya and Joel walk at a normal pace as they emerge from the dark hall. It caught the attention of the guards. Joel took a deep breath as the men follow their passage. A few respectfully nod at Maya and she returns with some words of greeting. Joel keeps an eye on Maya, she's vigilant but relaxed. He stops when she stops as she looks back. Behind them some of the men who were following them have converged into a group of ten. The revolver feels heavy at Joel's side. Old habit and instinct made him want to reach for it in times like these but if Maya says be calm then he will stay calm.
Maya addresses the men; first a question and then something that sounds like a warning. When she puts a hand to her left hip the men stops and the mood became a little tense. The rest were composed but wary. They back away about more than ten steps further at Maya's command.
But two of the men were less than calm. One of them sounds as if he's challenging her. Their exchange of words were a little hard, the man's eyes were flashing in anger.
Now Joel became worried when Maya takes two steps directly in front of him; shielding him. Surely the man wouldn't dare defy her?
"Stand down, Carl. Stay right there. He's with me."
"So you're gonna kill him, ma'am? Outside?"
"No." Maya snorts, standing at ease. "Why would I do that?"
"He shot one of us!"
"Just a misunderstanding. He thought the guards were infected, bandits or worse."
"…or worse? What's worse?" One of the older men asked.
"Cannibals." The younger men, a few who were in their teens, laughed loudly until their laughter faded when they noticed the rest did not find it amusing.
"There were cannibals?" One of the men, a bald man asks. There's terror in their eyes. Joel was immensely relieved of their reaction.
"Yes. This is Joel. He's from the USA. There were cannibals there."
"America?" Asks the same older man.
"Yes. He's come a long way to find me. He is my guest."
"He's not infected isn't he?"
"No. Lee tested him. He's safe. He's been here since last night. You know that, right?"
"Do you trust him? What if he hurts you?" The angry Carl asks again.
"He can try." Maya laughs a little and turns to Joel. Maya is taking the time to translate some of the interaction. He decides to shut his mouth at some of the accusations and insults Maya didn't try to hide to let him get a feel of what people feels.
"Why is he here?"
"You know what? Take it up with Lee. He'll answer whatever you want to know. I'm just the designated bodyguard." Maya returns the grin of the older men.
"Miss Maya, I heard things about you." Joel didn't like the slight sneer that came from the man Maya calls Carl.
"What things?" Maya looks to where Carl points.
"I want to see you use it."
"That's a strange request. Why?"
"They say you're good with it."
"Carl, I haven't had breakfast yet. I'm hangry. When I'm hangry I'm not in a good mood." Maya motions Joel. "Let's go."
"Maya!"
-[+]-[+]-