Survivors, Chapter Three
Lara Croft pulled the bow string back to brush the feather against her cheek. A deep breath and the rope slipped through her fingers, launching the arrow through the humid air and into the deer's hide. The animal cried, jolting alive as it rushed into the underbrush.
"No!" Lara snarled, quickly taking another arrow from her quiver as she sprinted after the beast.
Rough branches plucked at her tank top and scratched her skin as she navigated the naturally occurring obstacles of the jungle, the deer flashing into and out of her obscured line of sight.
In an instant, the world came to a standstill as the deer slowed to nurse its wound, Lara following its lead. Working quickly yet quietly, she clambered up, onto a nearby vantage point. Drawing her bow a second time, she fired an arrow, the blade lodging itself in the animal's neck. Moaning, the the deer attempted to run, but it quickly lost its strength and tumbled into the grass. Prepping a third arrow, Lara hurried up to the suffering animal. The projectile pierced the mammal's eye socket, killing it nearly instantly.
Sighing with relief, Lara set her bow in the grass before carefully removing her arrows from the animal's hide. The last arrow caught on a bone and she tugged too hard, snapping the shaft in half. Angrily, she tossed the projectile aside before sliding the other two into her quiver. Slipping her bow onto her back, Lara took hold of the animal's antlers. She pulled with all her might, digging her boots into the dirt. The corpse moved a few inches before she gave up, letting go of the creature. She sighed, this time in frustration, as she crossed her arms, eying the practically perfect kill. Jonah and Roth would be able to move the deer back to the camp, she was sure of it. If only Roth had come with her! But instead, he had elected to stay behind so she could "get used to hunting alone".
A cold, metal barrel pressed itself against the back of her head and she froze instantly. A man spoke with a hefty southern accent, "Don't. Move."
Lara felt her breath quicken and her mind race. Was this one of Mathias' men? No, surely he would've shot her by now if that were the case. Unless...
"P-please, d-don't..." Lara stuttered, her figure trembling ever so slightly as she raised her arms in surrender.
"Who are you? Where's the rest of your group?" the man questioned impatiently, pressing the gun against her head.
"My name is Lara, Lara Croft!" she explained quickly, wincing as the barrel was forced against her head. "I'm a crew member of the Endurance! The rest of my crew isn't far from here! Please, we're starving..!"
"The Endurance a boat?" another, feminine voice inquired.
"Hush," the man hissed with a hint of annoyance, though he tried not to show it.
"Joel, this could be our chance!" the girl insisted.
"We have a boat!" Lara exclaimed quickly. "It isn't in working condition just yet, but we have a mechanic working on it right now! Please, I can take you there!"
"Nuh-ah, I don't think so," the man spoke matter-of-factly.
"Joel!" the girl exclaimed, somehow disgusted.
There was a long, tense pause before the man sighed, lowering his gun.
Slowly, cautiously, Lara turned to face them, first with her head, then with her body.
"It's alright," the man spoke calmly, sliding his revolver into its holster. "We ain't gonna hurt ya."
Lara lowered her arms, but her muscles remained tense, still shaken.
Joel was older, his hair half-way to gray and he looked as if he had recently taken quite the beating. The girl, on the other hand, was young, no older than sixteen, and aside from a scar above her left eye, she looked unscathed.
The girl looked up at Joel and back at Lara, wringing her hands together, "Well...this is awkward."
"What's your name?" Lara asked the girl nervously.
"Ellie," she answered with an uneasy smile.
"And Joel, right?" Lara searched for clarification in the man's eyes.
He only nodded ever so slightly before his eyes shifted to the deer. "That's a hell of a lotta food there, ain't it?"
A slight smirk appearing on her face, Lara nodded, glancing at the carcass, "Yeah, well, I was hoping I'd be able to take a break from hunting for a day or two. We have a cook in our group. I'm sure he'll be happy to see this guy. But...there's a problem. I can't really move it on my own."
"Joel's strong, we can help you," Ellie spoke excitedly.
Joel chuckled awkwardly, "I ain't that strong, Ellie."
"Sure you are!" Ellie smiled. "I'm sure the three of us could move it no problem!"
"Help me out and maybe I could convince the others to let you two stay with us? Maybe hitch a ride on our boat once it's up and running?" Lara suggested, though she wasn't too sure she could trust them.
