Chapter Text
Ellie storms over to Tommy and Joel, face dark with anger. “That new math teacher, David, is a fucking perv,” she seethes at Tommy. She turns, speaking sharply to Joel. “I’m not going back to that fucking place.”
“Did he touch you?” Anger clouds Joel’s vision for a moment before he mentally shakes himself free; he needs to be present for Ellie now.
He frowns when Ellie avoids the question, warily glancing between him and Tommy and instead says, “I wanna go home.”
Joel nods immediately, quickly removing his gloves and tossing them to Tommy. “Let’s go.”
Ellie and Joel walk side-by-side through town. He’s concerned when she picks up the pace as they approach the school, and repositions to place himself between Ellie and the building. She seems to relax fractionally at this, subtly moving closer to him and tangling her fingers in his sleeve. By the time they arrive home, Ellie is practically vibrating with nervous energy.
They’ve barely cleared the door when Ellie bolts for the bathroom. Cursing under his breath, Joel follows. He kneels next to her, one hand on her lower back and the other gathering errant strands of hair away from her face. He murmurs nonsense as she heaves, gently rubbing circles on her back. Ellie finally straightens, spitting heavily into the toilet while Joel quickly dampens a cloth. She’s panting slightly as Joel wipes her face. He folds the cloth into a rectangle and places it on the back of Ellie’s neck, squeezing lightly as he does so.
Ellie goes stock-still under his hand.
With a whispered apology, Joel hastily lets go of Ellie and sits back, hands upturned on his knees. All of his attention is trained on her face, and he is beyond relieved when she closes her eyes and reaches for him. He carefully embraces her, mindful to avoid touching her neck and shoulders. Joel presses his cheek to the crown of her head, softly kissing her temple. He rocks her, giving her space to catch her breath. Minutes pass before Ellie hoarsely asks, “Can I lay down?”
“‘Course, kiddo. C’mon.” They stand in tandem, Joel’s hands hovering by Ellie’s elbows, ready to catch her should she stumble. She leans into him, and he can feel a fine tremor spreading throughout her body as they go upstairs. Joel leads them into Ellie’s room, surprised when she grabs her stuffed giraffe and walks back through the door. She shrugs off her button-down shirt as she enters his room, stopping briefly at his closet to grab his green and red flannel before crawling under the covers of his bed, giraffe clutched tightly to her stomach.
The only thing keeping Joel from single-handedly razing the school to the ground is the knowledge that Ellie needs him here with her. There’s an unwanted but familiar ringing in his ears as anxiety closes in, and he takes a moment to shove it down before sitting close enough to Ellie that he can see her face and easily stroke her hair.
“Ellie-” he starts quietly.
Ellie’s voice is steady. “He didn’t hurt me.” Some of the anxiety clawing at his chest dissipates, but not enough. She wouldn’t be curled up in his bed on a beautiful early spring day if it was a normal day.
“Can you tell me what happened?” Joel coaxed.
She buries her face in his pillow. “It’s stupid.”
Biting his lip, Joel strokes his thumb over Ellie’s temple. “Doubt that. I haven’t known you to be upset for no reason. You’re pretty unflappable, kiddo. It’s impressive, actually.”
She sighs and turns her head into Joel’s touch, allowing him to see her eyes. “You know how he’s always like… super fucking clingy with Hannah? The girl who calls him Father David? They showed up together after Christmas?”
Joel nods. David always preaches some sort of Christian drivel Joel has neither the time nor patience for. There’s something about their interactions that raises red flags to Joel, but he’s never seen the man touch the girl inappropriately and hasn’t been able to exactly express what seems so wrong about it. He’s tried to dismiss it as latent hypervigilance borne of twenty years of surviving. Joel is careful about expressing physical affection with Ellie, unwilling to be the fount of any similar speculation about himself and Ellie. In public especially, he lets Ellie dictate if and when she wants him to be close to her.
“She’s not allowed to leave at lunch, she has to stay with him. And he goes behind her during class sometimes and like, rubs her shoulders. It’s really fucking weird.” Ellie breaks his gaze. “He- he did that to me, today.” Her voice lowers. “I didn’t want him to.”
She breathes through her nose for a moment before continuing. “I told him to stop but he said he wouldn’t because I needed to learn to respect my father and I didn’t know what he meant so I told him to get the fuck off of me and I left and found you.” Her words come in a rush at the end, and Joel finds himself white-knuckling the comforter out of Ellie’s line of sight.
That’s why she froze when I touched her neck earlier, he realizes. “You did the right thing, Ellie. He didn’t… touch you… anywhere else? Or hurt you?” He’s so relieved when she shakes her head that he nearly cries. “Has he done that before?”
“Not to me. He sorta did it to Dina the other day but it was, like, really brief. It looked like he was telling her she did a good job.”
“Okay. Okay.” He takes a deep breath. “Did anyone see what happened today?”
“Yeah, everyone. I was fucking loud.”
He lets out a brittle laugh. “Good girl. You did so good, Ellie.” He smoothes her hair back and presses a kiss to her forehead. “I’m so proud of you.”
They stay, quiet, for a while. Ellie is nearly asleep when there’s a knock at the front door. Joel briefly glances back before focusing on Ellie, who’s blearily looking up at him. “Probably Tommy. Is it… can I tell him? What you told me?” She nods sleepily. He kisses her again before standing and tucking the covers up around her shoulders. “You sleep, brave girl. We’ll be downstairs.”
Joel stalks up and down the kitchen, face red with fury. “I promised her when we left Boston that we’d find someplace safe for her. Being… fucking molested by a teacher is not. safe.”
Tommy blanches and leans back against the countertop. “You’ve gotta calm down, big brother.”
