Goodnight, Baby Girl

Joel lets his eyes open and sits up on his worn mattress to clear the sleep out of his eyes. Here, he is all cooped up in his cozy cabin, residing in Tommy's Dam — to think that after all these years, his brother's safe haven was still standing, his community still flowing much like the waterworks powering it.

Sitting up, Joel stares out at his dark empty room, lighting pouring in from one of his windows, the one with the blinds that he kept open; he always preferred it this way.

Stroking his greyed beard and straining the elasticity of his back until there was a definite pop, his still-rendering eyes fall on his guitar resting in one corner on a chair — on any day, even for a man his age, he'd be picking at its old strings without a second thought, even if they had caught a little rust made by the sweat of his fingers.

But for this morning in particular, the man neither had the stomach for it, nor the will alone to even get up.

Shifting to the edge, Joel pulls open his bedside table drawer to take out a broken watch that he always wears regardless. He holds the thing in his crisp palms like it's a sacred artifact that shan't be tainted, even by time itself.

Sarah...

Recounting the most recent days leading up to this very minute, Joel recalls now what this means and why he will be like this for perhaps the rest of the day; today is that day... that one dreadful day of every year — it's his eightieth birthday, one that also happens to be the anniversary of the night of the outbreak...

... the night that he lost his daughter.

It should have become easier by now, but that's never the case... never for this. Although Ellie helped to ease his pain and fill the void that tunneled through his chest, it still hurts.

Ellie wasn't supposed to bring hope and joy back into his life — she was thrust onto him as an errand, a sacrificial lamb that was supposed to 'cure' mankind, because they sure as hell deserve a second chance.

It wasn't an infected that killed his precious Sarah or threatened to take away the only other person who grew on him as a trusty companion — it was all humanity! It was humanity that took everything from him, so in his selfishness, he took away its one hope to reclaim a future.

Spite... is that what it really is?

Shaking free of those thoughts, the veteran rises up and proceeds into his bathroom to drown under his shower in hopes of rinsing the headache... which doesn't work, of course.

Coming back out, he gets dressed, packs up his usual hunting gear and dons his wristwatch; he doesn't need its hands to move to know what time it is anyway.

Suddenly, just as he begins towards his door, he is taken aback by a knock, and from its manner, he doesn't need to guess twice who is behind it.

"You up?" He hears Ellie's voice.

Smirking to himself, he answers by simply opening the door to grace himself with the presence of a strong, young and independent woman whom had long ago taken the place of that once brash little girl.

"I'm right behind you, kiddo."

"Come on, then!" Ellie hurries back up the path that led her to his doorstep. "You don't wanna be late for this!"

"Okay!" Joel exits his house. "Slow down!"

Joel legs it to try and keep up, but due to his age, the girl way ahead of him is forced to slow her pace.

Please don't be a birthday surprise...

*****

Ellie tried arguing that she could handle hunting on her own, but Joel insisted on coming with her, so here they are scouting the wilderness together, just like old times.