Chapter 10 University
Jake's POV
The next day.
The next morning we woke up early to leave for the university we had borrowed two horses and some gear from Tommy and we were ready to leave.
"I'll see you round baby brother", Joel said to Tommy as he then told his horse to start going it was a long ride on horseback to get the university but we managed to keep good time.
"Okay. Let me see if I get it straight. If you mess up your fourth down, then you give the ball to the other team?", Ellie said as we arrived at the gate of the campus.
"Right that's called a turnover", Joel replied
"And if you clear the ten yards then you're back at first down?", I asked.
"First dow, that's right".
"Man, it's confusing", Ellie said.
"I think I've got it down", I said.
"You just gotta play it a couple of times. It'll all make sense", Joel replied we then entered the campus.
"Probably never get a chance though", I said.
"So these place.. people would live here and just study? Even though they were all grown up?", Ellie asked.
"Yeah, study, party, and find themselves. Figure out what they wanted to do with their lives", Joel answered.
"Okay. None of these building look like a mirror to me", Ellie said while we rode through the campus.
"Well, we'll head to the central grounds. Should be able to see most of the campus from there", Joel replied. We then spotted the building there
"Hey over there. That it?" Ellie asked
"Hmm. It does look like a giant mirror", Joel replied.
"How many peopled you think are there? Fireflies, I mean", Ellie said as we entered a building to cut through.
"Reckon it takes quite a crew to run that operation".
"You think there will be other people my age".
"I doubt they're recruiting that young and if they are they probably won't useful in their main research facility", Jake explained "Why do you ask?".
"Just curious".we then entered a small building we a gate inside it when Joel went to open it Callus and Bessey, yes those were their names, got riled up.
"Whoa whoa", Joel said turning to the horses then back to the gate.
"Sounds like runners", I said.
"You two stay here. I'll go check it out", Joel said.
"Are you sure?", Ellie asked
"Yes I don't want them running off, and you get into trouble Jake can take care of it", Joel said walking away from the gate. Joel then tried to figure out a way to turn on a generator to get open and electrical gate.
"Hey I was thinking", I said when Joel returned and I opened the gate "I would've wanted t be an astronaut".
"That a fact", Joel replied.
"Yeah. Can you imagine being up there all by yourself? It would've been cool. Just saying. What about you Jake? What would you want to be?".
"I don't know never really thought about it", Jake said.
"What about you Joel?", I asked.
"Oh.. well, when I was a kid I used to want to be a.. singer", Joel replied and me and Jake let out a small chuckle.
"Shut up?", Ellie replied.
"I'm serious".
"Sing something".
"Ah no".
"Come on we won't laugh".
"I can't guarantee I won't laugh", I said
"I don't think so".
"Joel please", I said but he ignored and we went out the gate and we went to a large building to see monkeys outside "Aw are those monkey?".
"Yeah, a whole mess of them".
"Unless the fireflies are experimenting on monkeys I see no reason why they are here", Jake said as the monkeys ran away at us approaching.
"That was kinda awesome", Ellie said.
"First time seeing a monkey?", Joel asked.
"First time seeing a monkey", Ellie said as we continued on "Shouldn't we have seen someone by now?".
"Uh… maybe these guys like to keep a low profile", Joel answered as went under a tunnel.
"Yeah maybe", we then approached another gate to get through to the giant mirror building.
"Alright. Let's try that gate", Joel said as he got off of Callus "I'll be right back".
"We'll be right here", Ellie said as I walked up to the gate "There it is", I said pointing at the generator on the other side of the gate.
"Looks like somebody has started using their brains", I said "But we need to get through there anyway. So how do we get to the generator?".
"Uh cut through the building", I replied.
"Bingo", I said and Joel then entered the building next to us. We waited a good five minutes for him to get out of the building .
"Joel are you okay? What happened in there?".
"More infected. I'm fine", Joel replied.
"Here- come open the gate", I said and Joel then pushed the generator to where the wire was got it working I then pushed the button to open the gate and it did actually open "You did it!".
"Yeah. Come on through", Joel replied and then got on Callus.
"Those clickers you think they were fireflies?".
"No.. no I don't think so".
"Why would they have infected so close to the lab?".
"Bill used them as a form of defence maybe they're doing the same".
"Yeah but you have to remember Bill has a few loose screws", I stated and continued through the campus with no clue as where the fireflies are "Why haven't we found anyone yet? Something's off", I thought
"No guards. No nothing", Ellie said.
"Yeah I'd expect to see someone by now. Let's get inside", Joel replied.
"You ever been to one of theses?".
