Chapter Text
The sunlight bounces back from the broken mirror on the bathroom wall right into Joel's eyes. Blinded, he adjusts his gaze the other way.
On the way towards the door something catches his attention. There is a note from Tess.
It says: “I will be back in the evening. Just picking up some goods.. - T”
“Damn it… I slept too long. Why didn’t she wake me up?”, Joel muffles in his beard. He packs his stuff and makes his way to the food distribution center in Boston which allows the citizens of Boston to get food from time to time.
“Shut the fuck up and get on your knees!”, a soldier shouts to a man who doesn’t want to get testet for the virus.
Joel turns his back and walks inside the center. After he luckily got some breakfast in exchange for a ration card, he made his way to his old friend Bill.
"Hey, finally showing up, eh?" Joel gave him a look which made him quit his next sentence.
"So, what's the favor I owe you exactly again?" Joel asks.
"Are you ready to leave for a three days trip?"
"Wait, hold on. I thought this wasn't going to take this long."
"Look, I need to pick up some parts from outside of town and you owe me for getting you that ring, so let's not waste anymore time. Chop chop."
"Tess doesn't know about this. She is still working and won't come back 'till tonight. I can't just be gone for days." A frown makes his way across Joel's forehead.
"Oh shit. You didn't even propose to her yet? Man, I don't know. Leave her a note or something."
"What if we don't make it out alive?"
"Well, ain't my problem then. Now, get a move on."
After searching for two days looking inside every damn car on the way, Joel and Bill still haven't found all the parts in order to fix up a car. They entered a new city. A sign on the road says New Haven.
"Bill, how long is this going to take? We have to get back all this way in just one day and we still don't have the parts."
"Don't worry. When we find them we will be back in no time. The streets are not blocked or anything. Relax."
"Don't tell me to relax. I'm done with your crusade. Why do you want to get a car so badly anyway!?"
"None of your business."
"Okay, I guess." Joel scoffs. After a second thought he hears himself mumbling: "Well fuck you, I'm done here!"
Bill stepped in front of him so he couldn't walk back.
"Tess will manage alone!", he yelled at him.
Suddenly, the sound of clickers echoes in the small alley they are in.
"Shit, we gotta run."