Silver ||Joel Miller||

silver

JOEL

Joel's body jolted as a shout reached his ears.

Had he seriously fallen back asleep when Laura had told him to fight? He couldn't blame himself. He was fucking exhausted.

"Silver!"

Shit.

Laura.

Maybe he could blame himself.

He tried to sit up fast, but couldn't. Instead he moved slowly, with a knife apparently in his hand, and forced himself to stand up.

How long had he been laying there for? How long had she been fighting for? It was the first time she'd said it in a panic. The other times it was an order to attack, or the gentle warning she gave that she was in danger in Haven. He had to move, because she wouldn't use that word lightly.

He heard scraping at the top of the stairs, like heavy furniture was being moved. Fuck. That was the same sound he heard before he fell asleep, he assumed from when Laura had put something in front of the basement door.

Joel stumbled to the wall, trying to figure out where the best position would be to hide in the familiar yet strange room. He'd taken in his surroundings between bouts of unconsciousness, but he hadn't really pieced it all together. Not until then.

A man walked down the stairs and Joel slipped behind the the old water heater. He didn't have speed or stealth or strength, but he did have surprise, and he'd have to use it.

What had they done to Laura? Why was she shouting for his help? He was sure that he could still hear her screaming and shouting, but it was moving further away. If he didn't move quickly he would lose her, and after the last few days...

Honey.

She'd never called him anything other than his name before—he didn't count 'darling' as a pet name when she'd only used it to remind him of their past. This was different. Calling him something... it somehow meant more than when they'd admitted how they felt about each other. He didn't understand how, but it did.

Darlin'.

Maybe it was because he hadn't called her anything since four years ago. They'd been around each other for three and a half months and he hadn't... maybe that was why. While they had admitted they loved each other, it still felt like she would leave him. It still felt like she and Ellie would walk out on him at any second.

He knew better now, and he wouldn't let these fuckers take them from him.

The man reached the bottom of the stairs and Joel used everything he had for the attack.

It was quick, but he wouldn't say it was easy. The fastest way to get to Laura was to take this fuck down without hesitation, so that's what he did. He snuck up behind the man, and used the knife in his hand to slit their throat. There wasn't any time for a brawl, nor did he have the energy for it.

But he had to take the time to grab their bags, for no other reason than making sure he had their guns and their food and their clothes. It might not be safe for them to come back, so it was best to take them now.

He blundered his way up the stairs with his bag over his shoulder and Laura's in his hand, and found his way outside. It was fucking cold in the snow, but it helped to wake him up a little further.

Now where the fuck was Laura? What the fuck had they done with her?

"Silver!"

It came from his right, he was sure of it. So he stumbled through the garden, where he found another one of the assholes that he had to dispose of, and kept on his way. He checked his surroundings for movement, but saw none. That meant there weren't any of the fuckers around, but it also meant no Laura.