So, I've had this nagging idea for a TLOU story, and I figured i may as well write it. Hopefully you guys like this.

How the hell did this keep happening?

I feel the impact as I crash into the ground, the sharp sting as my skin scrapes against the concrete. I could hear the Todds laughing as I skid to a stop, cracking those god awful jokes that they still thought were funny.

"Fuck," I mutter, pressing a hand to my nose only to pull it away. That prick had broken my damn nose again.

A hand rolls me over onto my back, and the boot of the larger Todd stomped onto my stomach. I cough, spitting out a bit of blood into the air. The drops rise before arcing and raining onto my face.

"You gonna stay down this time?" The larger Todd barks, splattering foul smelling saliva on my face. "I'd be happy to break more than your nose."

I raise my head, groaning as I try to get closer. The taste of blood was already filling my mouth.

"What's that?" He asks mockingly. He leans in closer, sending his shit smelling breath into my face. I knew what would be the smartest thing to do. I should just apologise, grab my bag, and get back before this got worse. We could always get more ration cards and I could always find Sky another stuffed bear.

"Go fuck yourself,"

I gather the blood in my mouth and spit, painting Todd's face with a dark red splatter.

"You little fuck!" He screeches, stepping off of me as he wipes the blood from his eyes. I sit up, struggling to rise to my feet.

"Leroy, gut this piece of shit."

A skinny kid steps out from behind the larger Todd, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a thin knife.

"Hey, asswipe!"

Leroy turns towards the voice just as a glass bottle hits him, knocking him onto his back and shattering on the ground. A thin trail of blood drips from his forehead.

Looking back where the bottle had come from, I see Milo running towards us, his stringy brown hair flying in every direction with each stride.

"Bout time you showed up," I chide, wiping a bit of blood from my lip.

"I believe in being fashionably late," He jokes stopping just short of shoulder clocking me. "So what's the deal? Tweedle-Dumb and Tweedle-Ass nab our ration cards?"
"Something like that."

"I'm outta here," The smaller Todd announces, backing away with his arms raised. He turns and runs before the tall one can grab him.

"You little pussy!" The other Todd shouts as his partner rounds the corner, "When I get back I'ma stomp your ass you chicken-"

A loud crash silences Todd, sending bits of glass everywhere and Todd to the ground.

"Well," Milo says looks at me with disappointment, dropping the broken bottle neck. "That was anti climatic."

"Yeah," I agree, kneeling down and searching Todd's jacket pockets. "Guess we just gotta distract him next time, the fucker goes down easy enough."

I pull out a small stuffed bear and a banded stack of green papers, thumbing through them for a rough count. Looks like he didn't buy anything after he took them.

"It's all here," I note, "And about a dozen extra."

"What's that put us at, thirty two?"

"Forty three, learn to count."

"Fuck you."

I stand and dust off the bits of gravel and broken glass. Looking over the alley, and the two unconscious bodies occupying it, I turn to leave through the side door. The nearest checkpoint was just a few blocks away, if Todd was still the slimy fuck he'd been for the past couple years, he'd probably have a couple soldiers down here within the next couple minutes. We needed to move.

Picking up my bag, I tap Milo on the arm and enter the building. The dirty, musty smell that had filled most of the buildings in Chicago for the past twenty years still remained. Still, I'd take it over spores any day.

The two of us head up to the fourth floor, climbing the stairs as quick as we could manage and hoping the ladder would still be there. It was. After clumsily shambling across the rusted bridge, Milo and I took a seat and sucked in a breath of the cool, October air.

"Looks like Todd got you pretty good," Milo remarks, gesturing at my nose. He swings his bag around to his lap and unzips it, reaching in and pulling out a bottle of vodka and a clean rag.

"Little early to be drinking, don't you think?"

"It's not for me, it's for your dumbass."

He presses the rag against the lip of the bottle and turns it over before passing the damp rag to me.

"Thanks," I mutter. I wipe down the cut on my cheek, hissing as the alcohol cleans the wound.

"Would've thought you'd be used to that by now." Milo remarks,

"Fuck you, it's not like I get into fights everyday.

"Debateable."

I flip Milo off with my free hand as I clean the wounds and wipe the blood from my face.

"Got any bandages?"

"Nah, I left 'em with Cat,"

"So you just up and left her and Sky?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"It was her orders," He defends, "I believe her words were: "If something happens to him, I'll plant my boot so far up your ass you'll taste rubber."

I laugh at his impression of Cat, almost forgetting the pain I was in.

"Besides, someone had to save your ass."

"Yeah, well maybe you could've arrived sooner, then I wouldn't have a fucked up nose."

"At least it matches the rest of your face now."

"You know, a fall from this height probably won't kill you."

"Ha ha, funny guy."

