recoil

The gun still aimed at him is something he’s only peripherally aware of, significant only because his movement towards Ellie means it’s aimed at her, too. He can hear Henry's plaintive note of disbelief even as the words are lost in the dull roar of his own pulse. A glance back from the corner of his eye shows that the weapon is no longer pointed at him, which means he has no further interest in tracking it at all.

It’s instinct, something beyond rational and conscious thought, to drop beside the girl, brought to his knees by residual terror and giddy relief both. He sees her begin to turn her head back to the gore of what was once another child, and it’s without thought that he pulls her against his chest, one hand moving to press her head to his shoulder. Of all of the fucked-up horrors of this fucked-up world, this is one thing he can spare her from, if only this much.

(Ellie deserved a hug after that episode)