Save each other // Joel Miller

Close to home

Joel had been beaten before but never like this. He was older now, and couldn't take the hits like he used to. Hell, even the gun shot to the leg wouldn't have slowed him down a few years back. But now? He's a bloody pulp on the floor, desperately thinking about Tommy, and Ellie, and even the damn horse in the garage. He was failing but this seemed to be the end. Everything felt numb and like it was on fire at the same time. He reminisced of Sara, his life before the pandemic, and everything in-between. He thought about his regrets. The faces of those he murdered in cold blood and those he tortured to near death. How they would be smiling now.

Lost in thought, he almost didn't realize the hitting had stopped and something was happening. Through his swollen eyes he could make out shuffling feet and panic. It didn't take good eyes to know when something was going down, and then there she was. Like a dream, in vision as clear as day, Ellie lay across the room. She was on the floor with a lip full of blood and eyes full of fear. Joel's heart welled. He was dreaming, he must have been. Then he saw her get kicked, and he wasn't dreaming anymore. Problem was, he couldn't move. He helplessly watched as his baby girl was pinned down on the floor like an animal. She was saying something but the ringing in his ears was too loud. He tried to talk but his jaw stayed still.

A pair of legs moved, blocking his view of Ellie, and he desperately tried to make out whose they were. Abby, he thought, and the boy she had been whispering to when they first got in there. They seemed mad, but he didn't care. He gave up any last hope of getting out of here alive right then and there. The last thing he wanted was to make sure Ellie knew he loved her. More than anything. She brought him back and taught him love. He wanted her to see, in his eyes, that she was worth it all. Only if these fuckers would move out of the goddamn way of Ellie's face.

Abby then spread her legs, an attack stance he knew every well. Joel took one last good look at his Ellie. She looked so scared, so sad, but he couldn't help but be just a tad bit grateful he got to see her again. He knew she'd get out of this. She was as tough as nails, nothing would bring her down. Absolutely nothing. With one final look, and tear down his face, he closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable.

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Sophie couldn't watch anymore. Couldn't listen anymore. She stood up, shakily, not caring if she made any sound. She witnessed them beat him to nothing but a vegetable on the ground and she wanted to vomit. Who the hell were these people and how could they do something like this? She had been watching helplessly until a young girl stumbled into the room, oblivious to the danger she was walking into. She could barely make it out but when they slammed her to the ground and she pleaded for them to stop, Sophie's head started to spin. Her vision started blurring and her hands began to shake. This was too real, to true. Too close to home.

She couldn't just watch. She had to do something. An unfamiliar feeling of power and heat filling her chest as she thought to yourself 'if I'm gonna die, it might as well be saving someone's dad'. She didn't have much time to think as she turned the handle and rammed her entire body into the bathroom door, knocking one of the men down, who was holding the girl to the floor, and left the other one stumbling not to fall. The girl, without missing a beat, kicked him in the shin and a gun shot rang out. Sophie felt a pinch in her arm, and a wetness, but she didn't stop. She charged straight for the women with the club and tackled her, landing on top of, who she now knew as, Joel.

They both struggled for the club and Sophie could hear commotion behind her but she didn't let it distract her. All she could focus on was stopping this women at any cost. They both rolled off of Joel and the women had Sophie pinned, club pushing down on her windpipe and hands. She struggled to breath and kicked furiously, feeling the women's hot breath on her face and droplets of her angry spit. Her eyes showed nothing human, just rage filled pain and fury. Sophie stilled her legs and focused all her strength to her arms, pushing up enough to move the club a bit and breath in. With the deep breath she shouted out and pushed as hard as she could.

The women stumbled back a bit and Sophie full force pushed again, knocking the club out of her hands and left it clattering across the floor. She looked away for a split second and Sophie took this time to dig her fingers into Abby's shoulders, slamming her forehead into her nose. She fell completely off of Sophie and held her bleeding nose with a stifled groan. Sophie knew this wouldn't keep down her long so she shot up onto her feet, feeling a bit dizzy and stumbling, but placing a protective stance over the beaten and bloodied Joel.

Sophie took the few seconds she had to evaluate the room and noticed not only did this young girl shoot two of the strangers dead but she was actively hitting another unconscious. That left Sophie, a women and a man, and the nose bleeding fuck who started all this. Sophie tensed her body, ready to defend herself when a voice broke the moment.

"LETS GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE ABBY!" The man shouted at the girl on the ground and he ran over to the remaining lady, who seemed to be pretending to be tough but was obviously not a fighter. He held her close, a couple maybe?

"FUCK THAT! You know what I want!", Sophie now knew as Abby, spat out blood as she stood back up and faced Sophie with rage in her entire body.

"This is crazy!" The lady screamed, finally letting the tough act down, and held on to the man and her stomach. They moved together toward the garage door in a hurry as Abby moved swiftly towards Sophie.

Sophie's bravo wavered as Abby stared her down, coming closer, and that was Sophie's down fall. Abby took one heavy swing and hit her against the temple, stunning Sophie and causing her to trip over Joel and cracked her head against the glass window. Her vision spun and she cowered a bit as she waited for the next hit. But it never came.