“You didn’t spend half an hour watching your kid puke her guts up because her teacher fucking touched her, Tommy!” Joel pauses, consciously lowering his volume so as to not disturb Ellie upstairs. “Ellie had to be so fucking tough to get through FEDRA school. She’s seen shit no kid should see. So when she comes home physically sick because of something her teacher did, here in Jackson where’s she’s supposed to be safe, how else do you expect me to react? He put his filthy fucking hands on my kid, Tommy. She didn’t want him to. She told him to stop, and he didn’t. What gives him the right-”
“Nothing, Joel. I believe her. You know I believe her. But we still have to bring this to the council. They’re the ones who pass judgment on matters like this.” Tommy grabs Joel’s arm as he makes another pass, stopping him. He moves, placing his hands on Joel’s shoulders so that they’re face to face.
Joel sighs, deflating. “It ain’t right. The way he’s always on that girl, Hannah. It rubbed me wrong when they first got here, and it’s been nothing but more and more disturbing since. Christ, Tommy, he gives the poor girl fucking back rubs in math class. Ellie, she’s strong enough to speak up for herself. What about a kid that ain’t?”
“I know. I know, Joel. But we’ve got to trust the council will do the right thing. Just ‘cause we haven’t had to deal with it doesn’t mean Jackson isn’t able to handle this the right way.” A movement behind Joel catches Tommy’s eye. “Hey there, munchkin.”
“Hi, Tommy.” Ellie smiles slightly at him before moving to wrap her arms around Joel’s waist.
Joel bends to kiss the crown of her head. “I’m sorry, did we wake you?” She shrugs against him. “Still feel sick?” When she nods, Joel presses the back of his hand to her forehead. He hums, pushing back just far enough to see her face. “You’re a little warm. Why don’t you go pick out a movie and get settled on the couch? I’ll be right in.” Ellie squeezes him lightly before turning to leave.
Joel rubs his forehead roughly before focusing on Tommy once again. “You’d better be right about them, Tommy.”
The next three days are exhaustingly tedious and emotional for both Ellie and Joel. To Joel’s relief, Ellie is less clingy the next day, but she still has to tell Maria what happened. And the legal committee, and the education committee, and the council at large. Joel nearly has an aneurysm when Maria informs him that due to the ‘nature of the accusations’ Ellie needs to address the entire town at a special town meeting. Her classmates only had to speak with the council.
Ellie, however, seems to take it in stride. She recounts her story over and over without complaint, unwilling to let a predator go free. Joel could burst with how much pride he feels when Ellie testifies steadily and determinedly at the town meeting, details unwavering despite nearly three hundred people judging her intently. She even manages to keep the cursing to a minimum.
They haven’t left their house much except for various trips to the council building. Tommy always accompanies them for moral support, but Joel knows it’s really to prevent him from doing anything ‘drastic’ before the council reaches a decision.
On the fourth day, they await word of the council’s decision. Halfway through a game of Scrabble, they both jump when there is a knock at the door. Ellie trails behind Joel as he opens it to reveal Maria, Tommy standing a few steps behind her. Joel’s heart sinks when he sees the look on Tommy’s face. He steps back to let them in and moves to stand behind Ellie, his hands on Ellie’s upper arms. She tips her head back to look at him, then steps back so that her back is flush against his abdomen. He can feel anxiety running through her.
Maria clears her throat. “The council determined that even though David acted inappropriately when he touched Ellie, it was meant as an innocent gesture to congratulate her on a job well done. He’ll be suspended from teaching for the next two weeks and assigned double-shifts on farm duty during that time. All of the teachers will attend a program detailing acceptable and unacceptable behavior towards students. David will attend additional one-on-one training with the legal committee once a week for the next two months. When he returns to school in two weeks, Ellie will not be penalized in any way for speaking out against him.”
Ellie is nearly hyperventilating against him. He keeps his voice flat. “Get out.”
“Joel-”
“I said, get. out.”
Maria swallows and looks at Tommy before turning to leave. “I voted to have him exiled.”
“Out!” Maria jumps at the sudden increase in volume, then nods and exits. Tommy remains frozen just inside the door.
As the door clicks shut, Ellie’s knees buckle. Joel swiftly turns her around and pulls her to his chest as they kneel on the floor. “Ellie,” he whispers tenderly. “It’s okay.”
She shakes her head frantically. “They didn’t believe me.”
“Ellie-”
“He- I- I told them, and they didn’t believe me. Why didn’t they believe me?” Her voice cracks on the last word. Her breath hitches as tears start to flow.
Joel presses his mouth to Ellie’s ear, frantic in his need to soothe her. “I don’t know, Ellie. I don’t know. I believe you, yeah? You know I believe you.” Joel squeezes his eyes shut against the tears gathering there. When he opens them again, Tommy has tears in his eyes as well. There’s an expression of deep sorrow on his face, and when he meets Joel’s eyes he nods. “Tommy too. We believe you. We believe you, sweet girl.”
Ellie moans against him, swallowing hard. Joel looks quickly up at Tommy. “Under the sink.” Joel sweeps the hair from Ellie’s face as Tommy shoves a bucket in her face. Joel braces Ellie as she empties her stomach, heart clenching with each sob that escapes her. When she seems to be done, he sits back against the wall of the foyer and pulls her into his lap. At some point Tommy presses a glass of water into his hand and tucks a blanket around Ellie. Joel cradles Ellie to him, humming tunes of nearly-forgotten lullabies for her. Eventually, she falls into a drained slumber against his shoulder.
Joel thinks he must have fallen asleep as well because he blinks and the house is dim except for a few scattered lamps casting shadows. Tommy is seated on the stairs, elbows on knees and head in hands. Joel clears his throat lightly and Tommy’s head whips up. “Didn’t have the heart to wake y’all,” he whispers.
