Broken Without You

Chapter 3

A/N-
Major Trigger Warning: suicide (you know what's coming) but there are also suicidal thoughts throughout this chapter and a few future chapters too. 

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The three of you eventually fell asleep, Henry promising to wake you up every few hours because of the possible concussion which you appreciated, but hated at the same time.

He had done it a few times throughout the night, so when something woke you up in the early hours of the morning, you figured it was Henry once again, but you were wrong. Very wrong.

Ellie and Sam suddenly burst through their bedroom door and tumbled onto the ground in the main room. Sam crawled on top of the girl, growling and snarling while Ellie whimpered, holding him back desperately.

It took a solid couple of seconds for your brain to process what you were seeing, and when you realised, your entire world came crashing down around you.

Sam was infected.

No. That couldn't be possible. Not Sam. Not little Sam, no. No.

"Joel!" Ellie cried for help over Sam's loud growls.

The loud bang of a gunshot had you snapping into action. You jumped to your feet to find Henry and Joel already standing. Henry had Joels revolver in his hands, a bullet already in the carpet by Joels feet.

Joels face twisted up in anger and desperation as he raised his hands, frantically looking between Ellie struggling on the ground across the room and the gun Henry still had aimed at him. You could practically see the internal fight going on inside of Joel, the man wanting to save Ellie, but unable to do so.

You found yourself frozen where you stood, not knowing what to do before Henry suddenly turned away from Joel and shot his little brother through the head, silencing his infected growls.

For an endless span of time, nobody moved or said anything.

Ellie sat breathing heavily on the ground beside Sam's dead body. A pool of dark crimson blood seeping into the dirty carpet around his head.

He was dead. Sam was really dead.

Tears burned in the back of your eyes as you stared at the body of the little boy who you considered a brother. After everything Sam had been through, after everything he had survived, this was what killed him.

"Ellie." Joel said, breaking the silence as the little girl looked over at him with wide terrified eyes. "Are you okay?"

Joel took a step forward, but Henry quickly trained the gun back on him, stopping him from going anywhere.

"Easy, easy, easy." Joel said calmly, holding his hands out towards him. "Henry, give me the gun."

Henry wasn't listening though, his tear-filled eyes looking between Sam and Joel as he shook his head at himself, but he didn't lower the weapon.

Without thinking, you stepped in front of Joel. The gun now aimed at you instead because although you knew Henry, you didn't trust him enough not to shoot Joel right now while he was in this headspace. But you knew he would never shoot you.

"P-Put the gun down, Henry. Please, put the gun down." You said, your voice barely above a whisper.

"What did I do? What-what-what did I do?" He mumbled, his wide teary eyes locking with yours before he looked over at his brother, and his voice broke. "Sam?"

"Henry, give me the gun." Joel calmly instructed from behind you. "Give me the gun. Henry, give me the gun."

Henry glanced at Joel over your shoulder before his pained eyes met yours and he turned the gun on himself.