𝐏𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘𝐀. tlou (discounted)

𝐕.

━━━━𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒊𝒗𝒆.

  𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐈𝐑 was crisp, leaves changing color, leaving piles of themselves in their wake as they carried through the wind. The next month had gone on with no drama, bringing the start to a beautiful fall. Mason sat atop her covers, coloring book in her lap, her stuffed dog laying close, as always. The breeze carried through her open window, ruffling her brown hair ever so slightly. The girl had begun closing herself off since her nightmare, Joel barely saw her, and even when he did, she wouldn't look at him.

Once she had a room of her own, it was a rarity Maise came out when it wasn't necessary. The girl had eaten poorly; Joel practically had to force her nowadays. Her sleep schedule was a different situation; the bag's under her eyes made her look incredibly ill. The poor girl was hurting herself significantly.

As a gentle knock came from her door, Mason decides to ignore it. The door cracked open, a beam of light from the hallway leaking into the room.

"Hey, kiddo," Joel called from the doorway, frowning as she ignored his greeting. The baby girl looked terrible, sickly, to put it in shorter terms. But his frown slowly turned upwards at the sight of a forest green blanket draped around her shoulders, a gift he had given her a few days after her nightmare.

"It'll help keep you safe. It's like I'm right there with you."

He had told her, and the sight of her smile as she caught sight of the small blanket made the man gleam. That had been the last time Maisie had even looked at him; the six-year-old had shut herself off. He moved to her bed, slowly taking the book away from her lap. The girl went to reach for it, her palm only hitting air.

"Time to eat."

Mason shook her head, sinking further into her mattress, lying on her stomach. She cuddled her special blanket to her face; knees tucked to her chest as Joel stood over her. The man crossed his arms, standing firm as he spoke.

"Now."

Nothing.

"Mason, I ain't askin' again." She turned her head away from him. Joel huffs, taking the girl from the bed, carefully throwing her over his shoulder. The little ones' tiny fists felt like pillows as they pounded on the man's back, but it wasn't long until she slumped, folding her arms around his neck. In that moment of a slim tantrum, she became exhausted.

Joel gently placed her atop the chair that held a bowl of soup in front of it, the sight of the liquid made Maisie's stomach curdle, holding back a gag as she lifted the spoon. The girl grimaced, laying the spoon back in the bowl, pushing it away. Joel ran a hand through his beard, forcing the liquid back to her. Mason only shook her head, holding her blanket close to her.

"Maisie, you gotta eat. Yer hurting yourself, you know that?" The man had desperation in his voice, and Mason couldn't help but look down in guilt as she heard it. The girl took the metal spoon between her fingers, bringing it to her lips as she slowly drank the soup. She let her head slump against her hand, letting it rest as she ate for the first time in days. Joel sat in the chair across from her, relief flooding his chest as his little girl scarfed down her food.

━━━━━━

"Hey there, kiddo!" Tommy smiled as Maisie ran to him, jumping into his arms. The little girl on the man's waist hugged him tightly; stuffed dog clutched in her fist, his brother trailing behind her with his backpack on his shoulders. Joel gave Tommy a grateful nod, handing him Mason's overnight bag. It would be his first supply run since the little girl came into his life, and though hesitant to leave her, Tommy had assured his older brother he'd take good care of his little girl.

"Should be back by tomorrow mornin', come take 'er off your hands." The older man spoke, peering down at the little girl who held her arms out to him. Joel gently took her from his younger brother's hold, letting her burrow into his chest to hide from the early morning cold. He held the little girl tightly, resting his chin on her head as she fiddled with the buttons on his jacket. The man felt the anxiety radiating off of the young brunette, rubbing her back gently.

"I'll be fine, promise," Joel reassured, placing his lips to her head. Tommy couldn't help but smile at the sight; his brother had finally found something to fight for, and he wasn't letting her go any time soon. His older brother reluctantly handed Mason off to him, giving her tiny hand one last squeeze before biding the man farewell.

"Right kiddo, what do you say we get out of this cold, yeah?" Maisie nodded, placing her face in Tommy's neck as the fall breeze bit at her nose.

The two soon entered Tommy and Maria's home, taking off their jackets and shoes. Mason quickly ran to the kitchen as soon as her shoes slipped off, baby blue eyes shining as she circled her thin arms around Maria's legs.

━━━━━━

Joel's horse trotted next to his patrol partner's own, a young man named Henry. The two rode through town in silence, listening carefully for any infected that may roam the streets. The boy glanced at the man, swallowing the words in his throat he looked down at the leather reins clutched in his palms. Joel rolled his eyes, the young man's hesitance beginning to annoy him.

"Spit it out, boy." He spoke, southern drawn strong. Henry cleared his throat, sitting up from his slouch.

"Everyone in the town is curious," The blonde started. "The little girl, she yours?"

Joel couldn't help but ponder the question. He hadn't thought deep into the topic over the last month, but he realized that he cared deeply for the baby girl in the beat of silence.

"Yeah." The man said, head held high. Henry remained silent for the rest of the ride, the two soon sliding from their saddles, tying their horses to a rusty pole. With weapons drawn, Joel and Henry crept into the rundown grocery store, guards high as their boots brushed over dead leaves that carried in the wind. The familiar clicking noise drifted through the aisles of expired food and disgusting old clothing, the two men quickly crouching behind the cashier counter.

The clicker stumbled into the area, followed by a runner. Joel's hand slowly moved to the blade on his belt, beckoning Henry to do the same as he carefully rose from his position. The older man motioned the boy towards the runner while he crept behind the clicker, plunging his knife deep within its neck as Henry took down the other infected. With the enemy dead, the two scoured the shelves, stuffing any cans of food that had yet to expire in their packs.

"Joel," Henry called quietly. The blonde held out a small sweatshirt and a new box of crayons towards Joel as he gave the man a soft smile.

"Thought your girl might like these." The man took the gifts from Henry, giving him a grateful nod as he placed them in his bag. The two quickly fell into silence once again as a runner came their way, still clueless to their presence. Joel took the blonde by the shoulder, pushing him behind a wall as the infected bounded into the aisle where they had just been standing. The older man's heart began beating faster as dozens more infected soon followed the runner, a fucking horde.

"Damit." Henry cursed in a hushed whisper. Joel's eyes scanned the store, finally coming upon a back door not too far from them. He pointed it out to his partner, clutching his knife tightly in his palm.

"We can make it, jus' gotta stay quiet."

The two stuck close to the wall, eyes never leaving the horde of infected. Soon enough, the dreaded sound of a beer bottle scraping against the tile was all it took for Joel to push Henry forward, the dozens of infected chasing after them even as they burst through the back door. A mantra of curses spewed from the young boy's lips, mentally yelling at himself for failing to watch his boot; maybe if he had, he would have seen the bottle. Joel hollered at the young man, telling him to keep running as a clicker gained on them, reaching for the blonde's pack.

The infected's nails dug into Henry's shoulder, soon followed by teeth as the clicker dug into his neck. Blood ran down his jacket, dripping onto the cement as Joel's eyes widened. The boy soon became no more as he became ribbons, the horde piling on top of him. The older man soon stumbled off, taking off down the street. Away from the swarm, and even farther away from Jackson.