TW: Mentions of SA and excessive violence
Thalia's fingers ran along the empty shelves, scanning for even a scrap of- well anything. She hoped for a spare can of food, maybe even tampons for Ellie because that seemed to enthrall her so much last time.
Her eyes landed on something and she reached down to grab it. Her eyes lit up as she lifted the sunglasses to her face, resting them atop the bridge of her nose. They were a bit dusty, but still fashionable, all black and did a great job of blocking out the sun.
She smirked and happily skipped out of the gas station, wearing her sunglasses and feeling rather great. Something about screaming in the middle of a lawn- it does things to a girl. Not to mention taking a warm shower, snorting the last of her stash as well.
Thalia walked up to Joel and Ellie just in time because her husband looked like he was about to commit murder and the girl held a shit eating grin.
"What kind of trouble are you two getting into now?" Ellie beamed and turned to the woman standing before them, "What did the mermaid wear to her math class?"
She thought long and hard, a small smile spreading across her lips when she remembered one of the girls from one of her many dance classes telling her this joke. "An algae bra." Ellie immediately fell into a fit of laughter, rocking back and forth while closing the pun book.
She turned to Joel, "Dude, your wife is awesome." They both blushed at that but Joel fought the urge to simply tell her, I know. He kept his mouth shut and nodded, fighting off his own smile.
Thalia grabbed Ellie's shoulder, shaking it, "Come on, kiddo. Let's get into the truck before the grump tries to kill us." He shot her a playful glare, she only cocked a shoulder and lead the teen off to their truck. Joel joined the girls not long after, gassed up and ready to go.
They hadn't been on the road for five minutes before Ellie got restless, digging around in the backseat. "Oh I found one! Wait- two!" She pulled out two tapes, "One of them is ab- a-... I don't know how to say it." Thalia turned her head around so fast Joel was worried she'd get whiplash, "ABBA? As in the best band ever?"
Ellie shrugged and handed it over, the brunette practically glowing with pure excitement. "No way! He remembered!" Joel tilted his gaze, trying to look at the tape, "You loved that damn band."
"Don't question the power of the greatest band ever. Frank told me he'd put the tape in here but that was years ago, can't believe he actually remembered. Even better that he probably had Bill do it." She giggled like a little girl, popping it into the console and waiting for her all time favorites to start playing.
Dancing Queen was spilling into the car and she instantly grinning from ear to ear. Joel nearly crashed the car because he couldn't stop looking over at his wife. It's been twenty years since he's seen her smile like that.
The look of pure, unfiltered joy, it was stunning and breathtaking. She'd aged well but when she smiled, it made her seem years younger, more vital. Joel's eyes twinkled as he skipped his gaze from the road to her face. She pushed the sunglasses up onto the top of her head, then she looked over at him and he was quick to get back to the task at hand.
Ellie rummaged around some more before pulling out a magazine, "Got somethin' else. It's, uh... light on the reading but it has some interesting pictures." Joel and Thalia both turned their heads but his wife was quick to push his head forward, forcing him to focus on the road ahead. "Ellie, no! Give it- give- back!"
Half her body was in the backseat, her feet barely resting on the floor as she tried to wrestle for the very explicit magazine she was holding. "How would he even walk around with that thing?" Thalia kept grabbing for the pages, pawing at it but found it was useless only because Ellie had it at an angle she couldn't grab.
"Hold your horses. I wanna see what all the fuss is about... why are all these pages stuck together?" The wife froze almost immediately, slowly sliding back into her spot. Her hands touched those pages. Thalia reached over and wiped her hands on Joel's jacket, rubbing them all over the sleeve as he grumbled, "Real mature, Thali."
She faked a gag just as Ellie said, "I'm just fuckin' with ya!" She rolled down the window and threw it out, watching as it fluttered to the ground, "Bye-bye, dude!"
They all settled down and happily listened to the music the tape was providing them with. Hours they drove, at some point Ellie crawled into the front seat, sharing it with Thalia as she explained some more movies and shows. They made simple conversation until Joel spoke up, "Can you two not handle silence?"
Thalia shot him a glare, his rough exterior was being used as a buffer and she could see that, he loved it and she knew it. "No... we cannot." She settled back and went on with her Star Wars talk, they were about halfway through Empire Strikes Back.
Once night began to fall, Joel decided it was enough for the day, he pulled through a field, deep into the forest and said they'd camp out there for the night. As they did this, Ellie couldn't help but notice Thalia's demeanor changed, she was more concerned and constantly looking around for threats that weren't there.
They'd sat down to eat but the woman merely picked at her food, watching as the teenager inhaled what she was given. "Slow down." Joel was watching her too, "This is slow. What am I even eating?"
"That is twenty year old Chef Boyardee ravioli." Through a bite she spoke, "That guy was good." Her husband nodded, "I actually agree."
"How long are we staying out here?"
"I figured I'd sleep tonight. Drive all day, all night. Get us to Wyoming by next mornin'." Thalia sighed and finally took a bite, her head whipping to her left when the forest shifted. Both Ellie and Joel saw this but chose not to speak on it. "So, can we start a fire? I'm freezing."