"Well, thanks for the offer, but the food'll be good enough. Besides, we don't stay in one place for too long these days," Joel nodded slowly.
Ellie sighed but kept her comments to herself.
After another awkward pause, Joel spoke, "Well, come on, then. We ain't got all day."
It took them the better half of an hour to drag the deer through the thick underbrush, dodging trees and boulders, and into an opening. A slight slope brought them to a small, makeshift camp, where Lara's crew awaited her return.
Sam was the first to spot them, standing up and calling Lara's name. Alex and Jonah turned to face the new arrivals eagerly, but Reyes wasn't interested, offering only a glance before going back to her work on the nearby fishing boat's exterior. Roth was next to her, saying something that appeared to be important, though Lara had no way of knowing.
Once the deer carcass was within reasonable range of the campsite, Lara let go of the animal, gesturing for Joel and Ellie to do the same. Sam hurried over, pulling her best friend into an embrace. Alex walked over, adjusting his glasses with a finger, "Amazing job, Lara! I knew you had it in you."
Lara smiled, keeping an arm around Sam's shoulders as Jonah walked over, eying the deer, "You know, I'm more an expert on cooking fish, but I gotta say, it's going to be good to work with food again."
"So, Lara, who're your friends?" Sam inquired, a playfully suspicious smile on her face.
Lara offered an uncertain laugh and explained, "Well, this is Joel and Ellie. I met them in the woods. As you saw, they helped me bring the deer back."
Sam slipped away from Lara's arm, holding an open hand out to Joel, "I'm Samantha Nishimura, official documentary producer and translator of the Endurance."
Joel nodded respectfully but took a step back, away from Sam, "Good to meet ya."
Ellie stepped forward to take his place, shaking Sam's hand nervously, "I'm Ellie. Firefly, I suppose you could call me."
"Ooh, mysterious! I like it," Sam spoke with a raised eyebrow.
"Joel, Ellie, this is Alex Weiss, our technician, and Jonah Maiava, our cook," Lara introduced the others.
Joel offered a quick greeting with a hand as Jonah nodded to him and Ellie, "It's a pleasure to meet you two. I trust you will be staying for dinner?"
"Oh, that'd be awesome!" Ellie smiled. "I'm starving."
"I sort of already promised them their share of the deer," Lara admitted with a nervous smile.
Jonah laughed, "No harm done, Lara. But if we hope to feed everyone before nightfall, I should get to work."
The large, New Zealand man moved forward to grab the deer by the antlers. With a quick glance at Lara, Alex moved forward, offering to help Jonah with the deer. Politely declining the offer, Jonah single-handedly dragged the deer toward the pile of wood they had brought together prior to Lara's return.
"Who're they?" Joel asked, gesturing toward Roth and Reyes, who were still in the middle of a discussion.
"Oh, that's Conrad Roth and Joslin Reyes. Roth's our captain, and Reyes is our mechanic. If Reyes comes off as...rude, don't take it personally. She has...trust issues, I think," Lara explained.
Joel just nodded, eying the two with a stern look that was impossible to read.
Sam started walking toward a log that had been set aside like a sort of bench, motioning for Ellie to follow her, "Come on, Ellie, I wanna show you something."
"Ok," Ellie smiled curiously, hurrying to follow the young woman. Lara watched the two go, amused.
With a final word, Roth turned and approached the others, his hands on his belt, "Great work, Lara. See? I told you you could do it."
"Yeah, that you did," Lara replied shyly, rubbing her arm.
Turning to Joel, he spoke, "And I saw that you and your girl helped bring the deer back to us. You have my gratitude. The name's Roth."
Roth extended an open hand, which Joel glanced at but made no motion to take, "Joel. And we just wanted to share the food. We won't be bothering you folks for long."
Lowering his arm, Roth nodded, "As you wish. But please, we have plenty of room for capable men like you. I don't believe I caught your girl's name?"
"Ellie," Joel responded, avoiding eye contact. "And she ain't...she ain't my girl. She's just...someone I gotta look after."
Roth smirked, nodding, "I see. Well, feel free to stay as long as you'd like. Lara, may I speak to you for a moment?"
"Sure," Lara nodded before following Roth away from Joel and Alex. As they left, Alex turned to make conversation with the older man, though Joel clearly wasn't too interested.
