A/N: Thank you to all who have reviewed and read so far! I really appreciate the kind words and critiques! Please continue to help me better my writing! I know I forgot to mention this, but I do not own The Last of Us. I own only Aaron, Taylor, and the rest of my OC's listed on my profile. Enjoy!


The first thing I was aware of was voices. Well, one voice. The second was my pounding head. The third was the sweet scent of hay in my nostrils and warmth enveloping me. I focused with difficulty on the voice through the fog in my mind, where each beat of my heart sounded like cannon fire in my ears, leaving only more smoke to cloud my thought process. I kept my eyes closed, tuning in like Taylor used to tune the radio to communicate with Fireflies in other Quarantine Zones.

All I heard was indistinct, female humming. She was young, I determined from her high-pitched alto. She was absently trying (and failing) to imitate an electric guitar, and I heard shuffling of feet accompanying her off-key rock song. If I listened hard enough, I could hear her breathing. No other voices came to my ears, my so I decided we were alone. It was safe to open my eyes.

A shaft of dusty sunlight hit my retinas straight-on, and I let out a weak groan as my headache worsened. I rubbed the burning sensation and sleep from my eyes as I propped myself up on my elbow. A threadbare, gray blanket fell away from my shoulders as I glanced around for the owner of the voice.

A bobbing head of red hair surfaced over the flank of my copper horse, and I found it amusing that it was the same shade as my horse's mane. I didn't know why, but it made me crack a smirk. Then it disappeared as a sense of panic gnawed at my growling stomach.

"What're you doing to my horse?" I demanded as fiercely as one recovering from hypothermia could. It sounded more like a series of noisy coughs. My throat was as rough as Taylor's voice and dryer than the stale hay beneath me.

The girl popped her head up, alert and stiff as a meerkat. Her eyes met mine, and they were the colour of the pine trees I fell asleep to watching rush by in a blur outside my car window. Her pink lips curled up into a sneer as she retorted, "I'm just brushing your horse, dumbass. No need to fucking yell at me."

I let out a snort, crossing my aching legs underneath me. I let the dizzy spell pass before I ducked my head. I didn't realize I was being so loud. "Sorry…I didn't mean to." I lifted my gaze again, and this time the girl didn't look mad at me. I knew when someone else had the authority, even if it was someone younger than me. I had been beat into submission enough times by my father to know not to disobey authority, no matter who had it.

"Hey, haven't I seen you before? You look familiar." The redhead narrowed her eyes at me, stepping out from behind the horse and putting the brush on the rotted piece of wood that constituted one side of a low stall. We were definitely in a barn.

"I've seen you before, too. Your name's Ellie. You used to hang out with Riley, didn't you?" I said, biting my lip as I caught her wince. Riley must be a sensitive subject. For some reason it didn't feel right to brand myself as Marlene's son. From the gleam in her eyes, I could tell she didn't know about her death yet. She didn't have that same dimness in her eyes that I did.

"Yeah…not anymore. You used to run with Tino's gang. You were the pan-the quiet guy." Ellie corrected herself, but not fast enough that I didn't notice. Pansy. I mentally finished for her. We were all friends with Riley, but I was never exactly the sociable one. In fact, I was the group's punching bag, despite where I came from. Being Marlene's son wasn't a good thing around Non-Fireflies. Riley was a Firefly for a short time, but then she wasn't. Mom never told me what happened to her, and I never asked. She was more Tino's friend, not mine.

"Yeah, Aaron the Quiet Guy. That would be me. Reserved to the point of being antisocial." I snickered a little at that last one, and Ellie joined in. "If I remember correctly, you were kinda quiet around us, too. I mean you talked to us, but…" I trailed off as another dizzy spell made my head spin.

Ellie scuffed the hay-covered floor with the heel of her worn-out sneaker. "Riley did most of the talking…"

I shook my head, chuckling a little. "On the contrary, I've heard you make obscenities that would put Robert and his cronies to shame."

Ellie arched an eyebrow, stretching the line of a healed scar that cleaved it in two. "Who's Robert?" Her small smile indicated to me that she appreciated the compliment, though.

"Oh, he's…he was just some smuggler my mom knew. He's dead now." I mumbled. It still hurt to mention Mom.

