Boston, 2003
Kira's hand started to ache from how tightly her mother was holding onto her, all but dragging the young girl through the corridors of Boston hospital. The lights above them flickered, as patients and staff alike raced past them, their faces pale with terror. Kira hadn't been allowed to see the news that morning. Her mother didn't want her to see the horrors on the screen. In her other hand, Kira clutched tightly at her toy tiger, comforted by the feeling of the soft fur underneath her fingers. A sharp scream had her mother's steps coming to a halt, realising the shout had come from the direction they were running in.
"Mom, what was that?" Kira mumbled, looking up at her with wide eyes.
"It was nothing. Come on, in here" Her mother instructed, pushing open a door to a nearby locker room, her eyes darting around to see if anyone was inside.
She stumbled around the room for a few moments, making sure the coast was clear, before peering out of the window that was above the car park. Whatever she saw had all the colour draining from her face, scrunching her eyes shut for a moment.
"Sweetie, I need you to stay here while...hey, look at me. Look at me" Her mother exclaimed, kneeling in front of Kira, whose bottom lip had started to wobble.
"You're gonna' be okay. You just need to stay here. Keep quiet. I'll be back" Her mother told her, as Kira shook her head, vehemently.
"Don't leave me, mommy" Kira cried, desperately trying to hold onto her arm.
"I need to call my friend Marlene. There's a phone by the nurse's station. We need a way out of here, honey" Kira's mother insisted.
"You won't come back" Kira sobbed, clutching her stuffed toy close to her chest.
"Of course, I will. You just...you count to a hundred and I'll be back with you. Keep hold of Simon. He'll keep you safe" Her mother suggested, patting the toy on the head.
"Simon's not real, mommy" Kira whispered, causing her mother to smile.
"Don't open the door for anyone" Her mother told her, before leaning forward to press a quick kiss to her forehead.
She was then walking toward the door, turning back to look at her daughter, who raised her hand up to give a small wave. The door was slammed shut behind her, leaving Kira in a deafening silence. That was until she heard running water coming from the showers, causing her eyes to double in size. Kira staggered back a few steps, her back hitting the door, as she reached up on her tiptoes to grab the door handle, frowning when she tried to push the door open, but it wouldn't budge. She tried to ram the door open with her small shoulder, managing to create a gap between the door and frame, finding a hospital bed had been placed outside the door.
"Mom?" She called out, in a shaky tone.
Kira jumped in fright when she saw a woman sprinting down the corridor, clutching at her face which was bleeding profusely, a snarling sound following her. Kira quietly closed the door again, and shut her eyes, deciding to do what her mother had told her.
One.
Two.
Three—
Kira's eyes snapped open as she heard a strange sound coming from the showers again. It sounded like...crying? She started walking toward the showers, practically hiding her face behind her stuffed toy until she came to a red substance on the floor, splattered against the tiles.
Blood.
Kira let out a whimper as she heard the crying change into a different sound. There was something vomiting in the showers, crying louder as they gagged. It was then that Kira realised she could see something just around the corner of the showers. A hand. One that wasn't moving. She froze on the spot as a head suddenly appeared, their face drenched in blood, awful tendrils protruding from their mouth, wide eyes focused on her. They were still wearing their hospital scrubs, which had pieces of flesh hanging down from their shoulders, hair still attached to the tissue. Kira backed up a step, watching as the man's eyes narrowed before he let out a bloodcurdling scream. Kira was turning on her heel and running away from them, turning back before rounding the lockers to see the man had slipped on the blood coating his shoes. She all but lunged at the door, desperately trying to shove it open, but it was still stuck. She let out a cry as she saw the man hurtling toward her, his arms reaching out for her and then—
Bang!
Kira's head shot open, eyes darting around in a panic as she tried to take in her surroundings, breath leaving her lips in short pants. She had been dreaming. She was safe. For now.
Boston, 2023
Except, it wasn't just a dream. It was a memory. And her mother wasn't around to protect her anymore. She hadn't been for years. Kira had to be the protector now, it was the only thing that kept her from giving up and ending it all.
