We're getting close to the end guys, can you believe it? Man, this has been one hell of a journey. With only a couple more chapters left, I'm not all too sure how to feel. I'll probably give some big ol speech at the end about how fun and amazing this story was with all of you. Anyways, I wanted to give y'all a heads up that we're nearing the finale, and I wanted to ask y'all if I've done good with this. At some parts I feel like there was so much more I could've done, or maybe I wrote a character different from how they would act. Please let me know, it means the world to me.
Also! This book is getting popular! Man this is just amazing, I love seeing the newcomers come in, interacting with old comments and what not. This is amazing, and I want y'all to know that this story wouldn't be possible without any of you. I wouldn't have the motivation to keep going without all these reads. Now, I'll stop repeating myself and I'll get going with the story.
He was a little surprised to hear some shuffling, then suddenly felt some weight on his chest. The two were back in the same position they had been earlier, with Ellie leaning up against him with her head against his chest. "Why are you doing this, Y/N?" She asked softly. "You're going through all of this, you'll just get yourself killed." She carried on, and he shook his head a bit. "Because I care about you, Ellie, more than you can imagine. Now get some sleep, we'll get Joel out of here when you get up. Don't worry, I'll keep watch." He said, and Ellie didn't take very long to close her eyes, cuddling up to Y/N as much as she could. "Thank you." She spoke, before she ended up falling asleep.
Chapter 22
The string was drawn back quietly as she kept her breath in check, her arm twitching at the strain she was putting on it. For a moment, she focused on her target, taking a breath, before letting the arrow fly into the rabbit that had been hopping about. There was a whistle from behind her as Y/N hopped down from the rock, which had served as a vantage point. "Hell of a shot, you weren't kidding." He said, holding his hand up as Ellie gave him a high five. Ellie made her way over, lifting the rabbit up and removing the arrow from its body. "Too bad that won't last very long." Y/N said out loud, sighing softly.
"Y/N, look!" Ellie whisper-shouted, hitting his shoulder to turn him around. The boy, who had been facing the horse, turned to see a deer looking at him, before turning and sprinting off. "Oh hell yeah." He said quietly, before pulling his own bow around. "Watch and learn." He said, giving a small smile to Ellie as he headed out. Ellie stayed pretty close behind, but at a good distant away with Callus to avoid startling the deer again. Y/N crouched down low, trailing the tracks through he snow quietly. A distance away, he could see the animal peacefully grazing on some exposed grass. Y/N stopped dead in his tracks, keeping his breathing quiet and steady.
He pulled the string back, not really having a whole lot of experience with a bow, but he could make do. He tilted the bow up, his eyes narrowing as he seemed to be trying to calculate the distance, then he let the arrow fly. The deer made a cry out as the arrow went through the base of its neck, before it ran off. "Damn!" Y/N said out loud, and Ellie laughed from nearby. "What and learn, huh?" She asked, obviously mocking her friend. "Whatever." Y/N huffed, shaking his head as he stood up. "Come on, there's no way that thing got far." Ellie said, going ahead as she tied Callus up to a tree.
Y/N stood up, jogging lightly after Ellie to match her pace as the duo followed the blood trail. "How long do you think a deer will last us?" Ellie asked, looking over at the other teenager. "I'll give us a week, if that. Also, it's your turn to force feed Joel." Y/N stated, and got a groan of protest in response. "Bullshit, why can't you just do it, for me?" Ellie asked, trying to put on a cute face to take advantage of Y/N. "Not working this time, I've been doing this for the past week and half." He proclaimed, trying desperately not to look over.
"...Please?" Ellie asked quietly, getting closer. Y/N tried to look away, his cheeks getting a bit of a red tint until he finally gave in. "Fine, whatever." He said, leaping over a small barricade. "Score! 2 points for Ellie!" Ellie cheered, following behind him. Now in their line of sight was an old, worn building that looked like it had been hit by a meteor. And naturally, the trail led into said building. "What is this place?" Ellie asked a bit quietly as they made their way down a small slope. "This is lovely. I see no way this can go wrong." Y/N carried on sarcastically, approaching the entranced a bit slowly now.
"Yeah, this place isn't creepy at all." Ellie muttered as they walked in, a bit relieved at the lack of infected. While Y/N cleared the building, Ellie looted some small drawers for anything. Seeing the building was clear, Y/N made his way out, where he was greeted with the dead corpse of the deer. Ellie walked out right behind him moments later. "Found it." Y/N stated, making his way over. They leaned over it for a minute, examining their prize. Yeah, that would keep them fed for a little bit.
