The only sound to be heard for a long distance was the crunch of snow under their feet, and the wind in the trees above them. Joel led the way, his large boots stomping down a flatter path in the snow for the girls to follow. He walked with an obvious limp, clearly favoring his right side, his right arm pressed tightly to his ribs.

"Joel." Ellie's voice wavered and he paused, turning quickly. Too quickly to hide the grimace of pain that had settled on his face.

"What, kiddo? You alright?"

"Joel, I'm fine, but are you okay?"

"Course," he replied gruffly. He took a ragged breath and pushed on. Ellie set her chin determinedly.

"Joel, you're not okay, I can tell. You're a fucking bad liar."

"Got to get you two to Jackson, Ellie. We don't have time to argue. Keep moving."

"I'm not arguing!" She nearly shouted, stumbling forward and grasping his jacket. He half-turned again, pausing, frowning down at her. "I'm trying to get you to stop for a minute. Joel, I know you're in pain, I can fucking see it. And doing this thing you do where you have to save everyone at the cost of yourself is going to get you killed! Joel, please, let me see the wound, I know it's not doing well. You need to rest and you need more medicine."

"Ellie, it's -"

"If you tell me one more time it's fine, then I am going to shove you into the snow and climb on top of you and make you stay put until you show it to me," she threatened, her voice much more small and worried than her words were.

Joel half smiled down at her, a kindness in his face. "You're that tough, huh?"

"Yes." She held the firm stare for a moment, then she sighed, her tone genuinely broken. "Joel, I need you. And I can't fucking do this without you. You have to let me help you, please."

Joel looked down at that bruised, injured face, and in his mind's eye, he saw her stumbling out of that restaurant, gasping for breath, in shock and vomiting in the snow and he laid a hand on her shoulder. "It's not looking good kid. Regardless, I have to get you to Jackson as quickly as possible. I don't know how long our luck will hold. Trust me on this one."

Ellie shook her head quickly. "No, no, Joel, no. You'll be fine. We just need to give you more medication. It'll be alright. Please, Joel."

Joel sighed, squeezing her shoulder, then his face hardened. "No." He turned and began stumbling through the snow again.

"Joel!" Ellie shouted after him. "Joel, you have to stop. You can't do this. I am not going to let you throw your life away like that! I need you, Joel." She stopped walking, shoulders drooping. "Joel. I need you."

His heart constricted painfully, along with the ache in his side, and he bowed his head, sighing again. "Ellie. It's infected. Severely. If I don't keep moving, I won't make it to Jackson. Sure, it may be the last thing I do, but you two will be safe. If I stop now, and we try to treat it, I could still - things could still go wrong and you would both be on your own out here. I can't do that."

"Joel," Ellie whispered. "Please. We have to try."

Hannah stepped forward, reaching Joel's side in a few strides. "Joel, look, I don't know you super well-"

"Damn right, you don't," he grunted, interrupting her. She frowned at him and pushed on.

"As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, Joel, I don't know you super well, but I get the impression you aren't a stupid man. And what you are doing right now may not be one hundred percent stupid, but it's one hundred percent foolish. Why gamble, Joel? You've got a little girl here who looks up to you, who needs you, who doesn't have another fucking person in the whole world, I'm assuming, since she's stuck with you."

Joel cast her a warning expression. "Don't."

"Well, I'm gonna. You are willing to gamble away your life, just to get her to safety? Sure, admirable, Joel the fucking hero, but what is she going to be left with? The gut-wrenching agony of watching you die slowly, over the next few days as sepsis takes over your body? It's only a matter of a day or two, or sooner, before you will be too fevered to walk straight, and guess who is going to be dragging your ass into Jackson to have a funeral because we aren't fucking leaving you out here for the buzzards? We are."

"Stop."

"No, you listen Joel, and listen well. This can be the hard way or the fucking 'you're dead' way. Now, we need to find a place to stay, a place we can spend a few days. We have medicine, and I know how to treat wounds. We rest, give it a few days, and get you better. Then we set out for Jackson together, not you dragging us along like a shit ton of responsibility and burden. We are a family right now, Joel, whether you like that or not, as fucked up as this family is, and we have to do this together."