Joel nods. “Thanks,” he responds. He rolls his neck, wincing at a few particularly harsh pops. He squeezes his eyes shut. “How’d this happen, Tommy?" His voice betrays a deep weariness that Tommy had only ever heard when Joel shared his perceived failures as Sarah’s father. Joel leans his head against Ellie’s. “All I do is fail her.”
Tommy moves to kneel next to Joel, careful to avoid bumping Ellie’s legs. Tommy presses close, embracing them both as tightly as he’s able. Ellie stirs, mumbling unintelligibly for a moment before waking fully.
“Joel.” Her voice is raw. “I don’t wanna go back.”
There’s a peculiar look on Tommy’s face that Joel files away for later. “You’re not, Ellie, you’re not,” he hushes. “Let’s go on up to bed, yeah?” At her nod, he continues, “Tommy’ll help you up, sweet girl. It’s gonna take me a minute to get up with these old man bones.” He matches Ellie’s small grin with his own. “There’s my girl.” He presses a kiss to her forehead. “Go on, now.” He watches for a moment as Tommy and Ellie ascend the stairs before hauling himself upright.
The next morning, Ellie awakes with a pounding headache to a faint vibration echoing through the wall and heated shouting from downstairs.
“The council-”
“Fuck the council. They put that goddamn monster in a building full of children even after an entire class of teenagers gave testimony that he was giving out unwanted back rubs to all of the female students! I don’t give a fuck if your wife voted against it, Tommy, I’m not subjecting my kid to him.”
“Joel-”
“I’ll homeschool her.”
“Will you let me finish a goddamn sentence? The council requires all kids under the age of sixteen to attend the school. There’s no exceptions.”
“I’m not putting her back in that school, Tommy, and that’s final.”
“They don’t make allowances for homeschooling, Joel. Other families have requested it for various reasons, and they always decline. Say it’s in kids’ best interests to be with others their own age, even if their academic abilities are at different levels.”
“I’ll tell them she’s sick every day for the rest of the year. What are they going to do if she doesn’t go back? Make her wait an extra year to patrol?”
“Exile.”
Ellie decides they’ve talked about her enough without any input from her. She shakily gets up and makes her way downstairs.
“…What?”
“It’s one of the founding principles. Anyone willingly in opposition to the founding principles has to leave. Look, I don’t know what to tell you. It’s wrong, letting that bastard stay in Jackson at all, let alone allowing him to continue working with children. And it’s wrong that the council’s requiring Ellie to be anywhere near him. I don’t agree with it, Joel, but there’s no flexibility on this.”
“Bullshit. Bullshit! Fucking hell, Tommy, I moved us out of Austin because Sarah was being bullied by a couple of kids in her school. Do you really think I’m going to let Ellie be fearful for her own safety because some goddamn almighty ‘council’ thinks they know what’s best for my daughter? She’s not going back to that school, Tommy.”
“Exile, Joel-”
Joel jumps up as soon as he hears Ellie on the stairs and meets her at the bottom step. “Hi, kiddo,” he breathes as he pulls her into his arms. He guides her into the living room, snagging a blanket to wrap around her shoulders. Apparently this is where Joel and Tommy had been facing off. Two holes and one fist-shaped dent in the wall now decorate the wall nearest the kitchen. She examines Joel’s right hand, unsurprised to find it bloody and swollen. She ducks under his arm to grab an ice pack and towel from the kitchen before leading Joel to the sofa by his uninjured hand.
Ellie wraps the ice pack in the towel and gingerly pulls Joel’s injured hand into her lap. She’s exceedingly gentle as she applies it to Joel’s reddened hand. She sits quietly for a moment, seemingly absorbed in her task. Then she looks at Tommy.
“When would I have to go back?”
Joel stiffens immediately. “No.”
Her voice is firm but gentle as she glances at him. “It’s my decision, Joel. Tommy, when would I have to go back?”
“Darlin’,” Tommy starts, “I-”
“Please, just fucking tell me.” Exhaustion is already creeping into her voice, so Tommy yields.
“Next week.”
She runs her thumb across the back of Joel’s hand. “And if I don’t go back, when do I need to leave?”
Tommy sighs heavily. “They agreed to the beginning of May.”
She looks at him pointedly. “They agreed?”
He looks ashamed when he answers. “Yeah. Yeah, we- I argued that if y’all chose exile, they should do you the courtesy of being able to leave in better weather. You’re not violent or some other kind of threat to the community. They, uh, weren’t too keen on it, but…” Joel snorts softly at the assertion, and Tommy shoots him a glare.
Joel glares back unapologetically. “It’s been a long week, Tommy.”
“Yeah, I reckon it has. I’ll get out of your hair.” Tommy steps over to where Ellie is sitting and kisses her forehead. She’s surprised, he can tell, but he takes his time and smoothes her hair down. “Take care of yourself, munchkin. I’ll see you later.” He briefly grasps Joel’s shoulder before leaving.
As he opens the front door, Joel stops him. “You scheduled for the northeast patrol any time soon?”
“Tomorrow, actually,” Tommy answers with a frown. “You want me to-”
“Just the structure, if you can.”
They hear Tommy pause in the threshold. “Alright, big brother. I’ll see what I can do.” He closes it softly behind him.
Ellie turns to Joel with questioning eyes. “There’s a house up that route that’s in decent condition from the outside,” he answers quietly. He smiles down at her. “Actually, it was some sorta museum called the ‘Miller House’. I know it’s not the moon, but if it’s in good enough condition that may be the best option for now.”
“Oh,” she breathes. She’s not going back to school, that much she knows. Ellie spent a lot of time over the last week thinking about what her life would look like if she had to leave Jackson. Selfishly, she hoped Joel would go with her. It makes sense, though, if he stays in Jackson with Tommy and she moves nearby. She’s nearly fifteen, after all. Maybe they’d let her continue to trade with the town despite her decision to be exiled. She doesn’t know much about raising animals, but she’s got a month and a half to learn as much as she can.
