| “ | I struggled for a long time with survivin'. And you— No matter what, you keep finding something to fight for.
— Joel
|
” |
Twenty years after the initial plague that eliminated millions of people across the United States, Joel Miller is known as a man who runs drugs and weapons through the quarantine zone in Boston. At some point, he also became acquainted with a woman known as Tess, who maintains the Boston branch of the underground market and specializes in contraband. The two appear to work with each other frequently, and they seem to have a respectful alliance at the start of the game. The two are tasked with the job of transporting a fourteen-year-old girl named Ellie to the Fireflies' Capitol Building. Joel is reluctant to smuggle Ellie, but eventually follows Tess on the journey.
On the way there, Joel leaves the task of taking care of Ellie to Tess. Tess is usually the one who calms the frightened girl down, while Joel is the one who clears out the infected. When the three finally reach the Capitol building, they find the place filled with dead Fireflies. Tess suddenly becomes hysterical and eventually reveals that the reason that Ellie was so important to her is that Tess herself was bitten during the trip to the Capitol Building. Joel is visibly upset and refuses to allow Tess to sacrifice herself as they escape, but he's pushed away by Tess. Joel and Ellie see Tess' dead body as the military begins to enter the building. He gets Ellie out of the building but refuses to talk about Tess.
Joel promised Marlene he would rescue Ellie from a nearby boarding house and bring her to a secretive group known as the Fireflies because she is immune to the infection and can possibly create a cure of the infection. Sometime after the escape, military authorities find out and begin pursuing them as they commence their journey west across what remains of the United States.
Battle vs. The Man (The Road) (by BeastMan14)[]
"I think we should have buried the robot with them." Ellie said to Joel as they walked through the woods, their footsteps crunching the leaves beneath their feet. "For the last time, no, Ellie. We're not going back, and that's final." His gruff tone of voice let Ellie know that Joel meant it, and she wisely decided to change the subject. "So, how much farther until we meet Tommy?" Joel shrugged. "I don't know. We didn't exactly keep in touch after Tommy joined the Fireflies." Ellie grinned,"Alright. So, to pass the time, do you want to hear a joke?" "...No." "Oh come on. You're no fun." But little did Joel and Ellie know, this quiet little walk was about to be anything but fun.
Could I do it, if it really came down to it? The Man thought to himself as he stroked his sleeping son's hair. Let's hope I never have to find out. With a grunt, the Man pulled himself up. "Alright, kiddo. Time to get moving." The Man crouched down and lightly shook the Boy awake. "Do we have to go, papa?" The Boy sleepily groaned. Grimly, the Man nodded. "Yes. We gotta keep carrying the fire. It's what your mother would want us to do." The Boy nodded and rubbed his eyes before grabbing his father's hand and getting up. Tucking his revolver in his coat pocket, the Man turned to his son and asked, "Ready?" The Boy nodded and replied, "Yes." "Then let's get a move on."
Meanwhile...
Joel and Ellie had continued walking as the dam on the horizon got closer and closer. "Almost there. Maybe we can stop for a while?" Ellie looked to Joel as he contemplated stopping. "Maybe. Depends on some-Wait, what was that?" Joel paused as the snapping of branches and twigs, a noise far louder than any animal would make by comparison. Putting a finger to his lips, Joel turned and slowly drew his Taurus. Cocking it, he let out a shout of surprise as a rifle round flew by his head. "Ellie, get down!" Quickly ducking behind a rock, Ellie fumbled for her rifle and returned fire in the general direction of the shot. "Agh! You little bitch! Now you're fucking deAGH!" A man's voice cried out from the woods, and was quickly silenced by a shot from Joel. "Shit! They got Danny! Alright, try and flank 'em! Boy, are we gonna eat tonight!"
