Chapter 2: The meek shall inherit the earth.
'Someday my pain…Someday my pain will mark you…Harness your blame…Harness your blame, walk through'
(Wolves Act 1 and 2, Bon Iver)
Authors note: I'm deviating from the original episode, but I'm still trying to keep the same flow. Forgive me if things seems convoluted. Things will start to come together the more everyone starts opening up to each other. This will be a slow burn. No one's dropping panties in the next chapter. Even though I wouldn't blame Rebecca, but I'm trying to keep things realistic. I don't even know if Joel has been with anyone since the outbreak, but before? Joel fucked.
Anywho…enjoy the show
They walked for what seemed like hours, but in actuality it's probably only been an hour. When she was a nurse she used to live by time, second by second and minute by minute. Her life used to be structured, filled with rules and responsibilities. She missed the hustle and bustle of her busy life. She misses her husband. Her friends and family. She missed lazy Sunday mornings in bed and stressing over bills.
They had been trying to start a family when the outbreak happened. They had been trying for almost two months, but without any luck. It wasn't her. She ran the tests on herself. She didn't have the heart to tell her husband it was him. Then everything changed and starting a family had been the last thing on their minds.
She watched her father eating her mother's brains out on the kitchen floor. She watched people she called her friends become animals. The city collapsed and all that was left was the two of them. They made it through the worse together. Until they didn't.
Rebecca stared at the two of them as they walked ahead of her. He was talking to Ellie, answering her questions as best he could. He was taking Ellie to the Fireflies. They would help her. She wondered what would happen to her once they reached their destination. Maybe she could join the Fireflies. She wouldn't mind being on her own for once though. It was scary to rely on others. To have your survival reliant on their capabilities. She didn't think he would protect her. He didn't trust her. Hell, he didn't even like her. He didn't say a word to her since Silver Lake. She was Ellie's problem. She was a thirty five year old woman being saved by a fourteen year old girl, who was more than capable to handle herself. She envied her strength.
Ellie looked back at Rebecca and gave her a small smile,'You okay?'
She nodded and returned her smile, wincing as the pain in her cheeks radiated. She was sore all over, but she didn't want to complain. Her bruises were nothing compared to what they've been through. The man was shot and almost died. It was a wonder he was still alive.
'I'm okay.' She gave the young woman a smile of reassurance,'Are you okay?'
Ellie looked up at the man she's come to learn is named Joel. He didn't tell her. She happened to hear Ellie calling him that.
'Yeah.' Ellie nodded as she continued staring up at him. Her words seemed to be…careful. She didn't want to upset him. She couldn't fault her for that. They were in this together. She was nothing to them.
They continued their trek in silence, Rebecca trailing close behind them, but keeping her distance. He didn't have a rifle shoved in her face anymore, but he kept his eyes never far from her. He always seemed to be on alert. Always watching. She wondered if he knew what it meant to relax.
Ellie looked back at Rebecca and sighed, whispering to Joel,'She's a nice lady.'
He stared down at her and shook his head,'I don't care. We can't afford to be responsible for anybody else.' He kept his words hushed so the woman wouldn't hear them.
Ellie leaned close to Joel and rolled her eyes,'She hated David. He killed her husband. He made her marry him. She planned to kill him and help me escape. She wanted to get me back to you and she did.'
He shook his head and sighed,'YOU brought you back to me.'
Ellie bit the inside of her cheek to keep from saying what she wanted to. She wanted to make him understand. It didn't have to be just the two of them. Sure, they could handle themselves, but Rebecca could be useful too. She's already proven herself to be.
Ellie's experienced the brutality of humanity. She's witnessed firsthand the evils people are capable of. Rebecca was one of the good ones. She didn't want anything but to live in peace. She wanted a semblance of a future for herself. She couldn't fault her for that. Maybe after this is all over she could come with them to where Tommy lived. She would be happy there. Free.
Joel wouldn't listen to her reasoning. She was lucky enough to even be in his good graces. She didn't think his kindness would extend to anyone else. He didn't get too close to people. It took him months to open up to her. She didn't think he would take that chance with anyone else.
She averted her eyes between Rebecca and Joel, imagining if…
She laughed to herself and shook her head. Riley always used to say her imagination was a wild thing. She never considered herself a dreamer. Just optimistic.
They walked a couple more hours before they reached an abandoned freeway. It was littered with broken down cars and debris. Rebecca listened to their hushed conversation. They were getting close. To what she had no idea. She was along for the ride. She needed to stop doing this to herself. She needed to start being a leader rather than a follower. She had to stop blindly following people to danger.