Almost as suddenly, a small crack sound filled the area. Y/N and Ellie, with their astounding listening skills, picked up on it quickly. They turned around quickly with arrows knocked and bows drawn, staring down the area in front of them. "Who's there?!" Ellie asked first, followed by Y/N who called, "Come out!" Two men stepped softly from their cover, the older of the two holding his hand out lightly. "Easy now, we just want to talk." He spoke in a soft tone, but neither of the teenagers wavered. "Any sudden movements and we will put one in between your eyes." Ellie threatened, and for a moment Y/N couldn't have been more proud. "Ditto for buddy boy." To help with their threat, Y/N pulled the bowstring back a little further.
"What do you want?" Y/N now asked, growling it out a bit as his voice seemed to get lower. "Names David, this here's my friend James." The man introduced, being careful to not frighten the two. "We're from a larger group- women, children- we're all very hungry." He explained, and for a moment Ellie did seem to falter. Although Y/N just narrowed his eyes, something about this was all too familiar to him. It was hard to see, but the bow was shaking a little bit. His arm was still weak from its damage, which made it harder to keep the bow steady with all of this pressure. But he would still hit his shot.
"So am I- women and children," Ellie said, nodding her head to Y/N. "All very hungry too." She finished, and for a moment Y/N looked like he was going to protest, but he figured now wasn't exactly the time. "Well, maybe we could trade you with some of that meat there." David offered, taking a step forward when an arrow lodged itself right in front of David. Y/N quickly drew another one, a fierce look in his eyes. "She said no sudden movements." He warned, the next shot wouldn't be aimed in front of them. David cleared his throat slightly, some slight frustration could be read on his face. "What do you need?" He asked, retracting his foot. James now had a constant eye on Y/N.
"Weapons, ammo, clothes-?" David started, but Ellie cut him off. "Medicine!" She said abruptly, glancing at Y/N. Despite the teenagers apparent recovery, it was clear he was getting worse by the day. His bandages were still showing, some blood was seeping through. David seemed to get the message. "Do you have any antibiotics?" Ellie asked now, looking slightly worried. "We do. Back at the camp." David said, glancing over to his partner. "You're welcome to follow us-" he started, and now it was Y/N's turn to interrupt him. "We aren't following you anywhere."
"Buddy boy can go it, he comes back with what we need, deer is all yours." Ellie negotiated, taking this situation with a surprising level of patience. Both of them were, for teenagers. "If anyone else comes back-" Ellie warned, but David already knew what she would say. "You're going to put on right between my eyes?" He guessed, motioning up to the spot. "That's right." Y/N followed up, and David gave a sigh at the predicament. He looked over to James as if he were considering something. "Two bottles of penicillin and a syringe." He instructed, which had a small protest from James. "Go on..." David spoke in a warning tone, and Y/N trailed his bow onto him. James glanced over, before backing away and leaving.
Ellie kept her eye on David, her eyes flicking down. "I'll take that rifle." She stated, and he gave a soft nod. "Of course." David said, being smart and slowly lowering the rifle. "Back up." Y/N warned, keeping his bow steady as Ellie put her weapon up, bending down and grabbing the rifle. She checked it, then flicked the safety off before chambering the bullet and pointing it at David. There they stood for a few minutes, David unmoving as two weapons were aimed at him. "It's probably gonna be a while..." he started, looking a bit awkward. "You ah... mind if we take some shelter from the cold?"
Ellie seemed to think, looking over at Y/N. It became clear pretty quickly that she looked to him to make the call here. "Bring him with us." Y/N ordered, pointing his weapon down at the deer so David got the message. The adult gave a nod, walking over as he reached down, grabbing the animal by its antlers. Y/N and Ellie walked slowly, with their weapons aimed steadily at him as they walked.
~~~
A campfire crackled as David reached down, prodding it lightly with a stick. The flames grew a small amount, providing more light and warmth in the room. Across from the kneeling form of David, Y/N and Ellie were both crouch down. Neither of them said a word, keeping an eye on David and every movement he took. "There." The older man said simply, dropping the stick to his side. "You know, you two really shouldn't be out here on all your own." David pointed out, looking at them. "We don't like company." Ellie answered, shaking her head lightly as she did.