"Wait…if you're out here, then shouldn't we have seen Marlene by now? Why were you running away from Hunters with that old guy?" Damn, she remembered who my mother was. I didn't want to tell her she was dead and that I was out to kill Joel because of it, but then again there wasn't a reason I shouldn't tell her. Marlene was closer to her heart than mine. She deserved to know. At least about her surrogate mother's death, anyway.

I opened my mouth to answer, but then the barn door creaked open. Sunlight poured through the new opening, revealing more dust dancing in the still air. The refreshing smell of damp earth and new life wafted in with the extra light, carrying in birdsong with it. Taylor stepped in, followed closely by a black-haired, grizzly-looking man I could only assume was Joel. Fury burned inside me as it had that night when I vowed I would kill my mother's murderer. I threw an accusatory glare at Taylor, silently asking him why he hadn't killed the man behind him yet.

Taylor returned it with that look he gave me whenever I was being impatient. He continued with his conversation with Joel like nothing had passed between us. "Thanks again for taking us in, Joel. I know Aaron appreciates it, right boy?" His clipped, yet still casual, tone made me nod grudgingly in agreement. I suppose I owed my life to Joel and Ellie, and it just made me loathe them more.

I wondered if Joel knew I was Marlene's son. Or that Taylor was her right-hand man. If he did, I probably wouldn't be alive right now. I decided to keep it that way, for now. I just hoped Ellie wouldn't blab it to him and make him shoot me in the head. I was torn from my reverie as said girl placed a water bottle in front of me. "Thanks." I muttered tersely, taking a few gulps to soothe my dry throat.

A crease formed between Ellie's red eyebrows at my sudden iciness, but said nothing as she took a seat on the opposite side of the ring of chipped bricks with nothing but ashes in it. Joel sat down beside her, and I forced myself not to look at him. If I did, I wouldn't be able to hold myself back. This wasn't the right time, not when I wasn't at full strength and unarmed. Still, I bristled, keeping my glare on the dead embers.

"So Aaron, Ellie tells me you were friends back in Boston. How'd you end up here?" I could sense the suspicion in Joel's gravelly tone, like he wanted a second opinion on the story Taylor probably told him. I had no idea what he told him, so I looked to him for help.

"As I said last night, we're from Blackfoot. We came here looking for supplies, but then those Hunters back there jumped us." Taylor provided for me, and I silently thanked him for the lead.

"Yeah," I continued seamlessly, the lie flowing smoothly from my lips, "Our car broke down and we escaped with these horses. How'd you guys end up here?" I preferred to avoid the question of Boston until I came up with something that wouldn't get me shot at point blank.

Joel chuckled at something before he spoke, but it was the kind that accompanied an unwelcome memory. "Bastards shot the gas tank of our car, and we pulled over here. Then that storm came in, and you guys showed up. I guess now that you're awake, we can get moving again." He said as I watched him dig dirt from underneath his fingernails. I resisted the urge to grind my teeth. I didn't want to hear his voice, I only wanted to see his blood. As if sensing my roiling anger, Taylor placed a can of pineapples in front of me to distract me. Or maybe he did it because he heard my stomach complaining? I didn't care. I nibbled on the sweet fruit, throwing him a grateful glance.

I ate while Taylor and Joel saddled up the horses. My headache subsided by then, and I wobbled only slightly as I stood up. I saw Ellie eyeing my horse, inspecting it like she thought it was a new, unknown species, or something.

"I think I'll name you…Callus the Second. Yep. Callus II it is." Ellie decided, flipping the reins over the horse's head. I gave her a quizzical look, and I saw Joel roll his eyes as he led Taylor's horse to the barn door. He said nothing, so I decided not to question Ellie's choice of horse names, either. Though curiosity gnawed at me, I opted for the safer option of not asking how the first Callus died. I strode out into the full sunshine, feeling the warmth envelop me like the blanket. Taylor tossed me my pack, and I put my arms through the straps as he checked his horse's cinch before mounting. I clambered on behind him as Ellie mounted behind Joel.

"Where are we going?" I asked as if I didn't know.

Joel shot me a confused glance. "Who says you're coming with us?" The lines on his face deepened as he said it, and I judged he was Taylor's age, if not older.