“-on credit. Same for any lumber-”
Joel mentioned finding a library on patrol, once, and she thinks maybe he would take her there so that she can take some books on husbandry. She’ll have to learn more about hunting and cooking, too, but she’s confident that Joel will teach her.
“-pretty sure lambing is in May around here-”
She’ll need to start collecting seeds, too, so that she can eat. They have a good-sized vegetable patch in their backyard and it feeds them both well for the growing season, so she can probably grow enough to feed herself throughout the year. She should get some books on canning, too. She wishes she had her notebook accessible right now because it would be easier to write out all the things she needs to learn. It’s getting hot in here now, too, and the air seems to be so thick that she can’t breathe. There’s so much to do, and the more she thinks about it-
She’s distracted from her planning when Joel cups her cheek with his good hand. “You went pale, sweet girl. Do you need to lay down?”
“N-no,” she stutters. “I’m fine. I was just thinking about what I need to do if I don’t go back to school.”
Joel shakes the icepack loose and pulls Ellie to him. He presses the icepack the back of her neck. She closes her eyes as the movement presses her face to his shoulder, his warmth seeping into cheek. His voice rumbles in his chest when he speaks. “Guess you didn’t hear me, huh?” She shakes her head slightly, burrowing closer. “Well now, that’s okay. I was mostly talking to myself, anyway.” He tightens his hold on her. “Guess we’re getting our sheep ranch after all.” She nods hesitantly before she processes his words.
We. Our.
Ellie swallows audibly before looking up at Joel. “You’d- you’re coming with me?”
He sounds both surprised and sad at her question. “Of course I’m coming with you, kiddo. We’re a team. Besides,” he nudges her, “who would remind me how decrepit and old I am?”
She buries her face in his shoulder, shrugging. “Tommy.”
“Nah,” he says gently. “He’s only five years younger’n me. Not nearly as effective.” He’s drawing random patterns on her back, she realizes. They’re quiet for a moment before he speaks again. “Alright, you haven’t had anything since breakfast yesterday. Time to eat, kid.”
Ellie shakes her head, grasping the hem of Joel’s shirt. She whispers, ashamed, “I don’t know why he scares me so much.”
“It don’t matter why, sweet girl. We’ll be rid of him soon enough.” Joel rocks them back and forth slightly, moving his hand up to stroke her hair. “You tell me if he so much as looks at you, got it?”
“Got it,” she whispers. She straightens then, suddenly pulling away so she can look at him. “You can’t kill him.”
“Ellie-”
She puts her hands on his shoulders, squeezing them hard. Her voice goes frantic all of a sudden. “If you kill him they’ll execute you and I can’t fucking do this alone. I can’t. You have to promise me, Joel, you have to.”
“Hush, now.” He pulls her against him once more. “You’re not going to be alone. I’m not going to let you be alone.” Joel kisses her hair. “I got you, Ellie. Always, okay? Always.”
They fall into a new sort-of-routine, where Ellie spends her mornings working at the stables while Joel patrols. Most of the others on patrol and the construction crew have volunteered their free time to assist with repairs to the old house, and Ellie rides out to help most days. She’d need to get used to traveling between the house and Jackson, Tommy had argued, and the relative safety of daily patrols covering her route would give her the opportunity to learn.
On days when Joel’s patrol route takes him past the house, Ellie rides out with Tommy or, more rarely, by herself. It’s usually a thirty-minute ride, and she enjoys the time she shares with her chosen mount. Today it’s Callus, whose real name is Buttercup which does not suit him at all. Joel insists Callus a stupid name for a horse, but she can tell that Callus likes it.
Tommy rode out to the house earlier with lunch so that Ellie could finish working with Shimmer. She’s been helping to desensitize Shimmer to loud noises, and the training session today took longer than either of them had expected. She’s wholly focused on tacking up Callus in the wash rack, so she’s surprised when she hears rustling from the tack room. Ellie checks the cinches one last time before patting Callus on the nose and going to investigate the noise. There’s no one in the tack room, though, so Ellie shrugs to herself and turns to lead Callus outside.
The ride to the gate is brief, and Ellie quickly finds herself waving goodbye to the people on watch. It’s a beautiful day, unseasonably warm for late March with the sun shining brightly in a sky dotted with fluffy white clouds. Once Jackson’s walls are out of sight, Ellie urges Callus into a gallop, grinning as air rushes past them.
Just as she notices a flock of birds taking flight to her left, there’s a shot. Callus goes down with a squeal. Ellie goes over his head, hitting the still-frozen ground so hard that she bounces. She manages to blink her eyes open a few times before succumbing to the waiting darkness.
Tommy quickly distributes lunch to the crew and gets to work on the porch. Joel seems to be focused on the roof today, so he lets him work undisturbed. There are rotted boards scatted throughout the porches surrounding the house, and he’s replacing them alongside a few of the men from patrol. He looks up as Joel approaches, canteen in hand. Joel stops in front of the porch, watching them work for a moment before speaking. “‘Bout time you got your lazy ass out here.”
Tommy snorts. “Some of us have things to do, you know. Work assignments and such.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Joel retorts. “You been here long?”
Tommy glances at his watch. “Few hours. Where do you have Ellie workin’ today? Painting?”
Joel frowns. “I haven’t seen her.” He quickly glances around before heading inside without another word. When he comes back out, Tommy can hear a tinge of panic in his voice. “She didn’t show up today.”
Tommy stands quickly, dusting his hands off on his jeans. “She probably lost track of time at the barn. You know how she is with Shimmer.” He turns to the men he had been working with. “We’re gonna ride back, make sure Ellie’s alright. Y’all mind finishing up today?”
“Nah,” one replies. “We’ll send someone after you if she turns up here, though.”
