The Last of Us

Chapter 14: We're Not Alone

Her shoulder pressed harder against mine, and I put a hand on it to calm her down. I pointed down towards the car, out the window to show her that the area was clear and that we had an opportunity to escape without having to run into anybody who wasn't friendly. It seemed like a good idea to get out the window now and make our getaway, though the thought of another group of survivors was interesting. I wanted to see them, I wondered if they were a friendly group, a group that Linda and I could join. Since we had left our original group back in Colorado, I began to notice that in this world strength was in numbers and team work.

That split second thought caused me to hesitate in opening the back window, and it cost us...

BOOM!

A gun shot rang out, and a huge hole went through the door to the bedroom. The metal folding chair I had put under the door knob for extra support last night was no match as it fell limply to the floor. Linda screamed and I stepped in front of her as the door was kicked in by an abnormally large military style boot.

A man with a short buzz cut and a scruffy beard walked inside. He wore a large brown coat with fur around the hood and green cargo pants. His black boots seemed more menacing now that I saw what they were capable of, as he stepped over the door he had just kicked down. His face was scarred badly. It seemed like every corner of his face had little pink cuts and scars on it, and his dark eyes loomed under dark and bushy eye brows.

Before I even had the chance to put my gun up, He had his aimed right at my chest. At this point Linda was behind me, though I wasn't sure if she had her gun up anymore. "Put it down, hot shot." His voice boomed. It seemed as though the words rumbled out of the deepest part of his chest. His skin was as pale as the snow on the ground outside, which was a complete contrast to the short black hairs on the top of his head. I found myself looking up at him, which meant he had to be at least six and a half feet tall.

My heart was pounding, and the blood rushing through my ears seemed to be the only noise I could hear because I didn't hear any of the three men that came bounding up the stairs and into the small room behind the big man who was apparently their leader.

The three men behind him were all wearing camouflage coats and dark colored pants. They all had fisherman hats on and they were all much shorter than either me or their leader. The three of them began to snicker when they saw Linda behind me. One of them took a step forward with his hands outstretched towards her and I pointed my gun at him angrily. Linda screamed again thinking I would be shot, but instead the leader of their group struck him across the face with the butt of his pistol. He fell to his knees holding his face as the other two scowled at me and dragged their comrade back into their ranks.

After staring the three of his men down, they all quieted down, but never took their eyes off Linda. I could feel her shrinking up behind me, her nails digging into my back as she held onto me. I kept my eyes on their leader, who resumed holding his gun to me. "What's your name, kid?" He asked, his eyes overwhelming mine. I looked down at the ground, trying to think of a way out of this. I looked back up at him, and narrowed my eyes.

"What do you want?" I asked in a defiant tone. The big man across the room pursed his lips. The lines in his forehead tensed. "I don't think you get it, kid. I'm going to kill you and then I'm gonna let these idiots have their way with your girl back there, and then I'm gonna kill her too. I'm gonna take all your stuff and I'm gonna continue on my way."

I clenched my teeth, not really knowing what to do or say. At this point I had no choice but to follow his orders and possibly talk my way out of this. "Bobby." I mumbled in a defeated tone. "This is Linda."

He nodded, his gun never wavered. "How long have y'all been here?"

"We got here yesterday, and stayed the night." I answered blankly.