"Ellie? Ellie!" Kira exclaimed, pushing herself up from where she had been dozing off on the floor, realising the teenager was nowhere to be seen.
"I think some serious shit is going down out there" Ellie muttered, from where Kira now found her standing by the window, causing her to let out a sigh of relief.
"Was that a gunshot?" Kira questioned, pushing herself to her feet.
"Yeah. Do you...do you think Marlene's okay?" Ellie asked, biting her lip.
"The woman's as hard as nails, El. Trust me, she's been in a lot worse situations...and get away from that window, God knows who might see you" Kira stated.
"And you're sure we can trust her? One hundred per cent sure?" Ellie insisted, as Kira placed her hand on the younger girl's shoulder.
"Yes. Now, listen to your big sister and take a breath" Kira instructed, dragging Ellie away from the window.
"I'm calm. I am! " Ellie retorted, despite the way she was fidgeting with her hands, hopping from one foot to the other.
God, Ellie looked so much like their mother. They had the same eyes. Not to mention the stubbornness. Her mother would have known how to comfort Ellie. She would have kept her from getting bitten in the first place...
"Oh yeah, it shows—" Kira began, when she heard voices talking from outside.
Her pocketknife was pulled out of her jeans in a split second, holding her hand up to shush Ellie, who gave her a look of panic. She ushered her sister to stand on one side of the doorway, so whoever had entered the room wouldn't spot her. She then moved to the other side, knife raised up in the air, ready to kill without a second thought. Her eyes widened when Marlene was falling through the doorway a moment later, flopping to her knees, blood dripping out onto the floor. Just as Kira was about to reach out to help her friend, a stranger beat her to it. He was crouching down to wrap his arm around Marlene's waist, only recognising Kira's presence a second too late. She had her knife against his carotid artery in the blink of an eye, only needing confirmation from Marlene before she would slice his neck open.
"Kira, let him go!" Marlene ordered, sternly.
The younger girl pursed her lips, spotting another woman closing in from the corner of her eye, realising she was about to lose her upper hand. Reluctantly, she pulled the blade away, straightening up to face the other newcomer. She looked to be around forty, with messy hair pulled back by a bandana, cuts and bruises covering her face. The woman certainly seemed to know how to fight.
"Shit. What happened?" Ellie questioned, coming out of her hiding spot and rushing over to help Marlene off the floor.
"Don't worry. I'll be alright" Marlene replied, stumbling toward a counter to lean against.
"I'll decide that. Let me see" Kira told her, brushing Marlene's hand away from her bleeding wound.
She peeled back her shirt, that was soaked through with her own blood, finding a bullet wound underneath. She let out a breath of relief when she saw an exit wound on her back. It had gone straight through.
"You need patching up like yesterday" Kira sighed.
"No shit" Ellie scoffed, as Kira gave her sister an annoyed look.
"You're recruiting kind of young, aren't ya?" The man spoke up, eyes flickering from Ellie to Kira, in a gruff tone.
He was strong, if his broad, muscular build was anything to go by. Late forties, tanned, his beard and dark hair tinted with grey, a scowl directed at Kira. Unsurprising, considering she had been about to bleed him out. Kira recognised something in his tired brown eyes. A familiar pain that she knew far too well.
"We're not recruits" Kira mumbled.
"I got us help. Joel, Tess, meet Kira and Ellie. They're not exactly great at making friends" Marlene huffed, nudging Kira to greet their new guests.
"...Yeah. Sorry about, you know...almost killing you and all" Kira spoke up, as Joel raised an eyebrow at the younger girl.
"Listen. I can't go with you. Not in this state..." Marlene trailed off, her face contorting in pain, as she clutched at her stomach wound.
"Well, then we're staying" Ellie retorted.
"Girls, we won't get another shot at this. It's now or never" Marlene explained, as Kira ran a hand through her hair.
