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AN UNEXPECTED REUNION
The dark sky is shrouded with clouds and stormy weather that could rain down on the formidable hell below it. Below the sky was death and rampage all over. Hope being lost and faith returning to some while the bit of humanity was becoming shortened from the overwhelming pandemic that flew across the world. People across America faced the dreaded heat of the sun beaming down on their dry skin where they had no water to drink from. All those who died became anew as monsters that mutated their bodies into running parasites that never stopped when sensing a form of life clinging to their last bit of sanity that was left from the post-pandemic world. Cities to county, states to countries. Countries to continents all over the globe. Regions in their entirety lacked the art of survival and soon became the pity of what's left of the humankind.
What people once were are now all gone, and what is really left… is the last of us.
Sarah stares at the forest. Tall trees that had white bark from the winter were all that was far from where she stood, at the edge of train tracks that lead into a bridge for trains to cross. Why did it seem that… someone was back there dying? Sarah thought about it and realized she left a lot of people to die in just a couple of days. After feeling shameful again, K-O called for her.
"Think it is okay to cross the bridge?" he asks with a serious face. He is taking a good look at the bridge and making sure it would be safe to cross. He also reassured Sarah that the weather didn't seem to damp for them to cross, although he was unsure how old the bridge was.
This is back when she was
Sarah turns to him to speak.
"Why don't you tell me your real name?"
K-O turns to his side, almost looking at her. "I don't have to… tell you."
"Are you hiding something?" she asks worried.
"I'm NOT hiding anything from you Sarah. I came straight with you remember?"
She doubted him, "It doesn't seem right… I can trust you but, it just feels like there isn't anything clear about you…" it hurt for her to say that.
K-O felt a little tense from his headache she was giving him. The trip to the bridge was long enough. Both of them actually forgot the last time they sat down to rest. He looks at her with a mean face.
"Does it really matter? You've gained my trust, so you should feel safe around me. Is that what this is about?"
Sarah felt worried the more she traveled with this boy. Both of them the same age but don't have similar outputs with each other. She kept thinking on how his name is a cover up of something. What if he ran away from his family or friends and just changed his identity? Maybe he really did lose his family but wants to keep his name safe, so he changed it. What if he murdered his family and changed his name so not a single person on Earth would know the real side of him..? The chance to get away with something crazy lead her to… death.
It scared her and left her a little speechless when he spoke back to her. It was like a little ounce of trust was fading away every minute she didn't know his real name. The dark and shady clouds above them reminded her of the summers Joel would spend with her traveling to Austin or another city during his time off. It made her uneasy as well.
"Whatever your name is… just keep it to yourself."
K-O heard her but didn't say anything. He looked up to the bridge and proposed to cross it.
"Does it look safe from here?" Sarah asks.
"I've calculated a way through. This bridge can't be old enough to collapse since it has lasted five years since a train had crossed it, although it would be challenging to cross. Judging by the weather it might rain or become windy soon, so crossing it now would be best. What's on the other side is unknown to both of us however…"
"Are you thinking… that infected or people are past there?" her paranoid voice was revealed.
"We don't know what exactly is across from the bridge, but my best guess… is that there are infected somewhere."
Sarah sighed after hearing his hypothesis. It frightened her to the fact that anything could be waiting for them past the bridge.
"Making the move to cross it would be better than finding a different way around the cliff. The way we would die would more likely be from infected than falling to our death," he said to himself. He stepped on the metal railing that would keep the trains from tipping over the bridge.
"So… just walking on the tracks then?" she asks as she walked closer to the bridge.
"It's our only way through," K-O had a worried tone in his voice, as Sarah could tell that he was nervous.
"If it's what we have to do…" Sarah tells him.
K-O had a serious face and was nervous to the peak where sweat dripped from his forehead and made him worry about the fall, and what is on the other side.
"We don't have a choice. Let's head forward," he conquers the fear and starts walking on the thin tracks. Sarah followed him slowly as they had their feet take turns stepping forward. A rail kept them from losing balance on the side as both of them held onto it tightly.