Quickly prepping his last nail bomb, Joel ran behind cover. "Alright, assholes. Come on out, and we won't kill ya right away!" One of the men shouted as he and his friend walked out of the woods, rifles raised and looking for Joel and Ellie. "Right here, asshole." Joel grumbled as he tossed the nail bomb at the men. "Oh shit!" One of the men cried before the bomb exploded, killing him and throwing his companion backward. "Is it over?" Ellie slowly walked out of cover with her rifle pointed at the man's corpse, with Joel standing over it. "Yeah, I think so." "Jesus, Joel. Were those fuckers gonna eat us?" "I...I don't know. Let's just go." As they turned to walk away, a stone slammed into the back of Joel's head and Joel turned just in time to have the second bandit slam into him, pushing him backward. The two slammed into a tree, and Joel repeatedly slammed his fist into the man's face, sending him staggering backwards. As Ellie drew her knife and drove into the bandits back, he pushed her off and slammed into Joel again, this time with no tree to stop them. The men hurtled off the cliff and slammed into a rock fifteen feet below, snapping the bandits spine and sending Joel rolling further down. "Joel!" Ellie cried as she desperately tried to see where Joel was. "I'm fine, Ellie. Just stay there, I'll find a way up. If any more of those men show up, hide. Got it?" "But Joel, I can-" "Do you understand?" Ellie sighed, "Yes, Joel." Dusting himself off, Joel surveyed his surroundings, then noticed a nearby path back up. "Must of been where those hunters came from." Joel said to himself as he began to cautiously work his way over to the path.
A few minutes earlier...
The Man and the Boy trekked through the woods, silently. Suddenly, gunshots rang out nearby, and men's voices cursing soon followed. But seconds later, the gunfire and shouting stopped. "Get down." The Man whispered, quickly pushing the Boy down and crouching beside him. "Papa..." The Boy began to say, but the Man raised his hand and cut him off. "Stay here. I'm gonna go see what that was." Drawing his revolver, the Man began to creep through the bushes, when a girl's voice said,"Is it over?" and a man replied, "Yeah, I think so." As the Man breathed a sigh of relief and turned to head back to the Boy, the barrel of a rifle pushed against his head. "Put your hands up slowly. Now." The Man stood up, putting his hands into the air. "I'll take that." The man behind him said, taking his revolver out of his hand. No. I need that. The Man thought to himself as the bandit drove the butt of the gun into his back. "Fucking move, asshole. I'm taking you back to camp so we can figure out what to do with ya there." Realizing he had no other choice, the Man began to walk forward, hoping his son was safe.
Joel stood hidden in a cluster of bushes, watching a group of men, some armed with guns, others just carrying things like pipes and machetes, stand around a campfire, with two pickup trucks nearby. "Where the hell is that patrol? I sent them out an hour ago, and I'm goddamn starving." One of the men, probably the group's leader, angrily proclaimed. "Well, speak of the devil, and he shall appear." A new man appeared, this one with his rifle pointed at the back of another scraggly looking man. "Well, about damn time, Phillip. Wait, where are the others?" The leader looked behind the man, apparently called Phillip, presumably for these "others". Phillip shook his head, "Dead. This guy and some other chick killed them. Only reason they didn't kill me was because I stayed behind to take a piss, and found this asshole and his shitty gun." The leader angrily kicked the side of a truck. "Damn it! We can't keep losing men like this." He turned and looked back at the group's hostage. "Well, at least you got us some food." He laughed, then punched the man in the face.
The Man, vision blurry and head hurting, slammed into the ground. "Well, I'd say we should look on the bright side of things." As the Man staggered to get up, the leader of the bandits wrapped his hand around the Man's neck, hoisting him up and driving him into the side of the truck while drawing a knife from his belt. "Here's what I think we should do with you. We'll leave with you, and cut off little itty bitty pieces for meals every now and then. And then, when I feel bad enough for you, I'll take this little pistol of yours-" He reached out, threw his knife to the ground, took the revolver from Phillip, and pointed it at the Man's head, "-and blow your fucking brains out. Sound good to you, asshole?" The Man's angry stare back at him was all the answer he would get. Driving his fist into the Man's gut, he threw him to the ground, just inches from where his knife is. "Peterson, Milton, get this guy out of my face." The leader grumbled as he stormed off. "Oh, and put this somewhere." The leader handed a man the revolver. As two men, one of whom had his gun, moved in and pulled the Man up by his coat, he quickly grabbed the knife off the ground and drove it into one of the men's throat. He let out a cry of pain, and the Man drew the revolver from his belt and fired it into the head of the other man. He fell back, a smoking wound where most of his forehead used to be.