"What do you know about family?" Joel rasped at her, stumbling in the snow, and glancing at her every so often, brow furrowed. "Your version of family eats people, rapes children, and leads by fear. You call that family?"

Hannah looked like she had been visibly struck, and for a moment, Joel felt like he had gone too far. Damn Tess and her infection not being here to handle all the females. He was a fish out of water, and he knew that vividly, but he had no idea what to do, and his fevered brain was shutting down, and offering him no solution other than to fucking keep walking.

Hannah's mouth opened and closed, with no sound. Then she ran forward a few steps, grabbing Joel's free hand, stepping in front of him, and shoving his hand under her jacket, resting it gently on her baby bump.

"This is what I know about family," She whispered, her voice trembling. "I didn't get to chose my family. And I didn't agree with them on everything but I had nowhere else to go. I just know that this is all the family I have now. And I would die to protect it, even at this stage. But I would not send myself on a suicide mission, where I knew I was going to get myself killed, even if it saved them, because then I wouldn't be there for them anymore. I wouldn't be able to raise it to know that its bastard status doesn't mean anything. That its daddy might have been a fucking rapist but it can grow up with its head held high and be whatever it wants to be in this shitty world. That your history doesn't make you who you are, it just tells the story and you can change directions whenever you want? No, I would find a fucking way for us both to survive or I would die trying, but I would not die by self destruction."

Joel swayed a little, frowning at her, glancing from her face to his hand. She let go of his wrist and he jerked his hand away as if burned. "Joel," she tried one last time. "Your kid could be pregnant too. No one will know for a few weeks. And do you really want to miss out on being there for her if she is, because she's gonna fucking die without you, Joel. That will fucking kill her if you're not there."

Joel gazed down at Hannah, breathing heavily, then pointed in the direction they were going with his head. "There's an old gas station down in the valley over there. We can stop there for a day or two."

"Fucking fine," Hannah replied, stepping aside so he could continue walking. She glanced at Ellie, whose face was drawn and closed off, pale against the white snow. "Come on, Ellie," she whispered, putting an arm around the smaller girl. "He'll be okay. It's all going to be okay."

Ellie nodded silently, and Hannah carefully supported her as they followed alongside Joel, heading into the white valley below.

The old gas station looked like it had been through a couple world wars then several tornadoes, but the main building was still mostly standing.

"Stay here," Joel grunted, dropping his pack and hefting the rifle. He carefully approached the building and disappeared inside. Hannah and Ellie waited tensely, and after a moment, he called, "Alright, come in. It's clear."

Hannah set about getting the sleeping bags arranged in the corner, while Joel began searching for anything they could use among the rubble. Ellie went with him, digging through rubble so he didn't have to. Their eyes met a few times, and neither spoke. This whole stopping for a rest was as much for him as for her, and they both knew it. She had to know he was okay. He didn't want to die and leave her alone. He knew she was still dealing with the traumas of Silver Lake, but there was nothing he could do for her. They were just still trying to survive. But he knew he did want to be there for her when the shit finally hit the proverbial fan in Jackson, as one day it would have to.

She needed him. It was a frightening and heartwarming thought.

"Look, canned beef stew, and I think that is peaches?" Ellie held up two cans, and Joel nodded, taking them from her.

"Yep. Peaches. Been a while since we've had that, hm? Anything else?"

She crawled under an overturned shelving unit with her flashlight, and Joel took that moment to lean against the wall, squeezing his eyes shut against the dizziness that came over him. He reached up a hand to rub the dampness from his forehead and realized he was sweating profusely. Not good. Not good at all.

"Found a small tube of something," she shouted, her voice muffled. "Oh cool! You'll never believe this!"

"What?" He asked, wincing at the way his voice faded weakly. "What did you find?"

Ellie crawled out from under the metal framing, holding out a hand. He reached down and took what she held out, turning the two items over in his hand. A package of Juicy Fruit chewing gum and a small tube of Bacitracin. Ellie's face was aglow as she stood, taking it from his hand. "Joel, this is perfect! We can put this on your wound, it's medicine! And Juicy Fruit, that's totally pre-infection and I've only read about it in books!"