"Just take it slow like the way I am Sarah. Before you know it the both of us will be on the other side, on the nice and safe ground…" K-O said to reassure their safety in a nervous voice. "Just keep… on moving forward… don't think about looking down, it is hell down under…"
Sarah finally spoke aloud, "Would you stop talking, please? You're getting me nervous…"
Footsteps rumbled through bushes and dirt as the stomping became louder towards the cliff. Both Sarah and K-O turned their heads to see what was behind them from the middle of the bridge. An infected sprinted towards the edge of the cliff that came from the Dead Forest and immediately fell down with a screeching sound as it pummeled down… down… and down until it shattered its bones from the shallow water the current was taking the river. The infected bled out and died, leaving the stream flow with red.
Sarah took a good look at the body below and realized that they were high from the river. She covered her mouth and was terrified from the sight of the monster's death. She didn't want to imagine if that was her or K-O falling.
"Shit… Shit!" he shook his head with fear.
"Oh my God!" she covered her mouth while the other hand was tight on the rail. She tried to hold back any more noise as K-O tried to calm her down.
"Stay calm Sarah… remember not to look down, and keep going forward. Infected…" he couldn't continue his reassurance because of the pack of monsters running to the bridge.
Sarah turns around and sees them running. Two of them fall off the cliff like the first one while the other three ran onto the tracks that were after the duo.
"Shit! Pick up the pace Sarah!" he shouted as he walked faster and tried not to lose balance, Sarah followed.
She screamed from the infected and tried to step forward but tripped instead making her cross necklace dangle from the crack of the train tracks. She quickly turned around and pulled out her handgun to defend herself with a sweaty grip.
"Shit!" K-O shot a bullet at one of them, making the monster fall to the side off the bridge. The shot made Sarah flinch as she laid on her back, witnessing the infected struggle to move forward. Grunting and screaming to get to their flesh.
"Come to me Sarah! Come on," K-O shouted while reaching his hand out for her to grab. He had made it to the end of the bridge on the other side, now all Sarah has to do is be grabbed to safety by him. She quickly turned to him and crawled closer, until finally the bridge shook and made the wooden tracks crack from the movement. The infected didn't lose their grip or their sight of the duo while trying their best to get closer to them.
"Oh no! Come on stupid! You got to hurry up and take my hand, I'll pull you up here where it's safe!" his short black hair almost matched the dark sky.
Sarah screamed from the shaking bridge that almost collapsed while they were still aboard it. K-O shouted to her to keep crawling forward over and over. After opening her eyes all she could do is look up at him and crawl closer while hearing his voice and the monster itching closer and closer. She struggles reaching out her hand for K-O's when…
…
"Hey girl, we're almost at one of their lookout points. Let's move on already," Kyle says to her as he paces forward down a broken down street outside the city. Sarah scratched the back of her head and came back to her senses after remembering an incident. When K-O and her were barely gaining each other's trust, time passed and eventually the two of them became inseperable.
"Sorry… I was remembering something back when we were kids," she said to him as she paced with him.
"Oh yeah? Was it a shitty memory?" he smiles.
She laughs, "It was a pretty horrible situation actually…"
He turns forward, "Well let's hope this next memory isn't so shitty."
"I can't help but think that this whole thing won't go so well. How do you feel about this?"
"About going to the Fireflies? Again? I'd say I have yet to meet the leader of them Marlene yet, but this time I think it'll be pretty difficult trying to get them to stop entering the zone," K-O stops jogging and waits near a building. "Let's scavenge this place out. Might as well while we're on the trip right?"
Sarah agrees and the both of them knock down the front door of the office building. Empty and dark. Surprisingly no spores on the first floor, so the two of them enter with caution.
"You know the drill. Take your gun off safety and scream if we need each other."
"Right," Sarah nods and pulls out her 9mm. It was a dirty and has been overused for years, not by her but by anonymous survivors over the years. The gun might even be older than her.