"Oh shit! Kill this son of a bitch!" Phillip cried as he drew his rifle and opened fire, the round just barely missing the Man. Out of ideas, the Man cursed himself for his wastefulness as he fired the other round into Phillip's chest, sending him sprawling out onto the ground. Suddenly, the Man sees a revolver in Phillip's belt, and sprints for it and his rifle, ducking under fire from the other bandits. Grabbing the rifle, he desperately fires it, the shot tearing through the throat of one of the bandits, then uses the last shot on the other bandit. Stopping to load his Smith and Wesson, the Man stands up and closes in on the leader, who is backing away desperately. "Look, alright man, I was fucking with you. I was gonna let ya go, please don't hurt me, plea-" A round from the Man's revolver stops his desperate pleas. Stopping to breath, the Man falls to his knees, checking his revolver' clip and smiling. He had ammo. He could defend himself and his son now, rather than just have to run and hide. As he stood up to leave, the butt of a shotgun slammed into the back of his head and he fell to the ground. "Thought that was the last of us, huh, jackass?" A bandit pointed his shotgun at the Man's face. "Well, it wasn't, and I'm gonna make you pay for these guys. Say goodbye assho-" A gunshot echoed throughout the forest, and the bandit fell to the ground.
Joel had killed the bandit, saving the Man's life. "Hey, you alright?" Joel moved to help the Man up, when he forced himself to his feet and pointed the revolver at Joel's head. "Stay back." Holstering his revolver, Joel raised his hands into the air. "Alright, alright. Just calm down. We can go our separate-" The Man cocked the Smith & Wesson. "Give me your gun." "What?" "Your gun, your ammo, your food, anything useful, give it to me. I'm not taking chances with you." Slowly reaching for the brick located on one of the side pouches of his backpack, Joel tried to talk the Man down. "Look, it doesn't have to be like that. Just put the gun down, and we can talk about this." His eyes showing a stare of steely determination, the Man shook his head. "No." Joel sighed, "Fine, your choice." Then hurled the brick into the Man's face. Crying out in pain, the Man staggered and covered his face, and Joel lunged forward, grabbing the man and throwing him to the ground. As the revolver fell out of his grasp, the Man attempted to get up and grab it, but Joel kicked him in the side.
"I gave you a warning. I told you we could talk about this!" Joel shouted as he grabbed the Man by the coat collar and threw him backwards into a truck. Noticing an empty beer bottle leaning on the side, the Man grabbed it and hurled it at Joel's head. Quickly ducking, Joel drew his revolver at the Man and pointed it at where he was, only to find an empty space. "The hell did he go?" Joel asked himself as he crouched down and grabbed the shotgun off of the bandit's corpse. Slowly surveying the area, Joel began to walk with the shotgun pointed forward, ready for the Man at any turn.
The Man pressed himself against the side of the truck, quietly praying that Joel doesn't spot him as he slowly reached for another gun, a pistol, this one dropped by the first bandit he had shot. Grabbing it, the Man quickly pulled his hand back just as Joel walked up to the bandit corpse. He stopped, looked around, then walked past the truck. The Man took the pistol, aimed, and... Click The gun hadn't been loaded. Hearing the click, Joel quickly whipped around and opened fire with the shotgun, the Man just barely enabling him to roll out of the way and open fire with his revolver, this shot hitting its mark and sending Joel sprawling to the ground. "Fuck!" Joel held his side and shouted in pain. The Man stood up, pointed his revolver at Joel, and walked up to him. "I gave you a chance to survive, and you didn't take it." He said, pushing it against Joel's forehead and preparing to pull the trigger. Suddenly, Joel slammed the butt of the shotgun into the Man's face, stunning him, and then grabbed him and threw him to the ground, driving his face into his face several times, seemingly knocking him out. Applying his last medkit, Joel began to walk away from the Man when a shot grazed his head. Quickly turning, he saw the Man stand up, revolver drawn, and run for Phillip's rifle.
I have to...reach that rifle. Can't let him kill me. Can't...won't...leave my son alone in this world. The Man thought to himself as he dived for the rifle, grabbing it, cocking it and turning to find Joel gone. Lowering the rifle, the Man was uncertain. Could he walk away, find the Boy, and risk this man coming after him? Or should he finish him off, and risk dying without his son ever knowing what happened to him? In that moment of uncertainty, the Man wasn't prepared for a ball of fire from Joel.
Several seconds earlier..
Realizing the Man would reach the rifle before he would, Joel ducked behind the truck. Opening the truck door, Joel looked for another weapon, and even better, he found two. In an emergency kit, he found a medical kit and a flare gun, with a piece of pipe nearby. Slowly peeking through the mirrors, he saw the Man lower the rifle, and look around, confused. Joel quickly stood up and fired the flare gun, the bright ball of fire hurtling at the Man.
