From what I've seen in this site, most authors wait for readers to follow and review their stories. This is my first story here so I understand if all that will come slowly. To those who have or will review any of my stories, thanks! Any who, just to remind all of you that the first chapter was actually in the past. Fifteen years have gone by since and the story is now in the present. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as well.
The Last Of Us
Chapter Two
"Beth? Baby?" Quinn cried. "Wake up Beth… wake up baby girl. Please… wake up for me…" Quinn began to cry. She looked up at Sam with tears in her eyes. "We need to go Quinn… You know we can't stay here." He said softly. Quinn finally let herself cry when she felt her brother pull her up on her feet. She didn't want to leave. She would rather let those infected people get her now, but that wasn't going to happen. Sam had begun to drag her away from there, despite how much she fought. She cried and yelled as she saw her daughter's body grow smaller while Sam dragged them away to safety.
Quinn woke up with a jump when she heard a knock at her door. She laid back down with a sigh and stared at the ceiling. "It was just a dream… it was a dream Quinn." She whispered to herself. She groaned when she heard the persistent knocking. With another sigh, she stood up and headed towards the door, stopping when she stepped in front of the mirror in her small room. She frowned as she looked at her reflection. "A dream that was real…" She muttered as she stared at the mirror. Her once sharp, bright, hazel green eyes were now sharp, cold, and distant. She turned away from the mirror when she heard knocking again. She grunted and made her way over to the door, opening it with a glare when she saw her partner.
"Well good morning sleepy beauty. You're looking pretty dapper today." A tan man said as he walked inside the apartment with a small smirk on his face. Quinn took a deep breath to calm herself and closed the door. "Where the hell were you Noah?" She asked him when she turned around. Her glare deterred slightly when she saw a few cuts on Noah's face. She walked into the kitchen to grab a cloth and damped it slightly before walking back to the man. "You said you wanted to be left alone, so I did as you asked. Chill baby momma." Noah said.
Quinn only grunted at him as she threw the wet cloth at him. "So what happened to you, Puckerman? No, wait, let me guess. The deal went south hill right, and the customer went off with our pills and alcohol?" Quinn asked in a pissed off tone. She glared at Noah again when all he did was chuckle.
"Not really. The deal went off without a hitch, Q." He said. Quinn looked at him skeptically before she walked over to him and took the cloth from him. "So do you mind explaining what happened hear Puck?" She asked, referring to the small cuts on his face. Puck only sighed as he let Quinn clean the cuts. He frowned slightly when she saw Quinn arch an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to answer. "I was making my way back over here when a few guys jumped me. They managed to get a few hits but come on now. Let's be real. No one can beat the Puckasauras!" He said with a chuckle.
Quinn rolled her eyes at the man and stepped back. After years of knowing him, he never changed; not even after the world went to shit. "You want to know what the funny part is?" Puck asked. Quinn put the cloth on the counter while she quirked an eyebrow at him. "David sent them." He said with a chuckle.
A moment of silence fell between the two as Quinn let it sink in. She blinked at him a couple of times before looking at him incredulously. "David sent them. Our David?" She asked him. Puck let out a bitter laugh and nodded. "Fucking asshole. Who the hell does he think he is? He's a smart asshole…" She muttered. Puck sighed and walked over to Quinn. "He's not as smart as your Puckasauras though, because I know where he's hiding." He said, catching Quinn's full attention this time.
"Bullshit." She said. Puck grinned at her and nodded. "Fuck yeah… by the old warehouse, just outside of Lima." He said. Quinn stayed as she thought about what Puck said and what they should do. Ever since Quinn had found Puck, the two had started a business that had to do with the black market. Sometimes people would hire them to smuggle things from outside the quarantine zone; other times they were asked to deal with contraband, and then there were the de-humanizing jobs, where they would go and murder someone. David, was one of their favorite yet most hated customer because half of the times he hired them, he couldn't afford to pay them back. Because he couldn't, he owed Quinn and Puck many favors.