The world around him spun wildly, and Joel stumbled, crashing into the shelving, his mind registering that Ellie was happy for a moment, and he couldn't formulate a response to it. Ellie immediately was at his side, supporting him. "Joel, what the fuck, come on, stand up. Come on Joel, move, we've got to move, let's go."

Joel grunted, forcing his feet to work, as they stumbled back toward the back corner where Hannah had the sleeping bags.

"Hannah," Ellie pleaded. "Help, he's really sick."

Hannah was at his other side in an instant, tugging his arm over her shoulder. Unable to support his own weight, Joel nearly fell, almost taking both girls down with him. They managed to half carry, half drag him until they got him on top of his sleeping bag where he fell on his face with a grunt.

"Joel, Joel!" Ellie carefully turned him onto his back, his harsh breathing matching her own. "Joel, wake up! Wake the fuck up, Joel!"

In that moment, she was back there. Back in Jackson, alone, freezing, hungry, crying, blood everywhere, in a musty old house with nothing useful inside.

Back there, where there were cages and cannibals and - a little girl who needs a father.

"Ellie!" Hannah's voice cut through the panic, and Ellie looked up from Joel's face covered in beads of sweat to Hannah's compassionate frown. "Ellie, he will be okay, but I need you to focus, I need your help."

Ellie clutched Joel's left hand in hers, trying to control the panic. It wasn't Silver Lake. David wasn't here. David's men weren't coming. There were no footsteps on the stairs...

"ELLIE!" Hannah shouted, making Joel jerk to a half sitting position, mumbling. "Easy, Joel, shh, it's okay. She's okay, we are all okay. Ellie, I fucking need you to focus. I know you feel like shit right now and this probably feels like a damn repeat nightmare, but fucking focus, kid, or he's going to die."

That idea snapped the hypnotic hold that her fears held over her, and Ellie shook her head. "Alright, alright, tell me, what do I need to do?"

"Get the pack, and find the penicillin. I will get that little stove started that Joel keeps, and get some snow melted into water. Joel, I need you to move your hand, we need to see."

Joel's hand weakly resisted against his wounded side, but fever drew him into compliance, and Hannah carefully pulled off his hand away and drew back the stained flannel shirt. The sight that met their eyes was worse than either girl had expected. The half-circle shaped wound was puffy, yellow, and red, and the stitches Ellie had closed it with were barely visible among the swelling. White liquid seeped from the injury, and Ellie hissed in concern.

"Ah, shit," both girls said at the same time. Hannah gagged, jerking away, sideways, before half smiling at Ellie apologetically.

"Sorry, pregnant and gagging at everything. That's bad, Ellie. Fucking bad."

Ellie rolled her eyes, but there was no malice in it. "No shit, Hannah. So, now what do we do? Inject more penicillin?"

Joel's eyes opened at the tone they spoke in, and he whispered, " Got 'ain it."

"What?" Ellie asked, leaning closer to him. "Come on, Joel, what did you say?"

"Drain it," he managed to respond, waving a hand at Ellie. "Got - to - drain - infected - from inside." He fell silent again, his chest rising and falling rapidly in fevered gasps for breath. Ellie ran a hand across his damp forehead, and his brow furrowed, but his eyes remained closed.

"I'm sorry," Hannah whispered, squeezing his left hand in hers, and he nodded, a barely perceptible nod.

"What do we do?" Ellie asked again, her eyes wide with fear and fighting the trauma that lurked right under the surface of worry. Neither of us are going to die today...

"We have to reopen the wound and let it drain," Hannah replied bluntly, shoving herself to her feet, and moving to the packs, where she began pulling the stove parts out of Joel's pack. "It's infected on the inside, and if it goes into his bloodstream, he will die."

Ellie's face blanched. "Would - would stitching up the wound have caused that?"

Hannah glanced at the other girl, as she shoved the pieces of stove together and grabbed one of the canteens. "Maybe, but at that time it was either that or bleed to death, so you did the right thing. You couldn't have cleaned it out at the time, you didn't have a way. But now we do, we have medication, proper bandages, and Bacitracin. He'll be alright, Ellie. He's strong, tough as nails." She knelt next to Joel again, patting his arm. "Old as the hills, and the valleys between them, but tough as nails. Don't worry. Let's get everything together, so it is within easy reach."