"I don't know," I remarked sarcastically, "we're going in the same direction, at the same pace, at the same time."

Joel glanced over his shoulder as Ellie whispered something to him. I was too far away to hear it, but I eventually heard a defeated sigh come from the black-haired man. In the sunlight, I noticed wisps of gray around his ears.

"Fine. I guess you can come along. But wouldn't you rather go back to Blackfoot? You never told us how you ended up there if you came all the way from Boston." That suspicion was back in Joel's voice, and I wracked my mind for a cover-up.

"We defected from the Fireflies in Salt Lake City a few months ago. Couldn't stand those self-righteous, delusional assholes anymore. Plus, Blackfoot's not…inhabitable anymore. Too few of us and too many Infected." I said with enough venom to make it sound believable. Those "self-righteous, delusional assholes" were my comrades and family, but now I wasn't even sure if there was any meaning to the name "Fireflies" anymore. We were just a bunch of survivors chasing after a cause that was truly hopeless now with Marlene dead and Ellie gone.

Joel stared at me for a second before appearing to accept my story. I could tell he didn't entirely believe me, but it was plausible enough that he didn't press the subject. "We're heading up north to Jackson, Wyoming. It's a safe place I've been to before." Joel finally answered my first question, and Ellie seemed to perk up at the mention of Jackson. Her eyes seemed to light up again and I wondered if she had someone there waiting for her.

For some reason, another spike of jealousy pricked me, but it wasn't as bad as the one I felt when I thought of Mom picking her over me.

We rode in amiable silence for about a quarter of a mile, with nothing but flat, brownish-green expanses on either side. I could see mountains in the distance, blue with snow-capped peaks. "Why's it so flat?" I pondered aloud, breaking our companionable silence.

"There used to be farmer's fields here. People would grow corn, wheat, all sorts of stuff and sell it." Taylor answered without looking at me from over his shoulder. Ellie nodded in agreement, and I assumed she had heard the explanation from Joel at one point.

As I examined the fields with more scrutiny, I could make out perfectly straight rows where plants once grew. However, I saw no walls or fences. "Weren't they worried about people stealing their crops? It seems pretty dumb not to have an electrified fence surrounding your livelihood." I snorted derisively.

This time Ellie answered. "People didn't need to steal food, not if they had money. They could just go to the grocery store and buy it. They didn't have to go hunting, either. Must have been fucking nice, not having to hunt your own food…" She seemed proud to know more about the pre-infection world than I did, but maybe I was just imagining the haughtiness in her voice. I was still tired and feeling a bit woozy. I let my eyes flutter shut as I rested my head against Taylor's backpack.


"Aaron, wake up, boy." I felt Taylor nudge me with his elbow, and I groaned irritably in response. I squeezed my eyes shut tighter.

I felt a sharp jab to my ribs, and I jolted awake. Rule Number One with Taylor: Never make him repeat himself. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, and gave a wide yawn. The sun was setting in the west, painting the sparse clouds purple and pink and the rest of the sky orange. We seemed to be in a sort of clearing on the side of the road, and instead of grass beneath my horse's feet, there was just sand and dirt with a few weeds mixed in. Further inland was a steep ridge guarded by a thick wall of trees.

Joel and Ellie were already dismounted, the latter searching for some rocks to make a fire pit. I slipped off Callus II, wincing as pain shot through my thighs. I grit my teeth at the condescending glance from Taylor as he hopped off the horse and loosened the animal's cinch. I wasn't supposed to show pain, especially not in front of enemies.

Pretty soon we had a decent fire going, and I opened the can of beans I had found the day before. Ellie gave me a weird look as I dug into the cold beans with a fork. "What?" I snapped, annoyed to have my dinner interrupted.

Ellie shrugged, piercing a piece of pineapple with her fork. "Beans are better when they're cooked over the fire."

I arched a dark eyebrow, shoving another forkful into my mouth before nestling the can among the embers. As I waited for my can of beans to cook, a mouth-watering aroma started to come from it. It only made me more impatient, which meant I got snappier. I glanced across the fire pit again to see that Ellie was still looking at me weird, from beneath her eyelashes.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" I growled, dangerously enough to earn a warning glance from Joel. I ignored him.

