A Mirror's Image

chapter two

shimmer and I arrived to the cabin, my palms were drenched with sweat. I was beyond scared shitless. what if something happened to joel and tommy? man i can't handle this shit.

i hopped off of shimmer, stroking her back hoping it'll give me some sort of comfort. i felt my stomach twist and churn with each step i took closering myself to the large dark oak building.

i slowly opened the door and took a look around, grabbing some extra ammunition left on a counter. i heard some grunting coming from the basement. my heart dropped. i felt vomit rising.

regardless of what it was, i knew it wasn't going to be good. i pulled out my pistol, gripping it tighter but the sweat from my hands causing it to almost slip away from my grip.

i walked down the stairs leading to that old basement door, i opened it releasing a creaking sound. i saw a muscular girl holding a golf club.

i bursted it when i looked down to see what she was hitting it with. the blood splattering into her and the way her braid would sway side to side with each punt and her crusted white shirt and the poor man covered in his own blood and saliva and his eyes rolling into the back of us his head.

i felt nauseous. joel. oh my sweet joel. i bursted through the door.

"joel? PLEASE NO" i screeched as two men took me down to the ground. everything went silent. i heard slight voices in the back arguing about "who was supposed to be watching." all i could do was lay and beg.

"JOEL GET UP JOEL SERIOUSLY GET THE FUCK UP" i got louder and louder. I choked out sobs in between my begs for the buff woman to stop. all i remember was repeating

"i'll kill you, i'll kill all of you"

until everything went dark.

"ellie? oh my god...ellie" i opened my eyes to see dina standing there. she said she'd be back, when she moved out of my view, i saw him again.

his lifeless body just laying there, his blood caked onto his face and the floor. the golf club laid next to him like some fucking trophy. i felt sick.

"..joel.."

i was going to find her.

and i was going to kill her.

and every last one of them.

~ time skip to two weeks later ~

i stared at my ceiling hopelessly. i miss him like crazy, he thought i hated him when he died. ya'know he did so much for me and i couldn't even save him from being murdered. this was. all. my. fault-

"ellie?" i heard a knock at my door. i know it's dina, i asked her to come with me to visit joel's grave and house before we head out.

i got up out of my bed, i didn't want to move or eat or sleep or drink. i didn't want to shower or talk. i just wanted to be left alone.

"hey dina, are you ready?" i asked implying that i was waiting for her all along.

"uh yeah let's go" she took my hand into hers and caressed her thumb against my hand i felt a sense of comfort.

we arrived at joel's stone. i stared at it for what felt like eternity. part of me hoping he'd come up behind me with his signature "hey kiddo" and we could laugh about the time i said i'd "never speak to him again" and "we're done." but that couldn't happen.

that wouldn't happen.

it can't happen.

i felt a droplet of something fall onto my jeans, was i crying? of course i'm crying. hot tears streamed down my face like a river. i couldn't stop.

eventually i pulled myself off of the ground after saying my goodbyes. i walked over to dina locking out hands together. we started heading towards joel's house hand in hand. she'd give my hand small squeezes to comfort me when she could feel my nervousness kicking in.

she knows me so well i thought.

we approached joel's house. i lifted my hand up to the door knob, my hand shaking in fear and disbelief of his death.

"do you want me-"

"it's okay dina, thank you" i replied finally getting he courage to open the door.

i went upstairs to his room after looking around. he had two pictures on his dresser. one of him and sarah, the picture i grabbed from tommy to ensure joel would keep it. and me. me and him together. i smiled at it wiping my eyes to make sure nothing came out.

i walked over to his closet and took out one of his jackets putting it on. i grabbed his pistol, his pistol, the one he had used many times to save my ass. i put it into my holster and grabbed his watch putting it into my backpack. before leaving i took one of his older photos from downstairs of him and i, folding it in two fours then storing it away into my bag.

"hey ellie? would you c'mere for a second?"

"yeah be right down dina" i said in return.

i walked downstairs to find maria, piece of paper in her hand.

"tommy went to find them-" she said.

"he what?" i asked.

"and he left this"

maria read the note to dina and i, but the world went quiet. all i thought about was joel and tommy. how hurt tommy must be and alone. "im going out there" i thought to myself.

"i'm not going to stop you ellie." maria added which finally got me out of my train of thought.

"you and dina go, and bring tommy home."

dina and i nodded in agreement. we headed over to the stables where shimmer was.

i helped dina onto shimmer then got on myself, i stared down at my hands holding shimmers lead.

im ready to kill these mother fuckers.