Joel and Ellie started sorting through the cars, seeing what they could find. Rebecca followed suit, opening trunks and climbing over skeletons to try and find something. Anything.
She heard Joel exclaiming he found something to Ellie. Her eyes widened when she saw the can of ravioli and the box of fruit roll ups. Her eyes widened in glee and her heart hammered in her chest. She never thought she would be excited by something so mundane, but it reminded her of a simpler time. When everything was normal.
Ellie grabbed the can from him and read the label,'Chef Boyardee. Was he some kind of famous chef or something?'
Rebecca smirked as she saw the smile in Joel's face. He was affectionate towards the young woman. Good. She needed a strong role model to look up to. People wouldn't look at Joel and think someone would trust him. Ellie did though. It was enough for her to follow them.
'Or something.' Joel smiled at her. Rebecca's heart clenched in her chest when she saw the look of adoration on his face. He looked at her with such affection. She remembered when her husband looked at her like that.
No one will ever love her like that again. She couldn't remember the last time she's felt the touch of someone she truly wanted. She was thankful she didn't have to feel David's hands all over her. That part of her life was over. He was dead and gone. He couldn't hurt her anymore.
Rebecca decided if she was going to do this she needed to open up herself. She couldn't let others come to her.
She steeled herself and walked over to them, casually grabbing the box of fruit snacks out of his hand,'I can't believe I'm seeing these things.' She smirked,'I always assumed it would be twinkies.'
Joel looked over at her in surprise. As if he didn't expect for her to talk to him. They haven't said one word to each other since she cleaned him up. She had a bright smile on her face, lighting up her eyes despite her injuries. He could see a beautiful woman underneath the bruises. A young woman who shouldn't be here. Not with him. He was going to get her killed if she stuck around.
Hopefully, she would make her break after he got Ellie to the Fireflies.
Ellie watched Rebecca opened up the box,'Were these things popular?'
'Yes.' Rebecca smiled and nodded,'When I was little. My mama used to put ice cream in fruit roll ups as a treat. We…didn't have a lot of money growing up, but she always made sure things were fun. Even when they weren't.'
Ellie could hear the melancholy in her voice. She wanted to ask her what happened to her mom. Did her mom get infected? Did she die before everything went down? It was a story for another time.
Rebecca took a few out and handed one to Ellie. She watched as she opened up the wrapper and stared at it in wonder. She carefully peeled the sticky candy off the wrapper as she sniffed it before tentatively taking a bite. She chewed the candy around in her mouth. She was starving and this was probably the best thing she's ever tasted.
'This is so awesome.' Ellie exclaimed,'These are fucking good.'
A small formed on Rebecca's face. It was nice to experience things from her world view. She was born during the outbreak. She didn't know what the world was like before all this happened. The world had its problems and humanity is absolutely the reason why the world collapsed, but it was beautiful. She missed the simplicity of sitting on her porch at dusk having a cup of tea, waving and chatting to her neighbors. Now it was rare to get a kind word out of anyone. She hated the word 'bleak'. The finality of it always gave her chills.
Joel shook the can of ravioli and grinned at Ellie,'Then you're gonna love this.'
Ellie stared at the can of ravioli. Her stomach was grumbling loudly. She knew he would made sure she ate first. He always made sure of that, but they all needed to eat if they were going to make it the journey.
'I found some more of it.' Joel nodded over his head,'There's a couple more in my backpack.' He cleared his throat,'One for each of us.'
Rebecca's grumbling stomach was thankful, but so was her heart. He thought of her. He wanted to make sure she ate. She knew he was doing to for Ellie's benefit. He may be considered a 'bad guy', but he was a good man. He kept a little girl alive. He cared for her. He loved her. She could see it in the way they looked at each other. They didn't say the words, but she knew. She was thankful they had each other.
Joel looked around at the abandoned cars and heaved a sigh,'We should sit and take a break. Eat and then get an hour or so of rest before we make way. We're almost there.'
Rebecca wasn't stupid. She knew where they were going. Ellie was being taken to the Fireflies so she could save humanity. At least that's the gist of it anyway. She didn't feel right about the situation. She didn't trust cults, which is exactly what these factions are. They always had insidious intentions. She didn't trust the situation, but Joel would make sure Ellie was safe. Herself though? She wasn't so sure.
