rcoolanimals (Guest): This fanfiction will be ending pretty soon, so you won't have to wait long. We are a little over the 75% mark for completion.
Madalyn1000: Thanks! That was sort of what I was trying to go for, but I didn't want anyone to misunderstand either.
Cass87: We'll see in this chapter! :)
What happend (Guest): Don't worry; I won't end this prematurely (we're all in this until the official end)! Sorry about the longer wait time; I had a lot of stuff going on in real life.
Chapter 35: Watching Through Stained Glass
Kevin didn't really know where he was going; all he knew was that he had to find the shooter and… he wasn't quite sure what he would do then either. He glanced back as Joel called his name, but kept going. Please let her be alright, please don't let her die.
He was following a shadow with no hope of actually finding who had shot her. It could be that the person had already escaped, that they had been shot already, or that it was some sort of mechanized trap. As all three options entered his mind, he cursed himself again. He wasn't even close to full recovery, but he had to do this.
Kevin stopped running for a moment, his breaths coming out white in the frigid air. Buildings surrounded him; several of which were empty homes, but one large restaurant drew his attention.
The Texas Steakhouse was large and foreboding somehow. The wood that had steadily supported the building for the last twenty years was rotting away, leaving the place unstable. He hesitated before seeing what looked to be the same shadow inside the building; that was enough to send him running through the doors.
The inside of the Steakhouse was a mess; dust layered the counters and broken plates littered the floor. It was large inside, leaving a lot of room for someone to hide. His hand instinctively went to the doorknob, wondering if this was such a good idea – shouldn't he be helping Ellie first? – when he realized it was locked.
"I didn't think you would actually leave her," David's voice rang out through the Steakhouse as Kevin cursed his luck. He saw the older man's shadow on the other side of the extensive room and ducked beneath some counters. No use talking to someone in the open when they could kill you.
"And I didn't think you would stoop to killing someone," the comment left his mouth in his anger before he could process it. He pulled out his hunting knife from his pocket, cursing the fact that he had left the shotgun back where Joel was. David has a pistol, but I don't know if he has any bullets left.
"Surely you don't believe that. The whole world now has different morals. Children have even 'stooped' to killing to protect. Everything has to be fair though. I tried to give you two a chance, I really did, but when she shot James-" Kevin interrupted before David could continue.
"I was the one who shot him, you-" a gunshot nearby made him stop talking. The bullet was imbedded into the counter behind him, causing panic to start to set in.
"Well then. I suppose that I made a mistake," the man's words caused Kevin's anger to ignite again as he snuck around to another counter. He called injuring and possibly killing Ellie a 'mistake'?
The boy held back a retort, knowing that it would be dangerous to reveal where he was again. David continued to speak. "Ellie was so well-mannered when you were asleep that I thought at least she would be accepted. It wasn't until you woke up that things became… complicated."
Just keep moving, Kevin urged the thought through every ounce of his being, knowing that if he could get a chance against the older man, it would be through stealth. His words did seem to hint at something more though, something that the boy didn't know of. He thought back to the conversations that he had with Ellie in their 'cell' and remembered that she hadn't explained a lot. What was David referring to?
"It was probably because you threatened to kill me if she wasn't," he finally retorted, leaning out just enough to throw a piece of broken plate directly towards where David's voice was coming from. He smiled when it hit home, but another bullet embedded itself in the buffet he was hiding behind.
Scrambling to another safe place, this time a long booth, allowed him a clear sight of David, who was now searching where the boy had just been. The older man's back was turned away from him, allowing him to creep out from behind the booth.
The glint from David's pistol caught his eye as the light shined on it, fueling his efforts to get even closer and end this. A feeling of dread was settling on him fast, urging him to move as quickly as possible.
When he was close enough, he lunged, gripping onto the older man's back as he thrust his knife as far as he could reach. David let out a pained grunt as he dropped his pistol. They lurched backwards, him hanging onto his flailing enemy, and something behind them fell. Kevin briefly registered some sort of wound on the man's hand before everything went dark.
When he woke up again, he knew he hadn't been out long. David was lying on the ground beside him, blood pooling beneath him where Kevin had stabbed. The boy registered that he still had his hunting knife, but a quick look around the Steakhouse left him panicked. Somehow they had knocked over a lamp when they were struggling. Fire now leapt its way up the old wooden beams, causing the structure to become more unstable.
