The Last Of Us is the squeal to Moments to Remember. The story is also based on the game The Last Of Us, but some of it is also made up by AllWolfXFox and Bloody-Red-Scar.
"Speech"
Thoughts
*Sounds*
FlashBacks
The Last Of Us
Chapter Six
"Just keep pushing forward." Jet stated to himself quietly, crouching near the wall at the top of the stars near the front entrance and stopped, looking down at the long ring banister going round, peering down spotting three soldiers down bellow.
"Target neutralized. She took out two of my men." A soldier said holding a hand to his ear. "Copy that. You, take out the door. You, with me."
"Yes sir!" Not a moment too soon, loud, repeating banging echoed underneath at the door.
"Oh my god." Renna whispered. "Keiko..." Jet's heart clenched, staring at Keiko sprawled out on the floor in a relaxed position in a red puddle shimmering around her body. Jet's face strained and crouched closer to the broken banister around the ring. Feeling his chest ache as he watched the red puddle grew slowly.
"Jet." A harsh whisper caught his attention. "We have to go." Renna urgently spoke. Jet reluctantly pulled away and made a run to the other side.
One last bang and the sound of doors braking open; "We're through!" Jet sprinted around the corner and spotted a hole in the wall leading to just a jump over to the building across. Leaping, Jet crashed onto the floor and felt his body go weak; realisation about Keiko just hit him like a pile of bricks. Shaking his head he pushed aside those feelings and walked over to the dead corpse across from him, picking up a new gun.
"Hallway clear!" A voice echoed. Jet cracked the gun open and slipped some bullets in and snapped it shut. Slowly, he walked behind a big couch, crouching behind it.
"Scout the perimeter! I want this place washed out!" A voice yelled. In the back of his mind, lines started to create a picture of Keiko's body in point view as if she was right in front of him. Jet felt all the hate and the tinkles of madness, letting it consume him.
Jet took the Hunting Rifle leaning it against the couch and aimed at the enemy in his sight.
A slow smile crept onto his lips... "Heh."
*BANG* First shot. The bullet went straight through the man's head. Jet grinned.
"Kill him!" One guy yelled. When one attempted to run up to him with a dagger, than man was almost three feet away, Jet grabbed the dagger and guided it into the man's neck, blood sprayed on impact.
While the advents transpired, Renna stayed where Jet had told her to and watch with horror printed on her face. Renna swallowed as the paths Jet went through turned into crimson red and made her stomach do flip flops. Renna then spotted a man making a sprint for Jet behind his back with a sword in hand. Shaking off her fear she ran to intervene.
"Watch out!" Renna yelled, punching a small fist of flame at the guy with the sword, instantly setting him on fire. Jet blinked dazed and whirled round on Renna.
"What the fuck Renna?!" Jet yelled, killing the last man that was on the floor. Jet expected very well that there is going to be more soldiers downstairs.
"What? I can help." Renna said simply.
Jet frowned for a moment and just simple said; "Just be careful," and jumped down through the broken stairwell, waiting for Renna.
"Where are you doing? Jet, how're we gonna get outta here?" Renna questioned.
"By blowing off those fuckers, tha's how." Jet hissed, rage still coursing through him. Jet shot a bullet to the ceiling and waited...
"Down the hall!" Someone called out and Jet grinned.
"Stay down, Renna." Jet ordered without looking back to see Renna's annoyed face and walked through the hallway. His shot gun in hand. His blood coursing through him as he steadied his gun on his shoulder and one eye closed.
He saw one near the boxes.
*BANG*
Then one behind a pillar.
*BANG*
He didn't stop once. When his shot gun ran out of bullets, he moved on to his hand gun and killed the rest of the soldiers off. His teeth biting at his bottom lip as he shot the last one; all his pain and misery went into it, watching the solider twitch before stilling.
Keiko... It didn't make the pain any better.
... Jet blinked with his mouth parted slight and sniffed; drawing his gun down slowly.
"Okay Renna... Yer' can come out now." Jet said out loud quietly, but he knew she would hear. Renna came out from the side and stared shocked, not knowing what to say. "Jus' keep moving." He said, but mostly to himself and walked out the back entrance. Jet scanned the area quickly, on the left side was barricaded with a bus and the other side, soldiers stood guard. Across the street was their only way out, a subway station going underground.