They situated themselves underneath a tree to get some shade. Joel gave Ellie a game she remembered playing before the outbreak. She and her husband used to invite friends over. They would share a bottle of wine and play. Boggle. It brought a smile to her face.
She looked up at the sky with tears in her eyes. She needed to stop dwelling on the past when her future was sitting right in front of her. All encompassed in one bad ass young woman.
Joel opened up their cans of ravioli and they ate it in silence. It wasn't the best, but it held up after twenty years. When you haven't eaten anything but venison and potatoes for almost three years, this was heaven.
She finished her food and looked over at Ellie. Her eyes were closed and she seemed to be taking a nap. Good. She needed sleep. She's been through a lot. They all needed rest, but she couldn't sleep. She was too anxious about what was to come.
She looked over at Joel. He was staring out into the distance, sipping from his flask. She noticed him wince slightly as he held onto his side. The medicine was wearing off and he was probably in pain.
Without saying a word, she sighed and reached into her bag. She took out a bottle of penicillin and a syringe, along with some clean bandages. Her training as a nurse told her to make sure his wound didn't get infected. He seemed to be in a bad way before Ellie took care of him.
She leaned over to him and carefully looked over his face,'Can I take a look at your bandages?'
His eyes crinkled slightly into what she could only assume to be surprise, but it dissipated as quickly as it came. Nothing seemed to surprise him much anymore.
He nodded silently as he carefully lifted up his shirt. Thankfully, he didn't seem to be bleeding through the bandages. The area around the bandages wasn't as red as it was before, which was a good indicator that he was healing. She knew he was older. Ellie said he was fifty six. He was the age of her father when he was infected. His age was slowly down his healing, but she would keep that information to herself. He may have been older, but from what she's gathered from Ellie and the looks of him. He was a fighter through and through. The scars on his body and the beaten down ruggedness of his face told her the last twenty years haven't been kind to him. Everyone deserved a little kindness.
He flinched slightly when she gently lifted the bandage off his wound. The wound looked clean. The infection was starting to heal. He didn't seem feverish like he did before either. His skin was become healthier looking.
She cleaned the wound with antiseptic and placed a new bandage over it. He didn't say anything. He let her help him. For what reason she was unsure, but as she looked over at a sleeping Ellie it suddenly made sense.
'You're doing this all for her.'
It wasn't a question. It was a statement made as fact.
He took another sip from his flask and shrugged,'Isn't that obvious?'
She shook her head and sighed, whispering,'What happens if this works? If…she's really the cure she's supposed to be.'
He didn't say anything for a moment and she wondered if he was going to answer her. There was a look of contemplation on his face. She recognized the look. It was one where you didn't have an answer, but were searching for one to give.
'Then it works and everyone's saved.' His words came out gruff and sardonic. She wasn't sure she believed him or if he even believed it himself.
Rebecca leaned back against her messenger bag and took a sip of her water,'And you think the Fireflies can be trusted? Last I heard they were a bunch of mercenaries. My…husband.' She shook her head,'Not David. My real husband. He used to…so side jobs for them. They stole from him.' She frowned,'I don't trust them. I don't think Ellie does either. She said you're taking her to a hospital. Their base?' He didn't say anything as she continued,'Do they have doctors? Scientists? She isn't a lab rat. I need to be there and make sure she's safe. My training can be useful.'
'Why?'
His question caught her off guard. She didn't think he was even listening to her.
He rolled his eyes and looked down at a sleeping Ellie,'Why do you want to help her? What's in it for you? The cure?'
'Fuck you.' She seethed. She didn't know why his words angered her so much,'She's fourteen years old. It was tough to be a woman before all this started. It's even worse now.'
'I can protect her.' He narrowed his eyes,'She was fine before you came along.'
She hit a nerve. Ellie was his soft spot, but her words weren't meant to hurt him. It was to protect herself more than anything else.
'I didn't say you couldn't.' She sighed,'I just meant that I want to…help her too. I don't trust their intentions. I don't want the cure. The world doesn't deserve it either. It has to be her choice. It's hers alone to make.'
He went silent again. She wondered if he was going to speak or was mulling over what she said. She hoped it ruminated in his brain. She didn't trust the Fireflies. She didn't trust anyone.
'He give you those bruises?'
His words shocked her. She jumped slightly. It was the first time he's asked her something unprovoked.
Rebecca didn't even have to ask who he was referring to.
