Preface: Ellie, Joel and Ada Wong return to their house and try to recuperate for their journey to the base. Ada's arms are too bruised for her to be able to defend herself, Joel is still struggling with random paralysis spurts, and Ellie is terrified that she is saying the wrong things because no one is laughing. Umbrella's BOW is toying with them all.
Capcom owns ADA Wong
NaughtyDog owns Joel and Ellie
Troy had sat himself on the cars by the garage by the time they got back. He was smoking some green herb, and checking up the church street.
"Ellie," Ada said, "I think Joel needs a bath…what about you?"
"No I'll just have myself a spongebath upstairs." Joel said gruffly. He couldn't get upstairs though, he was still finding it hard to move. He was fighting to keep his heart rate normal-knowing that Troy could hear and would enjoy such a thing. Troy didn't want him alive, and Joel suspected that Troy was slowly going to kill them all long before they got to the base-if it even existed at all. Even now he was considering using his pistol on them all, because of how unpredictable Troy was.
Ada shook her head, her gaze permanently fixed to the ground. Ellie agreed with Ada.
"You're a jizzhead Joel, like I said!" Ellie chuckled nervously.
"The water heater is by the fire Joel, we just cut a hole in it and you have flowing water."
"No, you guys need to get upstairs and lock the door. Get your rest." Joel said sternly.
But Ada wasn't having it. "Ellie, we grab a five gallon drum, stick it next to the fire to warm it up, and then together we help Joel bathe." Ellie was immediately in action.
Ellie and Ada went into the house and pulled, pushed, then rolled two different water drums over to the dead fire.
Joel went over to Troy. "I need to light the fire Troy, I need a match." He waited with his head down.
Troy got up and fished through his pack with his tongue snatching up the matches. Then he held out some matches on his palm. Joel took one quickly, and walked slowly backwards facing Troy, to the women.
Ada assembled the military heater inside the house while they waited for the water to warm up.
"How did you learn to put this together so fast?" Ellie asked.
"Oh I know how to maintain equipment of all kinds. These things work with all different kinds of fuel, but the fuel only lasts about 3-4 hours. Get me fuel Ellie." Ellie grabbed fuel from the living room and poured it into the heater.
"How do you know Troy?" Ellie asked, dead curious.
"I don't, I really don't. I heard his name from you. I've been a ghost on the run. There are lots of lone women out there too Ellie, but of course the idea is dismissed because of how dangerous things are. If anything, he must get something for returning civilians alive."
"A pocket watch?" Ellie said, and they both laughed darkly.
"A larger drawing pad." Ada corrected Ellie.
They walked outside and saw Joel putting more firewood onto the fire.
Ellie got a barrel of water and took the top off.
Ada walked upstairs and got all the sponges and the soap. Then she sat on the bed and took a breather. When she went outside, she had Ellie pour the water onto the sponges, cleaning them off.
Troy was behind them suddenly. He stabbed the water barrel away from Ellie and chugged the whole thing. He lay down on his side a few feet from them, his eyes on the ground. There was white smoke rising out of his mouth.
Ellie grabbed the other barrel of water and unplugged it. Troy took it from her as well, washing his face.
"Troy I'm trying to help Joel, come on! You know you could just go in there and grab as many as you like." Ellie complained at the figure that switched to laying on his other side. "Joel's got mushroom jizz all over his face Troy!"
Troy and Joel looked at each other for a long moment.
Joel spoke, staring at Troy. "Troy your hair is growing out. Let me cut it for you. I know how."
Ellie's mouth opened in shock. "You a barber Joel?"
Troy went and got his metal kit from the pack, and then sat back down by the fire.
He motioned for Ellie to sit in his lap.
"Joel he wants me to sit in his lap." Ellie told Joel dutifully.
"No, Ellie, the new employee needs to work for that more. How about you help me with his hair." Ada collapsed in front of Troy and the group, laying motionless, her face away from them.
Ada said, motionless. "That's some good shit, isn't it? Troy?" Her voice was alive with inflection. "You know they say, don't get high off your own supply. But not me, Troy. Of COURSE I get high on my own supply! That's how I know so well. I get high Troy, a lot higher than you Troy. So hiiiiigh."
Troy laughed a stoned laugh, now his eyes were peeking, inspecting the petite woman on the grass. She was now falling into sleep.
Joel started cutting Troy's hair and Troy got out his magic pad to ask questions.
Looks?
Troy held the pad up so that Joel and Ellie could read it while they played with his spiraled hair. Ellie looked to Joel as he pointed to himself and she kept silent as he responded, "She looks like she's fresh out of FEDRA school-could be 25 at the most but her white hair is kinda strange. We're trying to keep her alive and get her to the base."
WHATS WRONG W HER?
