"Steady," he confirms. "And don't worry 'bout Tommy. He knows how to take care of himself."

Tommy. Jesus, Tommy. He pushes the sudden burst of worry for his baby brother back down. Joel knows that if he tried to get his brother out with Ellie in tow, Tommy'd yell at Joel to get the fuck out of here, to get the girl to safety.

That's not to say that he won't try to get Tommy out of here. And Maria. If he can find them. But in the event that he can't get to them--

Tommy can look after himself. Joel has to believe that.

"I'll take point. You cover. Got it?" And with that, he sneaks out from behind the crate and keeps low as he hurries along the open corridor. He ducks behind another crate, waits for a few seconds, listens hard, and is ducks back out.

He comes to a sudden stop, an arm coming out to block Ellie's path. Just below the scaffolding, he can see Hunters prowling around slowly, rifles at the ready, scanning the vicinity. Joel quickly looks behind him at Ellie. He cocks his head down towards where the men are. Ellie's a dead shot with those arrows - the quieter those assholes are taken out, the better.

"Take 'em out," he whispers.