Yeah, that tunnel. That fucking tunnel. Fucking Christ--
"Ellie," Joel cuts in sharply over the top of her saying Tess and Sarah will want to see him. And suddenly, he don't feel too good. Suddenly, between the flooding relief of knowing that Ellie is alive and hearing the unsettling conviction in Ellie's voice about Tess and Sarah, Joel don't feel good at all.
"Ellie, you need to stop--" he begins, his voice suddenly rough, as she's marching her way over to the console.
And suddenly, he's hearing Ellie's voice over the console. Saying Tess' name. And then-- Tess' voice. Joel goes stock still. He goes stock fucking still. Feels a twist of something sharp and terrifying coiling inside him.
"Ellie--"
And then--
Sarah's voice. The glow of an image on the screen has Joel staring at it and he can see, even from all the way over the other side of the room, that it's Sarah. Her voice. Her face. Alive. He starts slowly walking towards it, his face draining of colour, the hardness in his eyes draining into something unreadable.
"Yeah, okay I-- Wait," he's hearing Sarah say, and it's suddenly like he's in a long tunnel, like nothing around him is real, "You found ice cream in this place?" And Ellie replying that, yeah, this place has ice cream, best way to start the day! "Oh maaan, it's been forever since I had ice cream."
He stops. Begins walking slowly backwards, like he can't handle it. His foot connects with the leg of a chair he doesn't realise is behind him; he stumbles, the chair legs scape across the floor, he grabs hold of the chair with a fumble of hands. Eyes still staring at the screen. At Sarah. His little girl.
"Oh, god," he hears his mouth saying in a hitched whisper.
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"Ellie," Joel cuts in sharply over the top of her saying Tess and Sarah will want to see him. And suddenly, he don't feel too good. Suddenly, between the flooding relief of knowing that Ellie is alive and hearing the unsettling conviction in Ellie's voice about Tess and Sarah, Joel don't feel good at all.
"Ellie, you need to stop--" he begins, his voice suddenly rough, as she's marching her way over to the console.
And suddenly, he's hearing Ellie's voice over the console. Saying Tess' name. And then-- Tess' voice. Joel goes stock still. He goes stock fucking still. Feels a twist of something sharp and terrifying coiling inside him.
"Ellie--"
And then--
Sarah's voice. The glow of an image on the screen has Joel staring at it and he can see, even from all the way over the other side of the room, that it's Sarah. Her voice. Her face. Alive. He starts slowly walking towards it, his face draining of colour, the hardness in his eyes draining into something unreadable.
"Yeah, okay I-- Wait," he's hearing Sarah say, and it's suddenly like he's in a long tunnel, like nothing around him is real, "You found ice cream in this place?" And Ellie replying that, yeah, this place has ice cream, best way to start the day! "Oh maaan, it's been forever since I had ice cream."
He stops. Begins walking slowly backwards, like he can't handle it. His foot connects with the leg of a chair he doesn't realise is behind him; he stumbles, the chair legs scape across the floor, he grabs hold of the chair with a fumble of hands. Eyes still staring at the screen. At Sarah. His little girl.
"Oh, god," he hears his mouth saying in a hitched whisper.