Silver ||Joel Miller||

sheep ranches on the moon

JOEL

two weeks later

Joel knew they were lost. He'd known it for a few days but couldn't bring himself to tell Laura until that morning. He'd almost wished he hadn't, because the efficiency she had to find a cabin out here with living people had been near terrifying. And now they were inside a warm place, with a bored hostage and a good chance to pinpoint exactly where the fuck they were.

Although the hostage situation was slightly confusing for him.

There had been no fight from her, and for some unknown reason she'd made them soup which they'd all been grateful for. Ellie was up the stairs, hopefully hiding, while he and Laura were waiting for the husband of the pair who lived here to return.

In the two weeks since Haven, Laura had hardly spoken to him beyond necessity. He'd tried to start conversation with her on more than one occasion, but it never lasted more than a few words. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, but what he was doing wasn't enough. Maybe he'd have to consult with Ellie—Jesus, was he really that desperate?

He looked up at Laura, who simply stared at the front door to the cabin. Before Haven her resting face had showed warmth, it had been an extension of her usually warm personality, but ever since then it was blank and cold.

Yeah, maybe he was desperate enough to talk to Ellie.

The front door opened and the husband walked in. Apparently he was unaware of the danger he was in as he looked to his wife and put his bow down.

Marlon and Florence, that was their names if the wife hadn't been lying earlier.

Marlon began to take his jacket off, and Laura moved forward, an arrow aimed at him. "The gun needs to go away too," Laura said. Instead of heeding the instruction, Marlon just continued to take his jacket off.

"Who the hell are you?" Marlon asked, and Joel walked forward with his pistol pointed towards the man.

"Just some people passing through," he answered. "Now take the gun out, two fingers only, and put it out of reach." Marlon did as he was instructed, with plenty of disdain on his face.

"Why didn't you shoot them?" Marlon asked. How comfortable were these two out here to not be worried about the presence of a person with a gun and another with a bow and arrow? Apparently comfortable enough to bicker about Marlon's apparent lack of concern and the fact Florence had made them soup.

"I'm looking for my brother," Joel said in an attempt to stop the bickering and get the information he needed. He was close to Tommy, he could feel it, he just had to find wherever the fuck his brother was... first step to that would be working out wherever the fuck they were.

"Well, I ain't seen him," Marlon responded.

"We haven't told you what he looks like," Laura cut in. It was strange to hear her say something outside of bare necessity, especially when it helped his cause.

"He look anything like you?" Marlon asked with his focus on Joel.

"A bit," Joel replied. He shuffled his stance and briefly looked to Laura, who was still staring with that cold expression.

"Then I ain't seen him." Damn it.

"They've got a girl with them." Joel looked to Florence for a moment as she spoke. Well, he should have known Ellie wouldn't stay hidden for long.

"Can I come down?" Ellie asked as she looked over the loft railing.

"No." He replied. Honestly, the kid should have known better than to even... and she was running down the stairs. Perfect. Fucking perfect.