lost & found || Joel Miller

Endure & Survive

ᖭི༏ᖫྀ

Sweat dripped from August's forehead as she, along with Joel, Ellie and Sam followed Henry through the empty streets of Kansas City—He'd promised the streets are safe from Kathleen's men, but he always held an unsure expression on his face so who knew...Joel had to keep his gun close.

Their heads hung low as Henry opened the door to the empty bank and jogged in, so obviously, the others jog in too.

Henry looks around the place and they find themselves stopping in the middle of the bank. Joel looks around as well, breathless, "We need to get out of sight," He informs Henry, who nods and points to a doorway.

"Uh...I think it's this way," He tells them and begins to jog.

August wants to make sure she's not the only one who heard Henry say 'think' instead of 'know' and Joel, who was still catching his breath, reassures her that she is indeed not the only one who heard it.

Theres a high probability that they're fucked.

Running after Henry into the doorway, they find themselves in a hallway, heading toward a door at the end that leads to a basement, August made sure to be by Ellie's side as they reached the door and Joel made sure to be by their side. Just in case.

"Flashlights," Henry tells them as he switches his flashlight on and automatically Sam follows his lead, without signing anything.

Joel, August and Ellie switch their own flashlights on too as Henry pulls open the door, walking in and giving the place a little glance.

Everyone follows him inside and notice that they're standing at the top of a staircase with a yellow railing.

"This should be it," Henry says, stepping down a few steps to make space for all of them on the small stairs.

Joel scans the place thoroughly, sliding his light upon the dusty empty space, no sign of any snarling creatures. Good.

"You ready?" Grinned Henry and Joel looks at his girls—Fuck. He should probably stop thinking that.

"Get your guns out," August quickly complies, reaching for the gun in her belt loop and Ellie reaches for her back pocket, compressing a smirk. She has a gun.

That didn't go unnoticed by Joel. He had told them specifically to put them in their bags—six times exactly: 'August, don't put your gun in your belt loop, you'll shoot your foot off' 'Ellie, don't put your gun in your back pocket, you'll shoot your ass off' 'don't put it in your belt loop' 'don't put it in your back pocket' 'August, your foot' 'Ellie, your ass'

But August didn't want to break the stuff in her bag with the stupid thing—it weighed more than a damn brick...And Ellie just felt like putting her gun in her pocket.

Was there anything that they could say that would make them listen? Oh, who was he kidding. Fuck no.

He gives them an annoyed look as he brushes past them, declaring himself as the leader now as he stepped down the stairs, his body shifted to the side so he could walk past them.

They all step back with no disagreement to him taking the lead the way from now.

Everyone follows him down to the bottom of the stairs and begins to walk through a long corridor, full of broken pipes that were dripping water, making endless puddles around the space.