I stand and pass the rag back to Milo. He stuffs it back into his bag, zipping it and swinging it back around onto his shoulder. He nods, and we return to our walking. It didn't take long before we arrived at our building. Unfortunately, the sun had already begun to sink. Curfew would be called in a few minutes.

"Let's go," I urge, tapping Milo's shoulder as I drop onto the fire escape. I lift the window and climb through, leaving Milo to shut it behind him. Turning onto the staircase, we made our way to the fifth floor, stopping outside a chained door.

"Got the key?" I ask. Milo digs into his pocket and fishes out a copper colored key. I take it and insert it into the padlock, turning it and popping the shackle off. Pulling the chain from the door, I bang on it several times.

"Open up!" I shout. A few seconds pass before I hear the metallic jingle of the chain on the other side. The door pops open and Cat pops her head out from behind it. Her smile fades as she notices my nose and the cuts on my face.

"God dammit, Sam." She chides, "What'd you do this time?"

"Don't look at me," I answer, passing through the doorway, "Todd and I simply had a bit of a disagreement."

"Jesus," She mutters, walking over to the tarp as she ties her dark orange hair back. She opens the metal tool box and pulls out a needle and thread along with some bandages and disinfectant.

"Just sit over there or something," She orders, gesturing her head towards the cooler as she wipes her hands down with an alcohol pad. I drop my bag and sit without any hesitation. I knew better than to argue with her when she was like this. She walks over to me with her things and kneels in front of me, grabbing my face with one and and turning it for inspection.

"So what's the prognosis, doc?" I ask,

"Shut it," She snaps back, not taking her eyes of the cuts. She lets go of my face and sighs.

"Deep breath," She warns. Her fingers squeeze my nose before I have a chance to react and snaps the bone and cartilage back into place.

"Mother fucker!" I shout, pulling back and cupping my nose. "What the fuck, Cat?"

"Sorry," She laughs, "I figured you'd want it done quick."

"Jesus Christ, that fucking hurt."

I can hear Milo laughing over by the tarp.

"Shit, dude," He manages, "I heard that all the way over here."

"I'll throw you off this fuckin roof," I shout back.

"Don't be a girl," Cat teases, "The hard part's over. Now it's time for the fun part."

Cat rips open another alcohol packet and wipes down the cut on my cheek. The sting wasn't as bad as before, but I knew what was coming. I grit my teeth as she pushes the needle through my skin, looping it and pulling the skin together with each stitch. It hurt like hell, but I couldn't say it wasn't a fair trade. A few stitches for another couple days of easy living? Sign me the fuck up for that.

"Done," Cat announces, smoothing the final bandage over the fresh sutures. She stands and walks back to the tarp, placing her supplies back into the tool box. Even all the way over there, I could see her looking back and smirking. I return the smile and lean back.

"Bubby!"

I shoot up and turn to see Sky running towards me. I smile and stand from the box, kneeling down and holding my arms out. She rams into me, knocking me onto my ass and wrapping her short little arms around me as tight as she could manage.

"Hey, Baby Sis," I greet, planting a kiss on her head. Her hair was still damp from her nap, she must've just woken up.

"I missed you so much, where'd you go?" She asks, jumping excitedly. Her curly brown hair bounces on her shoulders with each hop.

"I just went out," I answer, "I had to go get some things."

Skylar notices my cheek and frowns.

"Bubby, did you get in a fight again?"

"I just had a disagreement with Todd, it's nothing, Sky."

Sky presses her hands against her hips and I struggle to stifle a laugh. She looked so much like Mom when she did that.

"You shouldn't fight, I don't like it when you get hurt."

"I'm not hurt," I lie, leaning forward and giving Sky another hug. "And I wasn't fighting."

"Oh yeah," Cat hollers in fake agreeance, "And Milo doesn't steal my whiskey."

"I heard that," Milo shouts from his corner, "That is a lie, and I am innocent."

"I caught you with the bottle, Milo." Cat shouts back.

"That was planted evidence, you have no proof I put that there."

"Anyway," I continue, ignoring Cat and Milo as their argument begins to escalate. "Here, I wanna show you something." I turn and grab my bag, dragging it between us. I unbuckle the flap and open it, reaching inside until my fingers brush against something soft. I grab it tight, and pull out the stuffed bear. Sky's eyes widen as I hold it out for her to take.

"Happy Birthday, Oobie."

Sky grabs the bear and hugs it tight, swaying as she presses the soft, artificial fur against her face. She looks up and onto me, wrapping her arms around my neck in a stranglehold of a hug.

"Thank you, Bubby. Thank you so so so much!"

"It's no problem," I wheeze, "It's not every day you turn seven."