"Wait...we're smuggling them?" Joel asked, pointing to the pair.
"There's a team of Fireflies waiting for them at the Old State house. You get Ellie there safely and they'll give you anything you need. A battery. Armoured car, everything. I swear " Marlene went on, as the older man noticed Marlene only mentioned one of the girls.
"That's not exactly close" Tess pointed out.
"You're capable, Tess. I've seen that first-hand. For better or worse" Marlene muttered.
"...Okay, here's the deal. We'll get them to your crew at the State House. But before we had them over, they give us everything we want. If not, we kill them. Both " Tess threatened, as Marlene nodded.
"Deal" She answered, making Kira scoff.
"Really? That fast?" Ellie complained.
"You're all that matters, Ellie. My team will not jeopardise that" Marlene insisted, as Joel observed that once again Marlene was speaking only to Ellie.
"Marlene, do you even know these guys?" Kira questioned.
"I was close with his brother, Tommy. Said if I was ever in a jam, I could rely on him" Marlene explained, as Kira gave her a look of disbelief.
"You're handing us over to the brother of a one-night stand?" Kira exclaimed.
"Thanks, Kira. Was planning to keep that one to myself" Marlene grumbled, averting her eyes from the brother in question.
"That how you got Tommy to turn against me?" Joel suggested.
"He left us too, remember" Marlene sighed, her voice thick with emotion.
"FEDRA's gonna' be here in a minute. That was a lot of gunfire" Tess pointed out.
"I'm not leaving you here to bleed out" Kira announced.
"I'll be fine. Now, get your backpack and get going" Marlene ordered, as Kira shook her head.
"Marlene, c'mon—" Kira began, but Marlene was quick to shush her.
"I'll just slow you down, kid. We both know that. Remember what I told you? Your sister is the only thing that matters. The only thing " Marlene pushed, reaching up to squeeze Kira's shoulder, who slowly nodded.
"Don't you dare fucking die" Kira told her, pulling the older woman into a quick hug, who returned the embrace with a pained smile.
Marlene was the last reminder she had of her mom. She couldn't bear the thought of never seeing her again.
Kira and Ellie kept their heads down as they made their way through the town, trying to avoid catching the eyes of any guards. It had started raining halfway through their walk, drenching the group from head to toe, much to Kira's annoyance. She was getting ready to ask how much further their destination was when Joel and Tess veered toward an old building. The wallpaper was peeling off from the walls, rain leaking from the ceiling, but it was still shelter. And it got them off the streets. Kira's anxiety had started to grow as Joel ushered them into one of the apartments, realising how quickly the strangers could turn on them.
"Give us a minute, alright?" Tess exclaimed, before she slammed the door shut, wanting to talk to Joel in private.
"What the fuck?!" Ellie cried, in annoyance.
"Rude" Kira muttered, before making a beeline for the nearest window.
"What're you doing?" Ellie asked.
"Making sure we have an exit..." Kira trailed off, finding the jump down from the window would be too high for them to make it.
"You can go first" Ellie stated, giving her a teasing grin, causing Kira to roll her eyes.
They could hear arguing coming from the hallway, as Joel mumbled something about a Bill and Frank. He certainly didn't seem overjoyed at the idea of smuggling people out, not that she could blame him. They all knew how dangerous it was going to be. FEDRA didn't like to lose people.
"You think we can trust them?" Ellie questioned, picking up a book nearby the radio.
"El, you know we can't. The only person you can trust is me, remember?" Kira insisted, earning a curt nod in return.
While Ellie became interested in a note from inside the book, Kira was more concerned with the bottle of whiskey on the kitchen table. She could understand the appeal of getting drunk, of losing yourself and your worries for a few hours, but she didn't have that luxury. Not when she had Ellie to look out for.
" We leave after dark. Stay with them " Kira heard Tess exclaim from the other side of the door.
" Wait, why do I have to...Tess? Tess! " Joel called after her, but it sounded like the other woman wasn't listening.