"I see. What are your names?" David followed up, he seemed a lot more relaxed than the two teenagers. "Why?" Y/N asked, a firm tone in his voice as his eyes narrowed. "Look, I understand it's not easy to trust a couple of strangers," David began, "but whoever's hurt, you clearly care about them." Ellie looked down a bit at this. "I'm sure it's going to be just fine." David tried to reassure. "We'll see." Y/N answered for his friend, letting the silence over take them again.
But that didn't last, as all three of them picked up on a distant sound of clicks. Y/N stood up first, looking around as he tried to trace the sound. The other two soon followed. It sounded like the clicks were coming from all around them, and just as suddenly a clicker came barging in through the open door. Y/N and Ellie turned to try and react, and the clicker came charging. In response, two gunshots went into its body. David rushed forward, pinning the clicker down and putting one last round in its head.
"You had another gun?" Ellie asked, looking exasperated at this fact. They could have been shot at any moment. "Sorry," David apologized, looking out the door. "I'd... really like my rifle back now." David spoke, and Ellie was quick to shut him down. "No, you have the pistol." Y/N stifled a laugh at this, now wasn't the time. The boy slung his bow over his shoulder, taking out his own handgun. "I hope you two know how to use those." David said pointedly, and Y/N gave a scoff. "We've had some practice."
David slammed the door shut, providing some extra cover from the oncoming horde. "Let's hope they don't find him." David spoke as he pulled down a tarp, putting it over the corpse of the deer. "Cover the windows." David ordered, and Y/N was the one to respond. "On it." The boy made his way to a side of his windows, and looked out to see some runners breaking from the woods. "Holy hell." He said softly, raising his gun and taking shots. He heard some shots from the two behind him as they began to take out their own infected.
Y/N dropped to a knee, he needed more stability. With his arm still weak, he couldn't expect his shots to be dead on. With a stable ground, he held his breath and shots rang out from his gun. Bullets lodged themselves into the heads of the infected. "Make every shot count!" David called out, which only served to annoy the two teenagers. "We've done this before!" Ellie snapped, taking another shot as a clicker approached her side of windows. Of course it wasn't over, Y/N watched as several more began to sprint from the large foliage.
"This just got worse." He whispered, going to pull the trigger, only to hear a click. "Here, kid!" David shouted, and Y/N turned to see a magazine flying at him. He reached out and caught it. The magazine in his gun dropped, as he swiftly reloaded and took a few more shots out at the clickers. "You two weren't kidding. You're better shots than I am." David praised, and Y/N just shot a couple more times in response. "Damn you!" Ellie heard a shout, and turned to see her wrestling with a clicker that had got in.
Y/N quickly aimed his handgun, grasping tightly as he took aim. But he found that he couldn't keep it steady, his arm shaking from the strain. Fear was in his face for a second, he couldn't take this shot, and he couldn't help Ellie. Luckily, David was there to put the clicker down. "Thank you." Ellie coughed out, and David just gave a nod. "Quick, give me a hand." The adult called, making his way to a massive cabinet. Y/N holstered his gun, rushing over was he put his good shoulder into one side. The two began to push the barricade as Ellie fired out a few more shots, taking out a few more infected.
As soon as they got it in place, Y/N was grabbed by a clicker and slammed against the window frame. He reached up, grabbing the things head to keep it from biting him. David reacted quickly, slamming the clickers head back and putting a bullet in it. "Holy shit." Ellie said from the side, and Y/N rubbed his shoulder. Infected had taken this time to scramble in, but the teenager made short work of them with a few squeezes of his finger.
The wave seemed to be over, but David found more from his side. "There's more infected over here, a big pack. They must've followed you." He stated, looking back at the two. Y/N and Ellie shared a simultaneous scoff. "Or maybe they followed you and your friend." Ellie suggested, and David shook his head. "It's doesn't matter, now we're stuck in this together." He claimed, and Y/N sighed. "I've heard that one before." He muttered. Sure enough, more infected showed up to break into that room.
Ammo was running a bit low as they kept taking shots, hoping to keep them from getting into the room. "Fuck this, we're getting over run!" Y/N pointed out, hearing another dooming click from his gun. David seemed to agree. "Screw it, we're leaving this room." He called, making his way to a yellow door. He raised his leg, kicking it off its hinges. "Let's move!" He called, quickly rushing forward. "Fucking infected." Ellie muttered out, the trio quickly making their way up some stairs. "Cover the stairs, I'll block it off!" David called. Ellie went to provide fire, but Y/N had a better idea. "Step back!" He called, and pulled out an improvised grenade.