"Here, this way!" Jet yelled, sprinting across the street, gun shots firing over head as they entered subway and jumping over the half fallen stairs.
"They went down the subway!" A scream went from the outside.
"Run!" Jet yelled and sprinting deeper into the subway, and there, Spores appeared.
Well great. Jet thought, putting on the gas mask. Jet ran round the corner entering a large pale gold smoke cloud near a 'get off' point near a train wreck and Jet for a moment panic when Renna wasn't in sight.
"Get here." Renna whispered, pulling Jet behind a fallen soda machine. Before Jet could reply, two voices echoed from the other side of the train wreck.
"Just find them and shot the guy. We need the girl alive. I want to get out of this place. I don't want to get bitten by a goddamn Clicker." A gruff voice sated. Jet took a moment to glance Renna's way before his eyes widened. She wasn't wearing a mask on her face.
How the hell is she still alive?
"How tha' fuck do yer breath in this stuff?" Jet whispered.
"See? I wasn't lying to you." Renna said. Jet stared for a split second too long and rolled his eyes, focusing on the enemy. He grabbed a glass bottle from the floor gentle, jigging it in his hand a little and then throwing it opposite them.
*CRASH*
"What the fuck?!" Both of the soldiers turned their heads to the sound, cautiously walking to it. Jet took the chance and shot one soldier in the head and the other in the chest.
"Well, tha' was rather easy. Let's get tha' fuck out of this place." Renna nodded, standing up and lighting a flame in her hand. Jet grabbed her hand extinguishing the flame instantly. Jet's eyes were cold through the mask. "… Don't. Do. That. I have some terrible memorise with fire benders." Jet hissed. Renna rolled her eyes.
"Why? Did they burn down your eyebrows off?" Jet growled and turned away from her.
"Why does everyone have to point out my eyebrows?" Jet asked himself, earning a chuckle from Renna.
"They look weird." Renna answered and Jet sighed. Walking through the thickness of the gas spores, Jet climbed over the train and on the other side splashed straight into the water.
"Ah fuck." Jet cursed, the slick smelly water drenching his hair, barley able to touch the floor.
"You alright?!" Renna called out on the other side.
"I'm fine," He called back then muttering, "Jus' taking a dip. Can you find a way round?" Jet called.
"Uh- yeah! There's a small tunnel I can crawl through. I'll meet you round the other side." And her voice faded out.
"Yeah..." Jet said warily and took in a breath and submerged. Barley could see through the water, getting darker and darker as he continued on and then his chest tightened and rose to the surface.
*GASP*
"Jet!" Renna called out. Jet turned, spotting Renna on the edge of a tall wall behind him with the train in the background. Jet shifted his body in the water so his body turned to the light at the opposite end to the surface.
"Hang on. I'll get yer."
"Sure," She said. "Take your time." Jet swam over to a board floating on the water and started to push it back to where Renna was.
"Kay, get on." Jet ordered and Renna jumped down, splashing the water across his face.
"Sorry." She apologised and Jet glared none the less, swimming around to the bottom of the stairs to the light. When the board hit against the ledge Renna crawled onto it and Jet stepped up along with her. Jet took point and made a sprint for the light up the end and climbed the last bit of rumble.
Bright clean air.
Jet pulled his mask down and panted as he sat down on a stone near the exit, taking a moment to pull himself together.
"Hey, look, um..." Renna made her voice known. "About Keiko..." That was the last thing Jet wanted to think about. "I don't even know what to-"
"Here's how this thing's gonna play out." Jet interrupted. "Yer don't bring up Keiko - ever. Matter of fact, we can jus' keep our histories ta' ourselves." Renna looked down at her feet with her hands on her hips. "Secondly, don't tell anybody about your-" he summed, "condition. They'll either think ya' crazy or they'll try to kill yer. And lastly, you do what I say, when I say it." Renna eye rolled and looked down again. "We clear?"
"Sure." She nodded.
"Repeat it." Jet pushed.
Renna finally looked up; "What you say, goes." Jet stared at her for a little while and shook his head.
"Good," looking over his shoulder. "Now there's a town a few miles north of here. I am not tha' best mechanic but there're plenty of cars ta' try out;" Jet's eyes looked out the corner of them, behind him then straight ahead.
"Okay." She said.
"Let's get a move on."
The two made their way slowly through the street filled with broken down cars and dead bodies laying in or out of it. It wasn't a pretty sight to see but it was their world now.
