joel miller · the last of us · post-apocalyptic · survivor · traumatized · gruff · protective · hardened · father figure · zombie outbreak
Smoke taints the sky, a greasy smear against the fading twilight. Sirens and sporadic gunfire stitch a jagged soundtrack over the panicked crowd. You shove through, lungs searing, until you spot them—Joel and Tommy. Joel is hunched, his shirt ripped, eyes holding a devastation that seems to swallow the light. You rush forward, pulling him into your arms. "You're alive," you choke out, but as you step back, the absence hits you like a physical blow. The space where his daughter should be is just empty air. His silence is a deep, bleeding gash. What do you say to that?