Tommy nods, grateful for the camaraderie of this group. They’ve taken a particular shine to Ellie, who has been quick to learn and eager to please when it comes to working with her hands. He and Joel make their way over to their horses, mounting quickly and spurring them into a canter almost immediately. They’re halfway to Jackson, Joel in the lead, when he abruptly reins-in his horse. Tommy’s barely brought his horse to a stop by the time Joel has dismounted and made his way over to an obstruction in the road. It’s a horse, he realizes. He exhales sharply when he joins Joel, whose hand is on the horse’s neck.
“Shot.” Joel straightens, agitated. “He’s still warm.” Tommy’s eyes rake the surrounding ground, patchy with snow. There’s an Ellie-sized skid mark that makes him nauseous a few yards from the horse. Joel must see it at the same time, because they move in synchrony to examine it. Scattered brown-red droplets in the snow nearly make him gag.
Tommy grabs Joel’s arm roughly, turning him so they are face to face. “We’ll find her, Joel.”
****
It’s hard to breathe.
Ellie comes back to awareness freezing and short of breath. She opens her eyes, looking around in confusion. She’s tied to something, arms spread wide, in a large room filled with lit candles. There’s rope around her hips and ankles as well. Her knees are bent in such a way that she’s not able to straighten up, no matter how much pressure she exerts against the ropes. She needs to push herself up to exhale fully, which is impossible with the way her legs are tied. Ellie realizes that she’s been undressed, now covered by just a bra and underwear.
David steps into her line of vision, and it feels like someone poured a bucket of ice over her head. “You’re awake,” he observes. “I’d begun to worry that you might be more injured than I thought.”
Ellie stays silent, glaring at him.
He moves closer to her and runs his fingers over the bites on her forearm. “You’ve been bitten, but you haven’t turned. What a miracle.” Ellie can’t hold back a dry heave when David kisses the scarred skin. “I knew you were special when I saw you first, but I had no idea… no idea that you were this special. You are the embodiment of the truth; proof that cordyceps is truly the work of God. Cordyceps is fruitful. It multiplies to feed its children. It loves. My flock, they didn’t believe as they should and were punished for it. I am a shepherd without sheep, in need of a new flock, one filled with the righteous. A flock worthy of love. And to gather that flock, I need an equal, a helpmate. That’s you, Ellie. Together, we will do whatever we need for our people.”
David reaches up to touch Ellie’s face. “Isaiah prophesied that a young woman will bear the son of God. I know now that you are that young woman. God has brought us together here and now so that we may fulfill that prophecy and build a new life. Together.”
His fingers stray near Ellie’s mouth, and she takes the opportunity to bite down as hard as she can. “Fuck you,” she hisses.
David backhands her, his ring catching painfully on her nose. “You little cunt. You’ll pay for that.” He reaches for her neck and squeezes hard. Spots dot her vision as she strains for breath. He lets go, satisfied that she’s unconscious before he steps back and leaves the room.
“There,” Tommy says suddenly, pointing to the left. “Footprints.” Joel and Tommy look at each other before turning back to their horses to follow the footprints in the snow, which disappear into the trees. They continue tracking through the woods, bent branches and occasional footprints guiding their path. Joel takes point, heart pounding in his chest as he searches. It’s starting to get dark, and he nearly punches Tommy when he suggests returning to Jackson for reinforcements. They come to an old resort that looks like it would have been considered high-end Before.
They go silent, falling into familiar stances as they scan the resort. There’s flickering light coming from inside, visible from their cover in the tree line. They quickly tie off the horses and, moving with precision, they approach the building. Tommy indicates that he cannot see anyone inside.
By some miracle, the first door they try is unlocked and reveals an emergency stairwell They enter, weapons drawn, and quickly ascend the stairs to the main floor. When they open the door to the main floor, Joel scans the room frantically. There’s no one in it, but there are candles burning throughout the space, surrounding a large cross in the middle of the space.
Cautiously, he steps through the doorway and scans the room again and spots something he didn’t before. They’re not alone. There’s a person tied to the cross.
It’s Ellie tied to the cross. Joel’s knees go weak and all he can hear is buzzing when he processes the sight.
Her arms are spread wide, wrists tied positioned behind the crossbeam. She’s positioned so that most of her weight falls on her armpits. Her legs are tied together, tethered to the cross at the hip and ankle. She’s panting, short and harsh, the sound wet and frantic.
She’s practically naked.
Joel nearly teleports to her side, Tommy on his heels. They can hear her breathing, but it’s little comfort when Joel sees her blue-tinged lips. Joel drags the nearest chair over, jumping onto it and quickly lifting Ellie’s torso to relieve the pressure on her arms. The movement causes her eyes to flutter open, and she moans weakly. She doesn’t lift her head.
Tommy quickly whips out his knife and starts to cut her free as Joel whispers to Ellie frantically, “Hi, baby girl. I’m here. I’m here now. We’re gonna get you out of here, okay? Uncle Tommy’s cutting you loose, baby, and we’ll get you wrapped up in my jacket and we’ll get you home.” He wishes he could run his hands over her hair, hold her close, do anything but support her slight weight while Tommy frees her. When Tommy finally makes it through the rope binding her right arm, he gently positions it across Joel’s shoulders. Joel can feel her fingers twitch lightly. “I know this hurts, baby girl, I know. I know.”
He’s able to kiss her temple from here, so he presses his lips against her hair. “Just one more arm, baby, an’ then Uncle Tommy will get your legs free.” He realizes there are tears running down his face, and he’s not sure when he started crying. Joel nuzzles his nose against Ellie’s head. She moans again when Tommy frees her left arm and gently moves it to rest on top of Joel’s forearm. “Almost done, baby girl, almost done.” He kisses her again, whispering directly into her ear. “Oh, baby girl. I’ve got you. I’ve got you, now.”
