(Unedited) Stage One: Hope in Darkness

Leaving and Old Friends (Lara)

I fired and saw the head pop with the shot. Ryan and everyone else opened fire and Derek was firing blind . The Rippers panicked and started to scramble for cover. I pulled the lever back loading another bullet and took aim but just as I went to fire the head popped first. I pulled out of the scope and looked in the distance and saw a glint in the distance. Another sniper?

"Ryan get the families to the evacuation tunnel" Chief ordered and he did as asked. I turned back to my scope and fired again the shots landing the target. I saw the front door get shoved open and they all rushed out with guards firing here and there giving them covering fire. "Chief, go with them," I told him. Everyone else agreed and he was removed and taken with the families. People trusted him and he could give them hope and calm them when they were scared. I looked out and saw more shots fired from the mystery scope. I couldn't do anything else from here.

I looked towards Derek and saw he was just lying on the ground. He was gone. I caught sight of Ryan waving me down to the entrance. I got up and moved to the entrance and towards the door seeing everything was stripped and empty.

I felt a blast against my whole body.

I opened my eyes and found myself against a wall in the back of the building. The whole front of the building was gone. Blown up. My ears were ringing and my whole body hurt more than I ever thought it could. I think I broke something.

The ringing started to subside and gunshots could be heard. It all came back to me. The rippers. The walkers. I tried to move but felt pain in my leg and looked down to see it was pinned under a slab of rubble.

"Oh son of a-"

"Lara!" Ryan yelled. Suddenly he was louder than normal. I looked up and saw him with some others rushing over to me then carefully moving around me to lift the rock. "Hey hang in there we got you" he said and they all got ready they lifted and somehow even removing it caused pain

"Ahh!" I cried out, unable to contain it. My vision even blurred a little as someone dragged me out. I winced and then saw Ryan come to view "What happened?....Where is everyone?" I asked him. He scoffed at me

"Always thinking of others." He said then moved and started to lift me up

"Hey ah! Put me down I don't want to be manhandled...especially by you" I said but was just in pain. I'll say anything to take my mind off the pain.

"I'm helping you" he rolled his eyes at me. I laughed lightly and winced again from the jolting of his walking "everyone's fine... they all made it out. But before they ran away like cowered they threw a bomb at the wall. You must have been right there" he said clearly sounding worried

"Hey don't turn sappy on me...just...let me...rest..." I said too tired to continue as I closed my eyes.

"No no you can't sleep you could have a concussion " he snapped and shook me. My leg aches in pain, making me jolt up right.

"Hey...injured or not I'll strangle you" I warned him now, extremely irritated. He chuckled

"You found her" I heard a familiar voice and looked over to see Rose waiting in the back of a truck. What looked like a rippers truck.

"Hey isn't that? "

"Yeah. They ran on foot. Leaving it behind. When we came back to look for survivors we checked and it was here in perfect shape" Rose smiled as she walked over to me. She was carrying a bag that we set up for medical aid

"You get promoted?" I asked her. She smiled and nodded

"Something like that" she said and looked up to Ryan "get her in back" she said and with some help from the others they dragged me into the back. It hurt like an absolute b**ch but once I was in place I could relax.

"Hey Lara " Sam smiled at me from the truck. I smiled and touched his arm

"Sam oh it's good to see you" I smiled. He smiled down at me and then leaned on my shoulders "what are you doing?" I asked and felt my pant leg being cut open. I looked down to see Rose with the scissors and Ryan leaned on my other leg. I looked at my bad leg and saw a very unnatural bump in my shin. It kicked in what they were doing and adrenaline started to pump through my whole body "Hey hey I'm not ready for this" I said trying to fight them

"Lara, you need to hold still," Rose said, sounding like a doctor. I had never had a broken leg but I always heard getting it put back in place was really awful. I shook my head

"No, I think it could be a new style," I joked. "Sarah! Dave!" Ryan yelled and two more showed up. They saw the situation and moved so they could hold me still. I couldn't see it now and was trying to breathe as they leaned on me and held me still. Then Ryan started to count

"One..."

"AHH!" I screamed so loud others would think I was a ripper. I was shaking and crying from the pain. I was gripping the girls arm so much I think I made her bruise or even bleed from my nails

"It's in" Rose finally said and they moved and released me. The girl turned to me and Sam peeled my hand off her arm.

"Who the hell goes on one?" I said through gritted teeth and tears. Nothing was visible through my crying. I could hear him chuckle then felt some pressure on my leg making me want to pull away.

"It's okay we're just wrapping it" Sam explained "the hard part is over" he told me. I sighed and started to breathe. I looked down to see Rose wrapping it up and Ryan watching.

"How many others?" I asked them. Ryan looked at me

"No one. You were the last one." Ryan explained to me as he crawled into the back with Rose who was working on cleaning up the dirt off me and any cuts

"You came back for me?" I asked them. They all looked at me then to each other. They all knew I kinda had a death wish. Since Annabelle was gone I didn't have any other family that I trusted with my life. I didn't even date but against what I wanted I made friends here. But I didn't want them risking their lives just to save me. I turned to Rose "you put everyone in danger so come back for me?" I asked her being harsh

"Believe it or not Lara, no one thought about coming back until Ryan said." She said and I looked at him. He was avoiding eye contact with me. "There wasn't a second thought about it." Rose finished

"That was stupid Ryan" I snapped. He scoffed

"Your welcome" he replied and looked down at me. I turned away this time. I didn't need them to come back. I would have made it just fine. I knew I would have made it because of that one picture. Whoever these guys were they wanted my best friend and when I'm good enough to walk I am going to find her first.

Great Lara that sounds like a great plan. Now you just have to convince Chief to let you go with some supplies.