WHEN YOU FINISH SAVING THE WORLD ✸ Joel Miller

xv. The Ones I Love

[ CHAPTER FIFTEEN ! ] 

the ones i love

I HARDLY HESITATE WHEN IT comes to raising my hands in defense. Then, Joel quickly perks up, but doesn't quite sit up. He stares right at the little boy holding a gun to Ellie's head, in which the older of the three--who is taking turns pointing the gun between Hayden and Joel--begins to speak. "Eyes on me," He orders Joel, "eyes on me." 

Joel obeys, and Hayden looks at me with quivering eyebrows and a bottom lip. I soften my gaze and nod at her, silently telling her that it'll all be okay. 

"You don't have to worry about what to say." The older boy says, his tone calm with his finger steady on the trigger. But I can tell he has no intention of killing any of us, but I can't speak for the girl. "We don't want to hurt you." 

"Well..." The girl next to me shrugs, keeping the same taunting smile on her face. 

"Parker." He snaps, shooting a glare her way. 

I don't know who to look at--my gaze is just rotating between all other six bodies in the room for different reasons, yet the same. Don't hurt the ones I love.

Joel appears completely unfazed--he always does. He always has but right now he just looks like someone made of stone. 

"Okay, um..." He begins to pace back and fourth, his feet taking turns balancing each other out as I can see anxiety expanding within him. "I don't know what the next step is for something like this, but if I lower my gun... we didn't hurt you... so you don't hurt us, right?" He shifts his gaze from Joel and to my own. 

I nod once. But Joel is the one that speaks. "That's right."

This shocks the boy in some way--he tilts his head to the side and blows out a short, escalated breath. "That's a weird fucking tone, man." 

"It's just the way he talks!" Ellie is quick to counter on Joel's behalf, scared for her life. 

I nod in agreeance, carefully moving my hands toward him. "We don't have a problem with you. Any of you."

"Joel, tell him he's okay." Ellie clenches her jaw, her eyes wide with both annoyance and plead. 

Nothing in Joel's expression changes. He doesn't even blink, he just keeps staring at him with a darkened glare. "Everything is great."

"For fuck's sake." I drop my head in between my shoulders, ready to be shot at this point. 

"Fuck!" The boy shouts, and it looks like he's completely contemplating what he's about to do. "Look, I'm gonna trust you." 

Then, he turns to the little boy and begins to motion something to him. And it takes me a minute to realize he's using sign language. 

Are you sure? The boy signs back, and I'm grateful for my time in the hospital and those courses I took. 

"Yes. But if any of you guys try anything..." He warns, motioning his gun toward the back of Ellie's head. 

"We won't." I confirm with a shake of my head. He nods and something in his eyes slightly soften. Like he might see good intentions within me, then he motions to both the younger girl and boy to step away. They do, the boy quicker than the girl--who is still looking at me with squinted eyes and her suspicion clear.