A/N:Just make sure you fully expand the space between the lines, it makes reading more enjoyable believe me. Happy reading ;)
Chapter two: Redemption (I)
Jackson had genuinely offered them a chance of redemption. With a small portion of amnesia, Joel was fairly certain that everything would gradually fall into place.
Joel and Ellie calmly stepped backwards, in an attempt to expand the radius of the guards' vision within the watchtowers.
"Hey…"Joel called out, raising an outstretched arm "Name's Joel. I'm Tommy's goddamn brother." he squared his broad shoulders, crossing his arms only to discontinue when certain things began to sound clandestine.
The watchtowers were merely empty, deafening sound of gunfire and bullets coming from the inner zones. Shrill heart-wrenching screams were enclosed by the aggravated thuds of polka-dotted metal barrels crashing to the ground as bullets pierced through them.
"Sweet Jesus! "Joel opened his mouth, his anxious eyes going over the partly ravaged walls.
"Joel?!" there was a touch of panic on Ellie's face "What's happening?" adrenaline was flowing freely into their bloodstream.
"I don't know. Let's find a way inside "Joel remarked with the gruff erudite voice, his temper growing flaming alarmed.
"Fuck! How the hell are we gonna get through here?" Ellie's eyebrows tightened to half of a frown, fingers laced with her straps, arms frantically flapping as she scrutinized the walls for anything resembling an entrance, even an infinitesimal pore.
"We'll figure it out. Now c'mon" Joel sharply beckoned to Ellie with the back of his palm to follow him.
They took the first turn on the left, bolting in heavy steps as fast as their energies pushed them, swerving off the main wall in the end.
"There!" Ellie, in heady excitement, pointed to an area above the concrete walls which seemed bare enough to pass, rapidly bending over her waist to grasp her kneecaps, in an attempt to heavily pant for air. "There are even some stuff under it" she uttered, punctuated by hard breath interruptions as she tried to refine her vision in case more convenient props came into sight. Joel's dour jaw simply fell to accordance, a tiny grim uncertainty hanging loosely from his eyes.
They somehow clambered their way above the random structures, with each struggle dragging themselves against the partly rugged surface on top of the wooden containers. Random scattered geometric forms had morphed climbing the scaffolding remnants into a rather difficult and obtrusive task.
Managing to ascend the very last one, they allowed breaths of exertion to rampage through their tightly compressed lungs. Unfortunately enough, they were still drifting below the favorable point.
"Dammit too high" Joel's audible frustration furrowed his brow to a tangled knot, banging a clenched fist on the wall, eyes closed.
"Well…" Ellie offered in her soothing tone, a lavish sparkle dancing in the depth of her eyes
"you could boost me up" her crystalline emeralds switched to Joel's while fiddling with her hands, overtly cracking her knuckles in turn.
"What? No, no, no. It'd be too dangerous" Joel shook his head defiantly, glancing around restlessly for some other potential alternatives.
"Joel" Ellie demanded, "I'll be fine. Just boost me up" her blithe certainty grew bolder and bolder with each impassive event.
Joel's worry however embarked at a point where this carefreeness gradually lost its borders to outright indifference. And there would be a fatal stage when indifference grew on an individual's desire to live.
'Ellie'
That ubiquitous yet unique winter, her last bids of innocence were chewed up, harshly spat to a trash can under the name of survival. As of that moment, Joel dug up the buried fact that Ellie had changed forever. She had witnessed forbidden truths that were not just to be thrust upon anyone her age.
Even so, Joel still roguishly yearned for that quality of levity in her, hoping that this elixir which had given him a new lease on life, would not be emptied out abruptly.
"Alright, but be careful for Christ's sake!" his face was instantly padded with mild somberness
" I don't want bullets to cut through your head." He wildly gesticulated with his hands to imply how critical the situation was, a somewhat old habit of his.
Ellie's veiled eyes unblinkingly darted to the ground, forcing her chin down into a reassuring nod.
Joel held out his mighty hands for Ellie to step upon them, helping her to stand on his shoulders afterwards.
"See anything?" Joel inquired, swaying like a willow tree under Ellie's weight.
"No, nothing here, it's… deserted." A pause allowed her to scan the area.
" The sounds are coming from the inner parts."
"Alright" Ellie dragged herself up against the cold wall.
"Joel, I'm gonna open that thing for you. Head back to the front wall!" she announced as she gracefully lifted her other leg to the other side of the defensive railings.
"Just be careful with coming down, kiddo!" Joel's concern intensified.
"O-kay."
A/N: Thank you for all the support, you guys have really flattered me (to readers, reviewers, followers and anyone who was involved alike) Do let me know if you have any constructive thoughts or ideas.
So you've already noticed this chapter was short, that's because it has a part 2. The first part was edited and the second was not, so I'm just sharing this one at the moment ;)