sunshine // joel miller

ELEVEN

"I know what it's like... first time that you, uh, hurt... someone like that." Joel took over, seeing as Fran was also struggling, "If you, uh... w- uh... I'm not good at this."

"Yeah, you really aren't." Ellie said, looking down at the floor.

"I mean, it was my fault." Joel said, making Fran's eyebrows furrow; it wasn't on him. "You shouldn't have had to. And I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too," Fran said to Ellie then, standing up to go and sit next to her, "I should've done something sooner. Not you."

Ellie welcomes Fran's good arm around her shoulder; leaning into the embrace as silence covered the group. Fran leaned her head on top of Ellie's, closing her eyes.

"It wasn't my first time." Ellie said quietly after a moment, making Fran lift her head and look down at the girl, a little shocked.

Joel was the same, thinking to himself for a moment, Ellie didn't elaborate on it, both adults understanding.

Joel came down to their level then, grabbing the gun found on Ellie and taking the bullets out, as he had done for Fran.

"Show me your grip. Finger off the trigger." He said to her, watching her movements closely, "Now, who taught you that?"

"FEDRA school." Ellie mumbled, Joel rolling his eyes at the terrible grip. Fran just stayed back, watching observantly.

"Figures. Your thumb..." he did what Tess had taught Fran, "over your thumb. Left hand... squeezes down on the right. You got it?"

He tried to take the gun off of her, "There ya go. Look it." He tried to take it off her again, a smile taking over Ellie's face as it didn't leave her grip; "Okay?"

"Better than me," Fran says, nudging Ellie's side with a smile. Joel stood up then, taking the gun and putting the bullets back in, passing it back to Ellie. The girl went to put it on her belt.

"Uh-uh. You put it in your pack." Joel stops her, "You'll shoot your damn ass off."

Fran huffs a laugh at the thought, standing up as Joel walks to the doorway, taking some of the wooden boards off. Ellie does the same, putting it in her pocket instead. Fran sends her a look, Ellie just sticking out her tongue.

They both walk to where Joel is, watching him take the barricades off. He looks at them for a moment, praying to whatever is up there that they'll get through this unharmed, he didn't need them collecting any more trauma.

"We'll get through this," He tells them, trying to give them some confidence.

"I know," Ellie nods to him. Fran just sending him a small apprehensive smile, and before she can blink, they're through the door.

-

Fran had never been happier to see the sun go down. The darkness gave them more cover, and it had been a long day of travelling a short distance, and hiding away until things quietened down.

Now they were faced with the task of sneaking into the very tall building. All doors were secured, and hope was beginning to be lost when Joel spotted a vent to the inside.