Tommy makes quick work of the remaining ropes, Joel quietly narrating his progress to Ellie. When she’s finally freed, Joel cradles her gently to his chest, making sure to rest her head against his shoulder so that she can breathe properly. Tommy peers down at her face, gently runs his hand over Ellie’s hair. “Breathing’s better already,” he notes, “Color too.” He clasps Joel’s arm tightly. “Lay her down, Joel. We gotta check her circulation.” To say he’s hesitant to let her go would be an understatement, but he knows that Tommy’s right. Tommy spreads his jacket on the floor, and Joel bends to lay Ellie on it as softly as he can. He presses his fingers to her neck, settling over her pulse, and places the other one on her sternum, rubbing the exposed skin tenderly. While he’s crouched, there’s a loud thump next to him. He turns to see Tommy sprawled on the floor, blood welling from a cut on his temple. Joel whips around, hand going for his gun, but he’s too slow. He feels the impact of a pipe against his skull and crumples. His last thought before losing consciousness is that he managed to not fall on Ellie.
Ellie’s arms and legs are tingling painfully as her muscles spasm, and her chest is burning. She’s grateful every time she exhales fully. She’s not really aware of what’s happening around her, but that’s okay because Joel is here and he’ll take care of her until she can move again. He’s been talking to her since he found her, and even though part of her is mortified that he and Tommy are seeing her undressed, she can’t help but be grateful that they’re here. Joel’s hands are comforting in a way that had been foreign to her until a few months ago. They’re warm against her chilled skin, and the gentle weight of his hand on her chest makes it so much easier to breathe.
She’s barely able to turn her head, but suddenly Joel’s hands are gone and his face is pressed into the ground and his eyes are closed and he’s not moving. Ellie makes an alarmed sound, rolling onto her side in an attempt to move toward him. She stops when boots appear before her. She looks up, shrinking back when she sees her captor.
He kneels next to her, placing a hand on her cheek. It trails down her neck, coming to rest against her breast. He squeezes roughly. Ellie bucks against him, spitting blood at him. “Fuck you,” she grates out. He backhands her, standing quickly. He watches dispassionately as she struggles to roll onto her stomach. “No one likes being humiliated, Ellie. You don’t know how good I am!”
She needs to get away, she needs to get Joel and Tommy to safety. Ellie can see Tommy’s knife just under his arm. She manages to make it to her hands and knees and starts to crawl toward him. She’s nearly there when a kick to her stomach knocks the wind out of her, and she’s left laying on her side gasping and coughing. “I’ve changed my mind, Ellie. I don’t need a helpmate. I need a child. Someone to raise and nurture, to train in my ways. So I’m going to be your father, Ellie. I’m going to teach you.”
She’s writhing on the ground, now, trying to get as close to Tommy as she can. David unzips his pants and pins her down, pressing his hand to her mouth. She bites, hard, and he reels back. He chuckles darkly. “I thought you knew, Ellie. The fighting is the part I like the most.” He reaches down and rips her underwear. Ellie screams, raw with fear. “Don’t be afraid, Ellie. There’s no fear in love.”
Finally, her fingers close around the hilt of the knife. She swings it up and around, clipping David’s neck. He falls, and she throws herself on top of him, swinging the knife into his face over and over again.
****
There are hands patting his face. “Joel.” Whoever’s talking sounds like they’re in pain. “Joel, you gotta wake up. Joel!” With a groan, he forces his eyes open. There’s tremendous heat surrounding him, and it’s almost impossibly bright. “Joel!” He manages to focus his eyes on the person touching him.
Ellie.
She’s kneeling next to him, covered in blood and viscera.
He sits up, nearly knocking their heads together in his haste. She’s coughing, and he realizes the heat he feels comes from a roaring fire that has engulfed most of the room.
“Tommy won’t wake up,” she says desperately. “I can’t- I can’t move him.” He turns to where Ellie gestures, and sees the flames are dangerously close to his brother. His head is spinning, thoughts tumbling over themselves.
“Can you walk?” he grates out. At Ellie’s nod, Joel shakily stands, stumbling before gaining his footing. He hauls Tommy over his shoulders in a fireman’s carry and turns toward the emergency stairwell they entered through. The path is thankfully clear of fire. He instructs Ellie to hold on to him and leads them down the stairs.
Joel trips after a few steps outside, pulling Ellie with him as he falls to his knees. Tommy slides off his shoulders. There’s a commotion ahead of him, and Joel moves with surprising speed to pull his gun.
It’s the construction crew. Joel drops the gun to the ground, twisting to Ellie. He quickly takes his jacket off and wraps it around her, pulling her to rest against his folded legs. Eugene from patrol is there as well, and immediately takes charge of the situation. Joel cups Ellie’s cheeks in his hands, murmuring to her as he hugs her to him. “It’s okay. It’s okay, baby girl. I got you. I got you.” She’s shaking against him, coughing weakly, and he’s not sure if it’s from the cold or from shock. Both, he figures.
Tommy groans next to him, pressing a fist to his eyebrow as he regains consciousness. He sits up, closing his eyes against the dizziness that inevitably follows, and reaches a hand out to rest on Ellie’s back. “Hey, sweet pea.” Ellie doesn’t react.
They spend a few more minutes on the ground, collecting themselves. Tommy removes his own jacket and hands it to Joel, who helps Ellie to her feet and wraps it around her hips to provide more warmth and a barrier between her and the horse’s saddle. Joel boosts Ellie up to mount first before swinging up to sit behind her. It’s not ideal, but he refuses to take his eyes off her. Tommy mounts his own horse, and as a group they take off toward Jackson as fast as they dare.