Finally figuring what they should do, Quinn went into her room and grabbed her jacket. "I say we go give our dear Karofsky a visit. We do need our guns back anyways." She said. Puck smirked at her decision and nodded in agreement. Since David didn't pay them with money or food rations, he paid them back by doing favors for him. The latest favor was to hold and take care of the guns Quinn and Puck had stashed away to hide.
"Well let's get going then!" Puck exclaimed. Quinn shook her head at him as she followed him out. Quinn locked her door and shoved her key inside her jean's back pocket. She followed Puck out of the apartments. She looked around when they were outside and saw a few people walking by. "The sun is going to set down soon, so we should hurry up. Don't want to be outside in the dark." Puck said. Quinn only hummed in response while they walked down the street. She didn't bother to look around since soldiers were right, left, pretty much any where you turned. She did turn to look when she saw a building closed off by a wall of soldiers. She walked slower to watch what was going on, and saw a soldier drag out a few people out from the apartment.
"Come on Quinn." Puck warned. Quinn sighed and kept walking, ignoring the cries of help from the people. She didn't even flinch when she heard a gunshot go off. "That's the fifth time this week. It seems like more and more people are getting infected nowadays." Puck said as they turned a street. Quinn finally took another chance to look around and hummed in response. "Well that means more people are sneaking out of the quarantine zone." She said.
When the outbreak first started, quarantine zones were set up all over the country. Some states weren't as lucky as others, but many people were able to get to them before it was too late. During the first few years of the outbreak, doctors and scientists investigated how the infection first started, and found out that it had to do with the brain. They tried many things to find a cure, but when the infection spread throughout the world, they all lost hope. Now, the government branches had split up, and formed a communist sort of system in order to keep control of the people. There were many people who disagreed with this idea, but they stayed quiet, in fear of being announced as a traitor. Those who did speak up their disagreement rebelled and left the quarantine zones. They formed their own group; their main cause being to bring back the democratic government and search to find a new cure. These people were called the New Directions. Although the New Directions was for a good cause, they were reckless, and usually ended up dead.
Quinn was all for the good cause that the New Directions had in mind, but she wasn't willing to join them because of their poor battle tactics they had. She didn't really care about how the government now worked. As long as they kept her safe, she wasn't complaining. "Look, ration office is still closed. Looks like we're on a shortage again." Puck said. Quinn looked at where Puck was pointing at and sighed when she saw he was right. Because food was hard to come by now, the government handed out ration cards once a month to avoid food shortage. Sometimes it couldn't be helped, but they were always able to get by. "Tough shit for those who don't have enough ration cards then…" Quinn commented.
Whenever they were on a shortage, food became pricier, and more ration cards were needed. This wasn't a problem for Puck and Quinn though. Their black market business gave them enough ration cards to spare. The two kept on walking until they reached the town gates, where soldiers were posted at to keep safe. "Alright, you stay quiet Puckerman. I'll talk to the soldier." She said. The last time they wanted to leave town to look for Karofsky, they couldn't leave because Puck had gone off on one of the soldiers and were denied access to leave.
Puck sighed but let Quinn take the lead this time as they reached the gates. "Quinn Fabray and Noah Puckerman." She said. The soldier looked at Puck before looking at Quinn. "I'm gonna need some identification ma'am." The soldier said. Quinn pulled out her wallet and showed him her quarantine zone I.D. The soldier looked at it and hummed in response. "Purpose for leaving the QZ?" He asked.
"We have the day off. We're gonna go visit a friend." She said. The soldier nodded in acknowledgment and signaled the soldiers on the higher wall to open the gate. "Okay. Go on ahead. Just remember to be back before curfew in three hours." The guard said. Quinn nodded and was about to walk out when there was a loud explosion. She ducked and lifted one arm to cover her face when she saw a few bricks and rocks fly towards them. "Shit!" She muttered when she felt a rock hit her arm.
