Solace - TLOU

Chapter Twenty One

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

The world went silent, the moment Violet realised. Her heart stopped as she looked up at the face of her favourite person, Joel looked on in horror as he jumped up as Violet struggled against her sister, watching in tears as Ellie screamed struggling against Sam, Henry grabbing the gun of the floor and pointing it at Joel who went to help Ellie and Violet, he shot at the ground making Joel move backwards.

All Joel could hear was Violet's choked sobs as she pulled a knife from her side and stabbed her sister's neck, the groans stopping swiftly as Henry shot his brother and Sam fell off Ellie.
A loud scream left Violet's mouth as she cradled her sister in her arms,

"No... please....
Lily— Open your eyes.
Please.... No.... Baby—"

She looked up at Joel who was trying to coax Henry from a ledge as he struggled to come to terms with what he had just done. Violet sobbed as she held her sister close, tears streaming down her face, she was shaking as blood coated her clothes.
Sorrow painted on her face as she cried out between whimpers,

"Please— Lily—
I can't live without you.
I can't— P-Please don't leave me.
Don't leave me.
I'm sorry mum.
I'm sorry Lily.
I'm so sorry.
No— Please."

A shot rang out and Violet heard a body crumple to the floor but she couldn't see or hear anything that wasn't her beautiful baby as she continued to rock back and forth sobbing in anguish as she looked at her sister's lifeless eyes.

She raised Lily,
She pleaded as the worst imaginable thing happened. It happened.
Lily was dead.
Violet lent down whimpering placing her nose to her sisters, like they had always done.

"I'm sorry—
Please..."

Joel checked on Ellie first before moving slowly to Violet, who flinched when he touched her shoulder, Violet snapped crying harder,

"No don't take her away from me."

Joel pulled her away as she fought against him, pulling her into his arms as she sobbed,

"Why her?
Oh god—"

She shook as Joel shushed her holding her as tight as he could, watching Ellie sob on the floor, Violet finally heard Ellie. She turned and crawled to Ellie looking her over before pulling her into a hug.
Violet stood and slid down in front of her sister, placing her fingers on Lily's eyes and shutting them, pushing back a choked sob but she failed, her head falling down onto Lily's chest as screams left her mouth.
Joel pulled her into a hug again,
Violet melted into the hug as she repeated through sobs over and over again,

"I failed her.
I failed her."

An hour later, after digging graves, Joel came for Lily last. Violet felt numb as she stared at the lifeless corpse of her sister.
Silent tears ran down her face as she pushed Joel out of the way and picked her own sister up, marching out of the mall sniffling as she made it to the hole Joel had dug.

Violet placed her sister in carefully, feeling her knees give out as Joel caught her, pulling her up as she pulled herself out of his grip silently and filled the grave.

Ellie stood behind as she placed an Etch n Sketch on Sam's grave that read I'm sorry, as she spoke softly to Violet, who sat holding her sister necklace, before she placed it around her neck and took hers off, and placed it onto Lily's fresh grave, Violet turned to Ellie,

"She wrote us letters.
In case this happened."

Violet looked up before taking her letter from Ellie's hands gently holding it and Joel and Ellie walked away as Violet stood up and leant on a car, opening the letter quickly feeling the sobs light on her tongue.

'Violet.
Really I should honestly call you Mum, you raised me, kept me safe and loved me, I am so lucky to have had you. If you are reading this I am probably dead. I'm sorry for not telling you, you looked so happy I didn't want to hurt you when I ultimately knew what was going to happen.

Odds are I turned into a gross mushroom and I'm sorry I didn't pull my leg in fast enough. I know what you are already doing, blaming yourself, isolating yourself or about too, I need you to find a way to be okay, and take Ellie to where she needs to be.
There is hope.

You are my favourite person, and I need you to live, for me, because I don't get too, so you have too.
Go out with Joel,
connect more with Ellie,
live your life,
even maybe fall in love.
Or I will haunt you.
I'm only kidding (am I)
I love you more than anything Vi—
Love from your Lily.'

Violet fell to the ground as she read the letter over and over, tears coming down her face over and over again as she held the letter close to her chest, Joel standing in front of her suddenly, picking her up and speaking softly,

"Are you ready?
We have to go."

Violet nodded, the tears not stopping as she put everything that was in her sisters backpack into her own. Joel helped her to her feet as Violet didn't know what to do.
Her purpose was gone.
She loved her sister more than anything. She couldn't stop hearing her mother's voice telling her she had failed. And she had. She should've been the one to get bitten.
It should've been her.
Lily was so kind.
Violet didn't have much patience for kindness, Lily was the most important thing to her in the whole world.
The fact that she has to use past tense now hurt her heart.

They walked off as the silence grew, Violet looking back and looking up to the sky and hoping Lily was at peace.

END OF CHAPTER

short chapter i know :(
my heart hurts, Lily was so kind and Violet is so broken now 😭
genuinely sobbed writing this scene