He pulled the pin, then flicked it down the stairs. The explosions chained out, sending the infected to hell and back as David blocked the door. More infected started banging on the barricade soon after, and the three backed up. "Jesus, don't stop now." Y/N said, looking to David. "Right, through here!" He said, kicking down another door as he led the two into another room. "You know this place?" Ellie asked, as they all swept the room. "Never set foot in the place before." David answered, which wasn't very reassuring. Y/N walked ahead, quickly clearing a corner. "It's clear." He spoke, and the other two were behind him quickly.
"This way." David ordered, pushing past the two as he rushed for some stairs. They followed behind, quickly making their way up onto some platforms. "How you holding up?" David asked as they kept moving. "Don't worry about us." Ellie spoke, looking back at Y/N, who was bring up the back to watch over. "Stay close." David called, leaping over a blockade. Ellie went next, and the platform below her started to falter. She was about fall, but a hand grabbed her. Y/N was reaching down, pain throbbing in his shoulder as he pulled her back up. "I gotcha." He spoke, as the two made their way across the gap quickly.
"You two alright?" David asked, and Y/N rotated his shoulder slightly. Below them, the sounds of clickers filled the room. "Fine, lets fucking go." Y/N said, looking at the infected corralling below them. They rushed across it, being more cautious now. Some clickers came stumbling towards them on the pathway, but they were put down quickly by Y/N. Y/N ran ahead first, quickly opening up a door that led into a hallway. "Move it!" He shouted, taking off in a sprint down it. The structure didn't seem sound, so he planned on getting through it as fast as possible.
This hallway led them to a room, with no escape visible. "Oh Fuck." He said, tensing his fists as he looked around. "There's gotta be some way out." David said, looking around. "Hey guys! It looks like someone already fought these things... and lost." Ellie stated, her eyes in the corpses in front of her. David and Y/N walked up next to her, both of them showing some slight reaction. "Lord, I've been looking for those boys." David spoke softly, and Y/N gave a nod. "This room is a deadend. How on Earth did they use this building?" David asked himself, and the screams of the infected outside grew closer. "What's the plan?" Ellie asked, and Y/N nodded as if he knew the answer. "We hold our ground." He and David said in sync.
Sure enough, infected started to pour in from the hallway. Y/N finally brought his rifle around, taking his own shots into the corridor to put them down. After a few dropped, thumping was heard above them. "You hear that?! They're on the fucking roof!" Y/N shouted, and Ellie looked up. Infected drop down all around them, into the hallway and the room. Shots rang out, it was hard to tell who's gun they were coming from. They seemed to start to slow down. Then, the steps on the roof grew heavier.
"Oh fuck." Y/N said to himself, looking up. Surely enough, a bloater dropped into the room, roaring at the three of them. Y/N scoffed, slinging his gun around. "I got big ugly, you two get the others." He said, and Ellie seemed like she wanted to protest. He gave her a small wink, and she didn't respond after that. Y/N brought out his handgun, firing off round to distract the bloater. Once it's attention was on him, Y/N slid underneath its legs to avoid an attack. Using his advantage, he brought his knife and stabbed the thing in the back, pulling out another improvised explosive. He lit the fuse, and shoved it into the hole he made with his knife. Then he kicked the bloater back, getting the other two away as the explosion took out the rest of the infected.
"Holy shit." Ellie said softly as she watched the explosion uproar. "That was my last one." Y/N said, a bit breathless. "I think we did it." David spoke lightly. Y/N and Ellie looked over at him, to see him staring out what used to be a window. The two walked over and joined him, looking out at the snowy world. "Listen." He spoke, and the other two did. "No infected." Ellie breathed out, and David looked over with a smile. "No infected. What'd I tell ya?" He asked, and the three let it sit for a moment. "Right, lets get back and check on that buck of ours."