"I don't like the look of that Joel," Roth spoke with a quiet yet stern voice. "After Mathias, what made you think it was a good idea to bring him here?"
"Joel and Ellie showed up together, it was both or neither. And besides they...nevermind. Look, they aren't with Mathias. I know that. The Solarii don't keep kids around," Lara explained quickly.
"They what, Lara?" Roth questioned suspiciously.
Lara took a deep breath before answering carefully, "Joel jumped me. He put a gun to my head, I was scared! But Ellie convinced him to let me go, and I convinced them that I could help them. So, they helped me bring the deer back, and in return, I promised them a meal."
Roth sighed, shaking his head, "Can't exactly blame him for being on edge around here. Especially not with the girl to look after. Alright, but I want you to keep a close eye on him. I've dealt with men like him before. In a situation like this, they aren't good for much."
"Yeah, ok, Roth," Lara nodded.
"And Jos isn't happy about your bringing more people down here. Think you could smooth things out with her?" Roth wanted to know.
Lara sighed, lowering her gaze, "Well, I can try."
Placing a hand on her shoulder, he smiled, "That's all I ask. After that, you should rest. You deserve it."
With a pat on the back, Roth left to rejoin the others. Lara eyed him for a moment longer before taking a deep breath and moving toward Reyes. The mechanic was using a welder on the ship's exterior and hardly noticed when Lara stepped up next to her.
"Reyes?" Lara asked after a brief moment of silence.
Turning the welder off and lowering her arm, Reyes hissed, "What do you want?"
"Roth told me you weren't happy with me," Lara explained hesitantly, holding her hands behind her back.
"No shit I'm not," Reyes growled without looking at Lara. "Who the hell are you to bring more people to our camp? Don't you remember what happened the last time you introduced someone to us?"
"You can't honestly believe that that was my fault! How was I supposed to know Mathias would kidnap Sam?" Lara retorted in disbelief.
"Look, all I know is that you tend to bring misfortune to those around you. It happened to Grim, it happened to Steph, and it happened to Sam. I don't want to be next," Reyes growled before going back to her work.
Lara sighed once more before returning to the others. Jonah was working into the deer's carcass with a meat cleaver, carefully skinning the flesh. Joel watched him with his arms crossed as Roth spoke to him and Alex. Lara caught Alex eying her, but he quickly diverted his gaze. Sam was showing an astounded Ellie a video on her favorite camera. Moving to take a seat beside Sam, Lara leaned forward to see the screen more clearly. It was the video that Sam had recorded when she and Lara first set eyes upon the Endurance.
"Whoa!" Ellie exclaimed in disbelief as she watched the small screen with wide eyes. "I didn't know ships got that big! Joel, you gotta see this!"
An amused Lara turned to Joel, who chuckled awkwardly, "No, thanks, Ellie. I've seen plenty of ships in my day."
"Man!" Ellie shook her head, clearly still amazed. "I wish I could be on a ship like that!"
"You've really never seen a ship of that size before?" Lara inquired.
Ellie looked at her for a moment, surprised, as if she were not the odd one out in this situation, "No."
"Ellie, how long have you been stranded here, exactly?" Lara inquired carefully.
"What do you mean?" Ellie tilted her head, confused.
"You know, how long have you been on this island?" Lara reworded her question. "We've only been here for a few days."
"Oh. Honestly, I didn't even know we were on an island, so I guess that I've been here...all my life," Ellie answered, looking about uneasily.
Sam paused the video on her camera, turning to the younger girl, "Wait a minute, how old are you?"
"Fourteen," Ellie answered, turning to look her in the eye, confused as to why her age mattered.
"Interesting..." Sam muttered, eying Ellie suspiciously. "Did you come here with Mathias, by chance?"
"Huh?" Ellie stuttered, startled. "N-no. I don't know a Mathias."
"Oh, Sam, not you, too," Lara moaned, elbowing her friend's arm.
Sam raised her head as if to come off as stuck-up, shrugging, "I was just making sure."
"Who's Mathias?" Ellie wanted to know.
"Don't worry about it," Lara assured her. "He's just an old creep."
"Oh," was all Ellie said in response.
Joel eyed Ellie as she said something to the two women that he couldn't hear. The two looked harmless enough, but he wasn't the type to take any chances.
