A/N: The following chapter will be told in first person. Also another thing, as much as I do enjoy you guys favoriting the story. I would prefer that you follow the story. This will notify you when I upload a new chapter. Keep in mind the story isn't finished yet.
TOMMY: CHAPTER 27: The Last Battle
It was about 5 years ago. I was in the friendly trench that day, leaning against the trench wall. Fireflies walked through the trenches as I stood there waiting.
"Hey Tommy!" a Firefly said shoving me in a friendly matter, "you're not dead yet, right?"
[Play The Last of Us (You and Me).]
"Knock it off, Lucky." I told the Firefly in a laughing matter.
"So what do you think?" Lucky said pulling out his new rifle.
"Holy shit, you finally got it!" I said with excitement.
"Yup, I finally earned this bad boy." Lucky said cocking the rifle afterwards.
"It's the M16A3 right?" I asked.
"Yup, the automatic one."
"I can see you have the foregrip already attached." I said pointing at the rifle's underbarrel.
"Of course, this rifle may be badass, but it kicks like a bitch!" Lucky said laughing a bit.
"Maybe Johnson will all of a sudden give us the order to storm the enemy trench, then you can actually use it."
"Then it would give me a chance to shoot off some helmets of them soldiers."
From there we just talked about the normal things. We had been cracking jokes on when we'd attack the enemy trenches. It seemed that we'd never would. Months ago we came here with a bit of action. Fighting off patrolling soldiers.
We'd take them straight on that time, but the whole 10th Legion hadn't arrived yet.
Instead the higher ups ordered us to make some trenches surrounding the QZ. Boy the Military tried to stop us. In those days we'd have one shovel one hand, and a pistol in the other.
After the trenches were created, FEDRA made their own. They sent soldiers and were dung in there for a while. Every now and then FEDRA would try and take our trench. The more they attacked the more we got used to their tactics.
It's now been months since their last attack. The people of the zone must've been starving, we practically isolated them. I asked Johnson once if this was all necessary. He'd told me that it was the cost of war.
This battle would be the last for many. The last QZ out in the west, the last battle for me as well.
[If the song hasn't died out yet, then either pause or wait it out.]
Back with the original story. Lucky and I had been talking for a while. Then Johnson came up to us with the Elite Firefly Corp, or whom many knew them as, Shadow Legionaries.
A handful of the legionaries carried riot shields and a spear. The others just carried either M4s or some variant of the M16.
"The day has come, we will storm the enemy trench, and we will liberate the QZ from FEDRA. We will be backed by a handful of APCs. Unfortunately our air force isn't available." Johnson said with a bit of despair.
"No matter what, we will come out victorious!"
[Play All Gone.]
Now the legionaries lined up against the trench walls. Some already having their hands on the ladder.
"Today marks for a new, the Legion will make it," a Firefly officer began. By the looks of it he was a Major. As the officer continued, I pulled out a paper and a pencil. Lucky just looked at me as I began to write. He was right next to me, so why wouldn't he.
"As we march on to new area for our Republic…"
I didn't bother listening to the Major, It was just some lame-o speech to "boost morale".
I began writing on the piece of paper.
Dear Joel,
I am currently in Wyoming, about to liberate the last QZ in the west. If I live, we will be heading to Boston to liberate the next QZ. Maybe I can go uncover to say hi or something.
Another rumor has been going around, about a settlement without military, hunters, and infected. And as a surprise it's Wyoming! I heard its Jackson, remember the vacation we took there with…never mind.
I wanted to head there, but the service keeps me from going. I even confronted Johnson. If I haven't told you, he's my commanding officer.
I told him how it could be a strategic location, but he refused! Can you believe that! Maybe once this is all over, we can head over and see if the rumors were true.
Your brother,
Tommy
I then gave the letter to a Firefly with a red legionaire cap. He was in charge of delivering letters to love ones.
I now focused on the Major's words.
"… And remember, No Mercy for the Legion. God Bless the Legion out there and good luck."
Now the legionaries grabbed on to either the ladder or the trench edge.
"Hey Lucky," I began, "you're finally going to be able to use your rifle!"
Lucky laughed a bit, he should have laughed more. Because that was his last real laugh.
"One minute!" an officer yelled. Many of the surrounding legionaries readied their rifles.
"Whatever happens out there, Tommy, remember we are legionaries."
I just nodded my head at Lucky.
"Five seconds!" the officer yelled. Seconds later he blew the whistle.
The legionaries climbed out of the trench. Either by climbing up the ladder or pulling themselves out of the trench. The first one began to climb out via ladder. As he got to the top he was shot in the head. Falling back into the trench.
"Fucken Christ!" one of the legionaries yelled.
"We need artillery support!" another blurted.
"APCs moving up!" an officer yelled.
The APCs rolled over the trench. The legionaries were now confident. They now climbed out. The APCs prevented a handful of legionaries from dying instantly.