Scuffling through the desks and finding nothing but suicide notes and letters to family and friends. It left Sarah feeling lost.
K-O finds a locked door down a hallway in the building that had paint written on it in large words saying, "LAST RESORT". Intrigued, he managed to kick the door down from the weak screws that held it.
"No spores in here…" he says, as he was about to turn around and call Sarah, a voice called out from inside.
"Get me… out of here…"
"Oh shit!" he scurries for his double-barreled shotgun from its strap and points it up to the darkness. "Who's there? Come out of the room!"
"I… can't."
He had lost his flashlight moments before so had to rely on Sarah's until he could reclaim another.
"Sarah! Help, get in here! Down the hallway!" K-O shouted as he stayed outside the room where there was light, and the room was engulfed in darkness.
She heard while stopping whatever she was doing and immediately ran towards his voice that was shouting. Both of them needed to rely on each other to survive. There wasn't nearly a time where either of them had become separated in the past 15 years they've been together, neither felt that it was necessary to ever travel alone. Even when having to trust other people for the sake and safety of each other, they knew how important their bond was.
She finally catches up to him and looks at him to see what's wrong.
"I hear a guy in there that says he's got medicine in there but it's too damn dark to see. Think you can use your flashlight to check real quick?" he whispered.
"Okay," she agrees and clicks it on.
As the both of them enter they needn't had to check for spores since the smell wasn't reeking from the cubicles when they had entered earlier, so finding the hurt man was their objective.
Desks were either tipped over or out of place and out of the way. The room was a small panic room for whoever had stayed here. No bodies, just an empty room.
"We're going to you… can you see the light?" K-O spoke aloud as Sarah stood next to him.
"Hurry and… lower your guns…" he coughed like he was sick.
"Ain't gonna happen buddy, we're coming to ya. Point your gun Sarah," he said as the sick man was behind a desk at the corner of the meeting room.
"Don't move," Sarah pointed her gun at the man sitting against the wall.
"Show your hands buddy," K-O pointed his shotgun much faster than she did.
The sick bastard raised his wrinkly arms up as high as he could and was shaking. It looked like he hasn't eaten in days…
"God damn… you alone in here?"
"I am now… after those people raided our home… my family's home."
K-O looked uneasy. "Where's the medicine man?"
"Take these. I don't need them in my condition…"
K-O grabs the only syringe there lying next to the man and takes a bottle of pills. Sarah points the flashlight up at the ceiling so that they could see each other. Barely.
"Who raided your home?"
"It was those Fireflies… the damn lot of them have a routine of scavenging in military territory… my family and I aren't residents of the zone nearby. If only I had kept them safe… if only."
"Are you having second thoughts about all this?"
"Shut up for a second…" Sarah tells K-O.
"Don't bother taking me anywhere. Just leave me… I might as well give these supplies to whoever needs them. Leave, and be careful… of the militia…" the man fell the floor and started breathing heavily.
K-O offers to exit the building and Sarah follows. The two of them are now back on the streets of Boston, searching for the Fireflies.
"You know, I'm just reminding you about them: they're just like you and me Sarah. Fighting to stay alive."
"C'mon Kyle only murderers raid a home of other people and steal everything they've got. You saw how empty that damn lot was…"
"Well… at least your calm about this. 'Cuz I don't wanna fight, not right now. If you have something against those crazy motherfuckers, 'cuz in a little bit we'll find them and have to talk our way out of there."
"It does bother me I'll tell you that. But what's done is done, right? Let's just do what we agreed to do in the first place. Take care of 'em…"
"You're right Sarah. After this is over, then we can settle down in a new home in that zone."
"I know that's what you've wanted Kyle… for the longest time. Am I right?"
He sighs, "I just want us to be safe. And settle things down. C'mon, let's get moving."
The two of them reach a corner of the street, and men and women in uniforms are carrying crates into a building while others are resting at a camp down the street. K-O and Sarah are completely hidden. Their objective was to deal with the Fireflies one way or another, but how they were to do it was the problem.