The soldier had pushed her back as the other soldiers quickly closed the gates. "It's the New Directions! Get out of here!" He yelled at them. Quinn took a few steps back and watched when an army truck suddenly exploded. "Come on Q! We can still get out of here!" Puck yelled, pulling her shirt to drag her with him. Quinn slapped his hand away and started to run after him. A whole bunch of soldiers were running towards the gate while civilians ran back to their homes. "You'd think they know we were trying to leave the zone right?" Puck asked with a small chuckle. Quinn only rolled her eyes at him as they went into one of the buildings.
They composed themselves when they got in and walked further inside. "You alright?" Puck asked. Quinn only nodded as they walked. "Looks like we'll have to take the hard way out." He said. Quinn stayed quiet while they walked through a hall. Up ahead, a man was sitting in front of a door as if he were keeping watch. When he saw Puck and Quinn, he quickly stood up and walked over to them. "Did you guys hear that?" The guy asked.
Quinn grunted at him while they turned towards another hallway. "We were there. It's the New Directions." She informed him. "How's it looking down there, Ryder?" She asked him, referring to the basement under the building. Ryder scratched the back of his head while he followed the duo. "It's all clear. I used it earlier today. Are you gonna go see Karofsky?" He asked. Quinn couldn't help the small smirk that fell on her face at the question. "You know it." She said.
Ryder sighed and walked ahead to open a door for them. "You too then,huh?" He questioned. Quinn looked at Puck puzzled before turning to face Ryder. "What do you mean? Who else is looking for him?" She asked him. Ryder hesitated but answered. "Rachel Berry. She asked if I knew where he was hiding."
Quinn stopped walking and looked at Ryder. "And what did you tell her?" She asked in a warning tone. Puck snickered when he saw Ryder take a step back from Quinn. Everyone who knew Quinn Fabray knew not to mess with her. She and Puck were scary partners but between the two of them, Quinn was the less forgiving one. "I told her the truth. I didn't know." Ryder said. Quinn smiled and patted Ryder's shoulder as she walked into the room.
"Good boy." She said. Puck gave him a pat on the back as he followed Quinn into the room while Ryder closed and locked the door. "You didn't have to scare him you know? He was going to tell you the truth either way." Puck said. Quinn chuckled quietly and hummed.
"You're right, but it's fun scaring him. He's easy." She said. She went through another door and smirked when she saw an older woman sitting with a case of alcohol. She walked past the woman and towards the furniture behind her, which happened to be covering a whole in the wall. "How are we doing Sue?" Quinn asked while she tried to move the heavy furniture. Sue laughed at the question and took a sip of her bottle. "Aside from the New Directions attacking, it's all been smooth and quiet." She answered.
Quinn mentally sighed in relief at the old woman's answer. "That's what I like to hear. Puck, help me move this thing." She said. Puck nodded and quickly went to help the blonde move the furniture. "We'll see you later Sue Sylvester." Quinn said, before she jumped down into the hole; Puck following close behind. Quinn grunted as she landed the drop. She scowled as an awful stench hit her nostrils and coughed. "Man… these assholes have to watch what they drop down here. It's starting to smell like shit." She commented.
Puck chuckled at the blonde and shook his head. He followed her through the basement, where they went through a few storage rooms that were connected underground. "I still don't get how this place hasn't been found out by the soldiers. They're not good at their jobs." Puck said. "If you think about it that way, it's not really comforting to live in the zones now." He said with a chuckle.
Quinn only stayed quiet as they kept walking until they reached the end of the halls underground. She opened the ajar door and sighed in relief when she saw their bags and equipment still there where they had left them. "Our stuff is still here from our last trip. Let's gear up." She said. Puck hummed in acknowledgement as he grabbed his bag.