"Let's go, Lucky!" I said putting my hand on Luck's shoulder. Now I climbed out.
For the first 50 yards we ran, there was a very little amount of deaths for our side. As we ran another 100 yards out, the military began firing artillery.
"ARTILLERY! INCOMING!" a legionary yelled.
The shells began to hit Fireflies surrounding me.
"Ahh!" one of the legionary's yelled as he went flying upwards.
"Dahh." A Firefly moaned.
We approached the trench. I jumped into a newly formed crater. Lucky followed. We waited until the soldiers would do something tricky. The artillery had stopped for the most part.
If they shelled the place too close to the trench, it is possible for them to hit their own men.
Shelling continued on other parts of no man's land. I could even here the souls of my fellow comrades in pain, as if they were dying more than once.
[Play Blackout.]
"GASS! GAS! GAS!" a legionary shouted.
I looked up and saw the yellow, pineapple smelling gas fill the trench. Many of the Fireflies in there were clearly, exposed.
"They're using gas." I stated.
"No shit!" Lucky yelled at me, "Our boys are clearly exposed out there!"
"We better put on our mask before it makes its way over here."
Lucky nodded and placed his mask on. I removed my boonie hat and placed on my mask. I soon placed the hat back on. I now pulled out my bayonet blade, placed it on rear of the rifle's barrel and snapped it into place.
"I believe it's time we join the fight."
Both of us climbed out of the crater to aid our exposing comrades.
As I jumped in there, a soldier noticed me. Before he could pick up his rifle, I shot first.
"Behind you!" Lucky said through the mask.
I reacted quick enough to launch the blade of the bayonet into the soldier. I twisted the rifle so that the wound would be enlarged. Pulling it out soon afterwards. The soldier now fell down along with a pool of blood.
Soon reinforcements arrived. We drove out all opposing soldiers. APCs now moved up and began to fire on the QZ walls.
"Move up!" an officer order. He blew the whistle afterwards.
"Enemy Artillery!" a Firefly blurted out.
Lucky and I crawled out of the trench. Seconds later, the shells it the trenches. I went flying forward. Hitting my head on something, I was knocked out cold.
[Play All Gone (Aftermath).]
I looked around when I woke up. The dirt was blacken, along with red patches. I realized that it was blood. I got up as the site frightened me. I looked at my body to see if it was fine.
It was though. I looked around and saw dead Fireflies and dead soldiers. Some of them missing pieces of their body.
I realized I still had my mask on. By the looks of it, there wasn't huge amounts of gas everywhere. I removed it and hung it some where at the bottom of the vest.
I looked back at the QZ. The US flag was gone, replaced with the Firefly Republic's. The flag was just a yellow flag with the Firefly insignia in the middle.
I looked back down. The aftermath of the battle was unbearable. Destroyed vehicles from both sides. It wasn't worth it.
Lucky. I told myself. My heart began to beat faster.
"Lucky!" I shouted.
"Over here." Lucky said.
Soon after I heard those words, my heart beat lower a bit. A bit.
I walked up to him to find him lying on the floor on some concrete. His rifle right next to him with the mag removed. I focused on his blood stained hands.
I started nodding in disbelief.
"Tell me that ain't yours."
"It's mine, ah." Lucky said moaning a bit.
"What happened to you?"
"Well right after I saw your ass get blow. I got distracted. The artillery shell hit. And as a result I went flying and hitting the concrete with a rod sticking out.
"Where's the rod? I asked.
"Right here." Lucky said moving his hands away from the wound. An inch rod was sticking right out. "You know maybe if they gave me the vest, instead of you. Maybe I would be fine." Lucky said laughing a bit.
"Enough with the jokes." I told him in a serious matter. "You're bleeding out. How long have you been here?"
"First of all," Lucky began, "I'm not bleeding out. The rod practically sealed the wound. Second, I've been here for a couple of hours. And third, you shouldn't be worrying about me so much. I mean my name's Lucky for god sack. Remember this helmet stopped a bullet." Lucky said tapping his helmet.
"Well, what are we going to do?" I asked.
"Look around for medical supplies, first aid. Once you find them, you're going to pull me up. Then I need to you stitch the wound back together."
"Got it." I replied.
I now made my way around the corpses. None of them had any medical supplies. I had looked around completely. I realized the only place left was, the trenches.
I jumped right back in them. I looked around. And the first thing I found was a red cross on one of the dead soldiers. The dead soldier had been leaning against the trench wall.
I got in a crouch position as I pulled the body forward. It revealed all of his medical supplies in his backpack. I unzipped the backpack to find a first aid kit.
"God, maybe he is lucky." I admitted.
I then heard something. It sounded as if someone was sliding on pebbles. I grabbed my rifle. I zipped up the backpack and placed it on my back. I now walked into another trench.