Now would be a good time to leave, he thought, casting a quick glance at David. The older man wasn't dead, only passed out, and he briefly wondered if it would be better to just put him out of the misery of being trapped within the flames. He shook his head, feeling the adrenaline from the fight wearing off. Ellie wouldn't want him to seek revenge… even though she probably would if their positions were swapped.
The floorboards were unusually loud as he stood up. Somehow, the Steakhouse didn't seem like the same place that he had just been fighting in. The fire was causing the building to burn to the ground – to die essentially – and some part of him felt sickened for an unknown reason.
"Go help Joel. Make sure she's alright." The whispered words came out strained; he found that he couldn't say her name. Maybe it was because he was trying to isolate the pain if the worst had happened or his voice was just too hoarse, for whatever reason, it hurt too much when he tried.
A pained groan sounded from behind him; the noise sounding unhuman enough to cause him to shiver. For a moment, he was transported back to the hotel basement in Pittsburgh, Infected surrounding them at every turn. Yes, the noise had sounded like an Infected, but that meant…
He cast a glance behind him, seeing David struggle to his feet in an automatic response. Blood soaked his shirt, but a puncture wound was located on his left shoulder. Dread filled Kevin when he looked into his former enemy's eyes; they were empty. Despite all that, David continued to move, standing up until he was hunched over, staring directly at the boy.
Kevin felt his heart stop when the man lunged at him, letting out a predatory scream as he did so. The boy's mind was reminded of a specific Infected – a Runner – but he didn't have much time to ponder over the change of events. His mind forced survival instinct on him, causing his feet to move in the opposite direction of the attack.
His mind was strangely blank and full at the same time. Terror gripped him when he realized he couldn't get out the same way he came through. A door at the other end of the Steakhouse, one that most likely led to the back of the restaurant, seemed like his salvation and he ran towards it.
His only goal was to get to the door and get through it; what he would find when he got there, as well as what he would do, never occurred to him. A small scream came from him as his feet were knocked out from underneath him, causing him to fall. A plank had fallen from the burning ceiling, tripping both him and whatever was left of David.
Kevin grew frantic, scrambling backwards as fast as he could to try and get away. David was almost upon him and he was running out of room. The door was too far away now and he saw his chances at living slipping away with it.
Something sounded from above him and the next moment, a portion of the roof collapse in front of him. The wooden beams stalled David… the Runner's path to him, but he knew it would only be a matter of time. Kevin could scarcely see; the beams blocked out all access of light other than a few stray reflections from the fire.
Hands reached through the small crawling space towards him. Something bumped against his hand, causing him to look down at it. David's pistol, the thought barely registered in his mind as he shakily picked it up. Nervous sweat made his grip loosen, which Joel would have probably chastised him for. He felt his back hit the wall behind him as the grasping hands drew closer.
His mind traveled backwards, back to almost a year ago, causing nausea to tie his stomach in tight knots. His vision faltered as his breathing spread up. Tears blurred his vision, changing the scenery around him. The pistol lifted automatically, pointing at the mass trying to squeeze through the space, trying to reach him.
Kevin shut his eyes and screamed. He pulled the trigger once. Then again, and again, and again.
Ellie awoke to a sharp twinge in her shoulder. A surprised and pained gasp left her mouth as she strained to breathe in the cold air. Joel was above her, pressing gauze into her shoulder. She remembered feeling the pain and then passing out, but… Joel must have pulled the bullet out.
She knew by the slight elevation that her head was lying on his lap. Blood coated the snow beside them and a bloodied shiv lay next to the empty round of a bullet, confirming her suspicion. Her mind was still foggy, still trying to catch up to what was happening.
"Ellie?" Joel's voice slowly registered among her other senses. "You alright?"
The questioned seemed weighted and genuine concern was on his face. Despite all this, she knew that he was antsy. Something else was wrong and he seemed ready to bolt at any moment. A missing presence caused confusion to run through her.
Who are we missing? It's only ever been the two of us… the thought made her eyes drift closed slightly as she felt drowsy. She knew she shouldn't fall asleep, especially with what had just transpired.
The memories came back all at once, causing them to piece together like a puzzle. Her eyes jolted open when she realized what was happening. She strained to sit up, grasping her wrapped shoulder as she did so. "Where's Kevin?" her question was laced with the pain she was feeling, but the name she said brought everything back.