"How should we approach them..? What's on your mind?" K-O asks.
"Well we're completely hidden aren't we? So we should just go up to them and tell them the truth…"
"Yeah right! And this will be the last time I'll ever speak to you alive. If we tell them the truth then we're done for," he takes a peek at them while Sarah thinks.
"We could just help them out… if we have to lie though…"
"Think about it girl, they're raiders like almost everyone else down South. They'll for sure give us the bullet in our heads."
"We can't fight. We'll lose for sure," she started shaking.
"Here's our story: we're stranded and looking for food. We help them out in exchange for something to eat. We can probably work a deal with them and get us close to their leader or something… that sound good to ya?"
She nodded her head, "I'm just worried about all this…"
"Yeah well, you and I are a lot alike after all…" K-O stands up and walks out from the corner toward them. Sarah gasps to herself and follows him nervously.
One of the men carrying a crate suddenly drops it and breaks open at the sight of the two of them walking towards the camp. "Oh shit, Stragglers!"
Everyone else around him is alerted and stops what they're doing. Some guys pulled out some guns and asked them to stop.
"Hold up everyone… we're just looking for food. Can you guys help? Please?" K-O pleaded with his hands up.
"Someone call Malcolm quickly!" one of them said while another ran back to another tent.
"Don't come any closer you two…" a younger man demanded. He pointed the machinegun at K-O while shaking.
"We don't want any trouble I promise… we're just passing through, but we need food… can you guys please help?"
"Don't you fuckin move pal… or else you'll get one in your leg," the kid shook.
"Mason calm down! Wait until Malcolm gets here," another Firefly said to him.
"Don't you see everyone? They're trying to trick us! They approach all nice and easy but stab us when we're not looking… I know damn Hunters when I see them," Mason the kid responded.
"Woah hold on a second, we ain't those monsters!"
"Which monsters are you talking about? Infected or those cannibal Hunters?" a man asked.
"Believe us we're just looking for help…" Sarah finally spoke and walked forward.
"Don't you fuckin move girl…" Mason pointed his weapon at her.
"Hey! Don't you point it at her! Hey asshole!" K-O became angered.
"Quit shouting or else we're putting bullets through you two," a Firefly said.
"Only if this guy will stop shaking his gun like he's nervous!"
Everyone looked at Mason trembling. Even he knew he was very uneasy.
"Whatever! Malcolm won't you two pass through here, just wait!" Mason shouted.
"Shut your fuckin head kid."
He turns around from Malcolm's voice, and gets his machinegun snatched away from him.
The rest of the Fireflies lowered their weapons now that their leader has arrived. Sarah and K-O put their hands down. The sun was setting.
"Who are you two? How did you get here?" Malcolm stood up straight like he was a military commander in charge.
"My name is Kyle and this is Sarah. We're just passing through… we noticed some of these streets were empty until we stumbled upon your… uh," he stuttered.
"Stragglers?"
"Not exactly. We lost our home, so I guess you could say we're homeless at the moment. Listen, we're really hungry. Could any of you help us out?" K-O pleaded.
"We don't just give out supplies to survivors. You've got to be part of us to be able to share with those who seek the light… understand?" Malcolm's serious face would scare any straggler looking for trouble.
"Well maybe we could… help you guys out. Can we work a deal or something? If it could get us food, can we please join you?" K-O asked a bad question.
Right when Malcolm was going to turn around and deny them once again, he heard K-O's question. This made him build up a temper.
"Do you think that what's right for the survivors of this world is to live? Or to restore order and bring back humanity to its feet? If you just care about a bite to eat, then you just want to live. To survive like everyone else in this world. Maybe if your reason was to find the beautiful cure we've been looking for all these years, I would've considered you two. But you are just a citizen in that zone looking for food aren't you…"
Malcolm really pissed off K-O.
"Get out of here," he told them as he turned around along with the others.
