Set Me Free ▪︎ Joel Miller ▪︎

▪︎○ Thirteen ○▪︎

It took another good few minutes of running and cutting through alleyways before the group finally made it to their destination. They piled in one after the other through a metal door while Bill quickly turned and locked it behind them. He stepped back as the infected slammed their fists up against the outer side of it.

Olivia and Joel stood side by side, hunched over and breathing heavily as their muscles burned. They were downright exhausted and in need of a long break but given the look on Bill's face as he peels off his gas mask, it didn't appear that one was coming to them anytime soon.

"Man, that was close..." Ellie breathes out as she shuffled awkwardly on the spot just off to the side of the adults. "Uh, thanks for the heroics and all." she extends her out to Bill, her gaze flicking up to his face as he approaches her with a stern expression, his hand hidden behind his back suspiciously.

"Uh... Ellie," she introduces herself whilst mustering a small smile but to her confusion, the man simply reaches out to take a firm hold of her wrist, latching a handcuff around it. "Hey, what are you- Joel?"

The teens tone captures Olivia's attention, causing the woman to lift her head and without missing a beat, storm towards the pair angrily. "Hey! Let her go!" she angrily demands.

Joel comes up beside her, catching her wrist and stepping in front of her. "Bill," he called out to the round man whilst Olivia wrestled with his vice like grip on her wrist.

"Are you suddenly fucking deaf?! Let her go." Olivia growls as she leans around Joel to address the silent man currently handcuffing Ellie to a steel pipe that's sticking out the wall.

"Bill," Joel once more calls out with a little more volume, his brows dipped as Bill suddenly spins on the spot with a gun aimed at he and Olivia.

"Turn around and get on your knees!"

"Alright! Liv, just do what he says."

"Like fuck I will!" the angry brunette scoffs, her dark glare locked on the gun aimed at her head.

"Goddammit, Liv. Do it." Joel mutters as he turns and lowers himself onto his knees.

Olivia growls with annoyance as she does as told, though not before flipping Bill off first. She brings her hands to her head, almost in a mocking manner than only proves to antagonise Bill further. She doesn't care though, he had pissed her off and now she would do all she could to fuck with him.

Or at least that was the plan until Bill begins patting Joel down, pulling and prodding at him for any sign of infection. "You got any bites?"

"No,"

Bill nods and shuffles behind Olivia, lifting his hand and to her growing fury, repeats the same process of checking her over. "Anything sprouting?"

Joel glanced back to the man, his voice raising. "No, goddammit, we're clean!" he insists whilst glaring at the hand still pulling at Olivia's collar.

"Well, I see so much as a twitch-" Bill steps back just as Ellie breaks the pipe off the wall and with one quick swing she connects it with Bill's right arm - hard.

Olivia and Joel immediately stand up, both with different intentions. Olivia hides her laugh behind her hand whilst Joel intercepts Ellie, taking the pipe forcefully from her hands.

He turns to look at Bill, a firm expression on his face as Olivia strides to Ellie's side, discreetly offering her hand to the teen for a high five which Ellie grants her with an amused eye roll.

Bill cradles his arm and curses under his breath, shooting a glare at the two strangers smirking at him.

"Are you done?" Joel asks him as he points the pipe at him.