crossed paths | the last of us

𝓿𝓲𝓲 ; 𝓽𝓵𝓸𝓾, 𝓬𝓻𝓸𝓼𝓼𝓮𝓭 𝓹𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓼

- 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐲𝐞 -

FOR A SECOND, JOEL DIDN'T THINK. He ran as fast as he could, grabbing Ellie in the process and making his way through the few rows of trees that separated him from the cabin.

There was an empty feeling in his chest; what if he saw her dead on the ground? What would he do then? How would Ellie react?
He couldn't fathom how heartbroken Ellie would be if Noor wasn't the one who pulled the trigger. And he hated to admit it, but he needed Noor.

"Noor!"

He barged inside the house, gun pointed in the empty cabin with Ellie right behind him, waiting for Joel to give her the word and she'd shoot.
But it was quiet, and Joel seemed confused.

Until, a second gunshot sounded through their ears, ringing almost, and Ellie pushed herself through Joel towards the loud bang.

"Ellie, wait!"

Noor was standing over the man's body, her gun still warm and a bit of smoke coming out of it. When she turned her body, Ellie and Joel noticed the splatter of blood across her face and shirt. A dead man laid before them, his fragile body now unconscious and Ellie almost threw up when she saw a bit of brain splattered on the ground.

The woman grabbed Ellie's shoulder, forcing her out of the room along with Joel, "What did I tell you?"

"There was a gunshot!" Ellie argued back, "What were we supposed to do, wait for you to decompose?"

"You wait. When I say to wait, you do it," she said, a stern voice Ellie thought Noor wouldn't be using on her anymore. But Noor seemed angry at both Joel and Ellie for barging inside like two headless flies. She expected more from Joel, "And I'm not dead, yeah?"

Ellie nodded, looking away for a second while biting her cheek.

"It isn't her damn fault, Noor," Joel defended, "I dragged her with me."

Noor didn't say a word. She used the back of her palm to wipe away the blood on her face and simply threw Joel the jacket towards him. Ellie caught the jacket Noor gave to her and zipped it up. She felt Noor's fingers slide underneath the hair tie around her ponytail, slipping it off and putting the knit hat on her head. Noor's palms adjusted the hat on Ellie's head, pushing away loose pieces of hair out of her face.

Joel couldn't help but almost admire. Ellie wasn't fighting her off like she normally would; she let Noor worry and express that by also putting Ellie's gloves on. And when the two of them were all dressed, Noor finally put on her jacket, wrapped a scarf around her neck and swung her backpack over her shoulder. She left the cabin without a single word or glance towards the mess she made with Ellie following right back.

But Joel took a second before he walked out with them. He had killed before; old and young and it never seemed to have faze him. He turned himself off when the finger was on the trigger and relied on his survival instincts to get him out alive. He didn't trust his heart when it told him to spare someone just because they begged. However, staring at the old dead body drowning in its own blood just next to the bed, he questioned if anyone would be coming back to see that. He wondered if Noor thought about the mess she left behind.

"Joel!"

Noor's voice brought him out of his trance, hurrying out of the cabin that would soon go cold.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Noor was certain that they were close to the couple's cabin, but Joel wasn't sure of it. She had been saying that for the past month and it may have worked for Ellie for a little while but not on him. Not once.