"No, Ellie." The girl looked to Thalia, "Infected?" She shook her head, "People. They'll tear us apart." Ellie paused for a moment as the wife stood up, brushing herself off, "You mean what happened in Pennsylvania?"
Both Joel and Thalia could feel their blood go cold, turning to her with fearful expressions, "Who told you?" She could sense the anger, but the woman's voice remained calm, "It was just in a journal of Frank's I read. I swear I didn't mean to find it, it was just- there... I'm sorry."
Her stomach churned, her hands balled into fists as her memories of that night flooded back. Much like tonight they were on a journey, she honestly forgot where or the purpose because it was all dropped after that night.
"Joel! Wake up, please!" She pleaded but it was useless, his good ear was down in his pillow and she knew everything would be muffled, barely audible to him but she cried for him anyway. "Joel!"
Thalia screamed his name and finally his eyes began to flutter open, the sight before him made his heart skip a beat. She was sitting, but her arms were locked behind her, a rather large man standing above her and keeping her there.
He tried to get up but a gun clicked behind his head, keeping him frozen there. "And he lives! Fucks sake thought you woulda woken up by now, she been hollerin' for you for fuckin' forever."
His eyes moved to the man standing before them, a gun in his hand but he seemed as relaxed as ever. "I'm Mike. Joel, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. Gotta say your wife is not the southern hospitality I was expectin'. You both from Texas, correct?"
He didn't answer, jaw tightening instead. "Fine, don't answer me. I'll just unload this pretty little thing... onto this pretty little thing." He pointed the gun to his wife's head, "We're from Texas."
"There ya go! Those are the kinda answers I'm lookin' for! Congratulations, Joel. You just ensured you're alive for at least... oh I don't know, another two minutes?"
"What do you want? We can get you anything." Mike tutted, clicking his tongue, slowly he'd been circling them, a predator with prey. "I got everything I want, right here. Your wife is awfully pretty. Wouldn't you agree, Joel?"
He didn't answer, which enraged the man, he knelt down to Joel's side, "If you don't answer me I'll make you regret ever coming into this godforsaken state. Fuckin' answer me." Joel's nose twitched, gritting his teeth before doing what was in their best interest. "Yes..."
"Good answer. I must agree, I mean look at all of this..." Mike walked over, grabbing Thalia's hair and forcing her head to look up, meeting his eyes and making her sick to her stomach. "You are quite the catch, Thalia."
She fought the urge to run her mouth, eventually he ordered the man holding behind her, "Let her go." The man didn't hesitate and slipped his arms from hers in a lock, immediately her hands came up to punch him. Mike grabbed her wrist and with his hand balled in a fist around her arm, he punched her right in the nose with her own hand.
Thalia's jaw dropped at the aching pain, nose beginning to drip with blood. "Stupid, stupid... stupid fucking girl!" He screamed the last few words, his spit hitting her cheek and making her wince.
He shoved her to the ground, one hand holding her head as he straddled her thighs, her chest pressed to the ground and unable to move. Joel went to jump but then, he was being held down too, he hadn't seen the two men waiting to pounce behind them.
Three men held him down as roared, fighting and thrashing as Mike watched in amusement. "Coulda made a good team... too bad your wife is a bitch. Maybe we can fix that, huh? Fix that terrible fuckin' attitude you got."
Thalia cried out, staring at Joel who was powerless to helping her. A hand was on his head, multiple others covering his body and putting all their weight on the rage filled husband.
"What is my name, Thalia?" Her lip trembled, tears streaming down her face, "Mike." He nodded, a sickening smile painted across his facial features, "That's right. What does that start with?"
"An M." His free hand reached into his pocket, pulling out a small knife, "Correct, once again. My goodness Thalia, gotta say I'm proud. Why don't I help you remember that? Wouldn't want you forgettin' now would we?"
He pulled her top up, revealing her lower back to the cold air, Thalia screamed, kicking her legs but finding it useless because of size difference. He was much larger and his weight made it impossible.
The tip of his blade pressed into the skin on her lower back, gentle at first, then he put more pressure and she was bleeding and screaming in no time. He did just as he said he would, carving his initial right into her skin.
Thalia grit her teeth, baring them to the ground and crying out. He dropped the knife, slowly running his hand all along her body, up her back, her thighs, arms, whatever he wanted.
"Touch her like that again and you won't have a hand!" His voice roared across the forest, no echo because of the abundance of trees. The three people standing above him just slammed his hand onto the ground, he couldn't help but groan out at the pain.
Thalia had her eyes shut, taking the pain and simply lying a few feet from him, chest to ground and back bleeding from the wound that had just been cut a few minutes prior. Her eyes opened, pink and puffy, stained with tears.
Joel tried his hardest to stay strong for her, he didn't want her to know that this was affecting him just as much. "Aren't you two just the sweetest goddamn thing I'd ever seen? Saw you two drivin' off the road and knew you'd be a good time."