Quickly falling out of the way, the Man was shocked and deafened by the sound of the flare, and was too dazed to hear Joel, who slammed the pipe into the back of the Man's head, knocking him to the ground. Joel hits the Man in the head again and again, the third strike shattering the pipe. Pulling his Taurus, Joel pointed it in the Man's face. "Don't move." The Man simply nodded and asked, "Are you going to kill me?" "Give me a reason why I shouldn't." Joel's tone showing his anger. "I...I have a son, who needs me to keep him safe. He's in the woods, hiding up there, and doesn't know I was captured. If you kill me, just promise me you'll find him, tell him what happened to me, and take care of him. Please." Resigned to his fate, the Man leaned back and stared at Joel. Joel raised his gun, and looked the Man in the eyes.
"I don't need to promise you," Joel says as he lowers his gun and helps the Man up, ",because you're coming with me." Grabbing the rifle, the Man stopped to get ammo from Phillip's body, alongside look for food and supplies to split with Joel. "Alright, we'll find your boy, then work our way to that dam." Joel pointed towards a dam on the horizon as he and the Man began to work their way up the path. "Thank you." The Man replied. "Name's Joel, by the way. Figured I should let you know." Nodding, the Man opened his mouth to tell Joel his name in return only for Ellie's cry of "Joel!" to cut him off. "Where the hell have you been?" Ellie asked, helping Joel pull himself up the edge of the cliff. "Making new friends, I suppose." Joel replied as he helped the Man up. "Who is this?" Ellie asked. "A man I met. I saved his life, figured we could use the extra help." Joel wiped the dirt off his hands, then turned to the Man and said,"Well, guess we better go find your boy." The Man nods, then leads the way into the woods.
WINNER: JOEL
Expert's Opinion[]
It was decided that Joel was able to win this simply because he was the overall better warrior. Armed with a better weapon with more ammo, Joel's vastly superior experience, creativity, and equal brutality were easily enough to trump the Man's superior stealth. Stealth is good, but when you're overpowered and outgunned, it certainly won't win you the fight, and this is a perfect case of that.
To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.
Battle vs. Lara Croft (Reboot) (by WanderingSkull)[]
Chapter 21: The Dusty Road Ahead
Two companions walk slowly down the road, heading esstward into the dark night. One of them, a middle-aged man with black hair laced with dots of greying strands and crisp snowflakes, adjusts his backpack into a more comfortable position. Trudging loudly to the crunch of thick snow, the man sighs as his fellow traveller- a teenage girl with light brown hair- starts to break the silence.
"I still can't believe you wanted to be a singer."
Joel chuckles slightly, turning backward to his companion.
"It's all true, Ellie. I'm actually not that bad with an acoustic."
Elllie raises her eyebrow at Joel, who merely nods in response. "No fucking way!"
"Yeah; Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty- I could see myself up there with the country legends." Joel comments, beginning to hum to himself.
Ellie laughs, keeping the conversation going. "Why country? Thought Michael Jackson was, like, the biggest star in the whole goddamn world back then."
Joel shrugs. "I don't really know, to be quite honest. My friends were big fans, but I wasn't that into him myself."
"I think a big reason was because I liked guitar. Back when I was, about...probably thirteen or fourteen years old, my old man got me a guitar. A Gibson L-4, damn nice instrument. I swear, I probably drove my little brother mad with how long I'd play that sucker every day.
Ellie laughs, and it's Joel's turn to raise an eyebrow. "What's so funnny now?"
"I can just see you now, sitting in your room. Rocking some ugly mullet while jammin' away to "Amarillo by Morning" or some shit like that."
"Hey, I could rock a damn good mullet."
"When we get to Tommy's, I'll ask for his opinion."
The two then continue walking in silence, for a brief moment. Finally, Ellie decided to continue the subject. "Sing me a song."
Joel thought for a moment, then replied. "I'll sing any song- you just gotta whistle the tune."
Ellie tried a simple melody, but broughtout a series of small, raspy spits.
"Fuck you."
Prologue: Welcome Back
How long had it been?
These thoughts raced through the young woman’s mind as she ran through the streets of the once bustling city. The past twenty years had taken its toll upon the urban environment and what was once urban sprawl was completely abandoned.
Vines had steadily climbed their way upside apartment buildings, moss littered the ground but most shocking of all was the eerie silence of streets minus the crunching of snow as the woman’s boots crushed the fresh powder beneath her feet. The snowfall of an impending winter only further fueled the woman’s feelings of isolation.