~~~
The trio walked in to see some embers floating up. They all looked around to double check for infected. "You two handled yourselves well." David complimented, crouching down with a breath of relief. Ellie followed his lead, across from him. Y/N stayed standing. "I'd say we make a pretty good team." David followed up, and Ellie gave another scoff. "We got lucky." She answered, but was glad to still be alive. "Lucky? No... no such thing as luck." David said, and his tone seemed to change. Y/N picked up on this fact. "No, you see, I believe everything happens for a reason." David began, and Ellie rubbed her hands lightly. Y/N's eyes narrowed, his gut was telling him that something wasn't right. "Sure." Ellie retorted.
"I do, and I can prove it to you." David said, picking up a stick. "Now, this winter has been especially cruel. A few weeks back- I ah... sent a group of men out to a nearby town to look for food. Only a few came back." This story sounded way to familiar to Y/N. "They said that the others had been ah... slaughtered by a crazy man. And get this... he's a crazy man, traveling with a little girl, and boy." At this, David now pointed his stick towards Ellie. Y/N quickly drew his handgun, and heard footsteps outside the building. "You see? Everything happens for a reason." David concluded, and Ellie swiftly picked up his rifle, aiming it at David.
"Now don't get upset, it's not your fault. You two are just kids." He said, and at this moment James walked in with a raised gun. Y/N pressed the barrel of his own gun against the adult's temple. "I'd be careful where you point that." Y/N growled out, and David gave a sigh. "James, lower the gun." He spoke, and Ellie looked over to see the other situation going down. "No way, David! I can't let them go." James now spoke, and Y/N increased the pressure. "You don't have much a choice, James. Lower the gun." David spoke in a warning tone, and James did as he said. Y/N didn't budge. "The medicine." Y/N demanded, and David gave a sigh. "Give them the medicine." James seemed reluctant, digging it out and tossing it to Ellie, watching it hit the ground.
"The others won't be happy about this." James warned, and Y/N still had a weapon aimed at him. "You won't have to worry about that." He spoke in a threatening tone. "Yeah, well that's not your concern." David spoke to James, not having heard Y/N. Ellie, with her gun also on James, bent down and picked up the bag of medicine. "Move the Fuck out of the way." Ellie demanded, and Y/N let pressure go as James moved. Ellie backed out slowly, her gun still aimed at him. Ellie and Y/N both backed out, their guns raised. "I can protect you." David spoke, and his tone was genuine. "No thanks." Ellie spoke, and two got away.
***
Hey! Before we finish this chapter, here's a little teaser for the next book! And sorry this one came out so late.
There was the sound of crunching as heavy footsteps walked through the snow, light colored hair taken by the blizzard. An overly buff woman was trudging through the snow, and behind her was an unconscious body. "Damnit Owen, you're rubbing off on me." She grumbled, looking up to the oncoming storm.
~~
"Are you sure about this?"
Y/N looked out to a party out on the floor, specifically at two people who were dancing awfully close to each other. "I take it she's still mad at you?" An old voice spoke, and his eyes turned as Joel leaned on a table next to him. "I took everything from her, Joel. I'd be surprised if she ever forgave me." He said quietly, taking a drink of whatever was in his cup. "She still cares about you, I can tell that much."
"They took everything from me."
"What really happened out there?" Joel's hands stopped moving for a moment, putting the rag down as he looked at his brother. "I don't know, but something changed inside both of them..." Joel answered honestly, looking over at the sleeping forms of two teenagers. "I didn't think he had that in him."
"Do you think you'll really get there in time?"
"You sure nothing's wrong with him, doc?" Joel asked a second time, looking down at the file. "From what we can gather, he's perfectly healthy. He does show signs of Separation Anxiety, but that much is to be expected." The doctor explained, and Joel gave a sigh.
"I have to try."
A gunshot rang out, as heavy breathing watched a body hit floor. Shaky hands were all that could be seen, as he tried to tighten his grip on the gun. "I'm sorry..." he said quietly, hearing the door open behind him. Y/N steadied his hand, turning quickly and aiming at the door.
"I won't let you do this..."
"Ellie!" Y/N called, a bit older now as he caught her attention. As she looked over, he quickly raised a camera and took a surprise picture. "Y/N! What the hell, I wasn't ready!" Ellie complained, but she gave a small laugh. "Well, I think you look great no matter what..."
"Not alone."
"Its Me!" He shouted, being wrestled to the ground by people who were much stronger than he was. Silence filled the room, and the old man's face fell. "Don't..." He spoke softly, and the young adult held his breath for a moment. "Don't kill him... I'm the one who did it." Y/N continued, meeting the eyes of the assailant. "I'm the immune kid."