Chapter 1.
The battered, aged car was coated in rust and sat uselessly in a small clearing. It lay in full complement to the decrepit, abandoned, chateau that dominated the landscape, large and imposing, yet riddled with small holes, held up with worn, aged wood, and with a thick layer of ivy dominating its veneer.
"Hey look Sully, your first car!"
Nathan Drake's characteristic quip elicited exaggerated sighs from the other three members of his party.
"Watch it, Nate" Victor Sullivan threatened. "I don't think we need a 55-year old man beating your ass right now" he smirked.
"Think we could move this along a bit?" enquired Chloe Frazer, Drake's old flame.
The final member of their group, Charlie Cutter, spoke up in his distinct London accent, similar to Chloe's light Australian one, but contrasting with the thick American of Nate and Sully.
"Well, if we'd split up into pairs as I suggested, then we could have gone to France and Syria at the same time".
"Awh, did you just want a bit of alone time with me, Charlie?" Chloe teased.
"It just seemed to make more sense to split up and take on both at once" Cutter protested.
"Well, there's safety in numbers..." pointed out Drake.
"...And at my age, I'm all for safety" finished Sully with a grin.
"Do we really need safety in numbers with all these guns?" questioned Cutter.
Drake paused and seemed to notice for the first time how heavily armed the quartet actually was. He himself carried a pistol and a shotgun in the holsters that rested across his broad shoulders, while Chloe held a machine gun loosely by her waist.
Sully clutched a sniper rifle in his more than capable hands and the pistol tucked into his waistband was betrayed by a distinctive bulge in his customary button-up shirt. Cutter was last, holding only a pistol, as his preference was hand-to-hand combat due to his strength.
"It's good to be prepared" said Nate.
The group finally reached the chateau, only to realise that there were no possible entrances in sight.
"Okay everyone, let's split up, find a way in, and meet up at the tower" suggested Nate.
"So much for bloody safety in numbers" muttered Cutter as he and Drake walked left along the chateau's perimeter, mirrored by Sully and Chloe on the right.
"Let's just hope we can find it and get out of here before Talbot and Marlowe find us" Charlie added.
A smouldering cigarette butt hit the carpeted floor inches away from where Joel crouched hidden behind a desk. The scavenger who had discarded it stood obliviously beside the desk, facing away and completely ignorant of Joel's presence. The only thing that prevented Joel from apprehending him was the other scavenger across the room.
Joel signalled Ellie, who was hidden on the other side of the room in close proximity to the second man. After a brief exchange of charades, Ellie crept obligingly out of her hiding place as Joel prepared himself to pounce.
Ellie drew her knife as she vaulted a table and sprung at the nearby scavenger. Joel immediately emerged from behind the desk and wrapped an arm around the smoker, whose comrade watched wide-eyed. Before he could call for help, Ellie landed on him knife-first. The fifteen-year-old had as much strength and as much tolerance of gore than any adult, and by the time Joel's choke-hold had incapacitated the smoker, she had stabbed her own victim to death.
Joel absentmindedly brushed himself down as Ellie wiped her blade clean.
"Nice job" he grunted in his Texan accent. "Now let's go get our stuff back. I've had that bag o' guns and supplies for years and I ain't gonna let a bunch o' small-time thugs take away everythin' I have in this world."
"I think we're getting close" announced Drake as he and Cutter entered a large grounds area. It was dotted with numerous propane tanks and several short, crumbling walls as well as featuring a small tower with three floors which was far shorter than the one they were seeking. Had they attempted to enter the tower, they would have noticed the wooden interior stairs had long since been worn away, resulting in a heap of debris at its ground floor. The area was bordered by high walls on three sides. On the fourth side was a raised, tiled platform that ran parallel to a wall of the chateau.
The pair rested briefly on the rim of a large well.
"Wouldn't want to fall down there" commented Cutter, peering into the wide and seemingly bottomless shaft. Nate opened his mouth to reply, but was pre-empted by a minute chittering noise.
A small green creature the size of a chicken approached them slowly, and cautiously. Unbeknownst to the two of them, the animal was of a long-extinct species known as compsognathus, a creature that lived in the late Jurassic period, and whose presence in 21st century France was entirely unjustified.
As if that wasn't baffling enough, a slightly larger creature sprung from the underbrush, snapping the smaller animal up in its mouth. This animal should also have been extinct, but its name was much easier to pronounce: velociraptor.
Both men recognised this one from its popular representation in media. Bipedal, feathered, and equipped with sharp, curved claws on their hindlegs- velociraptors were incredibly fast, incredibly ruthless, and incredibly fatal.
The animal regarded them quizzically, as though surprised to see them there. Despite being significantly smaller than the two men, it didn't seem the least bit frightened of them as it bobbed its head in contemplation. Quite the contrary- the raptor was a terrifying beast, and for good reason.
It jerked its head abruptly and snarled. Its legs bent to their full extent, before launching the animal at Cutter. It flew towards him, sunlight glinting from its claws, saliva filling its mouth, death in its eyes-
BANG!
The sound of a sniper discharge echoed through the area and blood spurted from the raptor's leg, causing it to miss Cutter and plummet down straight into the well.
Looking up in astonishment, the pair spotted Sully up on the roof of the chateau, sniper in hand.
"What're you waiting for?" he yelled. "Get outta there!"
Chloe appeared behind him, clutching her machine gun. "Go, you idiots! Run!"
It was too late; all across the area, velociraptors began pouring in, all of them making a beeline for the two tasty morsels idiotic enough to disturb the large nest of raptors that occupied the grounds. Nate and Cutter looked at each other and the final shred of calm dissipated.
They ran.