There was shouting from across the street the other way, "Military scouts! They're here!"
"What?! Military attacking us?" Mason panicked from the shouting and gunfire from afar.
Malcolm handed back Mason's gun, "And Marlene has yet to come back. Typical…" everyone there went to where the fighting was to hold out. Malcolm turns around, "If you truly want to live my good man, then you will know to get out of here."
He joins the fight abandoning the crates filled with metals and military scrap.
"Shit…"
"What do we do Kyle?" Sarah seemed more worried than ever.
"I'd hate to help that guy out, but we've got to. Let's earn their trust at least."
"Seriously? We'll be risking our lives! There can't be anything we could do."
"Girl, I won't let you die. Now let's go! We've got to help them!" K-O grabbed her wrist as they ran to their camp where gunfire and small explosions roared through the city.
K-O and Sarah ran through tents and tables with supplies and scrap everywhere. It looked like the Fireflies were holding this camp for quite some time, and that their small army wasn't getting so small after all.
Sandbags provided cover for the militia to hold out their camp and fight back against the trucks that were across the street shooting and deploying soldiers to station their attack.
"Ahhhh! My fucking thigh!" Mason screamed so loud from his wound it irritated Malcolm in an alleyway providing a plan to eliminate the military's attack. A medic aided him right away.
"We're getting contact from the East as well. There's a whole lot of them sir…" an officer reported to Malcolm.
"Send the rest of the scouts to attack from the rooftops and do what you can. We have to hold out here and protect the crates. Dismissed!"
The officers ran back to their posts down the alley and Malcolm grabbed a weapon to return fire. Rifles and machineguns flared past and hit the sandbags as they barely provided cover.
"Hey, commando! We're here to help," K-O shouted.
"You're more of an idiot than I would've guessed!" their presence had him surprised.
"They're probably going to flank this camp don't you think?" Sarah added.
"You're right girl… if the two of you want to help, hold out on this left side to stop the flank! Good luck!" he shouted as he tended to a wounded Firefly.
K-O held Sarah's head down from the gunfire and made it across the street where they think they would be flanked. After they caught their breath K-O opened the building door and immediately pulled out his revolver and pointed while shouting, "Oh shit!" at three soldiers that were about to sabotage their camp.
"Don't you fuckin move!"
"Put your gun down citizen!"
"Step back! Step away!"
"Get out of the way man! Get out of here!"
"I ain't going no where! Stop pointing that gun!"
K-O and the three soldiers were shouting back and forth like dogs in backyards of a neighborhood.
Bullets flared the room through the glass windows and shot down all three of the soldiers to the ground while K-O covered Sarah's head again with both his hands and stepped away from the building. The horrific sight made him panic as he turned to his right and see Malcolm and some others pointing their machineguns at the window, with smoke coming from the muzzles of their guns.
K-O nods to Malcolm and leads Sarah into the building as they try to step over the dead bodies.
The sudden explosions from the middle of the street had the two of them trip and fall on the ground, leaving the window beside them to shatter from the inside and almost pierce through their skin. The building they entered through was a side entrance from a hotel that had narrow hallways enough to make you panic when caught between infected.
"Sarah get up c'mon!" K-O shouted at her on the floor retrieving her breath as they stormed out of the lobby and into an alley right next to one of the military's trucks.
"We're not going to kill them are we!?" Sarah exclaimed to him.
"If they keep this up then we'll have NO choice!" he responded with gunfire in the background.
"These soldiers will be protecting us while we live in that zone! There won't be any left if we fight them off!"
"If you want to ever 'live' again you'll fucking shoot at 'em!" K-O responded while taking Sarah's weapon and firing her gun while surprising some soldiers from a corner. It made them flinch and fall back meters away from incoming fire.
Malcolm noticed and ordered some scouts to charge forward, pushing back the soldiers.
"You need to stop! Just stop for one second! This isn't like you Kyle!" Sarah yelled.
