Plot: After a series of tragic loss Joel Miller travels far and wide surviving on his wits and experience. Always moving forward despite the unforgiving environment he encounters because a quest keeps him going in his journey.

Note: From the game The Last of Us and the live action TV series.

Music: THE LAST OF US Part II Ambient Music 🎵 Road To Jackson (LoU 2 OST | Soundtrack) by z3n Pnk

A/N: On this date 10/29/2022 a typhoon is raging while I was writing this chapter as well as my other story PADAWAN.

CHAPTER 8

LANDFALL

"This resort enter, directly a small street, turn to mall road here, then small church, you see field to the right, weather station then fire station, walk more, at end of street you see the big road, okay? Go right, no left, understand?"

"Go right, got it." Every day Joel stands by the rails, the fresh southeastern breeze on his break the captain beside him stuffing him with the knowledge he needs to have a fighting chance.

"This is General Luna Street. Follow the map, do not go far away from the road."

"Why?"

"Dangerous! Bad people. Do not talk to people. Hide from people. You have few bullets. Save bullets." The old man punctuates his lesson with a pointed finger, like a teacher.

"Okay. Hide from people. Save bullets."

"Look there, the sky is good but," the captain pointed out, "typhoon is coming. It comes many times a year. Be careful. Go to higher ground before the floods come. Don't camp near water! Okay?"

"I know that." He and the old man had a good laugh.

"See that." He followed the captain; at the sound of a familiar animal.

"Yes, I see it." He and the captain exchanges nods as the first sea gull glided by their heads as if giving them a raucous welcome.

"We land soon. Come." Joel follows the captain to the small mess hall below deck. "Do you know how to cook in bamboo?" Joel listened intently at everything the cook teaches as his sustenance literally depended on it. He would take the journey alone and there would be no Bill or Tommy to go back to.

Joel leaned on the rail the next day and got a surprise when he turned his gaze on the horizon.

"There she is." The captain shambles out of the wheel house, stopping beside the tall American. Joel seemed awestruck. The captain gave Joel a deep look but he only has eyes on that terrain.; small and slim for now but will loom larger as days pass. "Three more days. You ready?" Finally the bearded man looks back at him and nods. The boat captain has never come across such determined eyes in all his seasoned years.

The big man would come up and stand on that railing that faces the north eastern side of the archipelago every chance he gets. The old captain would note with amusement that he would linger every sunset.

On that day the sky was clear on their left side but a light gray horizon could be spotted creeping over on their right. "That is your enemy." The old man pointed. The American looks tense as he turns to check the sky but he cannot be dissuaded from his decision to disembark.

When the bottom of the boat crunched on the powdery sand the old captain raised a hand for silence. They sit still for a moment; the men keep their paddles ready. Only when nothing moved that's the time the captain nods. Everything was quiet but for the wave breaking softly on the white sand beach and the breeze rustling the coconut trees.

Joel turns as a sun browned hand pats his arm. The crew hands him some kind of food wrapped in leaves. "Vaya con Dios, anak." (God be with you, son) The captain said after Joel carefully placed the food in his backpack.

"Goodbye, tatay (father) Mando.* Thank you." Joel had braced himself for this day but his voice cracked. Joel became a little emotional leaving the fishing boat crew. The captain came with him on the small boat. He didn't have to but he wanted to.

"Good luck to find that lady. I hope she is alive. I hope you will have a second chance. A new life." The little old man's eyes filled up after Joel bows to him. It came at a shock when the big American gave him a long hug as well. "Be careful. Be careful." The old man waited until the big man let him go. Joel forces himself to meet the eyes the boat men. He gave each of them a thankful nod. Joel came up the beach, alert, rifle sweeping the seemingly empty sea shore as the captain and his men made haste to turn the boat around.

The old man waved him urgently; Do not linger! Go on! Take off while there is light. The old man gestures to the sun as the boat leaves the beach.

Joel Miller raises his rifle in a last farewell, faced the island with a deep breath and entered the coconut grove.

xXXXx

"How did you ever get the payment for your transport?" Maya asks after taking another bite of grilled corn.

"Labor. I helped around on the ship." With a light frown Joel looks first where he's going before he took a line from his own cob.

"That must be hard." Maya compares the neat rows Joel took while hers looks as if it's been gnawed on by a dozen infected.

"No, not really. I got to relax. I took a break from fighting the infected and smuggling."

"Why did you decide to stop smuggling?" Maya broke half of her cob for easy handling.

"I'm getting tired of it, to be honest, and it's becoming more brutal."

"More killing?"

'It was sometimes inevitable." He accepted a mug of hot drink from her.

It was not easy to change Maya's mind after she declared she's gonna go to the blindspot but talking to her quietly and patiently resulted in them bringing the portable grill out to the gate because with some embarrassment they realized they're hungry. They sit on the sidewalk drinking ginger tea and roasted their corn. Joel swirls the small pieces of ginger in his cup while Maya makes sure the grill is well lit.

"What did your partner say?"

"I flew solo." He straightened and clears his throat.

"But isn't it kinda hard to work alone in that kind of business?"

"I used to have a partner, Tess."

"Where is she?"

"She…didn't make it in one of our jobs."

"I'm sorry."

"Just our luck running out. Anyhow, on the boat there were two meals a day, there's a place to sleep, there were new things to do so it's not bad. The guys were not so bad either even if they're ex-cons."

"And you were a hen in a fox house." She leans back after turning the corn, the kernels slowly heat up and pop quietly.

Joel snorts at the funny twist of expression. "What I thought too. But that didn't really matter after the spores. It's a second chance for them. It was a second chance for me. Thanks." Joel hands his own corn to Maya to heat it up like hers as he takes a sip of ginger tea.