"You tried to kill her Troy, three times, now. She's hurt. She needs rest."
Troy laughed hard, clutching his ribs.
BARELY TOUCHED HER
SAVED HER
Joel said, "You messed with the wrong woman Troy."
Troy rolled Ada over to him with his claws, as Joel yelled at him to stop.
Joel said, "If you look at her Troy, you're gonna kill her. Don't do it."
The woman allowed herself to be rolled around so that her face was towards Troy.
Ellie said, "She's facing you now Troy."
Ellie backed out of sight and watched.
Joel stepped back from Troy and watched on the other side, as Troy jostled her with his claw lightly.
Troy made some clicking noises and pointed at Ada's face. He looked around at Ellie and then he wrote on his pad.
CUTE
Ellie gushed, admiring the woman's face as well. She saw Joel motioning for her to be silent. So she didn't even nod in agreement-even though she was smiling and wringing her hands. Joel signed SUCCESSFUL CLIENT at her, with one hand-the other one shaving Troy's hair. She said carefully,
"She's turning out to be a successful client."
Troy giggled and nodded to her. He wrote on the pad
SAFE, and held it to Ellie. He motioned for her to show it to Ada.
"Right Troy! Troy is keeping us safe, Client!"
Troy pushed Ellie and clucked.
"She can't see right now Troy. But I told her."
Joel cut in. "Troy why don't you get back to your job patrolling. You have no qualities for this business, you have no temperament for any of these things that you are trying to do; you need to fucking leave."
Troy laughed again, taking a good look back at Joel. It was clear he thought this would be a piece of cake. Those infected red eyes were dilating right in front of Joel. "Ellie, we need to have a business meeting…"
SHE BLIND?
Troy scribbled again and peeked at Ellie. Joel dropped all of his hairstyling tools and went around to Ellie, grabbing her and pulling her hand gently. She went with him as she talked.
"No Troy. Joel how do I explain it?"
Ada Wong answered, "The past. I am looking at the past, Troy; because there is nothing in the present moment that I want. You have to give me something that I want that only exists in the present, if you want me to see." Troy made a noise to show his confusion at how she was speaking.
Ellie said, "Uh, you can just ask her what she wants."
"Get into the house Ellie." Joel said and grabbed Ellie. Ellie hurried with Joel, but she was looking back.
Ada heard Troy scribbling.
WAT U WANT
CLIENT
She struggled to read it. It felt so good to not focus, because she was so tired.
Ada spoke mildly, albeit hoarsely, still not looking at him. "Just want to help you with your job. Protecting Ellie's business."
Troy's head twisted and held for a long moment. As if she had patronized him.
"My CLIENT!" yelled Ellie, as Joel shut the door. Troy closed his eyes and started breathing unsteadily as he got up. He tried shaking his head once but then he got up slowly and walked away, eerily slow. He dug deep into the street and threw it into a building, breaking through the concrete wall.
Ada started crawling towards the door anxiously.
Joel picked up Ellie and rushed up the stairs, locking the door. He let out a small sigh of relief.
"Phewf, alright Ellie, we need to re-evaluate our business model right fucking now ok? Remember we still need to get to the fireflies? Remember that? We did the best we could but she's just not capable of making it to the base." We can pick up a new client later.
"We're a shitty business then, aren't we Joel?" Ellie accused him.
They heard a resounding cracks like bombs had been detonated, just down the street where they had come from. They both crawled under the bed.
"Ok Ellie, we just wait out till he clears out the neighborhood, and chill here for the rest of the day."
Joel continued to speak with Ellie about their goals but she was distracted.
She shook her head at him, "No, I'm going to just wait downstairs by the door."
Troy was back a half hour later, with Ada asleep on the steps of the house. He dragged her back to the lawn with his tongue twisting around her leg, and started digging slowly beneath her. He piled the mud onto her legs, her chest, her arms. Until she was a good three feet under.
Ellie was listening through the door. She shouted,
"Troy! Didn't you promise to protect my BUSINESS?"
Troy hummed to tune out the voice.
Ada looked plaintively at up at him, begging him with her eyes to stop.
He peered at her with one eye and bent over her, as if to say, 'NO, don't care."
He smacked her face with the back of his palm, and scraped a few feet of dirt over it.
Ellie shouted through the front door now, with Joel holding her hand tightly.
"Troy if you kill her I'm FIRING YOU! You hear ME TROY! I'm gonna FIRE YOUR ASS SO FAST."
Troy got into a kneeling position beside the entrance.
Troy used his tongue to open the front door. He scribbled on the pad
RESPAWN
"What even is that?!" Ellie shouted. "This is real life Troy that's not a thing! Who is your boss? Write it the fuck out." She stared hard at his open red eyes that were concentrating hard on each letter.
