Half Return - TLOU

4. End it.

Gracie stood in the corner next to the door of the garage. She was keeping an eye on Tommy, making sure he didn't wake up whilst simultaneously holding her cheek. It wasn't bleeding, but it was certainly going to leave a pretty big bruise.

With every cry that Joel made, Gracie shut her eyes a little tighter. She couldn't believe that this man, who was now lying, weak, defenceless and bloody on the ground, had killed so many people. He'd ruined so many lives, and yet Gracie still stood here feeling sorry for him.

He didn't look like the man he walked in the room as. His face was masked in a layer of blood, his eyes had become so puffed up that he could barely open them anymore.

Alongside all the chaos going on, Gracie hadn't even noticed the basement door opening. Suddenly, Jordan was fighting with a girl, trying to wrestle the gun out of her hand. They both fell to the floor and Jordan fell back, a fresh cut across his face. Nick and Nora lunged forward, kneeling on her back and pinning her to the floor.

"Pin her down! Get her hands!" Nora yelled.

"Get off me! Get the fuck off me!"

Jordan held a hand to his face for a moment. Everything just got ten times worse, Gracie herself felt like she was on the verge of tears.

"Bitch!" Jordan lunged forward, kicking the girl in the chest at least three times, her coughing with each one.

Gracie and Manny stepped forward, pulling Jordan back by a shoulder each.

"Jordan! You got her. You got her, okay?" Gracie nodded, keeping her hand on his shoulder. He scowled at her, but he wasn't as tense anymore. Gracie slowly let go once she knew he wasn't gonna go back at the girl.

She couldn't have been much younger than them. Maybe 18 or 19, but she was sure as hell still a teenager.

The girl on the floor let out a scream, her nose bleeding and her face cut. She stared straight up at Abby, trying to squirm out of Nora and Nick's grip. "You're gonna fucking die!"

"What's going on?" Owen came rushing in from the garage, Mel following closely behind him. Gracie glanced over her shoulder, seeing Leah nearly in tears over the state of Jordan's face.

"Let him go. Let him go!"

"Who is that?" Mel asked, looking over at the auburn-haired girl.

Nora sighed. "She snuck in..."

"Why aren't you posted up outside?" Owen pointed his finger between the two of Nick and Nora. Gracie held back the urge to put her hands over her ears or just walk away all together.

Nora scowled. "We didn't think anyone was gonna show up!" She snapped.

"The hell did you expect?" Owen spoke up a little louder over the sound of the girl crying and grunting, trying to get up. "We gotta get out of here before the whole town's on top of us."

Gracie looked back down at Tommy. She'd shook hands with him. She'd offered to help them. No, they weren't gonna kill him, but Gracie felt like she'd betrayed Abby. She'd been so kind to them without even knowing them.

"You're done," Owen scowled at Abby as he shoved his gun into his pocket.

Abby spoke up again, her voice wobbling and shaking. "You want what I want, right?"

"End it. Now."

Abby steadied the club in her hands. Gracie put a hand to her face, her breath hitching in her throat. She'd never been present for anything like this before. Yeah, she'd taken down a few scars, but never like this. Never tortured them.