"You remind me of a friend of mine." She mused, completely unaffected by my intimidation tactic. I supposed she had seen enough scary things to not be afraid of ill-tempered teenage boys.

That caught my attention. I decided to bite, just to distract myself from the emptiness clawing at my stomach. "Who? Riley?"

Ellie shook her head. A sadness settled over her, and I noticed Joel's shoulders tense. "No…while we were on the road a while back, we met up with these guys named Sam and Henry. Sam was my age, and he kind of looked like you, except without the cornrows." I could tell by the way she winced at these guys' names that something bad must have happened to them. They probably died, I guessed. Or got infected and then died. That's how people usually passed on nowadays. No dying peacefully from old age, and no funerals.

"Oh, well…I'm not this Sam kid, so don't treat me like him." I said, picking the hot, bubbling can of beans from the fire. I set it on the ground beside me, stirring it with my fork while it cooled. The corner of Ellie's mouth twitched as if she wanted to frown, but her lips remained a hard line.

After a few minutes of silence I scooped the last forkful of warm beans into my mouth, feeling my irritability disappearing. I felt much better when I wasn't shivering and my temper didn't flare at a single word. I picked my head up as I noticed something bright flickering in the twilight down the road. Faint hoofbeats reached my ears. Taylor followed my gaze and his clear, blue eyes went wide. He suddenly stood up and snuffed out the fire with a few swift kicks.

"What is it?" Joel asked as he squinted into the darkness. He produced a revolver from his pocket and checked the bullets inside.

"Probably those Hunters looking for us. We've gotta move." Taylor said curtly as he shoved his can and fork into his pack. He loaded his black pistol with a fresh cartridge, and I pulled out my Magnum. My adrenaline was up again, and I could feel my heart racing in my ears as the hoofbeats grew louder. Taylor yanked on my arm, and I scrambled onto Callus II as Joel pulled Ellie onto the speckled horse.

We didn't even get to the treeline before we heard gunshots. Callus II threw his head up, but Taylor urged him into a canter, making a beeline for the trees. I clung as hard as I could to his shoulders, digging my fingernails in. I heard a bullet whistle past me as we sped by a pile of rotted logs, and suddenly I was flying.

I hit the ground hard, crying out in pain as I felt something stab my left shoulder. It wasn't a bullet, but it was sharp. A tree branch, maybe. I didn't have time to check as I picked myself up from the ground. I felt warmth and wetness trickling down my arm as I rushed over to Taylor, who was crumpled on the ground as Callus II was caught by Joel.

"Taylor?" I shook his shoulder, praying that he only had his eyes closed because he was knocked out. I felt heat behind my eyes, but I wasn't crying yet. Taylor stirred, giving a weak moan. Blood ran in an oozing stream down the side of his head.

The old man feebly grasped my hand, fluttering his eyes open. Relief flooded through me. "Run…I'll say hi to Marlene for you." He said between gasps of air, and I vigorously shook my head. Before I could reply, I felt someone pick me up and plop me on Callus II. Ellie joined me, shouting protests as Joel tried to calm her down. He was limping as he attempted to keep the horse from bolting, clenching one hand around his noseband.

The Hunters were coming closer. I heard them whooping and cheering, and I counted three men on three horses. The thundering hooves made my headache come back.

"I'll distract these bastards, and you and Aaron ride as far north as you can. I'll join up with you later." Joel briefed us.

"I'm not fucking leaving you, Joel!" Ellie said determinedly, firing several shots at the approaching horses. I saw one man fall, slamming headfirst into the ground with a bone-shattering crunch. The cheering turned to angry swearing.

Joel gave her a meaningful look, breathing hard. I wondered how much that wound really took out of him. "I'll lead them around the ridge while you cut through the forest. They go after the bigger target, they always do. I'll meet up with you in an hour, I promise." He reassured her, ducking his head as a bullet bounced off the sand a foot away from him.

"Joel! No!" Ellie tried to slip off Callus II's back, but I secured her arm around my waist.

Joel gave Callus II a sharp whack on the hindquarters with a, "Hiyah!" and dove behind the rotten pile of logs. Ellie wrapped the other arm around my torso as Callus II picked up a canter to prevent herself from falling off.

Before Ellie could complain again, tree branches were already whipping past us.