A/N: Sorry it took so long to upload this chapter. I was busy with my exams and as I've already said, I've been rewriting some paragraphs in previous chapters. Anyways, what I wanted to say is that the story will deviate from canon story by a wider margin starting with this chapter. Many events will have different outcomes, characters will suffer different fates and so on (so here's a little intentional spoiler). Other than that, enjoy the chapter. :)


Chapter 7 - Clues

One swing. One swing was all it took to kill a clicker. Ben was more than satisfied with his new, improved weapon. Attaching sharp blades on the wooden surface of the baseball bat made it more lethal, adding a piercing damage output, allowing for one hit kills with less effort. Clicker lied dead beneath his feet, its blood spreading on the wooden parquet.

"I think this is the last one. Good job." Ben praised his canine companion that feasted on the flesh of the fallen, not affected by the virus that devastated the world. "I envy you, you know. You can't turn into one of them. I wonder if there's any human immune to the virus.. probably not."

Khan paused his lunch and looked up at his master, tilting his head. "Jeez, you'll become a fat ass if you don't stop eating like that. I'm hungry too. You don't see me stuffin' myself with loads of food." Because there isn't any food, you schmuck.

Five of the infected lied dead in the apartment. Two were clickers. Khan was a huge contributing factor in this victory, serving both as a diversion and combat aid. With the apartment cleared from the infected, Ben was free to search for supplies. He's been going from apartment to apartment for about an hour, looking for anything useful. This one was hard to reach, since he had to walk across the narrow remains of the balcony to enter. Front door was barred, disabling him from a normal entrance. Rain outside and the slippery surface was contributing to the danger factor. The endeavor proved to be fruitful, though. Not only did he enhance his baseball bat further with more kitchen knives and a pair of scissors, but he also found a corpse of FEDRA soldier in its full-body armor. It took him a while to remove the bulletproof vest, straps were too tight. He took off his hoodie and donned the vest, putting his hoodie back on over it. Afterwards, he added some extra armor and protection in the form of shoulder and knee pads. A big grin formed on his face when he picked up the 9mm pistol from skeletal hand of the FEDRA soldier.

"Bingo. Full clip." said Benn happily, tucking it into the holster he also scavenged from the corpse. "Not bad, so far. What do you say?"

Khan glanced at him for a second before ignoring him completely, resuming his feast. He'd often talk to his wolf companion. Khan was a good listener. If only you could speak. My life would be so much easier and much less boring.

The apartment could be called a treasure spot if it had some hidden food Ben desperately needed. He was very hungry, and his stomach was warning him about it in the form of short, rumbling sounds. One look through the window at the ruined city of Seattle returned him to his thoughts, he was thinking of where he should go next. Should I continue scavenging or should I look for Jesse?

He noticed a prominent building relatively close. The hospital that separated itself from the other buildings around because of its design and a large, red cross at the rest of the city looked exactly the same, ruined and gray under the overcast sky.

On his way out (the apartment was on the third floor), he had to walk across the ruined balcony once again. It was harder this time around because the vest weighed him down, his foot almost slipped. Lucky I was never afraid of heights. Khan, on the other hand, was quite a scaredy cat while crossing the balcony. Ben was the first to cross to the other side, having to lure him across it somehow. They enjoyed the rest of the journey down using the stairs, not minding the safe and uneventful trip.

"..no way." came a voice from the alley, merging with the sound of footsteps. Ben, who was on his way out of the building, stopped at the doorstep, taking cover behind the wall. More Wolves?

"I'm telling you, man. They captured her at the hospital, I've seen it." another voice added. How many of them are here? Should I engage them? Sound of at least a dozen footsteps changed his mind. It was a whole group of them. Best decision was to wait until they passed. There was no need for unnecessary risk. Her? Who's her?

"Oh yeah, she even resisted, can you imagine?"

Unaware, he was clutching the gun tightly in his left hand. Are they talking about Ellie?

"… Isaac... happy.." he couldn't pick much of the rest because voices faded away in the distance. Are they talking about the hospital I've seen from the apartment? If that was true, he had to make haste. If they got Ellie or Dina.. God, I have to hurry up. For a while now, he's been wandering around without an exact goal, except for gathering supplies. He had no leads on whereabouts of his friends, no clues that he could follow. I have to risk it, otherwise I might never find them.