"I'm trying to protect us girl!" he yelled back as some gunfire was returned, scraping off some part of the bricks that held the wall they leaned on. The dust in the air made Sarah cough.
"We can't do this Kyle, we need to turn back!"
K-O looked at her with an angry face, "I'd do anything for you… I made that promise a long time ago. If I have to kill a few soldiers just so you can have a bed to sleep on at night, not worrying about fighting, THEN I'D FUCKING FIGHT!"
His yelling made her step back and think… all they had done together, everything they've shared and took care of for years. Sarah finally feels like the two of them don't seem to understand each other. Time would heal wouldn't it? If someone stays beside you there would might be a feeling that you understand what your friend is saying, but this time Sarah didn't feel it. It was coming from a different side of Kyle.
"Listen to me you shit!" Sarah snapped and made K-O turn around at her and yell back.
"You don't understand me Sarah? I said-"
Before he could finish, that young man Mason aimed a rife at the two of them from behind Sarah and K-O could only see him speak his words quickly with an angry and tearful face.
"The two of you… don't belong here…"
"Sarah!" K-O shoved her to his side making her fall to the ground while he tried to aim his weapon at Mason but was too late.
The rifle shot and hit K-O in the gut making him stagger and fall backward in an agonizing swear. Sarah witnessed the situation and panicked, so she quickly picked up K-O's handgun and aimed it at Mason with one hand. The shot was almost impossible to miss therefore making it difficult to live through. He might not be alive after that.
Sarah started to shake. Her palm was suddenly feeling like it was slipping away from the gun. Her finger on the trigger wouldn't seem to pull and fire. She heard a voice in her head.
Shoot.
Sentence the man to death.
Send him away from all this pain and war.
Fight back.
The haunting voice in her head, had returned.
…
"I am so afraid. I… I can't do this anymore," Mason trembled as he lowered his rifle and started to cry. He leaned his head against the brick wall as Sarah pointed the gun at him still.
As soon as he let his guard down, Sarah regained conscious and felt a deep urge of anger with a hint of fear. She still felt the pain for K-O, that she couldn't understand him and that it had lead to this. She needed to act.
Her choices: walk away with K-O, dragging his body away from the alley and seek medical aid. Make the incident look like he was hurt in action, and have Mason live with pain.
Or the other: shoot the gun. End the young boy's pain, and help K-O as quickly as possible.
She fired the gun. She kept shooting until the handgun ran out of bullets in its clip. Mason's body was against the bloodied brick wall on the ground with numerous bullet holes across his torso.
Sarah started to cry as she fell to her knees. Although her best friend laid dead right next to her along with a deranged Firefly filled with lead, she burst into tears. After dropping the handgun on the floor she felt a presence behind her. Two men stood before her and one of them offered his hand to get up, while the other started to pick up K-O's body after the other man helped. Sarah couldn't even tell who the men were after they said to follow them back to the camp. The soldiers had retreated. It was one of the few victories the Fireflies had made in the past year.
Sarah sat on one of the crates that had been unopened because of the interruption of the firefight just earlier. A blanket was over her shoulders for comfort.
One of the men that had helped her came over and offered for something to drink. It was Malcolm the leader of the group. Sarah accepted the bottled water from him and started to chug it from frustration and the tense situation.
"Sit tight. I'm going to help the others recuperate and send more water," Malcolm said as Sarah nodded and didn't even look at him. Just staring at the ground.
Sarah felt alone. She started to think about Kyle. He definitely wouldn't have wanted any of this, to have Sarah cease. At this point nothing mattered except for his recovery. The medics started treating him with extra care under Malcolm's orders to their best ability. His injury wasn't bothering her though. The argument in the middle of a battle led them careless and have one of them nearly killed. But it's that voice… it came back to her. It started to make her uncomfortable.
She sighs and is then approached by another man. The same man that helped her and K-O from before with Malcolm. She didn't catch his face or his name.