He wrote
ELLIE IS MY BOSS
"That's right." She took the pad and tried to bop his leg. He lowered his face to hers, and she bopped it. He giggled a bit.
"That's right. I'm your FUCKING boss. And I am running a BUSINESS. Dig. Her. UP." She was shouting in a rage. Troy crawled over to the grave. He slowly started digging shallowly around Ada's middle.
"Troy hurry up! She's so hurt that she won't even be able to struggle to breathe. You have to hurry."
Ellie now struggling, try to uncover Ada's face frantically, next to Troy.
"I'm dead serious Troy, she's really hurt. She was hurt badly way before you even touched her. I swear, you and Joel both need some serious re-training. Fucking shit- in-a-cup-business, crap-ass, manager. Now I have to bathe her again because she could get an infection from all the dirt in her back."
Joel ran out and joined Ellie, trying to maneuver Ada out of her tomb.
He gave Ada mouth to mouth and she finally coughed up dirt.
"You're so fucking lucky lady, holy shit." He said, concern seared across his face.
"I'm a good boss." Ellie said, huffing proudly and anxiously. "Troy come on." Troy poured water over all of them, laughing merrily.
Ada gasped. She stared at Joel in tired relief. Troy stopped laughing suddenly. Ellie instinctively lay down, closing her eyes-even as Joel squeezed her hand lightly. Troy was shaking again with rage, because he had peeked and seen Joel and Ada's faces. He palm enveloped Joel's head, pulled him up, and then grabbed his torso. He tossed Joel against the water heater, knocking him hard in the head. "Fuck!" Joel yelled in pain. Ada and Ellie both lay on the ground. Ada quickly moved to cover over Ellie's body. She placed her hand firmly on Ellie's back, and then also on her shoulder lightly.
"Troy I saw something!" Ellie said, scared. Troy jolted, and ran, dragging Ada's body across the lawn onto the rubble ridden street, and then finally letting go.
Ada quickly got on her hands and knees, hoisting herself up and walking unsteadily back to Ellie's trembling body. "I'm fine Ellie-we are all fine." She said into Ellie's ear. Ellie reached her hand out, and Ada put her palm on it. Ellie grabbed it hard. Ada let out a small mew of pain, and coughed.
Ada and Ellie grabbed a groggy Joel and together. He got up with them.
Ada said softly, "Troy is a hothead, but he's a good person Ellie. Understand Ellie? He wants to protect us. We just have to hide Joel for a bit cuz Troy got jealous-he'll forget and forgive, Ellie, I promise."
Joel groaned, "I'm fine Ellie, listen to the client."
They hustled towards the church on the other side of the road.
They moved him past across the parking lot, and sat him just inside the broken entrance.
"You're very valuable, Ellie; he won't hurt you. How do I know? I've been dealing with this shit a loooong time-I've had to get along with all kinds of people over the years."
Ellie broke down and Ada grabbed her, hugging her tightly and rocking her.
"Ellie, Joel needs our help-we need to…to find bandages for his head. To stop swelling. We can check that house with the fenced yard."
"But-bu-but…you-with nothing, lady?!" Ellie was very scared, looking at Ada's calm, pained face.
"And your hands…will they even close? No, stay here we can hide together."
Ada smiled devilishly, ever so slightly. A wicked gleam in her eyes. "Or you can come with me Ellie-just a quick trip scavenging and we will come right back." She massaged the back of Ellie's hand awkwardly, patting it. She pointed at another house across the way.
Ellie was extremely uncomfortable, looking at Joel on the ground. He had both hands over his face in pain.
"But do you even know how to fight, Ada?"
"I know how to survive. Fuckers keep messin with me but if we plan and we are quiet…we don't have to worry. It's just that house right there!"
Ellie's mouth dropped at the fearlessness of this woman.
"What do you say Ellie? We look for tampons together too-just right there?"
Ellie blinked twice, breathing fast. "…Tampons…?" She started to smile the littlest bit.
Ellie shook her head yes and said to a groaning Joel, "I'm getting tampons with Ada, just across the street."
Ellie fished out her pain meds and some water, giving some pills to Joel. She picked up Joel with Ada's help, and put him in the bathroom. Ada placed his head onto his backpack.
Ada didn't speak, but she signed and made motions.
We lay down and crawl across the street to a house with a fenced yard, Ellie. I click to tell you I am attacking.
She laid down and motioned for Ellie to get her hand over Ada's upper back. Then they practiced in the bathroom, and switched positions. Joel was eyeing them and sighing.
I will trip them, hold them down across their chest and you will stab them with your knife. We only crawl a few feet at a time, then we stop. But I will lay on top of you as a lookout. We run back here if it gets out of control.
They closed the door and left the church, the cracking explosions still ongoing in the distance.
