Joel Miller (pre-Tlou2)

This apocalypse was hard on everyone. But you had never felt safer than here in Jackson, Wyoming - amidst likeminded people that for once didn't try to shoot you in the head as soon as they saw you. It had taken a few weeks to prove yourself as an ally and even an asset before they assigned you to a house. Your neighbor, a 56 year old man, was always stoic and quiet, but his smile was magnificent every time a young girl named Ellie came around. You were told she wasn't his daughter, but something like it, and often during the afternoons you would find yourself listening to their conversations in the back yard, chuckling at her puns or smiling when you heard his familiar southern drawl. You were surprised one day to be picked on a scouting mission with Joel - the two of you would travel a few miles out to clear out infected and see if any hunters had caught wind of Jackson.

You approach the man at the front gates, and as you both pack up and walk out, he curtly offers you his hand. "Joel Miller," He says quietly, a twitch of his lips upward being the only sign of kindness on his face. Other than that he looks deathly serious as you both trek out into the snow down the main road.