"Your friend's going to be alright. No need to worry about him. Listen… Malcolm understands that whatever happened with Mason is behind us now. It doesn't matter anymore."
Sarah shrugged and didn't say anything.
"It's… been a very long time since… I've seen anyone I know other than Fireflies…" Sarah finally looks up as the man spoke.
He pulled out a necklace. When she saw it in his hands it looked extremely familiar when she suddenly realized it was hers back when she lost it 15 years ago. Sarah doesn't remember much about anything that small but it meant something to her because it was from someone that took care of her. And that person was with two others.
And those two others, were a family.
And that family, was the Andersons.
And that man in front of Sarah as she finally looked at his face, was Frank.
Older. Experienced, hardened survivor that made it through hell and reached a moment in his life that turned his way of thinking and believing when soon joined with the Fireflies. It was the second best thing he had ever faced, with reuniting with Sarah being the first.
"Oh… my god," Sarah stood up and dropped the blanket in shock. Her tears came back.
"Do… you know me? Because I think… that I know you. Sarah…" he said to her as he put the necklace away.
Sarah suddenly slapped Frank across the face. It made him feel his cheek and then felt like he deserved it. After EVERYTHING that has happened, he feels like he deserved that. So did Sarah.
"I can't imagine… what you had to go through," he added as he took a step closer.
"I thought you were dead… once I lost that necklace. When I was so young…" she covered her eyes from crying. "You weren't that old years ago… now look at you."
"I've gotten older. I've fought my way. And I kept going. No matter what…"
"I seriously thought I had left everything. And everyone… how did you know it was me?"
"I sort of recall you not wearing shoelaces. At all when you were younger, and you still don't got 'em," he chuckled, and so did she.
Sarah smiles, "I guess… I'm not alone after all."
"I guess… neither am I."
The two hug.
Sarah's emotions weren't held back after that moment. The relief had her at ease, and it was good to see that.
Malcolm had his arms crossed and grinned as he watched the two of them rejoice. Frank had told him about Sarah back when Frank had just joined the militia and ever since it stuck to Malcolm's head. He can't recall the last time even he smiled until just at that moment after seeing them.
They part and Sarah speaks, "I… don't care what you're doing here. I don't even care if you were going to raid the zone with the rest of them, I just… I'm glad you're alive." She wiped her tears.
"We… actually were doing a rescue mission. Someone from the zone needed rescuing, so we did it. They succeeded and she's being taken care of."
"Who's she?" Sarah asks.
"A girl. She was pretty important to Marlene, so we did it. I even got to escort her," Frank smiles.
"Wow. So does that mean your mission is complete?" Sarah asks.
"Yes," Frank's smile goes away, "unfortunately we have to depart from Boston. Eventually, this camp will be abandoned."
"So you have to go so soon. Pity…" she scratches her head.
"How is it you two?" Malcolm enters the circle and hands Sarah her another water bottle.
"Just catching up. Thanks boss," Frank says.
"You call me boss, yet you're way older than me. That's respect sir. If anything, you would make a good leader. I've known you too long Frank."
"Thanks," Frank smiles.
Sarah noticed the happiness in his face. She doesn't remember if she had ever seen him smile before.
Maybe things will turn out okay after all. The Fireflies have no more business in Boston anymore thanks to Frank, and as soon as K-O heals, they'll be able to go back to the zone and finally settle down.
"So… what happened to Carol?" Sarah broke the question.
"She… she's gone. That's it."
The look on Frank was depressing.
"I'm sorry. I see you've dealt with it haven't you?" Sarah comforts him.
"That's right. I've moved on, and so have you."
"Whatever's in the past is now behind us but I'm happy that you're not left in the past Frank," Sarah smiles and takes another sip of the water.
"Listen…" Frank prepared himself, "I've met your uncle, Tommy a few years back. He was a Firefly just like us."
She almost choked from the drink, "You're kidding? Uncle Tommy is alive?"
