February 3, 2028
Boston, Massachusetts
Fifteen years after the CBI outbreak
A shooting ensues at a local building, where men are seen hiding and crouching behind crates and metal boxes in a dark corridor, rising up once in a while to fire bullets at their enemies. Tess is hiding behind a reception counter in the building, cursing under her breath. A bullet wound bleeds in her right arm, but she bears the pain heroically. She grips her pistol tight in the other hand, and looks across the corridor at Theo. He's hidden behind a pillar, and gives her a panicked look, fingers slightly shaking around his gun.
Tess (loud, so as to be heard above the gunfire): Why didn't you fucking tell me?
Theo (slightly angry): How the fuck would I know they're gonna attack now?
Tess (ducking back from a string of bullets that come in her direction. They hit the wall and pull out some of the paint): Hey man, I don't wanna get tied up in your beef!
Theo (cocking his gun back, reloading it): Well sure as hell don't matter now! They think you're one of us either way, better to fight for your goddamn life!
He leans out from behind the cover to shoot at a distant enemy. His men are seen before and behind him, clearly outnumbered and struggling. They go down quickly, one by one, getting hit by bullets like they were born for it.
Theo (loudly): Fucking fight, worthless pieces of crap!
Tess leans back against the counter, safe from the gunfire at the moment. She's panting, examining the wound in her arm. She leans out from behind, still shielded form the gunfire, looking for any passage through which she could escape this brawl.
Her eye catches Joel in the distance, crouched behind a crate, bleeding form the abdomen. He looks indifferent to the pain, growling like an animal as he leans back out and fires at the enemy. He glances to the side at Theo.
Joel (in urgency, voice loud): We're not gonna make it through this, Theo!
Theo: Just keep shootin', we'll get these fuckers.
Joel throws a murderous glance at Theo, and for a second, Tess appears slightly taken aback. Joel looks at him like he wanted to kill him.
He leans back out and shoots at the enemy, and Tess hears a considerable number of bodies going down to his shots. Then he crawls out, shifts and makes his way round discreetly, taking down a man that was hiding behind a metal box. Tess sees him pounding the man's head against the wall, his head splitting open and blood splattering on his clothes. His face is twisted up in fury, eyes glinting like that of a wild animal.
Tess (subconsciously, with a slight wince): God . .
Theo: Good goin', Joel! Do your thing, we'll get these fuckers!
The gang's morale seems to be rising, as the last surviving three men scoot ahead and shoot and fight. Tess dodges the gunfire, crawls from inside an empty crate and appears on the other side, taking cover behind the staircase, farther into the corridor and away from the gunfire. Theo takes her previous position behind the counter, giving him a better cover and shot at the two enemies that were left. Joel grabs one of them from the back, and takes him down with his bare fists. The third of Theo's men gets shot, and falls down dead.
Theo hounds the last enemy, punches him unconscious, and shoots him in the temple.
Tess crawls out reluctantly, gripping her hurt arm as she makes her way towards them.
She sees Theo looking at Joel for a second, and then all around him at the dead bodies. Joel walks out, his footsteps suddenly heavy, his eyes murderous as he looks at Theo. Theo steps back, but Joel rushes towards him, punches him across the jaw, forcing out blood from his mouth. He takes Theo's head in his hands, turns him around and behind to twist his neck with all his energy, his lips pulled back, his teeth baring like a wild wolf.
Tess pauses in her tracks, eyes wide as she hears the loud crack. Joel pulls his hands back, as Theo's body sinks to the ground, neck twisted at an odd angle.
Tess tries to gulp, her throat is dry. She watches with wide eyes as Joel turns to her, his teeth still bared, his chest heaving as he towered among all the corpses.
Tess immediately pulls out her pistol, pointing it at him. Her hand shakes a little, but her eyes are unfazed.
Tess (voice slightly shaking): Get the fuck away.
Joel walks towards her, footsteps heavy, strides long. Tess steps back reluctantly, hands clasping her pistol. The barrel is pointed at his knees. Her fingers tremor slightly.
Tess (louder): I said get the fuck back!
