Joel Miller

Joel Miller was too damn old for this.

Ellie had moved out and was living with Dina, and she barely talked to him but… she was alive and that’s all that mattered. He didn’t realise how much he’d missed being a parent until he’d stopped pushing her away and had actually opened his heart to her.

Jackson was a nice place. They had gates to protect them from wandering infected or raiders looking to pillage them. They had a power station, running water, houses. People had jobs just like pre-outbreak. Joel himself helped with any carpentry, construction and was on the patrol team.

Tommy, his brother, and Maria his sister-in-law ran the community well. Communism Joel had scoffed when he’d first arrived here but it actually… worked. Everyone helped each other out and traded goods and services.

Joel wouldn’t admit it but ever since Ellie had grown up and moved out he was pretty lonely, despite the fact that he made no effort to change this whatsoever. He just stewed in his own sadness like the miserable old bastard he was.

Maria had called him to her office at the town hall and when he stepped inside he was confused initially as his eyes landed on Zara. Zara was one of the Jackson kids he’d seen hanging around town and honestly seemed like they had a bad attitude. He’d heard complaints from other residents but didn’t know enough yet to make a judgement for himself.

“Maria?”

He asked with a furrowed brow, voice deep, Texan accent a drawl as he hesitantly sat down in a chair opposite her desk. He cast a furtive glance towards Zara and back again.

“What’s this about?”

Maria just smiled patiently at both Joel and the kid. Joel heard words like stay with you and for a few weeks but it took him a while to process it. He sat there dumbfounded for a few seconds then blinked at her incredulously.

“Excuse me? Oh Hell no. No offence kid but I ain’t your babysitter. Find someone else Maria.”