How long had it been?
Her thoughts now shifted to her friends that had struggled and survived with for so long on that rotting island. And yet the moment they reached their perceived civilization and then....those things came out and attacked their boat.
First went Jonah, the crew had been working together to hold off the creatures, but it soon became apparent that there were simply too many for them to handle. Jonah had given his life to allow them to escape as the creatures broke through the door. She could still hear Jonah’s roars of anger and later agony before all returned to silence.
Then came Joslin, who went looking for extra parts to fix up an escape vehicle. That was four weeks ago and a week later before Joslin never returned and Sam and Lara were forced to move on. They had later found her corpse in a local garage with a bullet having gone through her head and several dead bandits nearby.
Finally there was Sam, Lara had to personally put her down. The events had happened about a week ago during a typical supply run. Lara had lowered her guard and all too soon everything came crashing down as the creatures came bursting through. Among them was a particularly large one which had kept Lara distracted as Sam held off the others. Once the monstrosities had fallen, Lara had learned the true cost of her carelessness.
During the ensuing battle Sam had been bitten and both understood the consequences of such an injury. This was the point of no return and with a few parting words, Lara raised her firearm, her arm still shaking.
I’ll see you around, Lara. Sam smiled with tears going down her face.
And with that the sound of a round had broken her thoughts and ended the life of her final companion. And yet as she continued on through the storm, just looking for shelter and a place to lie down, her thoughts shifted once more.
How long had it been?
As she stumbled into the grocery store for a brief respite from the storm, she would find out.
More rice, I guess.
Joel begrudgingly backpacked three boxes of Uncle Ben's rice- but the rolling wheels of a crashed grocery cart interrupted his train of thought.
Becoming cautious of the sudden noise, Joel's hand reached for his piece and gently lifted the weapon. Moving as quietly as he could muster, not wanting to alert the possible foe.
Lara cursed as the cart smacked against the small fridge, in her haste in gain her next meal- several cans of beans and a several jars of rather questionable origin, she had neglected her surroundings.
These thoughts fell to the back of her mind as she looked up- before her stood a man who had aged well into his 40s, his graying beard, hair and dirty appearance kept her instantly on guard. Quickly reaching for her rifle and aiming it as the man spoke.
"Just lower the weapon. And we'll talk."
For a moment, Lara's face softened, she'd be running all this time and yet this was the first person she'd met in what seemed to be like years to not emit hostility upon meeting her. Lowering her rifle, Lara examined the man once more as he also began lowering his weapon, gaining a sense of relief that she didn't also want any trouble.
But then once more her mind drifted to the thoughts of the island and the men who at first seemed peaceful, but then would immediately pull a gun on her the moment she turned her back. All those who had died just because she was not strong enough to fight back in the first place and now she was alone.
"Look, me and my friend were heading towards a place that I know. A safe place, you can tag along."
Joel continued walking towards the girl, but suddenly she seemed off, like her mind had just stopped processing the current situation. Looking at her hands, he noticed the grip tighten and her eyes emit the same look he had for so long. His eyes opened and he spouted a curse.
"Oh, shit."
A burst of automatic fire rained upon Joel managing to nick his shoulder as he jumped out of the way. Hiding behind his cover, Joel blindly fired two rounds towards the young girl. Both missed, but caused the girl to fall back and find her own cover.
Have to get out of here and back to Ellie. Were the first things that crossed Joel's mind as he began looking for the nearest exit. After a few moments of search, he spotted one not so far away, but path left him wide open to retaliation. Look in a shattered piece of glass he noticed the woman moving towards, rifle still raised. Sighing, Joel tucked his sidearm back into his jeans and unlatched his next weapon. Now or never.
And in one swift motion, Joel launched himself above the cover let loose a stream of hot flames and from his perspective engulfed the young girl as he dropped the weapon and made his escape. As he did so, a sharp pain ripped through his leg and caused him to stumble.
"Sonuvabitch!" He shouted looking back seeing that the woman still stood, but her burning coat having fallen only a few feet behind her. There was no more time to worry about his wound, Joel pushed himself to continue his trek, only taking a moment to draw his sidearm and fire several more shots at the young girl, this time he got lucky as one of the wild rounds nailed the rifle forcing her to discard her now useless weapon.
TBF
Expert's Opinion[]
TBW
To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.