Without a second thought, he was on his way to the hospital he saw from above. Still, he proceeded carefully through the streets, avoiding any curious eyes that could lurk nearby. His path led him through the streets, alleys, buildings and a small park. It didn't take him more than an hour to find the way through the ruins. He watched for the signs on the street which helped him along the way.

Hospital was rising in front of him, though the access to it was not very straightforward. Streets around one side of it have collapsed. River was flowing below, perhaps the same one Ben almost drowned in. There was the idea that he could swim through it, but the water mass was patrolled regularly by the Wolves that circled around the hospital in the boat. Not only that, a barrier was blocking the direct path to the hospital. Sentries were guarding it from the two watchtowers that rose above the barrier. Two men in the boat.. a sentry in each tower, that's four, he made the count, wondering to take them on if possible. Still, how many of them are inside? It looks like a base, I can't risk frontal assault, not on my own, and certainly not with only six bullets.

The answer to the riddle was simple, he had to sneak in. Buildings around the hospital could prove useful. They were close enough to each other that he was almost certain he could make the jump from one building to another. Perhaps he could sneak into the hospital that way and enter from the roof. Sounds like a plan.

"Stay." he ordered Khan, pointing with his finger to the ground. Wolf was well trained to listen to his command, he'd stay still for hours if Ben ordered him to do so. Those were the fruits of the training since day one. Ben was quite proud of himself.

"I won't take long, I promise." explained Ban, readying himself, checking the straps on the bulletproof vest beneath his hoodie. "Oh, don't give me that look. You'll see Ellie or Dina soon. I know you miss them."

Sad thing was that Khan actually spent more time with Ellie than Ben did in the last few months. While she happily played with the wolf, she completely ignored Ben unless she had to acknowledge his existence. Over time, he lost interest too. Why force a friendship with someone who doesn't want it? Yet here I am, in Seattle. Strong character..? Probably not.

Staying low, he moved from cover to cover, scouting the building ahead, looking for a way to enter. Two entrances to the hospital were completely off-limits to him mainly because of the boat patrol on one side and a tall barrier on the other side. His eyes scanned the buildings around it. Most of them were taller by a wide margin, but there was one that matched the hospital's height. Structure stood still behind the hospital, which might be the base's blind spot, unless sentries were posted there as well. Still, that seemed a better option than the others. Though, this meant he had to go around the hospital, avoiding sentries' curious eyes along the way to be able to enter. A slight detour, but it is worth one. I just hope I'm not too late.

The way around was harder than he initially thought. Rubble from the collapsed buildings blocked the majority of the paths, forcing him to find alternatives. Thus, he found himself traversing through basements, parking lots, fifth, sixth, seventh floors, making for quite atiresome journey that required a lot of heavy lifting, opening busted doors, risky jumps and such. The hospital was always on his left side, something he used for orientation.. He'd come across the occasional runner who didn't bother him, it was nothing unsolvable. He got the opportunity to test the improved bat. One strong swing was good enough to tear the whole face apart, a fact that didn't excite very much since he was never the one for the violence. Like it or not, Ben.. you made one hell of a weapon.

Ben knew he was in the right spot when he climbed to the roof that matched the height of the hospital. Back side of the hospital was flat, walls looked as if they were made of glass that used to be transparent once, now it was stained and very dirty. It surprised him that the WLF didn't post any guards in the area, considering the fact that they seemed a serious military organization. That blind spot behind the hospital was a huge weakness, any big party could approach them and attack their backs. Too bad I didn't bring a big party along with me. This might be over by now.

He walked over to the edge to measure the distance between two buildings. A solid seven or eight feet. It should be noted that the hospital roof was lower for whole foot, making the jump only so much easier. One look down was enough to freeze him, turning his intestines upside down. Underneath him lied a flat concrete surface and a vast vertical drop. Fall from that height was deadly, he'd hit the street and splatter like a pancake. I haven't eaten pancakes in a while, he thought, remembering the taste happily, taking his mind off the potential incoming death. You're making me some pancakes once we get home, Ellie. With that, he walked away from the edge, creating some space between, enough for the rush, calculating the distance needed to reach the speed required for the jump.

