𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐎𝐫 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 | 𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐥 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 - 𝐓𝐋𝐎𝐔

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲?

𝐂𝐈𝐑𝐈.

I stared down at the graves for a long while.

So many things were running through my head but I felt almost completely numb.

It shouldn't have happened like this. But then so should've many other things, and I knew better than to really dwell on it but something about this moment hit differently.

Maybe it was because I had just started to become accustomed to the idea of being a part of a group; a part of something better. But apparently it just wasn't meant to be.

Joel wanted to get moving as soon as possible, but we'd only just buried Henry and Sam yesterday. I wasn't ready yet.

I wasn't ready that morning either, when I'd been woken up by gunshot and yelling.

I shot up in my seat when a distinctive bang went off in the other room. The broad shoulder that I'd fell asleep on was no longer there and the blanket that had been left on me folded itself in my lap when I sat upright.

I rushed to my feet and headed for the door, almost face-planting as I'd got up far too quick and my head spun. The shouts got louder and I flung my door open and then the next one, just in time to see Henry put the gun in his hand to his temple and pull the trigger. Right in front of me.

My breath caught in my throat and my knees buckled, causing me to drop to the floor against the doorframe. I stared down at Henry's lifeless body with my mouth hanging open and eyes stretched wide.

"Ciri." Joel crouched down in front of me with his hazel eyes shining at me and successfully blocked the horrendous sight.

"Ciri."

I turned my head to see those familiar hazel eyes again but back in reality. They were dark and dull, just like when we lost Tess.

"We should get going."

I lightly nod and glance down at the graves once more before turning around and walking away with him.

Ellie stood waiting by the tree line, staring down at her hands and I could barely stand to look at her because it only broke my heart further to see how this affected her. But I wanted to be there for her, no matter how I was feeling.

"Hey, mon bonheur." I say softly to get her attention when I approached her.

She looks up at me and gives me a very weak smile.

"You ready to go?"

She nods. "Yeah..."

𓃦

A few days after we left the radio tower, the swelling in my nose had finally gone down and I could breathe through it again. And I could smell things once more. The bruising was still there a little but that was fading too.

We were just setting up camp, and I volunteered to go search for the stuff we needed for a fire.

I ended up wandering a little further than I should have but I was feeling myself reaching a breaking point. The last few days I only began to feel worse, and I could tell that Joel had noticed.

I'd stopped to pick up some small sticks but I paused in my crouched position as I heard his footsteps coming towards me. I stand back up and turn to face him when he comes out from behind the trees.

He stops just a few metres away from me. "Hey."

"Hey." I reply meekly, tucking my bottom lip in.