The Last Of Us (Fanfic)

Joel lives PT6

Joel Lives PT6
[Fan-Fiction]

It took the group longer than expected to travel all that way back to Seattle. Abby hardly spoke and always kept her eye on the smuggler, especially when it came to trigger-happy Jordan. No one expected him to last the trip, and it made it more stressful when they had to take watch in shifts after he became cognitive again. The old man was a fighter, but they already knew that. He had found a way out of his restraints during a runner attack and ended up saving Mel and himself from getting torn apart. That act of kindness didn't change anything for them, Manny and Jordan still tried to entice him a time or two to get some kind of reaction. The girl They left unconscious seemed to be a sore spot for him and they didn't hesitate to constantly peck at it till they were told to give it a rest. When they ate, Joel would get the scraps, which were barely enough to keep him going as he no longer needed to be pulled in a sled. His leg still hurt, but he was capable even in his current state, and they all knew it.
They all saw what he'd done in the hospital, and they'd be lying if they said they weren't concerned about what he would do to them if given the chance.

As the distance between themselves and the WLF lessened - Nora, Nick, Jordan, and Leah had all decided on a plan of action regarding the smuggler. They didn't think Abby, Owen, or Mel would go for it at first, but after thinking it through from one state to the next, they thought it to be a foolproof idea as an extension of their own revenge and insurance for themselves.

They thought that the only way Abby could get what she wanted, but still make Joel useful, was to give him to their leader Issac. The reason was the town they had taken him from; was big enough to house all of their people. As much as they didn't want to admit it, the group they were fighting against was getting bolder and if things got out of hand, they would have nowhere else to go.

Owen immediately disagreed once it was presented to them, talking about how they only went there for one person and left possibly having killed two more than necessary. Mel agreed with him, saying they didn't sign up for hurting innocent people and taking away their homes.

"You seriously think they didn't know what he did? They hid him, who knows how many others just like him they have hiding there. And if they're capable of surviving this long, I'm sure they could do it somewhere else." Jordan said.

Nora nodded, "This is about survival, and maybe Issac would let them stay as long as they're agreeable and join our cause."

"Do you even hear yourselves?" Owen asked, he was shocked that this was even an option. "These are people just like us, trying to survive. If we do this, we're no better than him," He said, pointing towards the direction of the smuggler who sat just out of earshot, asleep. Or so they thought.

Owen tried to talk to Abby about it to make her see reason, but she did not listen to him or so much as look at him as she was weighing how beneficial this would be. Owen thought they would've held Joel at his place till Abby got what she needed - he just wanted this to be over as quickly and painlessly as possible. Now it was different, they were talking about taking over an entire community to survive.

Abby sat there thinking it over, weighing the pros and cons as it did seem to be the best option for everyone involved. Herself included, even though it almost felt too personal.

"We'll give him to Issac for now. Offer up the idea, even if he says no, we at least have a place to hold him."

"If you do this, we won't be a part of it," Owen said, looking at Abby in particular. At this moment in time, he didn't recognize her, the girl he cared so deeply for that he traveled miles to help her find the smuggler. Now it seemed that his usefulness had run out, and there was nothing he could do to change her mind.

When the decision was made, it divided the group and caused them to travel on opposite sides of the road in silence for the rest of the way. Joel wanted to try and escape one last time, but with his injuries and lack of supplies, he had very few options. He'd heard them talk at night, talk about some group they were at war with and how they needed a contingency plan in case it didn't go their way. He knew that where they were taking him had a lot of survivors, all of them well-trained Judging off of the ground he was currently with. He saw the girl track enough animals and infected from Wyoming to Seattle to know that. He saw how they handled themselves in rough situations, and how well they worked together once their backs were against the wall. However, he also noticed the tension and division in the group once it all went quiet. He knew they were here with a common interest and enough discipline to at least try and put their differences on the back burner. Joel barely spoke a word the whole trip, not wanting to give them the satisfaction of a conversation to give them too many ideas or entice a beating, not that it really helped. They battered him just enough to keep him docile.

"Hey, Pendejo!" Manny had gotten in the habit of calling him that, "We're close, so that means this is the last time you'll be seeing the outside. Take it all in while you can." Manny laughed while he packed up his gear onto the horse before joining the rest of the group. They stood around an old picnic table in this overgrown park outside a burned-down daycare. It was sunrise and they were close to leaving, but had to plan their route around the known scar encampments.

"How close are we to the FOB?" Abby asked.

"A few hours, if we go straight through and don't run into any scars or infected," Nora said.

Joel noticed the man and pregnant woman, Mel, had been keeping to themselves recently. He overheard them talking about how they planned to go separate ways from the rest of the group once they made it to the halfway point. Owen wanted to get her home and didn't want any part in what they all planned to do, regardless of the numerous times they tried to convince him otherwise. Mel sat by the fire with her arms crossed, staring into the dying flames deep in thought.

"How far along are ya?" Joel finally spoke.

Mel was shocked by the sudden question and looked up at him. "Excuse me?"

"You've been sick this whole trip, how far along are ya?" He asked again.

Mel looked back at the group as they discussed the fastest way to get to the FOB. She hoped one of them would notice the exchange and interrupt it, not that any of them were paying attention.

She turned back and avoided his gaze, "twelve weeks." She said.

Joel nodded, thinking back to Sarah's mom, he remembered how sick she was when she got pregnant. He remembered how he didn't know what to expect and thought that he wasn't ready for the responsibility at first. That was until Sarah was born, and it was like a switch was permanently flipped on. He then remembered how it was the opposite for his wife, how different she became, and how long it took for him to finally accept that parenthood wasn't for everyone. Looking at Owen, he wondered if it would be the same for them, maybe not for the same reason as he'd noticed the stolen glances at Abby. He was sure Mel had noticed them too.

"How'd you know I wasn't just sick?" Mel asked, just now realizing that she hadn't thought of the possibility of him having any family other than his brother.

Joel cleared his throat, "Been around a while."

Mel looked up at him and knew he wasn't telling the full truth. It made her wonder why he had really done it besides the multiple assumptions everyone had when it happened. For a while, everyone assumed the worst while others had overheard that he had grown attached to the girl. Looking at the man in front of her now, she knew what she believed, but it didn't stop her from asking the question she'd kept to herself since they found him.

"Was it worth it? Doing what you did?" Mel finally asked.

Joel thought back to Ellie and the pain the whole thing caused her once she found out. Back to the first moment he met her, back to all the time they spent on the road. The close calls and her resilience and need to prove that it all meant something. For a moment he thought he could hear her laugh while telling him another one of her jokes. He thought back to that last night on his front porch, to that last conversation they had, and knew he felt the same now as he did then.

He looked her in the eye, and without hesitation said- "I'd do it all again."

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I was experiencing a little writer's block with this one as it's the first "free-ball" scene. But I hope y'all enjoy it all the same. :)