"Hey, when we get there, can I chose what car we gonna take?" Renna asked Jet who just kept walking.
"No. We're gonna take a big car tha' can ran over a Clicker's." Jet said, turning around. Renna sighed and rolled her eyes in annoyance. She walked in front of Jet, lighting a small flame on her finger and playing with it; going from one hand to the other. As they walked Jet watched the flame dance around Renna's finger. Then something triggered his mind back to a place in his mind…
Jet stood on the porch near the front door watching his husband, beautiful in all his glory, on the floor in front of their little girl Honora, with a flame in his hand. Now, Jet knew that Zuko was a fire bender and in his nature, fire is his will. Jet could never deny that part of Zuko. But watching Zuko teaching it to his daughter was a different matter.
One day Honora hand begun to show signs that she might be a fire bender; heating things up with her hands, giving small bursts of flames whenever she ever had a tantrum, which was very rarely. So Zuko stated that he'll start to show Honora the basics of fire bending to her, as a self defence against enemies such as Fireflies, gangs or even Walkers and help her learn to control it.
But still, Jet just didn't feel right. He never did, and he doubt he'll ever will. He never liked fire benders or fire nation, but he still loved his husband and his daughter.
That'll never change.
"Look Mama!" Jet blinked and watch a small flame appear in her palm, which made Jet's chest ached. "I did it!" Then as soon as it came, it vanished. "AWE!" She pouted. Zuko laughed and rubbed the top of her head.
"It's okay, keep practising. It's all you can do for now." Zuko said and gave his daughter a hug.
… At least Jet hoped it'll never change.
"Hey! JET!" Jet jumped, staring at Renna who was in front of him. "You've been spaced out for five minutes. What gives?" Jet blinked few times, staring at Renna.
"It's nothing." Jet mumbled. Honora raised an eyebrow, shaking her head.
"I'm not that stupid. You're lying. Really, what's wrong? Is It about K-" Renna stopped talking, remembering that she wasn't allowed to talk about Keiko.
"I said that I'm fine. Move it!" Jet said a little too loudly, starting to walk away at a fast pace. Renna stood there startled for a moment, then a hint of frustration came over her and whirled round seeing Jet still walking away.
"Is it about that I'm a fire bender?!" Jet stopped, Renna inhaled and spoke, "Do you have something against my kind?... Does it remind you of someone who had passed away?" Renna tipped. Jet's heart arched in pain, 'passed away', memories flashed in front of his eyes. He still could see Zuko and his baby's blood covering his hands. Jet chocked back a sob and tried his best not to breakdown.
"It's none of your business," and walked on. Renna stiffened for a moment before curling fists to white. They continued to walk on for an hour till they came to a bend on the main road, near the cliff side of a forest.
"Now there we go..." Jet pointed out. Over the clearing and tree tops, a water gather near a middle size town, and the way to it was through the forest, which didn't look to far. "Yeah, it'll be faster to go through here." Jet climbed over the road railing, separating the road from the wilderness and jumped down, followed by Renna. Renna picked up faster than Jet and walked a little ahead.
"Man..." Renna awed, Jet's eyebrows frowned confused.
"Wha'?"
"Nothing. It's just..." Renna trailed off. "I've never seen anything like this, that's all." Renna admitted.
Jet cocked an eyebrow. "You mean the woods?"
"Yeah. Never walked through the woods. It's kinda cool."
I don't think she even knew what 'woods' were if I hadn't mentioned it. Jet thought.
*Growl*... They both halted on the spot.
"Clicker?" Renna whispered. Jet frowned, thinking of the noise. It didn't sound right. Didn't sound like a Clicker at all.
*GROWL* Jet's eyes widened, realisation.
"RUN!" Jet shouted. Renna panicked and did just that. Barking and more snapping growling noise multiplied and started to follow them, fast on their heels. Jet's eyes skipped behind him for a moment and regretted it instantly.
Five huge full grown Wolves were running at high speeds towards them; paws trailing into the ground, pushing past branches and splashing in puddles to catch up to them.
Jet turned and ran faster, seeing Renna just up ahead. Over the hill they just ran up was a metal gate that had diamond shaped wholes going around the town. Renna got their first to the gate and tried opening the gate.
"Damnit! It's locked!" Jet caught up and urgently looked around.