The two checked what they had on the spot. Quinn sighed when she saw that she only had a little bit of ammo in her pistol. "Please tell me you have more ammo in your bag?" Quinn asked. "You're gonna have to make every shot count." Puck answered. Quinn frowned at his answer but stayed quiet. She knew they could make it to Karofsky's without running out of the little ammo that they had. Once she was set to go, she grabbed her backpack and strapped it on herself before turning to Puck to see if he was ready.
Puck gave her a slight nod before walking past the cabinets towards a wall that had an opening at the top. He turned around and looked at Quinn expectantly. "You ready?" He asked. Quinn only quirked an eyebrow at him and waited for him to get ready. Once he was ready, he nodded at her and she lifted her foot to his linked hands and pulled herself up the wall as he boosted her up. "Now pull me up woman." Puck said. Quinn couldn't help but chuckle at her partner and held out her hand for him to take.
He jumped up and they grabbed each other's forearms. Quinn used her other hand to help hoist him up while Puck pushed himself up with his feet. Quinn rolled her eyes when Puck grinned at her. She turned towards the ceiling and slightly pushed an unhinged door that was used to cover the opening. She looked around, making sure the coast was clear, and got out. She took a deep breath and smiled as she took in her surroundings. There was a small field of overgrown grass with a small lake in the middle, surrounded by a few buildings.
"Finally… some fresh air." She breathed out. She hated being stuck inside the quarantine zone. She let herself smile slightly as a small breeze blew. She looked to her side when she felt Puck tap her shoulder. "Come on. We got some guns we need to get back." He told her. Quinn nodded and followed him through the field until they reached a building that had a missing wall from the second floor. "Where's the ladder?" She asked him when she saw that it wasn't where they usually left it.
Puck shrugged as he walked around looking for it. He called out to her when he found it and brought it over. "Ladies first." He said, once he placed the ladder against the wall. Quinn chuckled and rolled her eyes at him but went up the ladder nonetheless. She waited for him to climb up before opening the door to the hall. "Shit… Spores…" She alerted. They reached for their backpacks and pulled out a face mask that prevented them from breathing in the toxic breath.
"What the hell? This place was clean last time." Puck exclaimed. Quinn shrugged as she turned her flashlight on, which was connected to the strap of her backpack so she wouldn't have to hold it. "Someone must have been reckless." She commented. Spores were only around when there was a dead infected body for more than a week. They went down the hall and towards the stairs to go down to the first floor. Quinn stopped at the bottom of the stairs when she heard a low growl and crouched next to the wall. She really hated having to go through spores. It made things so much harder to see, even with the masks on.
She stayed quiet and pressed her ear against the wall while Puck quietly went across to hear as well. They stayed as quiet as possible when they heard a cry, followed by more growls. "There's about three or four of them." Quinn whispered. Puck nodded and looked behind him to make sure he was safe. "How are we going to take them out?" He asked her.
Instead of answering him, she slowly crept behind the isolated infected and grabbed it by a chokehold. She tightened her hold on it and slowly brought it to the ground, until it stopped fighting her. "Well that's one way…" Puck muttered as he quietly stepped into the room. They stepped closer to the wall and walked towards the next room, where they were sure the other infected where at.
Quinn looked at Puck and waited for his head before they pulled out a pair of knives and jumped on the unsuspecting infected. Quinn quickly jabbed her knife on the closest infected while Puck tackled the one farthest and did the same as Quinn. She then jumped up on her feet and ran over to Puck when she saw the other infected charge over to him. She punched before it could reach Puck, making it hit the wall and fall, and took that as her chance to finish it off.
She then stormed out of the building, ignoring Puck's shouts until they were in the streets of the city. "You fucking dumbass." She muttered when he looked at her worried. He only grinned in response and wrapped an arm around her, which led him to receive a blow on the gut. He groaned out in pain and doubled over. "Dammit Quinn…" He whined. Quinn said nothing as they kept walking, staying close to the buildings until they reached a barricaded and closed off street. Quinn knocked on the side door of the gate and waited until a young boy opened it. She pulled out a couple of ration cards and showed them to the kid. "None of Karofsky's men or soldiers, and I'll give you all these ration cards." She told him. The boy nodded and closed the door. Quinn sighed as she turned to look at Puck, who only tilted his head.
