Chapter 8.
Ellie meandered down the chateau hallway, looking down at her feet and blocking out the outside world.
Nathan Drake and Victor Sullivan were walking ahead, leaving her to follow them silently. She didn't cry, but there was nothing for her to do or say. The others told her they were trying to find Joel, but it was clear that they were actually trying to locate an exit.
They thought he was dead.
She thought he was dead.
As she wandered down the passageway, her mind was elsewhere.
BANG!
Joel panted heavily as his attacker fell to the ground with a bullet hole in his head. Ellie held a smoking pistol shakily, staring down at the man she'd just killed.
"I really shot the hell out of that guy, huh?" she said in shock.
Joel glared at her.
"Why didn't you just hang back like I told you to?"
Ellie lowered the gun.
"Well you're glad I didn't, right?"
"I'm glad I didn't get my head blown off by a goddamn kid!" said Joel angrily.
Ellie shook her head.
"You know what? No. How about "Hey, Ellie. I know it wasn't easy, but it was either him or me, thanks for saving my ass." You got anything like that for me, Joel?"
He didn't.
The argument taking place in the ranch house bedroom reached a peak. Ellie was shouting now, close to tears.
"Everyone I have cared for has either died, or left me. Everyone- fucking except for you! So don't tell me I would be safer with somebody else because the truth is I would just be more scared."
Joel's face was blank.
"You're right... you're not my daughter, and I sure as hell ain't your dad. And we are going our separate ways."
Joel staggered though the university's entrance hall, his gaping chest wound oozing blood. He leaned heavily on Ellie, who was panting heavily after defending Joel from several attackers.
"I'm fine" mumbled Joel.
"Can you walk?"
"Yes..." he grunted.
"Then fucking walk!"
Joel rested against a counter as Ellie opened the next door. She held it open as Joel soldiered through it, crossing the foyer and crashing into the main double doors. A scavenger was outside in the process of stealing their horse Callus. He looked up in surprise as Joel stumbled and fell, rolling down the university steps to land on the ground at his feet. The scavenger aimed his gun, but Ellie shot him before he could kill Joel.
Ellie got the two of them secured on Callus' back, before spurring the horse into a trot down the road.
Before long, Joel suddenly slid sideways and fell, dropping from Callus' back and slamming into the ground. Ellie jumped off of the horse, to find Joel barely conscious, blood pouring from his wound.
"Joel!"
She tried desperately to lift him up, but he didn't move.
"Get up, get up, get up" she pleaded. "You have to tell me what to do!"
Nothing.
"Come on! You gotta get up!"
A light snow fell around them as Joel lay unmoving.
"Joel!"
Ellie's eyes flickered open.
Her body was filled with pain. She was lying in the restaurant, an unconscious David next to her. She could see her knife had slid under a seat nearby. She pulled herself up and crawled on hands and knees towards it, every movement causing her agony. She had to end this cannibalistic psychopath once and for all.
Two metres away from the knife, David's foot suddenly slammed into her chest. Her body folded and she slumped to the ground.
"I knew you had heart" said David, his cruel voice feeling like the harbinger of her death. "You know, it's okay to give up. Ain't no shame in it."
Ellie got back up, crawling closer towards the hidden knife.
David chuckled.
"I guess not. Just not your style, is it?"
He viciously kicked her again, causing her to cry out in pain as she dropped to the ground a second time.
David knelt down with a leg on either side of Ellie, levering himself down until he was pinning her to the floor.
"You can try begging" he said maliciously.
"Fuck you" groaned Ellie.
David turned Ellie over onto her back.
"You think you know me?" he growled. "Huh? Well, let me tell you something. You have no idea what I'm capable of."
Ellie reached out, grabbing hold of the knife handle. She swung it sideways, cutting into David's shoulder and knocking him to the side with a cry of pain. In a flash, she was on top of him. Ellie raised the knife and David let loose a horrific scream as she brought the blade down on his face.
She cried out with every swipe, striking David in the face a second time.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
"Ellie!" cried a voice nearby.
Joel grabbed her from behind.
"No!" she screamed.