"But that's enough about me," Roth raised his voice, noticing Joel's lack of attention. "Where are you from?"
Sighing, Joel turned to face the man, "Texas. I don't tell much else."
Roth eyed him suspiciously, "Well, to each his own. It's not like it's any of my business, anyway."
"No, it ain't," Joel spoke matter-of-factly.
"Come on, man, lighten up," Alex spoke quickly to Joel, sensing the tension between the two men. "You act like we just spit in your cereal."
"Well, I just reckoned you would understand that it can be hard to trust folks nowadays," Joel explained defensively.
Roth chuckled, lowering his gaze as he placed his hands on his hips, "You know, I was just thinking the same thing."
"Is that the sound of a friendship being born I hear?" Alex inquired jokingly.
"I wouldn't go that far, kid," Joel offered a weak smirk. "Trust takes time."
"Well, it seems to me like we have plenty of time," Alex countered. "Until Reyes fixes the boat, in fact. And then some."
"Alex, it's quite alright," Roth assured the young man with a hand and a warm smile.
Joel looked down at the dirt, kicking at something only he could see before raising his gaze to meet Roth's eyes, "You know, there is one thing I've been meaning to ask you. The two of you. Your group here...it's a good size. And you want to fix up that boat and sail outta here?"
Roth eyed him curiously, "Yes."
"Well, let's say that this mechanic of yours, Reyes, fixes up that there boat. Where are you gonna go?" Joel inquired.
Roth looked at him for a moment, surprised, "We'll go home, of course. Back to England."
Joel stared at him dumbfounded, his mouth hanging open ever so slightly as if he were debating saying something or not.
Before a word left his tongue, a burst of gunfire rang out, followed by another, then two more. All four bursts quit before an explosion pounded and more bursts sounded.
Lara stood quickly, watching the treeline in the general direction of the sounds, "That sounds close!"
Reyes hurried over to them, panicked, "What the hell is going on?"
"Mathias must've found more victims," Roth guessed, moving to grab his rifle, which was propped up against a crude shelter Sam had attempted to build.
"Roth, no!" Reyes hissed.
"I'll go!" Lara offered, stepping forward. "I'll check out what's going on."
"I'll go with," Alex offered.
Lara stopped him with a hand, "No! We don't need anyone else getting hurt."
Ellie hurried over, the 90mm Joel had allowed her to carry clutched in her hands.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Joel questioned her.
"I gotta help, Joel! I'm not letting Lara go on her own!" Ellie explained quickly, annoyance heavy in her tone.
"Like hell you are!" Joel spat.
"Joel!" Ellie exclaimed, annoyance turning to aggression.
"I'll go with Lara, make sure she don't get shot," Joel told her calmly, pulling his revolver from its holster at his side. Under his breath, he added, "Or bit."
Roth eyed him quickly, accepting his decision. Turning to Lara, he spoke, "Lara-"
She cut him off, "I know. I'll be careful."
"Don't trust anyone," Roth finished his sentence gravely.
Lara nodded nervously as Joel started toward the treeline. Drawing her bow and an arrow, Lara rushed after him.
Animals ranging from small rodents to large lizards scurried about as the duo reached the treeline. Lara took point, circling around a bush. The gunfire only intensified as they moved through the forest. Before long, the unsuppressed chaos became deafening. The cries of men could be heard occasionally, but they were mostly drowned out by gunfire.
It was mere minutes before Lara spotted the flash of a muzzle. Motioning for Joel to keep low, she moved to hide behind a bush, her bow at the ready. Men in bright red tank tops and bandanas were behind a fence, firing at a single man, who was crouched behind a rock. The man was dressed in a bright blue t-shirt. Somehow, Lara didn't think the colors were a coincidence.
Silently, Lara and Joel watched the firefight, unsure of who was good and who was bad, or whether either of the sides was either. The blue was outnumbered, and yet he managed to kill two reds before a bullet skinned his arm. It drew blood, but the wound was no where near fatal. The blue lit a molotov, igniting the remaining reds on fire. The two screamed and thrashed, but eventually fell to the ground, motionless. The blue spun, his assault rifle at the ready as he scanned the area. Once the fire died and everything returned to silence, the man lowered his gun, shouting to someone not even he could see. A moment later, two young adults appeared from the underbrush, both of them unarmed.
