Ellie jolts awake. She shoots up in bed, gasping, drenched in sweat. The dream still lingers — a chaotic blur in which Joel is killed, brutally, by faceless figures. Shadows. She couldn't make out their faces, but the fear, the helplessness… that felt real.
Her heart pounds. Something's wrong. Deep down, she knows it wasn't just a nightmare — it was a warning.
She throws on her clothes, grabs her things, and runs. Straight to Joel's house.
She bangs on the door, over and over. No answer. Just as she's about to force it open, Tommy appears, out of breath, clearly on edge.
"Joel went out early," he tells her. "He's on patrol. Some raiders were spotted near the mountains — outside Jackson."
The air seems to leave Ellie's lungs. That feeling in her chest — dread, cold and sharp — sinks in. Her dream wasn't random. She's sure of it. What Joel did to the Fireflies… someone was bound to come for him eventually.
She doesn't wait. She bolts to the stables, mounts a horse, and rides hard into the trees, determined to find him.
The wind stings her face as memories crash down like waves: the museum trip, the giraffes, the quiet guitar afternoons. Joel wasn't just her protector… he was the closest thing she'd had to a father.
On the road, she runs into Dina and her patrol. One look at Ellie's face, and Dina doesn't hesitate — she's coming too. Before they take off, she orders one of her crew to ride back to Jackson and bring Tommy with reinforcements.
They ride fast. The woods blur past. Then — gunfire.
Ellie's heart slams against her chest.
At the patrol point, they find Joel pinned behind a rusted-out car, bloodied, using whatever he can to shield himself. His shoulder's been hit. In the distance, scattered among the trees, shadowy figures unleash a hail of bullets.
"Joel!" Ellie screams, sprinting toward him.
Dina's right behind her. Instantly, the attackers shift focus. They turn their guns on the girls.
"Drop your weapon or they die!"
Joel, panting, blood-soaked, eyes wild with fury and fear… drops his shotgun.
A large figure emerges from the woods. Silent. Purposeful. They approach Joel slowly — and then, without a word, slam the butt of their rifle into his head.
He drops. Unconscious.
That's when more gunshots ring out — the reinforcements. Tommy's arrived. Chaos explodes.
But it's already too late.
The shadows move quickly. One of them throws Joel over their shoulder and they vanish into the undergrowth. Ellie and Dina give chase, but they can't keep up.
The figures disappear into the trees, like ghosts.
From that moment on, Ellie has only one goal.
Find Joel before it's too late.
She knows they won't kill him — not yet. He's too valuable alive. A bargaining chip. But every second counts.
And she won't stop.
Not until she brings him back…
Or makes them pay.