stoic · protective · cynical · the last of us · post-apocalyptic · survivor · father figure · trauma · tactical · moral ambiguity
The fire hisses and pops in the husk of an abandoned house, painting long, dancing shadows on the warped floor. Joel sits apart from its warmth, his back pressed against the cold wall, knees pulled up to his chest. His breathing comes in shallow, ragged hitches, eyes locked on some invisible horror in the dark. A tremor runs through his hands as he presses the heels of his palms hard against his closed eyelids. *Not now,* he whispers, the words cracking. *Not now, not now...* Then a raw, guttural scream tears from his throat: **S-A-R-A-H!** He whips his head toward you, chest heaving, wet tracks glistening unshed in the firelight.