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Ellie being with him is the worst thing that could have possibly happened. She insisted she join him on the Copper Mine run, even woke up early to be there on time. It made him so fucking happy this morning to find her waiting on his back porch.
Now, he couldn't possibly be further from that.
The man is holding her tightly, too tightly, with his pistol pressed to her temple. The bald woman has taken her gun and her knife, his radio and revolver. Abby watches with a sort sick glee he remembers seeing on his own face in the mirror years ago.
"Get off me fucker! Joel! Joel!"
The man jerks Ellie around to make her stop moving, but it doesn't really work. His girl's never been one to go down without a fight.
The dark-haired woman is digging in her backpack. When she comes up, there's a filled syringe in her hand. He feels his own eyes go wide and he takes a half-step in Ellie's direction.
"Ah-ah-ah!" the taller man says, raising his rifle higher. "Don't fucking move."
"It's not gonna kill her," Abby says. "She's just gonna take a little nap. Trust me; it's for the best."
"Fuck you!" Ellie spits. "Get off me!"
"It's just going to put you to sleep for an hour," the dark-haired woman says. "Just an hour. I promise."
Ellie kicks out harshly, but the man holding her pulls back so she doesn't hit the woman. Abby scoffs.
"Ellie," Joel says. Her attention snaps to him, a wild-eyed panic from years past. When he glances at the woman with the needle, Ellie starts shaking her head.
"No! No don't you fucking dare! Don't make another decision for me, Joel, or I swear to God - " she screams. His heart thuds painfully in his chest because she's right. They've done this before; it's why these people are here.
She throws a hand up hard enough that the gun is off her head for a split-second, and then she elbows the man holding her in the ribs.
Joel expects her to do something obscenely stupid like attack more of them, something that's going to get her killed, but she surprises him. She always surprises him.
Ellie rushes him , throwing herself into his arms. Every gun in the room follows but none fire. He catches her even as she throws him back a step, then turns to shield her with his own body. If anyone gets trigger happy, it's going to hit him first, him worse.
She's sobbing, grasping at the collar of his shirt, clinging to him like a child. She's only nineteen; she is a child.
He rocks her back and forth for a moment, purposefully ignorant of the guns aimed at his back. He spots the dark-haired woman raise the needle again, tip-toeing forward.
Hating himself, he nods at her.
"Ellie, look at me. Hey. Look at me," he orders. He cradles her face gently, sweeping long hair away from her neck. Her eyes are bloodshot already.
"Joel - " she cries, voice cracking on his name. He nods mindlessly as he speaks to her, speaks the last thing he'll ever be able to tell her.
"Hey, it's okay. It's gonna be okay, Ellie. Look at me. I love you. I love you so much. I love you more than anything," he says quickly. The woman draws closer, so he speaks faster despite Ellie's growing confusion. "I love you so much . I need you to know that. And I'm so, so sorry, baby girl. I can't lose another child."
Her eyes go wide as the needle sinks into her neck, the drug pushing in slowly. He sees the betrayal in her dark eyes, the terror, the pain. She slips, going hazy, and he crushes her to his chest, still rocking gently, shushing.
Ellie goes slack in his arms, but she keeps breathing and it's enough. He holds her close for another long moment before he meets Abby's taunting eyes again.
"Let me put her in another room," he requests. She scoffs.
"Why should I do that?"
"You're here for me. Not for her," Joel says, shaking his head. "She doesn't deserve this. She doesn't need to see."
She doesn't need to see what's left , he means. She doesn't need to see my corpse.
"Abby," the taller man says, and the girl looks at him sharply. Joel just cradles his daughter and waits, unwilling to move if it puts her in more danger.
"In there," Abby says eventually, nodding towards a door on the far side of the room.
Joel pulls Ellie into his arms bridal-style, carries her the same way he did in that goddamn hospital. Her head lolls against his shoulder like it did then, face so much more peaceful than it was mere moments ago.
He opens the door to reveal a linen closet with just enough floor space for her. He kneels, knees aching, and gently sets her down. Her eyes flutter behind their lids.
He takes off the watch her sister gave him, his heart that hasn't beaten in twenty-five years, and presses it into her palm. He covers her with his coat, tucking it around her tightly, praying it won't cause her any extra panic.
This is it. He's never going to see her again and, if they're lucky, she'll never see him again either. His Ellie, his girl that brought him back to life.
Joel leans forward and kisses her hairline softly. A final goodbye he prays she'll understand someday.
He stands up straight, steps back, and shuts the door with a click. When he turns, they're all staring, waiting. Abby's horrible glee has faded into something colder.
He raises his hands and walks slowly back to where he was before, by the window. Jackson burns in the distance.
Joel turns to face the girl with the braid as he hears the shotgun pump.