Ellie still sat staring at Joel's face, his hand clenched in hers, fingers interlaced, watching his chest rise and fall, his fevered lips quivering with chills and pain. "Ellie?" Hannah called. "Ellie, come on, help me out here, kiddo."

When she still didn't move, Hannah came to her side and knelt, grasping her shoulders. Ellie jumped wildly, but Hannah held on. "Ellie. Ellie, you listen to me. He's going to be okay, Ellie. I promise. I will make sure of that."

"He killed your dad," Ellie growled up at her, finally tearing her eyes away from Joel. "How can I trust you? How do I know you won't just kill him and pretend to save him, just to get even?"

Hannah sighed, a myriad of emotions flitting across her face. "Ellie, I would never do that. But here. I can offer you this."

She stood, and moved back to the packs, digging around until she had Ellie's pistol, and returned to where Joel lay. "Here." She laid the pistol in Ellie's lap. "If he dies, and you feel I caused it, then you have my permission to kill me. Deal?"

You have a violent heart...

Ellie nodded, her teeth set together. "Deal."

Hannah nodded once. "Alright. Come on, I'm going to start boiling water. Get the sleeping bag over him and something to put under his head."

The only sounds in the small room for the next few minutes were Joel's labored breathing, and the sound of boiling water. Ellie tucked her sleeping bag under Joel's head, and pulled the free side of his sleeping bag over him. He shook with fever and chills, and it was such a repeat of what had already happened, that the despair she had already endured laid over her like a blanket of stone.

"Got enough water," Hannah spoke, breaking the silence. "Do you know what has to be done?"

Ellie nodded grimly. "FEDRA school, military training."

"Ah," Hannah replied softly. "Ellie, you're going to have to do it. My stomach isn't very strong, with the baby and all that, and I don't want to throw up all over him in the middle of it."

"I can't!" Ellie gasped, the very idea of hurting Joel sending a stab of pain through her chest. "I can't hurt him, that would be like stabbing him all over again!"

"We have to, Ellie, he's going to die."

"I can't!"

"Ellie, you have to."

Ellie crawled to Joel's head, cradling his face in her hands. Fever gripped him tightly in its grasp, and his face was pale beneath his rugged tan. "Joel," she pleaded. "Joel, wake up, please. I can't do this, Joel!"

His eyes opened slightly, but they were unfocused, and fell shut again. A sob escaped her from deep inside, and she dropped her forehead to his, gathering every bit of strength she could find. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her tears falling softly onto his face. "Joel, forgive me, I don't have a violent heart, I don't want to hurt you. But I will save your life, you can't die!"

Brushing a hand across her bruised face to wipe the tears away, Ellie moved resolutely to his right side, tugging back the shirt and tucking it away.

"Whatever you need," Hannah whispered. "Ellie, I am right here with you."

"What if he attacks us," Ellie asked, rolling up her sleeves. "He's in such a fevered state, he may not recognize us."

"I was going to mention that, but I didn't have the heart. We have to restrain him."

Ellie nodded flatly, looking around the room. "There's some duct tape in his pack."

"On it."

Hannah retrieved the pack, digging around in it until she found the tape. Carefully, with trembling hands, she wrapped it around Joel's wrists. "Easy to release," she said comfortingly to Ellie, who was eyeing the restraint with mixed anger and fear. "As soon as we are done, I will take it off. That's just so he doesn't punch one of us. He may be sick, but he is tough, and still stronger than us."

Ellie nodded, still not okay with it, but she gave in. Switchblade in hand, she looked up at Hannah, who looked suddenly as scared as she felt. FEDRA had taught her what to do. She knew exactly what had to happen but this was Joel. Joel that had called her baby girl, that had genuinely hugged her, that called her names and put up with her stupid puns.

Joel, who was about to be in pain and agony and bleed all over the floor at her hand.

Joel that was depending on two little girls to save his life.

"You with me?" Ellie asked calmly, channeling her inner violent heart. It had to be good for something.

Hannah nodded. "All the way, Ellie."