Joel is barely a foot away from her, and she pulls the trigger. The gun makes a feeble, empty click, and before Tess could reload, Joel gets to her. She shields her face immediately, but nothing happens. Her breaths get caught up in her lungs, as she feels his hand reaching to her backpack, pulling out the bottle from the side pocket. She looks at him from the corner of her eyes, slowly moving her hands away as he gulps the water down, and then pours it over his head.
She gasps, eyes wide and lips apart with relief. With weak legs, she sinks down, leaning against the wooden wall behind her. She sees Joel pulling an end of his shirt up, examining the bullet wound above his belt.
Joel (voice lower, more humane): You got a med kit?
Tess (breathing hard, trying to conceal her silent panic and relief): Yeah.
She reaches into her backpack, pulls out a roll of bandages and hands them to him. She watches, hands still clasped around her empty pistol as he wraps the bandages around his wound, ties them up and cuts it off.
Joel (voice falling to sound normal now): Thanks.
He hands her back the bottle, and Tess takes it hurriedly, in an attempt to conceal her shaking fingers.
Tess: So what you gonna do now?
Joel (slightly wincing at the pain in his abdomen): . . . I don't know.
Tess gulps, and stands up slowly with the help of her hands. She takes the bandages from him and wraps them around her own wound. She keeps wrapping them around, looking slightly embarrassed as she tries to cut the end of the bandage with her teeth. She fails, unable to reach her teeth to her elbow. Joel looks at her, slightly embarrassed himself. He steps towards her, and with two hands, tears the bandage and ties it around her wound, tight. Then he grasps his wound again, turning his head to the side to hide his painful grimace.
Tess (in a low voice): Thanks.
Joel leans against the counter, resting one hand on it as he breathes, his wound beginning to bleed out now that the rush of adrenaline had faded.
Tess (gesturing to his wound): Think you can fix that?
Joel (with a shaky breath): I can take care . . of myself.
Tess is in thought for a moment, glancing at him as he stumbles towards the exit, hands resting against the wall.
Tess (aloud): Come on back with me, and I'll fix you up.
Joel pauses at the wall, without turning back. He says nothing, but simply waits for her as she walks by, giving him a curious, slightly fearful look as she leads him out.
Joel (voice slightly weaker with pain, following her. The word comes out singularly, like a statement looking for confirmation): Tess . .
Tess (without turning back, slightly surprised): Yeah, that's my name.
He follows her the rest of the way quietly.
February 7, 2028
Boston, Massachusetts
Fifteen years after the CBI outbreak
Tess lingers in front of an apartment door, reluctant. Her hand is raised midway, like she was about to knock. She purses her lips, and then knocks on the door thrice, firmly. She has her backpack on, her guns loaded in it.
The door opens, and Joel appears on the other side. He looks at Tess, regards her with a firm nod.
Tess: We gotta go. The job's gotta be done by afternoon.
Joel (opening the door wider, appearing slightly closed-off as usual): Okay. One second.
He goes inside, leaving the door open. Tess enters, and finds the apartment cleaner than it had been from the time she had showed it to him. She sees the boxes stacked neatly in one corner, cans of food placed orderly on the counter. The papers and notebooks are also settled on the table.
Tess (slightly surprised, glancing at him): Did you clean up in here?
Joel replies with a low grunt. She sees him putting his pistol in the back of his jeans. He turns and walks out the door, past Tess. Tess closes it behind her as she follows him outside.
Joel glances at her as they walk side-by-side.
Joel (voice deep, in a sincere tone): What's my part?
Tess (without looking at him, an eyebrow cocked as she smirks): You're my muscle for now. Just stand by me and look dangerous. You can do that, can't you?
Joel (gruffing, with slight sarcasm): Yes ma'am.
Tess slows down for a second, holding a hand out in front of him. He looks at her slowly, jaw clenched.
Tess (meeting his gaze fiercely): I don't know what problems you had with Theo. But if you pull a quick one on me, you'll go down so fast, a single fucking hair on your head won't see it coming.
Joel says nothing, but holds her gaze dangerously.
Tess (shaking her head once, stepping closer to him, brown eyes boring into his hazel ones with the same intensity): We clear?
Joel (looking down at her, silent for a few seconds, and then averting his gaze to the ground): Yeah.
Tess (stepping back, a little eased): Good. Now follow me and do as I say, and nothing else.
She walks out of the building, her form entering into the sunlight as Joel follows shortly.
