Chapter Text
"Woah, woah, woah... Come on now, get on up." Joel breathed as his hands hovered over a keeled over Marleen, clutching her blood soaked stomach, a crimson shade covering her tan hands and running through each crevice in the skin of her palm.
Her knees brush off the mud dusted floorboards as she crawls herself to a stand using the help of a table, her rusty shade of blood scuffing the brittle wood surface.
Suddenly Joel was shoved by a pathetic force on his leg, catching him off guard. His instincts spike as his reflexes act quick, turning around. He was expecting to see a tough hardened man who was about to receive a black eye for even touching him or even a grizzly dog about to pounce on him, however Joel's eyes just met empty space. His gaze drops as he sees something unexpected. A small child.
One with a small, scrappy frame, messy reddish-brown hair that matched her dirty red t-shirt and a determined expression. Dark defined freckles line her little nose and youthful pink cheeks that were smeared with dirt.
"what the..."
"She's with me "Marleen says quietly but firm through her pain, her voice making Joel's head snap around to look at her.
"She's yours?" He asks, perplexed as his brows knit together, the wrinkle between his eyebrows deepening.
"she's who you're smuggling ..." she breathes heavily,her face pinched in discomfort as her pained eyes lock with Joels.
"Wha-- Absolutely not!-" He practically scoffs at how crazy the idea was.
"Joel... I need you to take her." Marleen insists, cutting him off with her voice, hushed but firm.
Joel laughs bitterly "Take her ? Marlene, she's what—four? You want me to babysit now?"
"it's not babysitting." She slightly snaps at Joel before catching herself in the act. With a deep sigh as she reins herself in, the last thing she needed was to be shouting right now.
"It's survival. And she's not just any kid."
Joel glances over. Now sitting on the floor near an overturned crate is the small girl—messy brown hair in a too-loose ponytail, a dark denim dungarees with a red long sleeves covered in mud and grass stains. She picks at a broken action figure, muttering to herself. Joel turns to look back at Marleen.
"There's a crew of fireflies that will meet you at the capitol building-" She begins
"That ain't exactly close" Joel cuts her off. Reigning her in from the idea she is insisting and already planning.
"Your capable" She hisses, her eyes pinch. "You drop her to the crew, head back and the payment will be here for you" she looks at him slightly pleading. "double what Robert sold you" she reminds Joel what he could get here out of a seemingly simple task, simple for him at least.
"Tommy told me if I was ever in a jam I could rely on you"
Joel's eyes darken slightly at the stinging mention of his brother who he had his own...personal issues with.
He grumbles to himself as he plants his calloused hands on a wooden dresser behind him as he weighs up his options in his head. He had nothing to lose but his life of course. But he didn't need to gain the payment, it would just be extra on the side of what he already earned with his smuggling schemes.
"Was that before or after he left your little militia group?" His southern twang said gruff and mockingly. Marlene's eyebrows raised at Joel's condescending comment, but didn't take it to heart, knowing the type of man Joel is.
"Well he left you too." she reminds him. Joel as he grumbles under his breath agitated.
"Joel..." Marlene's voice echoes in the damp airy room, just wanting to say one last thing. "I wouldn't ask you if I didn't really really need it..." disparity evident in her voice.
breaking the serious adult moment. The girl-Ellie stands, tiny but defiant. She Marches up to Joel with hands on hips, like she's imitating a soldier.
"You got a gun?" she asks.
"That ain't your business." Joel looks down at her as he replies gruff and self contained.
"Hmph" she huffs as she tries to peek at his holster. "Bet it's big and loud. I'm not scared of loud things. I've never held a gun before-- Here let me try-" Her hand reaches up, Joel quickly swings back a leg as he steps back, his holster sat moving out of reach of the grabby kid.
He glances at Marlene, his expression deadpan. "Talks alot don't she?" his face stony and already fed up. "Pushy as well."
"She's smart. Too smart. And she's tougher than she looks. Just... get her to the others. That's all I'm asking." Marleen's voice sounded more desperate and begging then the usial demanding and confident tone.
Joel sighs, his hand rubs over his face as his beard scratches over his palms. "Jesus Christ" he mutters under his breath. "Alright fine." he nods "Capitol building did you say?" he confirms.
"Yes! They will be waiting there to take her--Ellie off your hands" Marleens posture perks up as Joel agrees, her face cringing as she moves too much for her own good.
He nods once as he looks down at the girl. "Alright, kid. You stick close. You listen to what I say, no running off. Got it?" His brows raise as his authoritative tone was thick,a tone of voice that Marleen hadn't heard and Joel had forgotten he had. "Get yer stuff."
Ellie takes a moment to run over to the box she sat on before ,her feet dragging on the floor as she stuffs her backpack with what she had lying around her before zipping it up and throwing it on her back.
He pushes the weak door open, light creeping in along with the smell of fresh air before Joel heard a grunt. He looked down as Ellie was now not next to him but behind him as she hugged Marlene's leg tightly for a second.
"Now go, and Ellie-" Marleen says getting the girls attention. "Do exactly as Joel tells you too." she says, slow and firm to stick to the kids brain.