A few moments later went by and the boy opened the door again. "It's all clear." He told her. Quinn smiled at the boy and handed him the ration cards in thanks. The two partners walked inside and were greeted by thugs around the street. "Hey, Fabray, I got what you want sweet cheeks-""Not now Martinez." She told the older man. When the man kept insisting, the blonde quickly shut him up with a killer glare. Puck shoved the man back, and glared at the other thugs. They all backed up and decided to mind their own business.
"I hate when they can't take a hint." Puck mumbled. Quinn only chuckled as she led him through a tunnel. Most of those thugs were customers of theirs who always tried to make petty deals with them, mainly Quinn. Poor bastards. Quinn thought. If only they knew she wasn't one interested in men. She stopped when she saw a younger woman at the end of the tunnel. "Hey Kitty. Have you seen Karofsky?" She asked, pulling out a couple of ration cards.
Kitty grinned flirtingly and nodded. "About ten minutes ago… he's expecting you two, you know?" Kitty said. Quinn nodded and handed the shorter blonde the cards. "We know…" She responded. They turned at the end of the tunnel and walked into an alleyway, where a couple of men were standing guard. Quinn discreetly pulled her gun out when she saw the three men walk towards them.
"Hey Rick." Puck said. The man in the middle only grunted as he gripped his bat. "I suggest you two turn around and came back from where you came from." He said. Quinn took a step forward and faked a pout. "But we came all this way to see Karofsky. We need to talk." She said.
Rick laughed bitterly and rose his bat towards Quinn. "Bitch! He doesn't want to see you right now okay? He'll call for you when he wants you! Now get out of here, or I'll bust your head with this bat!" He exclaimed. Quinn dropped her pout and chuckled at Rick's words. She looked at Puck and tilted her head towards Rick. Puck faked a laugh and nodded in agreement. The next thing they knew, Quinn raises her gun and puts a bullet between Rick's eyes. "Oh shit!" The other two exclaim as they run for cover and pull their own guns.
Puck snickers at their reaction while he takes cover with Quinn. "You get the angle on them and I get the one in front." Quinn says. Puck agrees with her and rolls to a few crates that were on the side. With much ease, Puck distracts the two men, letting Quinn kill the closer man while Puck killed the other.
"Well that was easy." Puck commented. Quinn chuckled at him as she brushed her fingers through her blonde hair. "Well, we got more to deal with when we go inside." She said, pointing to the gate at the end of the alleyway. Puck groaned but followed Quinn. "Look, we can get in through here." She whispered, pointing at an opening in the fence. They went through it and jumped down the ledge, quickly running for some cover. Quinn looked around the large warehouse, checking how many of Karofsky's thugs were there. "Hey, there's Karofsky over there!" Puck shout whispered. Quinn turned to look at where Puck was pointing and saw none other than David Karofsky at the front door of the warehouse.
"Look at that cocky son of a bitch!" Puck said. Quinn snorted and watched as David went back inside while his men guarded the perimeter. She was so going to get him. As much as she hated to admit though, he was pretty organized with his security. "Okay, enough stalling. Let's go see David." She said. The two of them carefully and quietly snuck around the area, slowly but surely getting closer until they were at the front door. Quinn smoothly picked the lock and pulled Puck in before anyone saw them.
"Stay down, idiot!" She snapped at her partner when she saw two of David's men by the stairs. She pulled him behind the desk before they were seen. "Well, I didn't think you'd want me like that Q." Puck joked. Quinn rolled her eyes at him and shoved him away from the desk, making him get seen by the two guards. "Shit!" He muttered as he quickly stood up and fought with them. Quinn only smirked as she watched Puck fight both of the men as she walked ahead and went up the stairs. She sighed when she heard two gunshots from downstairs and waited.