Kira heard Joel curse under his breath before the door was flung open and he stormed in, refusing to look at either girl. He made a beeline for the couch, the scowl back on his face. Kira realised that seemed to be his constant expression.
"So, who's Bill and Frank? The radio's a smuggling code, right? '60s song, they don't have anything new, '70s, they got new stuff. What's '80s?" Ellie inquired, as Joel grabbed the book from her hand, ripping it away from her grip and then chucking it onto the table.
He still didn't speak as he turned to lie down on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. He shifted around for a few moments, seemingly getting comfortable before he shut his eyes.
"What are you doing?" Ellie asked, in disbelief.
"Killin' time" Joel responded.
"Well, what am I supposed to do?" Ellie complained.
"I'm sure you'll figure that out" Joel huffed, willingly himself to fall asleep.
"You're seriously gonna' sleep right now? How'd you know I'm not planning on slitting your throat once your guard is down?" Kira suggested, stepping forward to loom over him.
"Cause' that would be pretty damn stupid of you" Joel muttered, his eyes still closed.
"C'mon, I'll grab you a towel to dry you off" Kira sighed, tapping Ellie's shoulder to usher her away from Joel.
"...Your watch is broken" Ellie stated, as she walked into the other room.
Kira didn't miss the way Joel's eyes fluttered open at her sister's words, something akin to pain flashing over his features. The watch clearly meant something to him. Why else would someone wear a broken watch?
"You mumble in your sleep" Kira's soft voice awoke Joel from his restless slumber, as he turned his head to see her staring at him.
She thought it best not to mention what he had been mumbling. It was a name, over and over again. Sarah. Ellie stirred from where was asleep in the armchair by the window, a blanket thrown over her shoulders. Kira herself was sitting on the floor by Ellie's feet, almost like a guard dog, Joel realised.
"You're not gonna' sleep?" Joel asked, pushing himself upright, and massaging his aching shoulder.
"Only reason I've let Ellie come with you this far is cause' I trust Marlene. And for whatever reason, she seems to think you'll do right by us. But I still ain't letting my guard down" Kira explained.
"What's the deal with you and Marlene, anyway?" Joel couldn't help but ask.
"She was our mom's friend. Been looking out for us since before all this shit started" Kira admitted.
"That's why she wants you out of the city?" Joel pushed, as Kira responded with a shrug.
"Why'd you need a car so bad?" Kira questioned, as Joel ran a hand over his beard.
"Ain't any of your business" Joel told her.
"Fair enough, Smiley" Kira mocked, pushing herself to her feet, ignoring the annoyed look Joel gave her.
"Smiley?" He huffed.
"Suits your sunny disposition. You got anything to drink?" Kira asked, walking into the kitchen, beginning to open the cupboards.
"Just the whiskey" Joel mumbled, as Kira grabbed herself a glass, having hoped she would be offered the alcohol in the first place.
"You sure you're old enough to drink?" Joel exclaimed, as she glared at him.
"I'm twenty-four, asshole" She scoffed, removing the cap from the whiskey bottle.
"Not for another month" Ellie announced, stirring from her sleep as she stretched her arms out.
"Close enough" Kira shrugged, taking a swig of the drink, not being able to remember the last time she drank alcohol.
"Can I have some?" Ellie queried, excitedly.
" No " Both Kira and Joel replied at the same time, making the teenager pout.
Joel leaned back against the couch as he watched Kira swallow down the contents of her glass, grimacing at the sting of the alcohol. He supposed he could see the family resemblance, both girls had brown eyes and hair and were short in stature. Kira's hair was a lighter colour than her sisters, as Joel noticed there was some blonde mixed in. She was also the more muscular of the two, her bicep muscles flexing under the tight shirt she wore. She certainly had a mouth on her too, that was for sure.
"Oh, the radio came on when you were sleeping" Ellie stated, as Joel pulled his gaze away from Kira.
"What? What was the song?" Joel gaped, sitting up straighter.
