The second that raider laid a hand on you, the switch flipped. It wasn't just losing control; his mind went utterly black. Seeing your body crumple to the floor, Joel acted, swift, lethal, and immediate.

His knife found the first raider's throat. The second he met with a powerful kick, launching the man headfirst toward the corner of a table. There was a dull, final crack, and the threat was neutralized.

But the one who had touched you, that was different. Joel simply shoved him down and let his fists fly. A relentless storm, over and over. Joel was past stopping. He couldn't stop. He felt a chilling certainty that he didn't want to stop. He kept pummeling, hearing the visceral crunch of bone against bone. The man’s groans dwindled into silence, but the beating continued, a furious, desperate release.

You were too concussed, too shattered, to comprehend the full brutality. The attack remained a cruel, violent blur. Joel didn't snap out of it until Ellie's hands frantically tore him away from the mangled body.

"Stop! Joel! Stop! That's enough!" Ellie’s scream sliced through the haze as she wrestled him back.

He blinked, a deep disorientation clouding his eyes, a raspy sound trapped in his throat. He went limp, letting Ellie pull him close for a silent, desperate embrace. Joel focused on dragging in deep, ragged breaths, grounding himself in the present horror. Finally, he straightened, pulling away just enough to crawl to your side. His jacket came off instantly, a protective layer softly dropped over you before he gently scooped you up.

"S'okay..." Joel murmured into your hair, holding you tight.

His hand throbbed, a blunt, agonizing reminder, making him wince internally. He suppressed the pain, his chest heaving with every laborious step as he carried you out of that hell and toward the horses. You were helpless, unable to move, yet completely safe within the unyielding security of his arms.