Battle vs. Bill Overbeck (by Postapocfan1999)[]
Joel walked down the abandonded street. He had his sniper out, ready to kill any infected or humans who want to harm him. He constantly was thinking about Ellie. The infected had seperated them. Joel's mind also pictured those particular infected. They were unlike anything he had ever seen. He was low on ammo because of those bast****. He looked at the highschool up ahead. The same one he told Ellie to head to so they could meet up. He checked his weapons and continued walking...
"Damn infected." Bill grunted. He cocked his Ruger and went into the highschool. As he went in, he thought about his group. They were all killed by a group of new infected. It was a mistake to fire their guns like they did with the regular infected. They actually noticed the gunshots. That was stupid on their part. He lit a cigarette and stood against a wall, tears forming in his eyes...
Joel had noticed Bill long before he even lit his cigar. He aimed his sniper at Bill, his finger hovering over the trigger...
Then he coughed. Bill shined a flashlight on him and saw the gun that Joel had. He immedeatly aimed his Ruger and fired, barley grazing Joel. Stupid Ruger, Bill thought. Joel went behind a wall and turned off his flashlight so Bill wouldn't know where he was. He took out his revolver and blind fired so Bill would take cover.
The light moved and left Joel in complete darkness. "I ain't gonna hurt you!" He shouted to Bill.
"Hell ya you won't motherf****!" Bill lit his pipe bomb and threw it at Joel.
Joel ran down the hall and the pipe bomb beeped until it detonated. "You mind giving one of those to me for the clickers?"
"Screw you!" Bill aimed his M1911 at Joel and the bullet his his leg. He prepared to kill Joel, but all he heard was a clicking sound. Joel took the opportunity to pull out his Tarsus and fired at Bill, hitting his foot. Bill reloaded his Colt as Joel rolled away into one of the classroms which had no door to block his way. Bill fired at him until the slide locked back. While Bill did that, Joel took out a health pack and tended to his wound. Bill did the same and Joel fired his last revolver round, barley missing Bill's head. Joel then pulled out his Mossberg and fired one shell at Bill. This time, the buckshot hit Bill's leg. "FUUUUUUU*********!" He screamed.
Bill ran away, but not without getting a bit of revenge. He pulled out his M79 and fired into the room that Joel was in. Joel spotted this and got out of the explosion radius, but did not leave unscathed. A large piece of shrapnel was embeded into his arm. Joel took it out and used his last health pack. He then threw a nail bomb and some shrapnel hit Bill's shoulder and lower back. Joel pumped his Mossberg and carefully went out of the room. He turned on his flashlight and saw the trail of Bill's blood. He followed it until he went outside of the highschool.
Bill had his M16 out and he fired wildly at Joel. His aim was unsteady, so Joel went out of harms way. He crouched behind a car and aimed his sniper.
Bill ducked and the shot hit air. He then ran to a nearby schoolbus and went inside. Joel, knowing he had no more ammo for his Winchester, pulled out his Mossberg and fired at the bus. Joel then took out his M4 and slowly crept towards the bus. He flanked bill entered through the back. Bill was trying to clear a jam while Joel did this. Joel aimed his rifle and pulled the trigger...
Nothing. The thing probably misfired or something. Joel threw it and unleashed his flamethrower.
"YOU PHSYCO!" Bill hollered as Joel severley burned him. The flamethrower's canister emptied quickly, leaving Bill burned, but still somewhat able to fight. Bill took the opportunity to buttstroke Joel. He did it so hard (yes, that is what she said) that he knocked Joel out of the bus. Joel fell on his behind, pain blossoming throughout his body. Bill jumped at him, but Joel rolled over and took out his pipe. He struck him on the head and Bill shouted. Bill then used his gunstock to hit Joel in his stomach, knocking the air out of him. Joel raised his pipe and aimed the pipe at Bill's head...
He moved and the pipe met Bill's shoulder. The pipe broke and Bill swung his gun at Joel's head, knocking him to the ground and leaving him helpless. Bill took away Joel's Mossberg and said, "Any last words?"
"Ellie..."
No one has seen Joel since. He is presumed dead.
Ellie didn't find Joel there and waited until a pack of clickers chased her away.
Bill layed on the ground. His mind was slowly slipping. He could still think, but not control his body. His mind lingered on the day his group died, the smoke in the air. It must have been contaminated. As the months passed he slowly became blind and mindless...
Expert's Opinion[]
Bill won because of his superior weapons and training. Joel was a formidable opponent, but Bill had the advantage from the start.