Chapter Text
Joel walked through the rubble of what was once the museum, accompanied by Ellie who insisted on making her annoying and reckless jokes. Isn't this girl afraid of death?
The man felt exhausted, and at the same time as if he didn't belong there, but everything was strangely familiar, as if it had already happened?
Joel hears the sound of a clicker behind him, turns around with his gun about to shoot, but who he sees is Tess.
- Why? Why Joel? Everyone around him always dies.... First Sarah, then me. Why did you let me come, knowing everything? Why did you let me die?!
-I... I didn't want Tess, I didn't!
- But you did... - Tess was slowly turning into an infected before his eyes. His legs froze, even though he wanted to run away, his legs wouldn't obey, but before Tess could attack him he heard Ellie's worried voice.
- Joel! JOEL! WAKE UP!
Wake up! Was it all a dream?" Joel thinks, and then wakes up.
- What?
- Joel! - Ellie punches him weakly in the shoulder. - What the hell, Joel! You had me worried!
- Worried? I'm fine.
- Fine? You were having a bad dream! If that was all, I'd let you sleep, but you were moving around a lot, shaking, fighting in your sleep, and you kept calling for Tess... I thought you were going through something and... I was worried...
- I'm fine.
- It was about Tess... Would you like to talk about it? I know how close you were...
- Let's not talk about it.
- Okay, but I want to talk about her! I... I'd like to honor her in some way, but I don't know what to do... I'd like to talk about how I feel about her loss and...
- WE WILL NOT TALK ABOUT TESS! The first rule you should know is that we will not talk about what has already happened. We don't talk about Tess or about someone who is already gone! Now come on!
- You are an idiot! I thought you liked her!
- I really like her! But talking won't get us anywhere, so shut up!
- I don't even want to be here!
- I don't want to either, but I guess we don't have a choice, do we? Now shut up and let's go. Remember that you are just a load and follow my orders!
Ellie grumbles, wondering how Joel could be so insensitive in such a situation.
The two walk through the empty streets, but after the events of the previous day with Tess' death, even Ellie was more careful, but still made some jokes and let curiosity and innocence take over in some situations. But for sure the most striking situation and the one they both hated to go through was when they realized that the path they had taken was crowded with infected people.
- Damn it! How can we reach the fireflies like this? Everywhere we go is full of infected people! - Ellie says angrily, but trying as hard as she can not to scream.
Joel scours the place for path safe, but the only way he found was not something comfortable, he wanted to avoid this path at all costs, but in this apocalyptic world there are no choices.
- Let's go this way. - Joel points to the sewer.
- The sewer?! No... I'm not going. Have you forgotten that I can't swim?!
- I see you know the sewers.
- Of course! We have...
- Books? School? What will it be now?
- Boring! But to answer your question, there are sewers in the fedra...
- Let's continue. I'll find a way to get you there, don't worry, I won't let you drown.
- How reassuring. - Ellie says sarcastically.
Joel opens the manhole cover and goes down, Ellie comes right behind, at first they stood at the edge where there was a floor, but Joel realized that to get to the other ladder where it would take them to where they want to go, they would need to cross the water, since the solid floor would not take them there.
- Stay here, I'll be right back.
- There... Let's go! Are you going to leave me here alone?
- It'll be quick.
- Okay... - Ellie sits down and watches Joel disappear into the water, she can't stop herself from feeling disgusted watching him dive.
Joel was looking for a way to cross Ellie to the other side and luckily he found a wooden base that even after years was still well nailed and firm, he picks it up and takes it to the girl.
- Girl, jump on it.
- On it? It won't hold my weight!
- Trust me, it will.
Ellie looks thoughtful, but doesn't have much choice, so she jumps, it was hard to keep her balance, but soon she does.
- Wow! That's pretty cool! - (laughs)
- Yes... Ready?
- Yes! Sail across the sea, little vessel!
Joel starts to hug Ellie's little "boat", as the girl likes to imagine. Joel makes a slightly fast turn, which makes the girl almost fall off.
- Hey, watch out! - The girl says aggressively, but can't hide the smile on her lips.
- Sure, I'll remember to be more careful next time.
- That's good. - Ellie looks again at the in front of her and at the vast green water below.
They both hear the sound of clicker, Ellie brakes when she remembers Tess and the day before.
- Stay here.
- Joel... Joel! - Ellie says in a low tone but one that carried her worry and her fear, fear that Joel won't come back, that she'll lose him too and be alone.
