Safe and Sound

Part 5

Within an instant of the cold metal being pressed to your skin your hand gripped the knife from under your coat and you took a loud breath, knowing they probably wanted to know if you were awake or not. With a small, yet quick movement you turned onto your back only to see a man standing in between you and Ellie, gun pointing at you for a moment and then to her. With your eyes flickering between the man and Ellie, your eyes asking all the questions that needed to be asked and Ellie barely shook her head, just enough for you to be put to ease. It would be so easy just to swing your leg and knock over the man, but then there was the child, who also held a gun to a very sleepy Joel.

Wait, what? Joel was still out cold?

With a motion of the man's gun you slowly brought yourself to your knees, having given up on your knife your hands were empty and raised. "Let-let's just-" The man cut you off by shushing you and your breathing stopped for a moment.

"Joel." Ellie hissed at a normal volume, and when he didn't stir she looked at you.

"Dad!" You were close to yelling as you kept your eyes glued on the man, you heard Joel suddenly wake up, to which the man took a half step back.

The man, who still had his gun pointed to Ellie's head, spoke, "Eyes on me, eyes on me." With a stern expression he looked at Joel, seeing the man's obviously angered yet...not? Expression. "You don't have to worry about what to say." Was that comforting? He thought it sounded comforting, actually it sounded like 'Don't speak cause we're gonna kill you anyway' but it was okay, he was going to clarify. "We aren't gonna hurt you. We wanna help you."

Joel stared at the man, he was just impressed he had the balls to come up here and threaten his girls lives, true guts. "Okay."

"Oka, um," The man wavered from where he stood, gun still pointed at Ellie's head, "I don't know what the next step is with something like this. But if I lower my gun," A small pause as he takes a breath, "We didn't hurt you...so you don't hurt us." He brought his tone back up, "Right?"

Ellie looked to Joel before bringing her gaze back to her friend, seeing your eyes narrowed and lips pressed into a line. How were you not terrified? She was terrified. However, she chose not to dwell on your emotions, or lack thereof, and looked back at Joel. Who had the same demeanor about him.

"That's right."

A frown deepens on your face,, why the hell does he always sound like that? It's going to get them all killed, I'm going to die because of my dad's stupid ass voice, in a stupid ass building, in the middle of stupid ass nowhere. Were you scared for your life? Yes. But were you more mad about it, what a lame way to die. You wanted to die like a hero, or at least a survivor, not like this, this was boring and pathetic and-

"That's a weird fuckin' tone man," The person who held them had gunpoint quipped, obviously uneasy. Who wouldn't be, Joel could probably take him in a fist fight, and they were both fully aware of it, and at the moment the only thing he had as leverage was the girls at gunpoint.

Ellie replied immediately, "That's just the way he sounds."

You nod, "Yeah, he has an asshole voice. Dad," You turn to face Joel, you were blissfully unaware of how fearful your eyes looked at him, however when you would look at Ellie you would look composed, yet to your father, you were just a scared child. "Tell the nice man, tell him, that-that it's okay."

Joel didn't look at you, "Everything is great."

A small gasp escapes your lips as Ellie lightly groans, "Dad!" You hiss and then look back over to the man, who rightfully didn't believe Joel, you nor Ellie would have even thought about showing any trust if the roles were reversed.