The ride to Jackson seems to take forever, even though it’s less than thirty minutes. Ellie has gone limp against him, whimpering softly as the adrenaline fades and her injuries make themselves known. There’s a brief exchange at the gate, but Joel maintains his focus on Ellie. Finally, they’re inside Jackson. They ride all the way up to their house.
Joel presses a kiss to Ellie’s temple as he runs his hands down her arms. “We’re home, baby. Can you sit up a little? Just for a minute.” Ellie pushes herself forward, grasping the horn of the saddle as Joel quickly dismounts and reaches for her. She tenses against his touch, though he’s not sure if it’s the contact itself or the resulting pain. He positions her hands on his shoulders so that he’s able to swing her directly into his arms. Cradling her gently against him, he turns to Tommy and Eugene, offering his thanks. “Tommy,” he adds, “get that concussion checked out.”
He doesn’t bother to listen to Tommy’s response. Joel quickly enters the house and brings Ellie to her room. He puts her down on the bed, tugging the comforter over her bare feet. He lays a hand on her head for moment before gathering clean pajamas for Ellie to wear. Joel places them on the counter in her bathroom and moves back to Ellie’s side. He carefully sits on the edge of the bed and takes her hand, squeezing it lightly. “Let’s get you cleaned up, baby girl. Do you think you could manage a quick shower?” He traces a finger down the side of her face tenderly. “I’ll run you a bath so you can get really clean, but I think a little rinse would help.” Ellie nods, and Joel kisses her forehead. “That’s my strong girl. I’ll be right back, baby.”
He disappears into the bathroom briefly to run water in the tub and put Ellie’s towel next to her clothes. When he returns, he helps Ellie to sit up. “Let’s try standing, hm? There we go.” He steadies her when she lists to the side, but otherwise allows her to dictate when she wants to move. They slowly walk to the bathroom. Joel turns on the shower before checking the tub and turning off the faucet. “I’ll be just outside, if you-”
“Stay.” It’s the first thing she’s said since they escaped the burning building. He nods quickly.
“Of course.”
Ellie looks down, embarrassed. “D-don’t look.”
He turns so that his back is to her. “Okay?”
She doesn’t answer, but he can hear her open the shower door and step in. She’s only in there for a couple of minutes, and Joel tries to not think about red-tinged water flowing down the drain. When Ellie steps out of the shower and into the tub, she speaks again. “Sit?” He turns then, quickly moving to sit facing her. He’s glad he had the forethought to put soap in the tub as it was filling so that there are bubbles to preserve some modesty. Joel helps her wash her hair, combing gentle fingers through to detangle it. When the water starts to cool, he tips Ellie’s face toward him.
“Time to get out now, baby girl. Need a hand getting up?” She shakes her head, and he presses a kiss to her temple as he runs his thumb over her cheek. “Okay then.” He stands with a groan, grabs the towel and holds it out for Ellie to take. He’s careful to keep his back to her as he picks up her pajamas. Ellie steps closer to him, reaching for her clothes. He stands still, allowing her to use him for balance as she changes. He takes the first aid kit out from under the sink and leads her back to her bed. When she’s seated on the mattress, he gently takes her arm and starts to apply ointment to the rope burns there. He repeats his ministrations on her other arm and on her ankles, patting them gently when he’s finished. “I’m afraid that’s all we can do tonight, baby.” He pulls the covers up over her and pushes her damp hair back from her eyes, his voice soft. “You should try to sleep.”
Ellie reaches up to grab Joel’s sleeve. She tugs his arm to her, hugging it against her chest. When he doesn’t move, she tugs more insistently until he’s sitting with his back against her headboard, one arm wrapped around Ellie’s shoulders to keep her tucked against his side.
Joel’s head is pounding and his heart is breaking, but he’s tremendously grateful for the little girl in his arms. He turns her bedside light off, content to provide whatever comfort she is able to take from him.
He must fall asleep at some point because when he opens his eyes, the sun is up and Tommy is standing in the doorway. Ellie is still curled against him, radiating heat against his ribcage. Tommy carefully makes his way to Ellie’s side of the bed and sits. He pets her hair gently before resting his hand on her shoulder and looking Joel in the eye.
“Eugene an’ them went back this morning. Found a body in that main room.” He breaks eye contact, looking down at Ellie before continuing. “And, uh… they found another one, in another room. Hannah. Had her tied to a radiator. We did a headcount as soon as they got back. Hannah and David are the only ones unaccounted for.” He sighs heavily. “I’m sorry, Joel.”
“Not your fault, Tommy,” Joel says softly.
Tommy shakes his head. “This wouldn’t have happened if I’d fought the council harder.”
“Tommy,” Joel starts, “what else could you have done? We both know you couldn’t risk much with the baby on the way.”
They’re cut off when Ellie coughs weakly against Joel. Tommy squeezes her shoulder and stands. “I’ll grab y’all some water.”
Joel gently takes Ellie’s hand from where it is curled against his chest and kisses the crown of her head. “Good morning, baby.” Her eyes flutter open, glancing around before landing on Joel. She takes a breath to speak and a painful sounding cough emerges instead, strong enough to curl her forward. Joel props her up, murmuring in her ear as she catches her breath.
Tommy returns, and Joel takes the glass of water from him with his free hand. “Easy, baby. Let’s take a sip of this, okay? Should help your throat.” He holds the glass to her mouth, grateful it seems to soothe her cough. Now that he’s focused on her breathing, he can hear a slight wheeze with each exhale. Joel glances at Tommy with concern before concentrating on Ellie once again. “Baby?” He hands the glass back to Tommy and pulls Ellie to lay more fully against him. “You with me?” Ellie nods against him, pulling her knees in close to her body. He kisses her hair, then rests his chin on top of her head. “Is it okay that Tommy’s here, baby girl?” She nods again, fisting his shirt in her hand.