"Stop. Stop." he said.
"Don't fucking touch me!" she yelled.
"Ssh. Ssh."
"No!"
"It's okay" Joel said. "It's me. It's me."
Ellie was hyperventilating. Joel held her still.
"Look. Look" he said. "It's me."
Ellie sobbed. "He tried to-"
"Oh baby girl" whispered Joel, pulling her towards him and cradling her to his chest. "It's okay. It's okay."
"Joel..."
"It's okay now."
"Guys!"
"That was Chloe" said Nate. "Come on" he called over his shoulder as he broke into a run, gesturing for Sully and Ellie to follow him.
The two men raced off down the corridor as Ellie trailed behind, fresh tears pouring down her face.
Chloe and Cutter were looking grimly out of the window as Nate arrived, Sully puffing behind him.
"What's wro- oh shit!" exclaimed Drake, catching sight of the vast army outside.
"They've been preparing to leave" Chloe informed them. "Once we're out of the chateau, a vehicle would be enormously useful. Miles quicker and safer than being on foot. But Nate: we can't go up against that. Not even you."
Drake took a moment to survey the firepower down below: over two dozen armoured trucks as well as assorted motorcycles and quad bikes; RPGs, grenade launchers and machine gun turrets; and an uncountable force of brutes toting all manner of lethal weaponry.
"I've handled convoys before" Nathan shrugged casually. "It's about time I had a bit of a challenge."
"What?!" cried Chloe, Cutter and Sully.
"Relax, it was a joke. Remember those? Ha ha?"
"Yeah, kid, as usual you're wasted away from the world of stand-up" noted Sully drily.
"Yeah, at least I can handle the standing-up part, huh?"
"Goddamn, Nate, any wit sharper than that and you could cut through cotton wool."
Nate frowned and swallowed.
"Anyway! All we have to do is sneak out there and get right up close to the convoy as they're leaving, then take over the truck at the back of the group, and voila: ticket out of here."
"Just one problem with that" said Cutter as Ellie finally caught up to the group, staring down at the floor. "They've got Joel in the lead car."
Ellie looked up sharply.
"Joel's alive?"
Cutter shared a brief glance with Chloe before deciding to omit any details about Joel's significant injuries.
"Yeah. But there's no chance whatsoever we'd be able to rescue him. We'd be torn apart in seconds."
"What?!" cried Ellie. "We have to try!"
The adults exchanged glances.
"We could secure a vehicle and then track them for a while, wait for a better opportunity" suggested Drake.
"Fuck no!"yelled Ellie.
After a long silence, she regained her composure and sighed.
"Joel is all I have. Please."
Joel woke up in the back of a truck.
In front of him, Eddy Raja was standing with the rear doors flung wide open, gazing out at the sprawling collection of vehicles roaring in their trail. Joel stared in shock. Clickers and Bloaters were one thing, but this? This inspired a whole new kind of fear.
Eddy turned and caught sight of his expression.
"Scared? You better be" he grinned, breaking into a characteristic bout of laughter.
"Of you? Nah. I killed men five times worse than you. You ain't shit" Joel spat.
Eddy was silent for a moment, before the trademark grin returned.
"You're a tough son of a bitch! I'll enjoy breaking you" he said ominously, before descending into another spate of mirth. "But seriously. There's no hope for you. We're miles away from your friends now and there's nothing any of you can do to stop us."
Then there was a loud revving sound behind them. Eddy whirled around.
"What the-!"
A truck had suddenly pulled up right behind them, close enough to see Chloe, Cutter and Nate sitting perched in the open-air storage area at the back of the vehicle, and Nate at the wheel.
Joel's face was a rare look of pure happiness.
Ellie was sitting in the passenger seat, staring right back at him.
Joel usually kept his emotions firmly inside him, but there was nothing to hide the sheer joy he felt at seeing her again.
But there was no time to celebrate, because now the entire convoy was preparing to attack.
"Step 1: Rescue Joel" muttered Drake. "Step 2: Get the hell out of here alive. Somehow. Good plan, Nate. Hope you're holding on back there! This is gonna be interesting!"