"It's not that far.." he reassured himself, breathing heavily. He was scared, but he had to jump. "..I can make the jump. Let's go.."

He stretched his legs, his back and readied himself. Bulletproof vest will weigh him down, solid five or six pounds, excluding the elbow and knee pads. Ben was always able to jump high and far. Tommy once told him he'd be a good basketball player, only if he was taller.

After a long, deep breath, he rushed towards the edge, accelerating to the sprinting pace in less than two seconds. Edge was getting closer and closer with every step, and a vastness of Seattle revealed itself before him, endless sea merging with the horizon in the distance.

He leaped off.

Eyes widened, mouth opened, he almost screamed seeing the surface so far below. He felt as if he was flying, like the birds, except that he lacked wings. The jump was good. He leaped off high in the air but still far enough, enough to land on his left foot and collapse from the friction, hurting his right shoulder. With a moan, he turned and lied on his back, his breathing deep and harsh.

Rising himself in a sitting position, he remained that way for a few seconds before getting back to his feet. Carrying bat all the time turned out to be quite bothersome since he couldn't sheathe it anywhere. At least he could holster his pistol. He approached the edge one last time and looked over it, realizing the feat he accomplished.

"You're definitely making me some pancakes, Ellie." There was no way back now. The roof he jumped from was unreachable from the hospital, being too far and too high. "Just be worth it."

Approaching the door in the middle of the roof, he opened it and walked downstairs. What he found was a typical hospital layout, maze of corridors with rooms for the patients. Floor was made out of wood while once white walls were stained by dirt and blood in some places. Everything looked particularly tidy for some reason which surprised him. Many objects were stacked in piles along the corridors and in the patient rooms. It looked as if the Wolves were abandoning the base. Benches stretched along the lengths of the corridors, leaning on the dirty walls. He had to be careful down there, not knowing how many Wolves were in the hospital. Doesn't matter how many. It was dark in the hospital, lamps placed along the hallways being the only source of light.

For some reason, he found himself thinking it was Ellie that was captured. I just hope they didn't kill her, a thought crossed his mind, and for a second, he wondered what he'd do if they did. He'd probably lose it. Yet, if it was Ellie, and he managed to rescue her.. Is she going to hug me and thank me for saving her ass? I wouldn't mind it, to be honest.

Pair of voices came from around the corner, prompting him to enter the nearest room. Once inside, he moved fast, hiding behind the bed. There was not enough time to close the door, Wolves would certainly have heard it. Voices got louder as the approached the room, only to get quieter as time went on. They were just passing through. He heard two voices, which meant that at least two men passed through. Once they walked away, Ben left his cover and continued his search, avoiding Wolves as best as he could. He was crouched while traversing the hallways of the Wolf hospital, he peeked around the corners and pinned himself to the wall, hiding from the guards. He was forced to take cover two times more as more soldiers passed through. Good thing there are patient rooms all over the place. Most of the medical equipment was taken away by the Wolves, leaving beds without sheets and empty cabinets. Two Wolves entered the room just as he was hiding in one of the cabinets. Ben couldn't see anything, but his ears served him well.

"Where is she?" a raspy, female voice, sounding quite serious, angry even.

"In the elevator." male voice answered almost immediately. "Northern wing. Don't do anything stupid."

Conversation ended there. Elevator, northern wing.. got it. I'm coming for you, Ellie.. Dina.. whoever it is.

As soon as footsteps faded away, he walked out of the cabinet and out of the room, looking left and right for the woman that was in the room, inquiring about the prisoner's location. His eyes landed on his target that had just turned and disappeared around the corner. Following her, he walked through the maze of corridors, examining the surroundings for any sign of other Wolves. He couldn't see the woman well, mostly because she turned his back to him. She was dark-skinned and had black, curly hair tied behind her head. Her clothes looked rather ordinary, he could never tell she was a soldier. She carried a backpack in her left hand. Ben wondered if it belonged to Ellie or Dina.

Following her led him to a balcony of the second floor, overlooking the hospital lobby below. Several soldiers walked around the lobby carrying packages, probably medical equipment that was missing in the patient rooms. Balcony stretched along the whole width of the lobby, decorated with a glass fence. About a dozen pieces of ruined furniture and a container or two were on the balcony, proving a useful cover Ben used while following the woman. He was forced to stay crouched while sneaking on the balcony since the soldiers could see him if he stood straight. Good thing she isn't looking back, he was grateful that a woman he followed wasn't looking around her shoulder. Going through the balcony, he crossed to the other side of the hospital, moving from the southern to the northern wing.

