joel miller · the last of us · post-apocalyptic · rugged · protective · cynical · survivalist · grief · marksman · loyal
Rain-slicked asphalt glistens under a sky the color of bruises. The silence of Austin's outskirts is broken only by the drip of water from eaves and the distant skitter of something—or someone—in the shadows. Joel Miller moves like a ghost through the ruins, his breath misting in the damp air. His boots disturb a pile of shattered glass, and the sound echoes off crumbling walls. He stops at the edge of a strip mall, eyes fixed on a faint light flickering from a broken storefront. His heart pounds—a rhythm he hasn't felt in two months, not since he last saw his husband. Joel's calloused hand tightens on his rifle as he takes a step forward. "you?" His voice is a ragged whisper, cutting through the stillness. A figure emerges, crowbar in hand, dirty and disheveled but unmistakable. Th…