No Matter What... | The Last of Us | Joel Miller x Oc

Chapter 8: Stuck - Part II.

"Do you have a group?" I ask the girl, still lying in the snow. She shakes her head as an answer but I just can't believe someone this young, small and weak and visibly inexperienced is completely on her own.

"You are travelling alone..." I say skeptically, and tighten the string on my bow a bit as my suspicions are rising. My hands are stiff and hurt, they are so frozen already, and pulling the thin material is cutting into my vulnerable flesh. I can see she notices the movement and after a few seconds of hesitation she finally speaks.

"I live in a community about 4 miles from here." She says, looking into my eyes. There's something in her glance that is ringing a bell in the back of my mind which for now I just can't place anywhere. "But I came out alone." She adds desperately, as she sees that I am not loosening the string on my bow at all.

"Why?" I ask, still aiming at her throat.

"I - I went out to... try to get some food." she says and she sniffs before continuing. "But these men... They attacked me. I tried to- to lost them but in this snow it was impossible. I just ran where I could and then... and then you saved me." she finishes. Puffing clouds of her breath leaves her mouth as she's speaking, but the wind quickly carries them away forever.

I am now sure that another blizzard reaches us soon. I lower my bow as I say: "You should head back. Weather is turning worse." and I turn my away from her, planning to get back to the hut myself as well.

"I can't in this weather!" she whines. I can hear her voice is trembling and she might cry soon. "Can I - can I come with you?" she asks and I stop immediately.

"No." I say as I turn back to her again, but then I see her, lying in the snow, her nose and cheeks are both deep red, her blonde hair is wet and she's slightly trembling and I can feel my resistance weakening. She's just a little girl after all - being out on her own in the blizzard despite her age. I wish I knew what this bell constantly ringing inside my head means...

"Please..." she begs. "Only until the storm leaves..."

The brothers - especially Joel's gonna kill me... I can only hope I won't regret my decision soon as I nod and say: "Fine... But I need to see if you have any weapons..." I step to her as she stands up finally and I am reaching my hand to search her but she interrupts me.

"No need." she reaches a hunting knife towards me immediately. I take it, put into the back of my pants and nod her to follow me. Even this reaction of her is so strange... Or I am really just becoming exactly as paranoid as Joel.

"Did you know these men?" I ask. I need to rise my voice as the wind is whistling louder with each passing second. The little flakes of snow feel like needles against my skin and even though I pulled both hoods of my sweaters upon my head, my ears hurt like hell. Especially my right one. I can also feel tears gathering in my eyes and I can just hope we'll be back home in less than an hour.

"No!" I can barely hear the words as the voice of the girl is drifting far away in the wind.

"Then why did they want to kill you so badly?" I ask. It was really strange that two men only just wanted to shoot a girl and nothing more...

"Is this really a question?" she asks. "In a world like this?"

I leave her be for a few minutes as my mind is racing. Though I hate the snow, I am thankful for this blizzard as it is making us hardly trackable. Every footsteps of ours are gone in a few minutes. That is good, if the girl is lieing, her fellows can't follow us soon. But if she isn't, and she really is just an unfortunate soul who needed to be saved than we are only giving her shelter until the storm is gone and then say our goodbyes. And since we are always having a watch, even at nights, it will be no problem to keep an eye out on her all the time.