She suddenly stopped and turned her head around.

Not aware of his own speed, he managed to hide in time, crouched behind the bench. His heart was pounding loudly. Did she see me? No reaction. He remained crouched for a few more moments, just to be sure.

Rising his head above the bench, he noticed her disappearing around another corner. Damn! He ran clumsily on his toes, trying to catch up to her, until he heard two sets of female voices he couldn't recognize. Voices were still far away, but those were two female voices, that was certain. Almost there..

With pistol ready in his left, he gripped the baseball bat tightly in his right hand and ran for it. His footsteps echoed in the corridor as he sprinted. A sudden fear overtook him, a fear that the woman had a murderous intent. The elevator she walked in was in sight. One short glance was enough to see two shapes in it.

Outstretching his 9mm pistol, he aimed it at the dark-skinned woman and issued an order. "Don't move!"

She put her hands up almost immediately upon seeing him, terror slowly forming on her face. A woman sat leaned on the wall handcuffed to the bar above her head. His eyes widened when he looked at her, at her confused face as she glanced back at him. Brown hair was entangled in a long braid that fell over her shoulder, covering her chest. This is not Ellie. Who the hell is this?

"Who are you?" dark-skinned woman asked, retreating until her back hit the elevator wall. Her voice was raspy. "What do you want?"

I want to get the hell out of here, that's what I want.

If someone asked him how he felt at that exact moment, he wouldn't know how to describe it. It was a mix of surprise, disappointment and relief at the same time.

"I thought.. you were someone else." he admitted, there was no point in lying now, was it? You stupid idiot, you walked right to their base. How stupid can you be? Yet, how was I supposed to know..?

"Does that mean you don't.. want to kill us?"

Ben looked at the woman called Nora, a drop of cold sweat rolling down his cheek. He was dumbfounded, as if he forgot how to speak. His gun was still pointed at her.

"Nora. He's not a Scar." brown haired woman noted. "Look at his face."

What about my face?

On the mention of his face, Nora's expression changed even though he still held his gun pointed at her. "You don't have to do this."

I don't want to, but what if I must? "Is there another option?" What if there isn't?

Nora looked as if she gained some confidence. "You're one of the trespassers, right?"

He didn't answer.

"Others will kill you when they find you in here.." said Nora, but her face suggested she wasn't done talking "..but, maybe we can avoid that."

She was right. Just one glance at him and Wolves the will open fire without a second thought. Trespassers killed on sight, right? Gun still pointed, he glanced quickly to his side to see if anyone was approaching. When he made sure corridors stayed empty, he looked back at her, nodding at her to start talking.

"You help her, and I'll forget you were here." she said at last. "Can I unlock her handcuffs?"

"No." replied Ben shortly. "What's a guarantee you're not lying?"

Nora shook her head. "There is none. You have to trust me."

Trust you? You kill anyone who isn't a Wolf on sight, he thought angrily, but the realization still hit him hard. What other choice do I have?

"I guess you want her out of the hospital?" he asked, slowly lowering his gun, hesitating in the process. Nora sighed, wiping sweat off her forehead with the back of her arm.

"You need to help her with something else."

"Why does she need my help?"

Nora exchanged looks with the woman below before continuing. "She'll need all the help she can get where she is going."

Do I have a choice in this matter?

"You can either help me or try to fight your way out. It's up to you." woman with the braid answered his thoughts.

Ben looked at the woman below. Nora gave him another look with her black eyes, motioning at the metal handcuffs. Ben nodded, allowing her to free her friend. Prisoner stood and took place in front of him. She was slightly shorter than him although the difference seemed almost negligible.

"I need to find something in that place." woman with the braid said. Only when she got on her feet, Ben noticed her muscular build. Her shoulders were as wide as his, if not wider. "Help me find what I need, and I'll help you."

"You in?" Nora asked him. He hesitated a bit before he answered. Then he nodded. "Good. I'll explain everything along the way. Follow me."

Thoughts and regret overwhelmed him. What did I get myself into this time?

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