No Matter What... | The Last of Us | Joel Miller x Oc

Chapter 4: Escape

Tommy explains to me that after I fainted, they brought me up to their place. It is on the fourth floor of a many story building, by the main road, but they don't have neighbors at all.

Austin is big and there are a lot of hunters but thank God not enough to fill a city this huge so neighbors are not a common thing here anyway. Neither children, nor women. Hunters are a group of men only.

After most of the them roamed the building and its surroundings where my grenade went off, Tommy and Joel didn't have to avoid much people, they just needed to use the back entrances a lot. Since we killed everyone who could have witnessed the three of us together, none of the Hunters know that they helped me at all. They only know about a dangerous, lonely intruder who murdered 8 of them 'single handedly' and now is probably still hiding somewhere in their territory - the brothers not being suspected at all.

Since Jonah, the guy that was wrestling Tommy, died by my arrow, the Hunters simply just believe he tried to shoot me while defending himself and that he might succeeded given Tommy's blood on the wall.

I finally tell them my name, also the fact that I am looking for the fireflies hoping that I will find my sister with them. The exact location inside Boston, Elijah gave to me written on a piece of paper back in the forest, I keep to myself for now. I need to be useful until I decide I am going to leave them behind and if I told them the address, I don't know what would they do to me.

I also tell that I am coming from a nearby quarantine zone, but I don't mention the fact that it is Anderson Mill - I still don't know whether I really trust them or not.

They really helped me so much already... Guess if they wanted to give me up, they would have done that by now, wouldn't they? Or they could just simply leave my fainted body out in the alleyway... But then Joel stands up and leaves, telling us that he's gonna fetch some things that might be useful.

As we talk with Tommy about how are we going to leave at sunrise, when the patrols change shifts, I can't shake off the feeling that Joel is going to snitch. The hours slowly pass by and I am getting more and more nervous with each passing minute, so to ease my nerves a bit I ask Tommy why he wants to join the fireflies.

"I hear they are fighting for the better." He says, smiling bitterly. "You know, the way things are going between the Hunters is not exactly for me... Clothes and food are not the reasons that makes murdering 'tourists' okay and I think I'd like to just make up for the things I've done, you know..." Oh, I know damn well... he looks towards the door, where Joel left and continues." My brother, I know at first, he might seem like a bastard, but he has his reasons to be the way he is. He done things that are terrible, but he does everything just to keep the both of us alive... And to be honest, don't we all?"

I don't give voice to my thoughts but since I don't know Joel's 'reasons', I am not exactly convinced by Tommy's words. He seems like someone who shoots first and asks second - there's my horribly aching head to prove that - and I know in a world like this, he is the real survivor but there are still good people out there and not everyone wants to murder you in your sleep. Though, right now I feel like I could choke him without hesitation if I think about my aching brain...

I think about how he'd like my sister probably... From what I got to know about the brothers in these few hours, they pretty much remind me of me and my sister... How she did and made me do things I still can't get over after years, just for the sake of survival.

"Why'd that guy wanted to shoot you?" I ask, thinking about that Jonah, who almost killed Tommy before I arrived to do the same to him. Tommy scoffs.

"With the hunters you either kill or get killed... Jonah suspected that I want to leave this place and they hate if someone is 'weak' in their eyes... And feeling wrong after killing innocent is part of the description of weak in their dictionary."