- I'll be back soon. - Joel swims over to the other side and picks up his gun, the clicker was in front of him. He prepares to shoot, but Ellie's shout changes his plans.
- JOEL! RIGHT BEHIND YOU!
The clicker heard her and ran towards him, Joel, scared, turns and notices a runner almost on top of him, uses his gun that he stole from the military and puts it on the neck of the infected keeping distance from his mouth and himself, while the clicker was running towards him. What was he going to do? He didn't know, but needed to think fast.
The frightened girl starts rowing using her hands and giving a push in the water, but she couldn't get very far.
- JOEL!
Joel hears Ellie's scream, but there is nothing he can do. When he hears the sound of the clicker approaching, he pushes the infected away who ends up falling, he turns and punches the clicker with his gun, which pushes him away a little, Joel takes his gun and shoots him in the head, making him fall to the ground, he gets closer and shoots him again making sure he was dead. The other infected sticks to the man, but before it can bite him, a brick flies and hits him, Joel turns around startled and finds Ellie on top of the timbers but close to the solid ground where he was, She jumps to where he was. He raises his gun and finishes the infected.
- I told you to stay there! What are you doing here?!
- Good thing I disobeyed then.
Joel lets out an irritated sigh.
- Okay... How did you get here?
- I rowed that thing, but it wasn't easy.
- Are you okay?
- Yeah, I'm fine. How about you?
- I wasn't bitten, so I am.
Ellie reassures herself.
- Let's go. - Joel starts to climb the ladder and opens the sewer door to the outside, as he leaves he helps the girl to go up too, even if she didn't need to.
As they leave Ellie admires the town, they were getting closer and closer to their goal, but she notices a destroyed comic book shop.
- Joel! Let's go? Just a little bit! - Ellie points at the store.
- No! This will only slow us down.
- Oh, please! We're so close already, what difference does a pause make?
- We almost died a minute ago.
- But we didn't. Go on! Show that you're not just this cold old man.
- Okay... But only 15 minutes.
- Aee!
Ellie goes to the door, but she couldn't get in since it was locked, Joel breaks in and the two enter, the girl goes straight to the comics while Joel takes the opportunity to look for some supplies.
- Joel! Look at this one! It's about a two of people who are complete opposites who don't get along at first, but then end up making a strong alliance as they must defeat their enemies to survive and help each other, both have the goal of reaching the building where they will find their group. This is a very good story! I have read the first two volumes, but here is the last one in the trilogy! One of the characters looks like you, do you know that?
- Interesting... I found some nails, some tape, it might be useful. We can go ahead and... Ellie?
- I'll be right back! In a minute...
- Just hurry up.
Ellie is gone for a few minutes, Joel gets worried and goes after her, but when looking for her he gets scared when she appears with a wolf mask.
- Oh my God! ELLIE!
Ellie is laughing at Joel's face.
- You had to see you face! It was hilarious!
- Where did you find this?
- It was in the back. Someone before the apocalypse must have left it here.
- Maybe... This is not a common thing in a bookstore.
- Yes, I know.
- Let's go! - Joel takes the girl's hand and pulls her out.
- Hey, I can walk, okay?
- Really? I didn't know that. So why don't you walk instead of wasting time?
- Haha... Very funny.
- Let's go. - Joel lets her go and the two of them return to their journey.
Ellie makes a pushed expression, but in reality she was happy to have gotten to know another side of Joel, even if only for a short time, he was a nice guy, just hurt, like her... At least that was the view she had of the man, because he always refused to talk about himself and hid his past, that's what anyone would imagine, but what happened to make him like that? It would be a mystery.
Joel, although he refused to admit it, was enjoying the girl's company, she reminded him of Sarah.... No... He can't get attached to her, she is just a load, Tess asked him to take her to the fireflies and that is what he will do. Without getting attached to her! That's what Joel kept repeating to himself, trying at all costs to keep any deep relationship with the girl at bay, she wasn't Sarah, she was just work.
What neither of them knew was that it was out of the question not to get attached to each other, as they were both destined to have great adventures and get closer and closer very close even on a dangerous level, like father and daughter? Maybe... They had no choice, a year of travel makes even the worst enemies have attachments, and these two, even though they deny it at all costs, are more alike than they think, a true duo. Ellie is everything Joel wants, a new reason to live, the light he lost years ago, a strong connection that makes him have reasons to live, and Ellie has in Joel someone who protects her, who loves her, the father she never had.