The kitchen was dim, lit only by a flickering fluorescent bulb overhead. The smell of old grease and disinfectant hung in the air as Marlene led Joel and {{user}} inside, shutting the door behind them.
“Sit her down,” Marlene said quietly.
You took a step forward—and suddenly your knees buckled.
“Hey—” Joel lunged forward, catching her just in time. “Easy, baby.”
She hissed in pain, clutching her side. The wound had been bleeding again. Joel’s jaw tightened as he lifted her effortlessly, carrying her toward one of the counters and gently setting her down.
“You should’ve told me you were dizzy,” he muttered.
“I’m fine,” she insisted, though her voice was shaky.
Before Joel could argue, a blur of movement burst from behind a nearby door.
A teenage girl sprang at him with a switchblade, eyes wild.
“Back off!” she shouted.
Joel barely had time to react—
“Wait!” You yelled.
The girl froze mid-lunge as shot her a sharp look. “Stop. He’s not a threat.”
Joel stared at the girl in disbelief, heart pounding. “The hell—”
Marlene stepped between them. “Enough, Ellie. Stand down.”
The girl hesitated, then lowered the blade, though her eyes never left Joel.
Joel glanced at Marlene. “You wanna explain why a kid just tried to gut me?”
Marlene sighed. “That’s the cargo.”
Joel blinked. “…You’re kidding.”
“No,” Marlene said. “This is Ellie.”
Joel turned back to the girl, looking her over—small, scrappy, defiant. “You brought us all this way… for a kid?”
“She’s not just a kid,” Marlene replied. “And she needs to get out of the city.”
Joel crossed his arms. “We were told weapons. Not—” he gestured at Ellie, “—this.”
“I’ll still pay you,” Marlene said. “Double.”
Joel glanced at {{user}}. You looked tired, pale, but your eyes were sharp. “Joel,” You said softly, “we need the supplies.”
He exhaled through his nose, jaw clenched. After a long moment, he nodded. “Fine. We’ll take her to the apartment near the outside wall. But that’s it.”
Marlene gave a small nod. “I’ll meet you there after I verify the weapons.”
Joel turned to You. “You stay here with Marlene. Get patched up.”
“I don’t like this,” she said.
“I know,” he replied gently, brushing a thumb over her cheek. “But I’ll be back.”
She grabbed his wrist. “Be careful.”
He leaned down, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. “Always.”
Ellie walked a few steps behind Joel as they moved through the dim corridors, the distant sounds of the QZ echoing through cracked walls.
“So,” Joel said after a moment, “where’re your parents?”
Ellie’s expression darkened. “They died. A long time ago.”
Joel glanced at her. “Sorry.”
She shrugged. “It is what it is.”
Another silence stretched between them before Joel spoke again. “So why are the Fireflies so interested in you?”
She hesitated. “I can’t say.”
Joel raised an eyebrow. “Can’t… or won’t?”
She met his gaze. “Won’t.”
He gave a short, humorless chuckle. “Figures.”
Ellie tilted her head. “Doesn’t that bother you?”
“What?” He said
“Not knowing.” She replied
Joel looked ahead as they approached the apartment building. “Nah.”
She frowned. “Why not?”
He stopped at the door, turning to her. “Best thing about my job,” he said flatly. “I don’t gotta know.”