Jesse, who saw the horses at the lodge. Who crept in and cleared every corner before he realized it was just him and his two best friends and a dead man.
Jesse, who probably thought Dina was dead at first, too, and Dina, desperate and confused, who probably croaked out Ellie’s name before anything else, and the two of them looking upon Ellie laid across Joel’s cooling body.
Jesse, who probably made sure Dina could sit up, drink water, before stepping over and kneeling beside Ellie because, “we gotta go.” Ellie, in shock, who probably let Jesse pull her off of Joel without resistance but didn’t let go of Joel’s hand.
Jesse, who wrapped Joel’s body alone, because Dina could just barely sit upright and Ellie had a blankness to her that he’s never seen in another person. Who prepared the horses and was probably considering how they were going to get back to Jackson with two horses and three people and one fatality, just for Dina to pull herself up onto her horse by herself and wave him off when he tried to help.
Jesse, who put Ellie on his own horse, pulled himself up after her. Who made sure Ellie was safe in his grasp even as she strained against him to look back at what remained of her father.
Jesse, who lost a mentor, and a comrade, and the girl he loved that day, all in different ways. Who probably went home that night and went over every detail about the day in his head, wondering where he went wrong, what he could have done differently, if he could have prevented this. Who probably blames himself for this.