"What? A university?".
"Yeah".
"No. Not as a student at least".
"Why not?".
"Uhh.. I had Sarah when I was pretty young".
"Were you married?".
"For awhile".
"What happened?".
"Okay".
"Too much?".
"Too much".
""Don't take it personally, he never told either",", Jake said.
We then got inside the building and looked around for a while and found no sign of the fireflies or any life.
"Yoohoo. Fireflies. Cure for mankind here! Anyone?", Ellie shouted.
"Let's keep it down until we figure out what's going on", Joel said. We walked into a hall with a set of stairs
and a table with a pile of books on it next to a box we searched through both.
"Nothing useful", Ellie stated.
"Ain't nothin here but a bunch of medical mumbo-jumbo", Joel said putting a clip board down. "Looks like they all packed up and left in a hurry", Joel said and loud thud was heard from upstairs.
"Maybe not all of em".
"Stay close", Joel said as he went upstairs and entered another hallway.
"There aren't any bodies that's good right?".
"If we find out where they went". We then opened a door to a class room and saw a shit ton of monkeys messing around with the stuff in there when we opened the door they all ran"Well at least it ain't clickers".
"Yeah. But no fireflies either. Well maybe in all that research they turned into fucking monkeys".
"Let's hope they don't turn the cure to mankind into a monkey", I said.
"Let's just keep searching we'll find something", Joel said as he looked through the room. We entered another one with a skeleton sitting in a chair with a digital recorder next to him and Joel playing and fast forwarding it to find out where the fireflies went.
"Looking for the others, they've all returned to Saint Mary's Hospital in Salt lake city. You'll find them there. Still trying to save the world. Good luck with that", the voice said Joel then stopped the recording.
"Do you know where that is?", Ellie asked.
"I know the city", Joel replied.
"Is it far?".
"It ain't close, I mean on horseback", Joel said but got distracted by a light outside the window.
"What? Fireflies?".
"Get down", Joel said and pulled all of us down.
"Who the fuck are these guys?".
"It don't matter. We know where to go. Let's get the hell outta her", Joel said as he walked out the room. We then returned to the balcony that lead to the stair someone got the surprised Joel when he was opening the door and pushed him against the railing of the balcony while Jake was taking care of someone else then the railing broke then Joel fell and got impaled I then climbed down using a wire to help him Jake then joined me.
"What do you want us to do?", Ellie asked.
"Move", Joel replied.
"What?".
"Move", he said pushing me out of the way and shot two assholes coming through a door.
"Joel?".
"I'm gonna need you two to pull".
"Okay. Ready? One, two, three", Ellie said and me and Ellie pulled Joel of the ground and on to his feet.
"Just get to the damn horses", Joel said Me and I then covered the hallways to make sure we had a clear path.
"Joel how we doing?", Ellie asked.
"I'm fine.. I'm fine", he replied as I removed some wooden planks from a window.
"Think you can handle the window?".
"Okay", Joel replied I went through the window followed by Ellie then Joel went through the window but Joel fell on his back we then pulled him behind a table for cover from someone who came in with a gun.
"You stay with Joel, I'll flank him", I said and then moved towards the man and started firing when the man changed his attention to me Ellie shot him and vice versa, I then ran back when the guy was killed "Come on, let's move", I said as we pulled Joel to his feet.
"I'm okay", Joel said.
"You're not okay, Joel. Now fucking walk!", I shouted, I then took point through the hallways "Move it", Joel then fell on to a table, I then walked up to him "Here lean on me", I said.
"No", Joel replied.
"Then walk god damn it".
"Come on", Ellie said still taking point "There's the exit. Just a little bit more, come on", Joel then fell on to a box in the hallway and leaned on it "Joel!".
"Behind you", Joel said.
"What?".
"Ellie", Joel said and fell to the ground we turned around and saw two men coming at us we took care of them and then went to Joel.
"Joel, lean on me", I said Joel then put an arm over Jake's shoulder "Let's go".
"I swear to god, if we you out of this, you're so singing for us", Ellie said.
"You wish", Joel replied, we then walked over to the door and Ellie opened it we then went outside to see someone trying to take the horses but I shot him before he could do anything "Just get the horse".
"I'll ride with him", I said we then helped Joel on the horse and then we got on as well and we rode away from the university and it was now beginning to snow I then turned around to see if we were being followed, we weren't thankfully.
"I think we're safe now", Ellie said Joel then began to tilt to the side and eventually fell of "Joel", I said me and Jake then got off to help him.
"Come on Joel. Get up. You're not dying yet", Jake said.