"Climb." He ordered. Jet slotted his foot through one of the holes and pulled himself up, ignoring the pinching pain in his figures as he tried to slot his fingers through the tight metal and climbed up. Reaching the top of the metal fence he lifted his arms up over them but was jerked back. Jet gripped tightly on the gate rim edge and looked down at one of the Wolves up on its hind legs, barley touching the ground, with its sharp yellow teeth sinking into the fabric of his trouser leg. Jet growled and kicked the Wolfs face with his other leg. Once, twice, it yelped in pain and fell to the floor. Jet pulled himself up quickly and didn't bother to take any care going back down and just fell over on the other side on his back.
Jet hissed in pain for a moment and was drawn back to the mad canines on the other side, prowling with heads low and growling, snapping at them. One came up to the gate and barked before sinking his teeth into the gate, failing to get through, and its white saliva leaking around the metal.
Jet panted and sighed. "Damn. That one had Rabies." Jet looked over to his right. "Yer okay?" Renna was shaking but held a small grin.
"Yeah, never got chased by a pack of wolves before, That's new." Jet sniggered and stood up painfully.
"Yeah well, having tha' same thing coming after yer gets kinda boring." Oh he wished he didn't say that.
*SCREECH!* *CLICK* *CLICK*
"Ah! Fuck." Jet cursed.
"You sure about that?" Renna tried to joke.
"Run!" Just enough time to glimpse back at five Clickers running after them now. Jet ran down the main street, legs still aching from the sprint with the wolves and a almost limp. Renna ran up ahead and spotted a garage.
"Hey! In here!" Renna yelled. Jet followed and made to find a switch to close the garage door. Renna spotted a red switch and flicked it, just in time to hear the Clickers' run into the garage door on the other side. Renna leaned down on her knee caps and panted; "Well, that was... fun." She summed up. Jet glared annoyed over at her and just scoffed.
"Yeah, fun." He mimicked with sarcasm lacing his words and turned on his heel into the main part of the house. "While were here we might as well loot tha' place." Jet said and went into the kitchen, grapping some medical kits and some flue.
"Hey Jet." Renna called out. Jet came in and spotted a piece of paper in her hand, taking it to read.
Rachel, solders are going door to door forcing people onto buses. I hear yelling's a couple of buildings sown - Time's running out. I tried calling, waiting, I don't know what to do, but I can't wait anymore. I've thrown most of our stuff into a couple of suitcases. I'll be waiting for you in the Quarantine Zone. Come fine me.
I'll see you soon!
~ Ezra.
"You think they ever found each other?" Renna asked. Jet bit his lip and threw the note back on the small table.
"Well how tha' hell should I know?"
"Well, I'd like to think they did."
Jet eye rolled; Figures.
"Come on, yer can like to think that later," making his way out the back entrance into a small in closing. In front was a lorry truck on its side blocking the right side out and to the left a rusty gate leading down somewhere. Renna took notice of the only option out and went for the rusty gate before Jet stopped her. "Look at that." He nodded to the side of the rusty door. Jet grabbed a brick from the floor and threw at the small tine can next to it.
*BOOM*
"Oh shit. Those things are kinda awesome." Renna praised.
Jet scoffed; "That's one way to do it." Jet entered through the gate, picking up the brick just in case and spotted another one but on the floor.
*BOOM*
The area blew up and the chair next to it exploded into flames. Jet walked past turning right into a very small room. Jet pushed the door open and heard something strain, chains moving and a small click. Jet blinked forward seeing a fridge move in the air attached to a rope then over a bar up high, down to his foot. Staring straight ahead of himself he uttered two things.
"Oh, shit." Next thing Jet knew was his body being dragged along the floor roughly and hoisted into the air, already starting to fill the blood rush to his head. Jet cursed as he swung.
"Jet! You okay?" Renna came into view upside down.
"I'm fine." He bit.
"What the heck was that?"
"It's another one of those stupid traps!" He yelled. Jet shifted his head round. They looked to be in an old mechanic work shop. The building at least three stories high, more like a great big hall. The Jet spotted the fridge half a foot in the air.
"There! Tha' fridge looks its tha' counter weight!" Jet yelled, pointing. Renna nodded her head, understanding what to do. She ran over and climbed on the top the fridge, starting to cut with a dagger knife at the rope that was keeping Jet up. Then, a loud scream went through the building.