I then turned to the left. I found a live soldier. He was scared shitless. In response I pointed rifle right at him.
"Please!" he began, "don't kill me! I don't want to be a soldier for them. I'll just make my way. I'm not one of them!"
I still had my rifle's barrel pointing at his chest.
I shot the rifle.
The soldier just stared at me. He didn't know why I missed.
"I'm not one of them either." I said removing both my Firefly and 10th legionary patch. I threw them on the trench floor. "The name's Tommy." I said offering my hand to the former soldier.
"Mason," the soldier said as he grabbed my hand and lifted himself up.
"Well I hate to ruin the moment," Lucky began, "but we have bigger problems!"
Lucky was right about that. We head to see how Lucky was doing.
"You got the shit?" Lucky asked.
"Yeah," I began, "its right here." I now took out the first aid from the backpack and placed it on the ground. "We have stitches, morphine and penicillin. You ready?"
"Always." Lucky said.
"Alright Mason, in a bit we are going to lift up Lucky over here. But for now I need to administer this morphine to reduce the pain."
I began readying the needle. I pulled up Lucky's shirt. And the needle penetrated easily.
"Now." I told Mason.
Mason grabbed one arm, I grabbed the other. We now lifted Lucky.
"Ahh," he moaned as we lifted him up.
As soon as we lifted him up he fell to the side. Now blood began to flow again. Immediately I began to stitch the wounds back together.
"Hope this works." I said with nerve.
It was done, the wound was stitched back together. I grabbed the penicillin. And administered it from the opposite arm.
"How do you feel?" I asked Lucky.
[Play The Choice.]
"I'm fine, now we're heading to Jackson or what?"
"I guess so."
We now left the battlefield. Both sides fought bravely but one came onto of the other.
We now walked through the woods going into Jackson. I and Mason had to be dragging Lucky. But soon, we wouldn't need to. For the time Mason talked to Lucky, it seemed that he enjoyed his company.
[Play Home.]
We began to walk into the woods of Jackson. It was now just me and Mason.
As we made over the hill. I began to think about Lucky.
One week ago, he didn't make it. The Fireflies had been cracking down on deserters. We had just made a fire, because it was dark and cold. We were just chilling. Talking about the days before the outbreak.
"Man, I remember the internet." Mason stated.
"One of the best ways to stay connected." I stated.
"What did you think of the internet, Lucky?"
"I just, played videogames really."
"Damn, maybe this is why you're so lucky?" I said laughing soon afterwards.
"Tommy, Lucky, and military scum." Someone behind them said.
It was clearly two Fireflies standing right behind us. We got up and we were alert. We were about to reach for our weapons, but one of the Fireflies pulled out his rifle and shot a warning shot.
"Easy there," the Firefly in charge said.
"Either you come back," the other Firefly began, "or we kill you right here."
"Tell Johnson I'm done!" I told the two. "That battle was too much for me! It was not worth the cost!"
"Don't say I didn't give you a chance," the Firefly in charge said.
"Fuck this." Lucky said as he threw himself on one.
A shot and he fell right to the ground. This gave me time to grab my rifle. I stabbed the first with the bayonet. Mason jumped the other one and brought him to the ground. Mason snapped the Firefly's neck.
The Fireflies were dealt with.
"Tommy…" Mason began.
"Oh shit, Lucky!"
We both ran to his side. I began to put pressure on the wound.
"Tommy…" Lucky began, "lucks run out."
"Don't say that," Lucky began to pass out. "Lucky. Lucky. Lucky? Lucky!" I placed my hand on Lucky's neck to check his pulse, he was dead.
As we made across the small stream, Jackson was now visible.
"Lucky would have loved to see this place." I said with sadness.
"Yeah…" Mason said.
"He was the one who told me about the rumor, now we're here."
We made our way into Jackson, and at the time there wasn't even a wall or gate yet.
I soon realized we were dehydrated, hungry, and we both showed signs of fatigue. As we began walking on the roads, I landed on my knees and passed out.
I woke up in a bed, next to me was Mason. I looked up to find a beautiful, blond, young woman.
I caught her attention, she walked up to me. She offered me her hand and said, "I'm Maria."
[If song hasn't died out yet, then either pause or wait out the song. We will now be going back to the classic third person.]
Now, back in the Jackson trench, the soldiers were amazed with the story.
Captain Pineda and his squad now entered the scene.
He walked near the trenches and asked the question.
"Yo, did I miss anything?" he asked.
"If I told you, Captain, you wouldn't believe it." Commander Jett said, "Once I get approval, you and your boys are heading to Dubois to set up a line of trenches. I'll even give you command of a whole company."
"Seems like we always get the fun jobs don't we, Captain?" Cruz said with sarcasm.
Tommy now looked at the both. Both Cruz and Captain Pineda reminded him of how he and Lucky used to be. He just hoped they didn't end up like Lucky and himself.