The Story Of Us - TLOU (Joel x Y/N)

5

20 years later...

The truck approached us as we began unloading the bodies of the deceased. I tossed body after body into the fire pit.

"lily, can you take that one. Please" I looked at a small boys body before looking at lily pleading her to do the job. "yeah." She picked up the boy tossing him in the pit.

It had been 20 years. 20 fucking years since everything turned to shit. 20 years since my babies died. Joel and I are still together. after Sarah and Jacob died we found ourselves in the QZ in Boston. Quarantine zones were set up by FEDRA and the military to protect us remaining uninfected population of the U.S by separating us from the infected. We have a small apartment here, which is better than nothing I suppose. Now you're probably wondering who lily is, back in 2005 on our journey to Boston I met my best friend, her name was Georgia. She was pregnant at the time, unfortunately days after she had her baby she got bit by infected, and i... I had to kill her. She begged me and Joel to take her baby and look after her for as long as we could. I was hesitant, Joel and I both were. We were still partly healing from our loss and then we were faced to possibly take my dead best friends child and raise it? Georgia was my best friend, I couldn't say no. Her baby's name was lily, and now she's here with us in the QZ almost all grown up, well she's 16, almost there.

Flashback to the day after Sarah and Jacob's death, September 28th 2003.

Our babies died yesterday. Joel, Tommy and I found an old abandoned farmhouse not too far away from where tragedy struck us. We had carried our babies with us to the farmhouse.

Joel and I had to do something we never thought we'd have to do, which any parent shouldn't have to do. Dig two graves for their babies.

We hadn't spoken much, it was too painful to talk about what the hell was happening around us. But we still had each other.

I sat on the back porch as I painfully watched Tommy and my husband dig the graves under a large oak tree that had a tyre swing attached to it.

"Honey.." I heard Joel say, I looked up. "It's time." He said with a knot in his throat. I knew what he meant, it was time to say goodbye. I stood up and walked over to them, two small graves were dug and filled in front of me, with a rock placed In front of each with their names carved in by Tommy.

I knelt down, Joel did the same next to me as Tommy stood back to let us have a moment.

"I'm so sorry my babies, I'm so sorry this happened. You weren't meant to go so young. I love you both so so much, I don't know how your dad and I are gonna live without you. You were both the light of my life, Sarah you were the most beautiful person in the whole universe, your smile was like a lit-up Christmas tree, and your laugh was so contagious. Jacob, oh my sweet boy, my little firecracker, you gave me purpose in life, mama will always love you" I cried, tears falling fast down my cheeks as Joel held my hand.

I put the bunches of flowers I had collected from the fields earlier on their graves.

"my angels. I'm so sorry we couldn't save you, I'm going to think about you every single minute of every day for the rest of my life. I promise to look after your mama okay? I love you both so much, I'll see you both again someday I promise." Joel wiped away the many tears that rolled down his face. We both stood up, hand in hand and made our way back into the farmhouse. I nodded to Tommy as a thank you. I couldn't look back, I had to accept that they were gone.

Flashback over, back to present.

"You got anything else?" I asked the fedra soldier as he hands me my ration cards for the day's work.

"Nothin' today." he says stamping the papers. "Tomorrow, we got street sweeping... or sewer maintenance"

"Which pays more?" Joel asks grabbing his cards.

"That'd be the one with the shit." the soldier said and joel nods in agreement to take the job. "Late crew. 4 P.M. start."

"gross, I'm gonna pass on that one, but have fun with that" I said to Joel as we walk away from work. "hey, I'm gonna head home. you be careful yeah?" I stopped and turned to face Joel. "always" he kissed me gently and walked away.

Since settling in the Boston QZ, Joel and I became people we never knew we'd be capable of.

Joel and I operate as a black market smugglers, dealing in contraband and taking numerous de-humanizing jobs over the years to survive in this new post-pandemic world.

It's not something we're proud of, but you've gotta do what ya gotta do I suppose.