She nodded as she took a couple pills, swallowing them down with the little water she had. She handed him the Zofran and Codeine. He popped the pills, downing them with his flask of whisky.
'My Ben used to be the leader of our group. It wasn't ever meant to be anything religious.' She shook her head,'We were never religious people. We came from Kentucky. Raised Baptists. We've had religion shoved down her throats our entire lives. When we got married was the last time we ever stepped foot in a church house. David…he was jealous of Ben. People followed him because he was good. Inherently good. He…worked tirelessly for everyone. Provided what he could. David hated him. Resented him. David, James and Ben went on a hunting trip a year ago.' She closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath,'They came back and he didn't. They said he fell off a cliff and they couldn't retrieve his body, but I knew what they did. They shot him dead. Just like David planned all along. After that, we had dinner for two weeks, but I didn't eat because I knew.' Tears filled her eyes and she willed them away. She couldn't cry in front of him. He thought she was weak enough as it is,'I never wanted to marry him. I hated him. I wished him dead so many times. I would lie awake at night watching him sleep, thinking what if. What if I just slit his throat?' She sniffled softly,'When I saw what he did to you and Ellie I knew I had to do something. He couldn't keep doing whatever he wanted to people. He had to be stopped. Ellie…I can't ever repay her for what she did.'
'You got her out too.' He nodded curtly,'You got out.'
She nodded and gave him a small smile,'I did.'
She stared up at him and for a split second she saw something flash across his face. He wasn't opening up to her by any means, but he listened to her. She couldn't remember the last time she actually sat down and had a real conversation with anyone.
Joel huffed to himself and reached into his bag, handing her one of the pistols,'You'll need this moving forward. You can shoot right?'
'Since the ripe old age of eight. If your accent is anything to go by. You were raised in the south too.' She pursed her lips,'You sound like a Texan.'
He watched as she checked the gun, making sure it was secure and loaded. It was obvious in the way she handled it she knew what she was doing. He didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.
She was tougher than she looked. Her delicate features masked a tough interior. She's been through a lot these past twenty years. She was forced into sexual slavery to a man who hid behind religion to justify his evilness. He wished he could've killed him. For Ellie or Rebecca, he didn't know.
Ellie trusted this woman. She saw something in her. This woman risked her life for the both of them. He didn't know why she would risk her life for them. Desperation made people do crazy things. Especially for freedom.
She stared down at the pistol and raised her eyes up to look at him,'You trust me with a gun?'
He didn't look at her as he sifted through his bag,'I don't trust anyone. You'll need it to protect her.'
'Or you.' She bit back a smile, 'Getting shot at seems to be a common thing with you.'
She was teasing him. He didn't know what to make of that. He wondered what she was like before all this happened. He could see the hints of sass and spunk. She was a spitfire and had a mouth on her.
She was still in love with her husband. She was grieving his loss. He understood that better than anyone. Not a day goes by where he doesn't think about Sarah. She's the first thing he thinks about when he wakes up and the last thing he thinks about before he sleeps. It's been that way for twenty years. He doesn't know any other way to be. Happiness isn't for him. He doesn't have a future. He's fifty six years old. He's standing at deaths door. He'll do this one last thing and live his life of solitude. That's if he makes it.
Ellie started stirring and it was their cue to make their move. She slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She smiled when she saw the gun in Rebecca's hand. She knew it was Joel's way of showing her he trusted her.
Joel pulled himself up and held a hand out to Ellie, helping her up, 'We need to move if we're gonna make it before sunset.'
They gathered their things as they continued their trek. Rebecca looked at the city beyond, the abandoned buildings and vegetation. The desolation and destruction. It was a beautiful and bustling city at one point. There was no telling what waited beyond for them.
They were walking when Rebecca cleared her throat, breaking the silence that existed between them,'Why should you always knock on the refrigerator before opening it?'
Ellie raised her eyebrows at her,'I have no clue.'
'In case the salad's dressing.'
Ellie laughed as Joel rolled his eyes and looked down at her,'Did you let her read that fucking book?'
Rebecca laughed and shook her head,'I don't need to read a book for dad jokes, Joel. I had a dad once.' She tapped her temple,'I have a plethora of knowledge I'll have you know.'
Joel just rolled his eyes again and sighed exasperatingly. Ellie smiled to herself. The way to Joel were dad jokes.
For a moment, a fragile calm existed between them. They understood what was coming. They were planning for it. Plans never came one out the way you want to, but for right now in this moment they could pretend like they had everything under control.