"It kept sayin' something like "Wake me up before you go-go"?" Ellie told him, as Joel hung his head.
"Shit" He muttered.
"Gotcha. '80s means trouble. Code broken" Ellie grinned, causing her sister to snort.
"Listen—" Joel started, standing upright, pointing a finger toward Ellie, as if he was a scolding parent.
The door opened just in the nick of time, revealing Tess, who seemed to notice she had walked into a tense scene. After a few seconds though, she decided she didn't care. They had bigger problems.
"The spot under Lancaster looks good. It's time to go" Tess announced, as Ellie grabbed her jacket from inside her backpack.
"You got a jacket? It's cold as shit out there" Tess pointed out to Kira, who shook her head.
In truth, she had given Ellie had beige jacket a few days before, noticing how the girl had been shivering while Marlene had her chained up. She supposed there were worst ways to go than hypothermia. She flinched as a denim jacket was suddenly flung her way, almost hitting her in the face if it wasn't for her quick reflexes. She realised a moment later that it was Joel who had chucked one of his old jackets her way. Kira nodded toward him, as she pulled the large jacket over her shoulders, finding it was far too big for her, but it was still warm. It smelt surprisingly good as well, a mixture of pine and whiskey.
"Come on" Tess insisted, deciding not to say anything about Joel sharing his jacket.
The north tunnel was as cold and creepy as Kira had been expecting, but it was worth it once they made it to the other end. She took a deep breath as she crawled up the ladder to the surface, now on the other side of the wall, feeling a sense of relief. At least they had gotten that far—
"Holy shit! I'm actually outside!" Ellie exclaimed, standing up, just as a searchlight was about to find her.
"Seriously, El?!" Kira cried, grabbing her sister's arm and wrenching her toward the ground.
"Shit, sorry" Ellie replied, remembering where she was.
"Okay, we're gonna' take the left edge around the buffer zone. Ellie, you stay close to me. And you, follow Joel" Tess told the girls, who were both quick to nod, as Tess started to crawl underneath an old school bus.
"Make sure you keep up" Joel warned Kira, who resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
They made sure to keep close to the ground as they made their way through a jungle of abandoned cars, some overturned, and most rotting and decaying at an alarming rate. A light shone past them as a vehicle sped past, causing Joel to grab onto Kira's shoulder and pull her further toward the ground. Kira's eyes flickered over to her sister, to find she had also ducked, and was now holding onto Tess's hand, who seemed a little taken aback. Once the car had past, Joel released his grip on Kira and ushered her on without saying a word. The group soon came to a small metal tunnel, rushing inside when they heard a helicopter fast approaching.
"When was the last time you did this?" Kira whispered to Joel.
"About a year ago" He confessed, as she scrunched her eyes shut, trying to push down her panic.
"It's clear" Tess announced, as she started to crawl out of the tunnel, with Ellie quick on her heel.
They were just rounding the corner of a bombed house when a voice called out to them. Kira twisted around to find two guard's raising their guns at them, making her blood run cold. It couldn't end like this. Not yet.
"Don't move!" The male guard yelled, as the group slowly raised their hands up.
The guard slowly raised his visor, mouth hung agape, seemingly recognising Joel, who had started to shuffle toward him. The female guard kept her gun raised, as she pulled her own visor up, eyes darting between the two.
"You've gotta' be shitting me" The male guard exclaimed.
"Hold on, let's just talk this out" Joel stated.
"Get on your fucking knees. Now!" The male guard insisted, as Joel shook his head.
"Wait, we can—" Joel began, but the male guard cut him off.
"What did I fucking tell you? I said stay the fuck home. Get on your knees" The male guard went on.
"Shit, are these guys our smugglers?" The female guard asked, as her teammate nodded.
"Just get on your knees. C'mon. Look, you let us do this run...we'll split the cards with you" Tess suggested, as she ushered the others to follow her in kneeling in the dirt.
"Oh, will you? I'm so blessed" The male guard scoffed, as Kira pulled Ellie down with her.
