Sorry that this hasn't been updated in so long, things are still crazy busy! So please enjoy, and reviews would be great. I'd honestly like to know if anyone even wants to read this.

Lara was cleaning Joel's wound again when she heard Ellie come through the door upstairs, back from her hunting trip. Ellie's feet came thundering down the stairs as she bolted to the basement.

"Here quick!" she said, handing a small vial and needle to Lara.

"Wait what? Is this penicillin? Where did you get this?" Lara asked.

"Some assholes in the woods. They were with the fuckers we killed at the university, don't worry they don't know where we are."

Lara injected the antibiotics into Joel, then turned to Ellie. "How many were there?"

"Two. One of 'em said they have a camp, women and children."

"Dammit. I thought we were far away enough from the university that this wouldn't happen. We just need to keep our eyes peeled, sleep in shifts. Okay?"

"Yeah. Sure. Will Joel be okay now?"

"I think so. His wound won't be fully healed for a while, but he should be able to walk around pretty soon. He hasn't been awake for more than 10 minutes at a time, and when he is awake he hallucinates about people. He keeps saying a name, Sarah."

"Yeah, that was his daughter. She died a long time ago. He doesn't really like to talk about her."

"I can't even imagine..." Lara said, looking down at an unconscious Joel.

Lara let Ellie lay down and decided to keep an eye out for any potential bandits. Outside it was gray, the sky full of clouds. There was a heavy coat of snow on the ground, and Lara could tell it would be snowing again at any minute. She sat in a chair in the living room, faced the window and tried to get deep into her jacket to get warm. There was no firewood in the fireplace, and Lara didn't have an axe to chop any down, so the house was freezing. After a couple of hours of watching, Lara's eyes began to get weary. She hadn't been able to sleep much for the past few days, taking care of Joel and making sure he was as comfortable as possible. Just as her eyes began to close she heard something, a twig snap outside and someone shout. She abruptly stood and walked to the window. She ducked down, crouching under the sill and looking down the street. She saw armed men, more than she could count, making their way closer towards the house. Just then, she felt someone grab her shoulder from behind. Lara jumped and let out a sigh of relief when she saw it was only Ellie. "I heard a noise and wanted to see what was up."

"There's men outside, they must've followed the horse tracks."

"Well shit we gotta go! They want Joel, they blame him for their men dying, we need to get them away from here!"

"You're right. Go downstairs, we can get out through the garage door and ride the horses away. We can attract their attention and lead them away from Joel."

Ellie and Lara silently mounted their horses, and began to gallop down the street. "There she is! And she's not alone!" one of the men yelled.

Ellie and Lara rode beside one another, dodging bullets that whizzed past their heads. "C'mon Ellie we just have to get past the-" suddenly Lara's horse was struck by a bullet, sending her tumbling down.

Lara grunted on the impact as she rolled away from her horse. "Lara!' Ellie shouted.

"Go! I'll be fine just get out of here!"

Ellie looked at Lara, then back at the men behind her, then she turned her horse and kicked her heels at its side. Lara looked at the men closing in on her. The nearest one was about 40 feet away, but he and others were running at her. Lara quickly ducked behind a car for cover, searching her surroundings for a place to hide. She saw a small cabin, just across the street, and she quickly sprinted to it. She got inside through a broken window and got her bow ready. She peered out the window, "Alright, she's in the cabin, we surround the exits, charge in and take her out." one said.

Lara crouched, back against the wall and took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling. Then, remaining low to the ground, she made her way to the front door, hoping to get there before anyone spotted her. Lara managed to get to the main room the door was connected to, when one of the men began to bang on the closed door. He thrust his weight against it, causing the wood to splinter. Lara hid behind a sofa and the door burst inwards, letting in three of the men with it. "You two go search in the bedroom, see if she stayed in there, I'll check out in here."

Lara listened as the footsteps receded into the house, and she was alone in the small room with her attacker. Okay, just take this guy out, and then you can sneak away Lara, it's simple as that. She thought to herself. She listened intently as his footsteps walked away from her. SHe assumed he was facing away from her, and when she looked up, bow pulled tight, she was not mistaken. She released her arrow and sent it through his skull, knocking him onto a small end table, sending it tumbling to the floor. Shit. They definitely heard that. Lara needed to move fast. She ran out the shattered door, searching, again, for a place to hide. She needed to remain hidden until these people thought she was far away. She scanned the area, saw it was clear and crouched behind a large boulder, listening to the commotion inside the cabin. Suddenly, practically from nowhere, hands grabbed her from behind. Lara quickly drove an arrow in her hand into her assailants thigh. He let out a deep scream, then punched her hard into the skull with the butt of a gun, knocking her unconscious immediately.

The man called to the others in the cabin. They gathered around him, still holding Lara, "Is this the bitch David wanted?"

"I guess so. Unless he meant the other one who ran off. Either way, this bitch killed our fucking men. I wanna see her pay for it."