She crossed her arms when she heard footsteps coming up. "Did you really have to use your gun? You could've handled yourself without having to shoot them. You've done it with infected." Quinn scolded. Puck only shrugged as he walked past her. "Yeah, well, you could've given me a hand, asshole." Puck muttered. Quinn only chuckled as she followed behind Puck.
She could hear shouts coming from outside, wondering where the shots came from. Puck suddenly backed up, making Quinn bump into him. "What the hell Puckerman!?" She demanded. Puck only pointed at the door, making Quinn nod in understanding. Puck stood in front of the door and kicked it open.
He was about to walk into the room but stepped back and stood on the side when he saw that David had a gun in his hand. "Shit!" He exclaimed. Quinn only stared ahead as she heard a few more gunshots. "Well that's no way to greet anyone Karofsky." She called out.
"Fuck you bitch!" David yelled as he shot more towards the door. Quinn only looked at Puck with a bored expression. "We just want to talk David!" She yelled. She shook her head when she David only answered with more shots that is, until only clicking noises came from the room. "Fuck! Fuck you guys!" He yelled. Quinn groaned when she peeked in and saw David run through a back door.
"Shit! He's running Puck!" Quinn exclaimed. Being the faster one, Puck pushed past Quinn and ran after Karofsky. Quinn did her best to stay on their tail as they ran out of the warehouse into a backstreet. "Don't let him get to the streets Puck!" Quinn yelled when she saw them jump out from an open window. When she caught up to them, she saw Karofsky cornered at a gate, preventing him from running into the city.
She took a few steps forward, seeing a pipe close by when Karofsky turned around and let out a laugh. "Fabray… no hard feelings right?" David asked. Quinn chuckled as she picked the pipe up and shook her head. "Naw… none at all." She said. She swung the pipe down when Karofsky tried to break into a run, hitting his legs and causing him to fall. "I'm gonna cut to the chase Karofsky… where are our guns?" She asked, jabbing her knee on Karofsky's back.
Quinn ignored his squirming and asked again. "I sold them!" He cried out. She looked at Puck with a surprised face. Puck stepped forward when Quinn got off of Karofsky and kicked him on the face. "You got some balls if you sold them. Who did you sell them to?" Quinn asked. When Karofsky refused to answer, Quinn nodded at Puck and looked away. Puck took Karofsky's arm and snapped it back, breaking it right away. Quinn turned back around and kneeled down in front of him. "Are you going to tell us who you sold the guns to?" She asked again.
This time, Karofsky nodded and Puck stepped back. "To the New Directions! We can get them back though! I heard that the New Directions has been getting wiped out! We can finish them off though! What do you say Quinn? Fuck the New Directions!" He cried, the pain too much for him to bear.
He looked up from the ground when he heard Quinn chuckle. "I think that…" She started as she pulled her gun out. "That is a stupid idea." She said, just as she pulled the trigger. Puck crossed his arms and looked at Quinn. "Now what?" He asked. Quinn sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. "We find ourselves a New Direction." She answered like it were obvious.
They both look at Karofsky's body when they suddenly hear someone from behind. "You already have one in front of you." A woman said. Quinn and Puck quickly turn around and see a brunette before them. Puck laughs in disbelief and crossed his arms. "Well, will you look at that? Queen of the New Directions… Rachel Barbra Berry…"
There's chapter two! I'd like to thank those of you who have already followed and left a review. I wasn't expecting any so soon! Hahaha. Thanks fellow readers! To those who left a review, thanks for the advice. I did as you asked... and to the last guest who reviewed, I stated at the end of the first chapter that it was in italics becuase it was in the past. Anyways, I'd love to see what you guys think. Dani will finally be coming in the next episode.