"What do you miss?" Maya asks. Sparks fly like fireflies as she stokes the charcoal with a cardboard fan.

"Cars. Bad for the environment, I know but…you asked. What about you? What do you miss?"

"Nothing much really." She shrugs. "I just want to walk anywhere attack-free."

"Yeah, that's a luxury. It's kinda fuzzy how that felt like."

Maya nods her agreement to his statement as she holds the map up to the gate light; the breeze ruffling the corner pages. "You came so far. It looks like it's a short distance from here to there but it's not."

"Have you been there before?"

"Yes, every summer but that's a long time ago and not this far away." Maya points to the place where the bridge was being constructed. "There's a shrine here where people go. You noticed that people here are big on religion even today."

"Lots of hills and mountains and landslides, too." Joel reaches over and turns the cobs over holding it by the husk. "I didn't like that place. It was too dangerous."

"Did you travel all the way on foot?"

"I tried to on the first part of the trip but there's no transport I could even repair. It's the countryside. There's nothing there except abandoned rice fields. Tatay Mando was very specific not to veer away from the highway."

"Right. You won't get lost and if it's in the open it's usually free of the 'bad' elements."

"Bad elements?"

"Yep, bad people in all shapes and sizes."

"Yeah, father Mando knew." Joel nods with a little smile. "He's local.'

"Was he an ex-con too?"

"Murder. He was young, had a drinking problem and a temper."

"Hmm. Sounds like my father." Maya whispers and gave Joel a shrug. "He had a temper and a drinking problem."

Joel looks up to the sky dotted with stars. There were some reddish clouds here and there. The breeze smells like rain. "That was almost me too." Maya looks up at him. "Right after Sarah died." Maya reaches over and squeezed his arm.

"It hurts to lose a child and people you love. Many people here lost theirs too." Maya looks away, voice a tad husky. "So tell me more about your journey." She says to banish the gloomy talk.

Joel nods to the map, taps an area on the yellow road. "So right about this point I was getting tired of walking. I entered a town, maybe, and when I looked around I saw a junk shop. Again, there's no one. I need something faster but not as big as a car but something small and maneuverable in tight spaces and situations…"

"A motorbike."

"I was gonna say that." Maya snorts in a very exasperating way at his face but in the end he made her smile.

"So, did you find one?"

"Not at first. After I made that decision I was set back about four days because of the…" Joel gave a short laugh, "this country rains a lot!"

"This is the tropics, duh!"

"I had to find shelter were I can defend it too and this is where I found my first infected; at an abandoned spa resort a little ways from the junk shop. So many spa resorts along that road!"

"How many infected did you dispose off?"

"Five. Pushed them in a pool. They're not good in water."

"'They're not good in water…'" Maya found it extremely hilarious and she started laughing so hard until she was in tears. Joel joined her after he realized the joke. "I've to remember that."

"Then I found a step scooter." That made her guffaw again.

"Really? A kid's scooter?" Joel joins Maya in her chuckles. "I can't imagine you on one." And she went off laughing again.

"Uh, it's not really a kid's scooter more like an adult version. But….but I finally got to fix a motorbike. It's amazing how it was overlooked by looters." He sound amazed.

"Because it's a 'junk shop'." Maya still have some of the laughter in her voice as she gave him back his well warmed corn. The cups steam from the newly boiled ginger tea, their second pot.

"I did take that step scooter after a lot of thinking. I said 'what the hell', folded it and tied it on the back of the motorcycle."

"They're called tricycles*." Maya explains after Joel asks her the weird-looking sidecars he keeps seeing along the road. "They can go in narrow streets. Did you use one?" She's on the verge of laughing again.

"Yes ma'am. I freed one from a side car. I attached it behind the bike and stocked it with molotov bottles and extra fuel I found from the junk shop."

"So how long did it set you back again?"

"That's the sad part, I had to stay there for almost two weeks so I could have everything ready. Anyway, there was another typhoon…"

"I think I remember that…"

"It wasn't that strong but tatay Mando said there might be landslides so it's dangerous."

"Joel,' Maya stirs after taking a sip of tea, her eyes across the street where she wrecked the dead tree. "Thank you for stopping me from doing something stupid."

"I'm all for rescuing your friend but I wanna know is if you are doing it for yourself and not for other people." Maya is quiet beside him. "You don't owe that Rina shit. I will do it for you and not for that woman."

"I know she's there. I need to find and save her." She lays a hand on his arm before he could say anything. "This is my job and my duty for this community. It only takes one person to undo everything. I can't let that happen."

"We need a plan." He looks back to Maya after the sound of thunder was heard far away. Suddenly Maya stands up looking to his left. "What?"

"One of the kids…" Maya runs to the boy. "Teddy, why are you here?" she kneels to the kid, he looks scared.

"Fighting." The child points to the clubhouse.

"Who?"

"All." His hand makes a circle. Maya picks the boy up and places him on her hip.

Joel goes back to their little grill and doused the fire with the tea. "I'll take him. Take this." He gave Maya his rifle.

"Take my machete. Its yours." Maya puts Teddy down on the sidewalk so she could take off the scabbard and hands it to Joel. She smiles when he gave the boy the rest of their uneaten corn. Meanwhile, she made sure the gate of the armory is secure.

"Okay, hop on, kid." Joel goes on one knee and guides the boy to his back; he nods to Maya they're ready. "Hold tight."

xXXXx

A/N:

Armando or Mando- is a male name with Spanish origins. [I've been dying to use that name for a long time in one of my non-Mandalorian characters. Yeah! LOL!]

Tatay –Tagalog for father

Anak or child- can be used for a son or daughter

Motorized tricycles, or simply tricycles (Filipino: traysikel; Cebuano: traysikol), is a type of motorized vehicle from the Philippines consisting of a motorcycle attached to a passenger cab.