"He is. And I know that he's still out and about because of where he lives. I've seen his settlement in Jackson County, Wyoming. I'm more than positive that you're welcome there if he sees you're alive…"
It was difficult for Frank to explain to Sarah… it was like he didn't want to part away with her again. She was the closest bit of family he had left.
"What are you saying? Why tell me this now?"
He sighed, "Maybe there's a chance… that your father is alive, Sarah. It could mean more than anything to reunite with them together."
"He is alive… I saw him with my own eyes not too long ago… however, I've tried looking for him but haven't found any trace of him." Sarah's smile fades away.
Frank is surprised, "You know? Then… you've got to go to your uncle! This is your chance to reunite with your family."
"Frank… is it really possible? Things can only get worse, and the one person I believe in the most is wounded and out cold. Can I really do this..?" she doubted herself right away. Fear was the only thing in her way.
"You must feel an obligation or something Sarah… this is your chance to reunite… something I could never do again. Go to your family… I'm begging you," Frank pleaded as he started to tear up. Sarah noticed and felt sympathy for his lost family.
She remained silent until, "If I go… there will only be pain Frank."
"You're not one for taking risks girl," he walked away from her, "But this is more than a risk…"
"Do you think its god's doing? To gather me with my family?" she thought he was crazy.
"I don't believe like I do anymore… I don't rely on God to survive in this world. Only myself and those around me. Out of all the sins I had overcome, nothing could compare to me letting you go years ago… so take this chance to be with your family… please," he cried.
Sarah was convinced. Maybe Joel knows about Jackson County where Tommy lives and is headed there now, that's why she hasn't seen him recently. Whatever was going on in her head, there must have been doubt that Joel was going there like she was. It didn't matter however. It was still a chance she could take.
That's all it took. Abandoning her closest friend and leaving him to the Fireflies in the trust of her dearest old pal Frank. All for the sake of reuniting, because Frank could never reunite again.
"Will… I ever see you again?" she says to him as Sarah is escorted out of the city by Frank with a map leading to Jackson County.
"Maybe. Let's hope the last time we meet will be the moment you're truly happy Sarah," he smiles at her.
She looks away from the sunset, "Still believe in hope? What about your faith?"
He walks closer to her and hand her the necklace she had lost, "I'm all out of faith. For you though, it has got to be the strongest part of you and your father. Please, take care girl."
Sarah remained quiet and still as she thought. The sun gleamed beautifully at her when she remained still.
Frank asked, "This is difficult to say goodbye isn't it?"
"I have faith… that I'll see you again Frank. You've taught me everything… and I can't repay you."
He starts walking backwards and smiling, the kind that makes you think nothing good can come to any of this. Like Frank has a feeling he won't ever meet her again, "Just go."
Because he has no more faith. He smiled at her.
Sarah's expression didn't change as she turned away from him, with a saddened face and tone. She's really doing it. Traveling all the way to her Uncle Tommy…
She couldn't forget what Frank had told her before though: "Go to St. Mary's Hospital in Utah if you ever can. If anything, I will most likely end up there where the rest of the Fireflies are finding a cure. Good luck."
Luck had been around for Sarah. Didn't matter if it ran out though, because her choices are what's driving her fear.
Why is there a feeling of being alone? Take it as a bad thing. There isn't anyone to care for you or be by your side protecting you. Like not having a soldier you can call a 'friend' to test your friendship in a battle, or a teammate to win the match as long as the two of you contribute. Here, Frank has no soldier or teammate to rely on. Not even a God.
Joel. Something telling him to go back… leave the downtown wasteland and head into the zone again, but is driven by Ellie's convincing explanation that she is the cure and with Tess by her side. To him, it's just a drop-off. To him, she's just a girl.
To Sarah, he's the last bit of faith she has left… her father.
So what of Anthony Anderson? The son of Frank? Had he been long lost forgotten or dead somewhere trying to survive like the rest of the world? He probably would've still had his beliefs when he defied his family years ago.
Well, he still does. And he's ready to kill Chief Richards of Boston's quarantine zone.