"He went after the shooter," she could tell that Joel was thinking hard through his worry, trying to find a solution. His eyes sought hers and she knew he was relying on her sense of 'being right' to find some answers. "Do you know where he could have gone? There are too many buildings in the direction he ran off and I haven't been able to-" His words were cut off as she gazed in the direction he meant, seeing smoke starting to mix with the storm clouds.
"He-" she shook her head, feeling sick at what she remembered, "we have to find him."
Joel sensed the urgency in her voice and nodded, helping her to stand. She found that the pain hurt worse than she thought, but worry for her friend helped to keep her mind off of it. Unbidden thoughts surfaced inside her. Did Kevin remember what she did? Was he knowingly – or possibly unknowingly – rushing towards the same fate she had taken part of.
They walked as fast as they could along the rows of buildings, her leaning against Joel for stability, until they came to the Steakhouse.
Just seeing the building again made her stop walking. So many horrible memories lurked inside of it, threatening to surface again. I can't hesitate. I can't let Kevin be haunted by the same mistake that I made.
She started to walk faster, ignoring the pain in her shoulder as best she could while resisting Joel's help. She had to make it in time… she couldn't let it happen again… something had to change or… the incomplete thoughts filled her mind as she made it to the back cellar.
Joel was able to make it into the Steakhouse faster than she was and she urged him forward. She would be able to catch up. When they came to the interior of the Steakhouse, the place where she had killed- the thought died when she came upon the scene.
At first, the Steakhouse looked empty. It was crumbling from flames that was consuming it, although the blizzard outside was causing any external damage to quickly extinguish. The one difference that she knew was different was a bloodied corpse in front of some broken support beams, one hand reaching for something. That's when she heard crying.
Joel reached him first, or more like tried to. The space that the beams hadn't covered was too small for him to fit into, but she knew she could make it if she was careful. He had moved the corpse out of the entrance to the hole and was now trying to say something to the person trapped inside.
"Kevin!" Joel's voice shouted into the enclosed space, but he quickly rolled to the side before he could say anything more. She opened her mouth to question his actions, but a gunshot came barreling out of the space a moment later.
Ellie made her way over to the beams as fast as she could, hiding on the side of the entrance opposite to Joel. "Kevin?" her voice was a worried whisper as the scene replayed over and over in her head. "Are you-?"
Her question was cut off by another gunshot and a frightened shout from the boy. "Stay away from me!" her friend screamed, sounding more afraid than she had ever heard him.
"Kevin, listen to me! It's me, Ellie!" she shouted, looking over with fear at Joel, "and Joel is here too! It's only us!"
No words followed, only a panicked sob. She was expecting another gunshot, but the gun clicked, signifying it was empty. Ellie didn't know if Kevin had any more bullets, she didn't know if he would reload and shoot her by mistake, but she didn't care.
She crawled hesitantly into the space he had hidden away in, blocking out most of the remaining light. The crevice was small and dark, away from the rest of the burning building. She felt Joel's hand on her shoulder, a signal to be careful before she continued towards her friend.
Kevin's face was stained with blood and tears. He seemed terrified when he saw her, and more sporadic, empty clicks from the gun sounded. He hadn't reloaded, so there wasn't a fear of him shooting her. Despite all of her survival instincts screaming at her to not to, she placed her hand over the barrel of the gun and forced it downward, out of her friend's grasp.
Her hands grasped his, feeling shaking beneath them. The memories were complete in her mind and she cried with him. Her one regret was not being able to stop what had happened.
Alright, so I just have to really apologize for this. I am way overdo for updating and I know that I have probably scared a lot of you guys into thinking that I wasn't going to update. I sincerely apologize for that! I had a lot going on personal and school wise, but that shouldn't be an excuse. I think some part of me is stalling to finish this because I don't want it to be over, but don't worry I will not stall any longer after this chapter. I had to keep rewriting it because I didn't want it to be exactly like the game, but it had to still have the same sort of gravity that was felt. Sorry if it seemed a bit rushed near the end and I promise the next chapter will come quicker. If there is anything that needs explained, just leave it in a review or PM me and I will try to go into more detail (without giving away spoilers). Thanks for being so patient and I hope I did this chapter justice.
-AnimeWolfGirl9