She squeezes once and lets go of my hand, running over to Cat to show off her new bear. She smiles and kneels down to her level, probably telling her how cool her new teddy was. She kneels down and laughs as Sky rambles. She glances over and shoots me a quick smile. I give a simple wave and turn, heading over to the edge of the roof. I lean against the barrier, staring out over the safe zone and the ruined city beyond it. The wind blows gently as I observe the toppled buildings. I hadn't been born yet when the outbreaks started two decades ago, but I remember my Mom telling me about how people would sit in those buildings, typing away on computers for hours on end. She told me how the streets would be filled with people at all hours of the day, walking to and from their destinations as they texted on their phones. It must've been nice, not to have to worry about where your next meal was gonna come from. I sigh, pushing the thought out of my head. It was no use being bitter, we just had to make due.

"Attention," A voice echoes from the streets below, "Curfew is now in full effect. Those outside without proper authorization will be arrested and tried."

I back away from the ledge and turn, walking back towards the tarp. Milo already had a fire going and sausages grilling on an iron rack. I take my seat between Cat and Sky, leaning against the wall our makeshift tent had been built off of. Sky lays to the side, resting her head on my leg. I twirl my fingers in her hair, undoing and knots or tangles that might be present. I'd need to find her a new brush soon.

"So where are we on supplies?" Cat asks. Milo sits up, pulling his sausage off of the fire and taking a bite.

"We've got enough food and water to last a week," He says between chews. "Those ration cards Sam took back from the Todd's should last us for another month or so."

I listen as I spear the sausage with a metal stake and take a bite. It wasn't anything special, just mystery meat shaped into a link, but it was food.

"That's good," Cat says, taking a bite. "Did you hear about what happened in the town square last week?"

"Some kind of riot, right?" I ask.

"Fireflies."

"No kidding,"

'Yeah," Milo agrees, "I heard that from Emile, she said they got some soldiers rounded up in and shot em, execution style."

"I'm not liking how things are going," He continues, "The soldiers are getting more and more forceful, and that's only causing problems."

"Yeah," I mutter. "Pretty soon there's gonna be fighting in the streets."

"What are we gonna do?" Cat asks. She glances at Skyler, and I understand what she really means. Sky was as much a sister to her as she was to me. Hell, as far as I was concerned, We were all a family.

"If push comes to shove, we can always ditch this place and set up somewhere else."

Cat and I stare at Milo. Was he crazy?

"What are you talking about?" Cat asks, "We can't leave, the soldiers would be on us before we stepped outside the walls."

"There's the tunnel," Milo reasons, swallowing the last bit of his food.

"The tunnel that's probably filled with spores and clickers." I rebuke, "We'd need gas masks and filters before we even consider going in there. I'm not risking Sky like that."

"It's just a suggestion," Milo defends, "I'm not saying we pack up and leave tonight. We just shouldn't rule anything out, that's all."

"Milo might actually have a point," Cat says,

"What?"

"Think about it, if things get too dangerous, it's not like we could just stay here. Besides, there's other places we could go. Places without soldiers or Clickers."

I pause and consider it. It would be risky, no doubt about that, but if things got out of hand then I wouldn't be able to keep Sky here. I look down at my baby sister. Seven years I'd been taking care of her. A ten year old carrying a newborn with him everywhere, It wasn't easy, but I sucked it up. I loved Sky, and Cat and Milo did too. I knew full well they wouldn't suggest something like this if it would put her in danger.

"Alright," I sigh. "Let's keep an eye on things in the safe zone, and we'll start packing things up. If shit gets any worse here, we leave. Sound good?"

"Yup," They answer in unison. I look down at Sky and poke her cheek. She stirs and opens her eyes.

"Hey, Sis," I say sweetly, "Hungry?"

She shakes her head.

"Uh-uh, Catty gave me some beans before guys got here."

I shoot a look at Cat, who stares at Skylar with a betrayed look.

"Hey, that was supposed to be our secret."

The fire crackled as I stared up at the sky. Sky lay on her mat to my right, wrapped in her favorite blanket and holding tightly onto her bear. On the opposite end of the fire, I could hear Milo, snoring loudly.

"Do you really think we should go?" Cat asks, leaning on my shoulder.

"Maybe," I answer, "I dunno, It's a tough call to make. If things here don't start settling down, I don't wanna keep Sky here."

Cat sighs,

"I guess you're right. We'd still need to prepare."

"Tell me about it, I'm gonna go see Rafa tomorrow."

"Want us to come with?" She asks. I shrug.

"Not really, I'd prefer to just get in and out. The Todd's are probably gonna be on the lookout for the next couple days, and I don't want you guys caught in the middle if they catch me out there."

I lean back, letting my head sink onto the pillow.

"You think you can manage if they find you?"

"I'm sure I'll think of something," I chuckle.

Satisfied, Cat lays down on her sleeping bag. I take a breath, continuing to stare into the stars as the embers rise into the sky.

Hey guys, thanks for reading. How'd you like the chapter? Think it's got potential? Go ahead and tell me what you think in the reviews. Please favorite, take care of yourselves, and I will see you guys next time.