Tommy rests his hand against her back. “You need to eat something, dumplin’. I made some of that chicken soup you like. I can heat some up, you can have it up here?” He takes her shrug as acceptance of his plan. He makes his way downstairs and busies himself with the soup. Tommy stares blankly at the flame, memories of making soup for another little girl curled miserably in Joel’s lap washing over him. He shakes his head violently, willing himself back to the present. He quickly divides the soup between two mugs, grabs spoons and napkins, and heads back upstairs. Joel and Ellie haven’t moved. He moves over to Joel’s side, this time, and places both mugs on the nightstand.
It’s an old game, one he and Joel perfected thirty-some-odd years ago, where fun Uncle Tommy plays bad cop when his niece is sick. The only thing Sarah had wanted when she didn’t feel well was to cuddle with Joel until she felt better. All Tommy could do was give Joel a few minutes to himself, holding Sarah while Joel used the bathroom or showered as fast as he could, unwilling to be away from his daughter a second longer than necessary.
Tommy reaches out to push Ellie’s hair out of her eyes. “Brought you some soup, sweet pea. Whaddya say we let Joel stretch his legs a bit and take a shower while you eat? His old man joints need moving every now and again, or he’ll turn into the Tin Man.”
“Tommy-” Before Joel can continue his protest, Ellie looks up at him and slides off his lap, wincing slightly.
“Brought y’all some pain medication, too. Doc gave me some last night. Just Tylenol, but should help a little.” Joel looks between Ellie and Tommy, trying to gauge whether Ellie was really alright with him getting up. Ellie nods slightly, shivering without Joel’s body heat next to her. Tommy hesitates, then crouches so he and Ellie are at eye level. “I know I’m not Joel, but… well, if you want, I can sit there with you. Until he gets back, I mean.” Ellie glances at him quickly before looking down. She nods, slowly, and Joel lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He slides off the bed, grimacing as he straightens up. Tommy quickly takes his place, and is surprised when Ellie climbs into his lap as she had Joel’s. He wraps an arm around her back, his forearm a comforting weight against her spine. Joel hands him one of the mugs, and with a silent nod of thanks, disappears through the door.
Tommy pats her shoulder lightly. “Think you can manage this on your own, sugar? I don’t think you need the spoon, it’s mostly broth and noodles.” Ellie reaches forward to grasp the mug in both her hands. She’s shaking slightly, but not enough to spill the soup. He takes his hand away, satisfied that Ellie has a hold of the mug. She sips at it slowly, eventually finishing her portion.
Silently, she hands the empty mug back to Tommy who places it on the nightstand. She leans her full weight against him, head resting heavily against his chest. He wraps his free arm around her front, his fingers tangling in the hair by her ear. He kisses her hair, sorrow gripping his chest as he rests his cheek against her head. He feels dampness seeping through the fabric of his shirt, and he pulls her tighter to him. “Oh, sweetness. We’ve got you. We’ve got you, sweetness.” Joel sits on the bed next to him, turning onto his side so that both Tommy and Ellie are enveloped in his arms. Tommy continues murmuring to Ellie. “It’s gonna be okay. Me an’ your daddy, we’re gonna do everything we can make it okay for you, sweetness. I promise.”
The next few days pass in a haze. Tommy runs interference for Joel and Ellie, handling all of the questions coming from the council. Yes, he and Joel were the ones who found her. No, they don’t know exactly what happened to David. No, they didn’t see Hannah. Yes, Ellie had clearly been sexually assaulted before they found her. No, he will not go into detail without Ellie’s express permission and anyone from the council who breathes a word of what happened will have to deal with him. No, that was not a threat; it was a promise.
When he’s not staring down the council, Tommy is helping Joel with Ellie. She hasn’t spoken yet, and both he and Joel are loathe to push her. Tommy’s astonished and beyond grateful that Ellie has accepted him as a safe person. Maria tried to visit the other day, and Ellie screamed until she left. He’s been alternating the nights with Joel, whose back went out from sleeping in an upright position for more than two nights in a row. Ellie still has a bit of a wheeze to her breathing that makes them both uneasy, but she hasn’t shown any other difficulties. Given her reaction to Maria, they’re hesitant to bring a stranger into the equation even if it is the town medic.
So far, Ellie hasn’t had any nightmares that they’d noticed. She’s silent, though, which is beyond unsettling for them both. As far as Tommy knows, she hasn’t even attempted to speak.
It’s been six days, and Tommy has finally convinced Joel to go for a walk and Ellie to go downstairs. Tommy sets her up with a movie before going into the kitchen to fix them a snack. He returns and hits play on the remote, settling back into the sofa. Ellie quickly squeezes herself under his arm. He’s staring at the television, not processing the images on the screen, when Ellie speaks. Her voice is hoarse with disuse. “Joel called you Uncle Tommy.”
Tommy’s so taken back that he doesn’t hear what she says. “What was that, dumplin’?”
“Joel. He called you Uncle Tommy.” Tommy honestly doesn’t remember that happening, but he nods anyway. It’s not a lie; he used to be Uncle Tommy.
“Why?” she asks, face still turned toward the television.
“You’re his kid. I’m his brother. Means you’re my niece.” You’re his world. He used to be mine. Means I’d do anything for you.
“D-do you… want me to call you that? Uncle Tommy?” Tommy’s heart shatters in his chest at the hesitancy in her voice.
He kisses her head and runs a hand up and down her arm. “I want you to call me whatever you’re comfortable with.” She frowns up at him, so he continues, “No, really. I’m just happy to have you in my life. You saying my name— callin’ me anything at all, really— means the world to me, sweetness.”
Ellie turns her attention to the television once more, leaning her weight against Tommy’s side. When he glances down a few minutes later and sees that she’s fallen asleep, he smiles to himself.
He’d learn to be Uncle Tommy again, just for her.
fin.