"Sounds like a good deal to me" Kira pointed out, as the guard pointed his gun to her.
"Hands on your head. Eyes forward...hands on your fucking head!" The male guard snapped, as the group reluctantly did as he said.
"Really, man?" Tess complained, as Kira saw the female guard had pulled out a scanner.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
The words echoed through her mind as Tess and Joel continued trying to bribe the guards, but it was too no avail. Kira looked to Ellie, the panic written all over her face. Their time was up. She had to do something before it was too late. Slowly, she started to pull out her mother's pocketknife she had in the sleeve of her shirt and took a deep breath. She had one shot at this.
"Risk my job for half off. You're out of your mind" The female guard muttered, as she pressed the scanner to Ellie's neck, now close enough for Kira to reach.
With a scream, Kira sent the pocketknife slamming into the woman's leg, ripping it out a second later as blood spurted from the wound. The female guard let out a scream as she watched blood spill from her leg at alarming rate, clutching at the wound. The male guard was raising his gun at Kira in a split second, a murderous expression on his face. But before he could fire, Joel was pushing himself in front of her, holding his arms out.
"Get out of the fucking way!" The guard yelled, as he watched his friend flop to the ground, blood pooling out underneath her.
"Whoa, whoa! We can fix this!" Joel exclaimed, his eyes darkening as a memory flashed before him.
"Move" The guard insisted, taking the safety off his gun.
"Move!" The guard cried, as Kira could see something snap in Joel.
Before the guard could react, Joel was lunging at him, throwing him off his feet as the guard hit the ground hard. Joel crawled on top of him, instantly beginning to hit him in the face, feeling the guard's bones crack under his fist. Over and over again he struck the man, animalistic grunts leaving his lips as he felt his knuckles split under the strain. Joel didn't stop pummelling the guard's bleeding face until he felt him stop breathing underneath him. He stared down at what he had done for a few moments, finding the man's face was disfigured beyond recognition. Joel flinched when he felt a hand on his shoulder, spinning around to face who had touched him. Kira kept her hand on him, not shrinking away or even seeming scared by the look of anger still plastered across his features.
"Joel—" Kira began, but her voice was immediately cut off by Tess.
"Fuck! Joel, the kid's infected!" Tess yelled, picking up the scanner which had flashed red.
"No, no! No, I'm not sick!" Ellie exclaimed, in a desperate tone.
"She's not, I swear to God. Look! This is three weeks old. Nobody lasts more than a day! Does this look a day old to you?!" Kira stated, rushing over to the pair, and pulling up the sleeve of Ellie's shirt, revealing the wound underneath.
It had healed relatively well, already losing the red edges and growing white against Ellie's skin. Tess grabbed the teenager's arm to inspect the scarred skin more closely.
"Tess, they would have killed her" Kira exclaimed.
"I should fucking kill you! How do I know this isn't a setup?" Tess pointed out.
"It doesn't matter! You have to trust me! They're gonna catch us if we don't run!" Ellie retorted, pulling the sleeve of her shirt down as Tess rose to her feet, hearing sirens in the distance.
"Joel, we gotta move. Joel!" Tess hissed, as she ushered Ellie toward the wire fence a few metres away.
Kira noticed the way Joel still hadn't moved, seeming lost in the red haze of his violence. Whatever had snapped in him didn't seem easily resolved. Kira crouched down in front of him, bringing herself level with his wide brown eyes.
"Look, you don't trust me, I don't trust you, but we need each other, okay? Or we'll all gonna' die here. So, please ...just get up" Kira insisted, as Joel blinked for the first time that minute.
He reached behind him to pick up the guard's gun and then stood up on shaky legs, giving Kira a quick nod. And then they were running again into the dark night, thunder deafening them for a moment, missing the sinister clicking sound that they were heading toward.
Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I used to love this game when I was younger, so I couldn't resist writing a fic now the TV show is airing. If you want me to continue this story, please leave me a review and tell me what you think:)