Thalia let out a sob, her tears hitting the forest floor and dampening the moss below her. The man had one hand holding her head down, the other was holding a knife that he'd just used to carve her up, her lower back.
"Such a pretty face... shame you couldn't fuckin' cooperate." Joel fought against the three men who were currently pinning him to the ground, shaking around but it was useless. "We can fix this. Whatever you want, you can have."
"I already got what I want... why would I give that up now, cowboy?"
That was when she saw it, her eyes landed on the flower just by Joel's head, bright orange and shining in the pale moonlight. A sparkling sign of hope, of an escape from the nightmare she was currently living.
The nightmare was coming to an end though, Mike picked his knife back up, "I am going to leave this right where it is. You two are gonna go about your marry little way and if I find out you're comin' for me it'll be the last damn thing you ever do."
He stood up, signaling for his guys to follow and they did, releasing Joel and when he checked for his gun it was gone. He scrambled over to Thalia who hadn't moved, simply lying there and staring off into space. "Are you ok?"
She didn't answer, instead she picked herself up, lying on her hands and knees and gazing at the moss below. When his hands moved to touch her she slapped him away, feeling disgusted, violated, and enraged.
How could one person feel this much rage? She wondered that as the tears came back to her eyes. Thalia wiped them away and closed her parted lips, looking over to her axe that had been thrown there a long time ago.
Slowly and quietly she stood up, a hand holding her back and the other reaching for the axe. "Thali..." His voice was no more than a whisper as the group walked away. They wanted her to live with this, to forever remember them and for what? For a rouse? A good time?
I am not the prey.
Blood splattered, each one begged for their life as she tore them apart from the inside out. Such big, strong men, looked so meek when she stood over them. A gash in their head or neck, they just looked... pathetic.
Thalia didn't stop until every last man was dead, except for one. Mike laid on the ground sprawled out and trying to scoot away. A wound on his chest from when she'd made a cheap slice, his shirt torn from his upper right shoulder, down to the mid of his stomach on the left side.
"Look at me." His eyes met hers, those hazel eyes were rage filled and was sure to strike fear into grown men, because that was exactly what they were doing right now. "Y-you're a sick bitch."
"Says you." She raised the axe high above her head and slammed it right into the middle of his face and she didn't stop until he was unrecognizable. Thalia went on, for seconds, minutes, or hours she didn't know. The one thing she knew was that the fucker Mike... well he didn't exist.
Thalia stayed silent, her eyes trained on the ground. "Fuck- I don't even know what happened- the diary was pretty vague..."
"It's fine, Ellie..." The girl felt guilty, if she had known it meant so much, she wouldn't have said anything. "I'm sorry, Thalia." She swallowed down the lump building in her throat, forcing down the memories. "It's ok. One day you'll know but not now. One thing you should know is that not a damn thing is gonna come close to you tonight. You hear me?"
Ellie nodded, finishing the last bite of her ravioli before setting the plate down and awkwardly sighing. The trio was quiet for most of the night, Thalia slept in the truck, harder for someone to grab her, but she didn't tell anyone that, Joel knew though.
In the middle of the night Thalia rolled over, uncomfortably cramped in the drivers seat. A branch crunched from outside and she sat up, looking around and saw a silhouette, before panic could set in she recognized the broad shoulders, giving him away almost immediately.
With a yawn she pushed herself out of the sleeping bag, groaning at the pain in her lower back. The truck door opened and Joel turned his head, relaxing at the sight of her padding over to him. "What are you doing?"
"Keepin' watch. That's all." She nodded and came to stand next to him, looking up at his stoic face. Even if the light behind them wasn't on, he was still illuminated by the moonlight, his features so much more prominent. "I can take over. You need the rest."
"I'm good. Go back to bed, baby." They both looked to one another at the nickname, frozen in place and unable to say a thing. "Baby?" He bowed his head, "Just slipped. M'sorry."
"Don't be... haven't been called baby since... well, since I still looked like a piece of ass." His brows furrowed, the words coming out of her mouth were utterly unbelievable to him, "Still are. Always have been."
Thalia blushed, a rosy tinge coloring her cheeks as she looked back up at him, "Is the Joel Miller flirting with me?" Her husband smirked, "You're my wife- think I'm aloud." She nodded, "Yes you are."
Thalia leaned into his side, one arm wrapped around her frame and the other held the gun. "What're you doin'?" She nuzzled even farther into him, burying her face into his jacket, "If you won't let me take over them I'm staying with you."
Joel leaned down to press a sweet kiss to her head, smelling her lavender shampoo sent his heart into a frenzy. This woman, he thought. After several long minutes he felt her beginning to sway, falling asleep standing up.
He waited just a bit longer before leading a very sleepy Thalia to the sleeping bag. Joel made sure that he gently laid her down, smiling when she scrunched her nose, letting out a small whine. He zipped it up and checked that she was all tucked in.
Joel sat down with a groan, the gun pointed out to the world surrounding them, protecting his girls despite there being no viable threats.