"Shit!" Jet cursed, taking out a gun. Jet saw the fridge had tilled on its side, no longer up right and Renna sprawled out on the floor before getting up, and no Jet a little higher with the rope still attached to his ankle.
He needed to get rid of these infected fast.
At first, one Runner came through the large open entrance. Jet shot it in the shoulder, missing it by his swinging in the air and the second went straight into its head. Another came in after that, and it just seemed to never end.
*Click* *Click*
Jet stared down his gun.
Well shit, perfect timing to be out of ammo. While Jet was cursing about his gun being empty; Renna was getting over run by Clickers and Runners. The fridge had tipped on its side so now Renna was sprinting around the work shop with mad infected after her.
"Keep running!" Jet yelled.
"I can't keep this up forever you know!" Renna panicked. Renna was getting tired and she was slowing down. Renna gasped when she felt a hand on her arm and tug her harshly. Renna turned around to see a Clicker trying to bit her.
*BANG!*
The Clicker screeched and fell to the ground withering before stilling. All the other Clickers and Runners paused and whipped their heads up. Jet wiggled, still tied up to the rope and stared above one of the higher platform. Shoots were being fired. In a moment of confusion Renna ran to the titled over fridge and continued to cut the rope. Shoots repeated over till every Runner and Clicker was down and dead.
All of a sudden Jet fell, hard.
"AH!" Jet shouted, pain shaking up his spine and in his head. Jet curled up into a ball on the side and felt touches along his arm.
"Jet! You okay?" Renna asked. Jet mumbled and nodded, getting to his feet. Foot steps' echoed the
quite work shop and the small door opened with a female person walking in with a hand gun in her hand. Renna smiled and made her way over to the person with a hand out.
"Thanks." Renna said and was cut of short when the person grabbed her hand, turning her around, pinning her to her body and pointing a gun at her head. Jet made a way to grab one of the swords on his back but the person sent a glare his way and clicked back the safety on the gun.
"Take another step and this one gets' it in the head!" The female warned with a snap. Jet stood frustrated in his trapped position, taking in her appearance.
Her scruffy brown that came out and down around an inch long, she had a black bag with two shot guns on each side, which Jet would die for to have! Twin twenty-four inch swords strapped to each side of her legs. Her clothes were all black, tank top, baggy ripped trousers, and a black bandana. Her face features were soft and rounded but they held a sharper tone to it, almost scary.
In short; an all out bad-ass.
"Release her!" Jet yelled.
"Hell no! This is my town! You set foot in it, you're gonna get it! You set off all my fucking traps you bastard! Do you know how long it took me to do all that? No!" The mystery women yelled.
*RAWW*
"Shit." Jet cursed. Renna elbowed the women in the stomach and made a run to Jet.
"UGH!" The women gasped, and then heard the roar to. "Oh fuck it!"She yelled and ran in the opposite direction. Jet looked between the two options. Strange, crazy women. Or mad eating pack of Runners and Clickers?
Jet grabbed Renna and followed the women hot on her heels.
The women ran through an alley and down a flight of before reaching the bottom to a door, slamming it shut. Jet reached it a shook the door handle.
"Hey! Let us in!" Jet yelled.
"Piss off!" Was the reply.
"Please!" Renna begged and saw a Runner at the top of the stairs. "Jet!" Renna screamed. Jet turned and saw the Runner making a leap towards them. The door opened behind them and someone pulled them in. Jet fell to the floor, the door slammed with violent noises outside. Jet laid on the floor and looked over to Renna who was just getting up. The women quickly used the end of the shot gun handle and knocked Renna in the back of the head with it. Jet growled and went to reach for a sword and his figures touched nothing. Jet's eyes widened and felt the pressure unholy mercy under the women's gaze.
"Lights out."
*BAM*
Word Count: 4,239
To Be Continued...
Next time -
One last bang and the sound of doors braking open; "We're through!"
-
"Stay down, Renna." Jet ordered without looking back and walked through the hall. His shot gun in hand. His blood coursing through him as he steadied his gun on his shoulder and one eye closed.
-
"Wha'? No! I don't wanna play some stupid board game." Jet crossed his arms over his chest.
"What?" Zuko challenged with a smirk. "Scared?"
"Ugh, no." He turned his nose up.
-
"Get ready to haul ass. C'mon!" Jet yelled.