"Holy shit, Jason!" one of them, a young man with a dark blue shirt, exclaimed, staring at the charred corpses.
"Don't look. You don't need to see that," the man with the gun spoke, grabbing the younger man by the arm.
"Jason, why is this happening?" the other figure, a young woman, demanded. She was on the verge of tears, clearly terrified.
He put a hand on her shoulder, too, comforting her, "Everything's gonna be alright, Liza. Trust me. I'll get you two back to the Rakyat. They'll keep you safe."
"And what about you?" Liza wanted to know, sniffling. "Are you really gonna stay here?"
Jason stared at her for a long moment before speaking, "Come on, let's get out of here."
"Seem friendly enough," Joel muttered, though he wasn't too sure.
"Did he say 'Rakyat'?" Lara murmured. "I've never heard of them."
"Maybe they're some of that Mathias guy's men," Joel offered.
"Or maybe they're enemies of our enemies," Lara countered.
The two looked at each other for a long moment before Lara started raising herself up, out from behind the bush. Joel grabbed her arm, pulling her back, "Get down!"
"Wha-?!" Lara exclaimed in surprise before Joel forced a palm against her mouth. The roar of an engine reverberated through the forest as a trail of dust appeared a few hundred meters down the road. A red pick-up truck, complete with a fully automatic, mounted machine gun, sped in front of the cloud, toward the murdered reds.
Once Lara saw, Joel let her go. He immediately regretted the decision as Lara stood, cupped her hands on either side of her mouth, and shouted, "Look out!"
Jason turned, immediately spotting the incoming truck. Pushing his allies toward the nearest underbrush, he hissed, "Go! Hide!"
Slamming the stock of his assault rifle against his right shoulder, Jason moved to stand in the middle of the dirt road. Carefully, he aimed at the truck.
"Jesus," Joel muttered, peering out from behind his cover. "He's crazy."
"We have to help him!" Lara declared, readying her bow.
Joel sighed before sliding his hunting rifle out of its holster on his back and readying the scope.
Without warning, Jason fired a quick burst, crackling the truck's driver-side windshield. Blood sprayed against the spider web as the truck swerved, crashing into a tree with unexpected force. Three men scrambled out of the truck as a fourth pivoted the machine gun toward Jason.
Lara released the string on her bow, launching the arrow directly into the gunner's skull. He didn't have time to scream before his body fell limp. Joel fired his rifle, the bullet piercing straight through one of the men's throats. Blood gushed from his neck as a hand went up and the body went down. Jason fired a longer burst, throwing a red against the side of the truck, his body jerking sporadically. The last man turned to Jason, firing a quick burst before the blue shot and killed him.
The last of the reds hit the ground and an eerie silence fell upon the forest. Likely listening for another engine, Jason stood in the middle of the path, frozen. A moment passed before he lowered his gun and shouted to his allies, "It's alright, it's done."
Shyly, the two stepped out from behind the underbrush, scanning their surroundings.
Jason then turned in Lara and Joel's general direction, shouting, "Appreciate the help!"
Lara stepped out, into the open, sliding her bow back around her body, "No problem."
Joel was right behind her, but he kept his hunting rifle at the ready, albeit pointed downward.
"You're not Rakyat," Jason commented, moving toward them. "Who are you?"
"My name is Lara Croft. This is Joel. We heard the gunshots and came to see what was going on," Lara explained quickly.
"Pretty brave of you two," Jason sniffed. "How'd you know who to shoot?"
Lara gestured toward Liza and the other young man, "You were protecting them. We have...enemies on this island. And our enemies would never protect those who can't protect themselves."
"I see," Jason nodded slowly, eying her up and down. "Your enemies wear red shirts?"
"Not all the time," Lara shook her head nervously, rubbing her arm.
"Blue?" Jason continued.
"Look, we don't know a damn thing about your red vs. blue conflict, alright? We're just trying to survive," Joel growled, taking a step forward.
Lara stepped in front of him, laughing uneasily, "What he means to say is that we're looking to get off the island, and we heard you mention a 'Rakyat'. If that's a group you're a part of, we could use your help."
"Do you have a boat?" Liza inquired suddenly from behind Jason, stepping forward.
"Hey, let me handle this," Jason told her calmly, giving her a light push backward.
Lara smirked, turning to look up at Joel, "Sound familiar?"
Joel offered a feeble laugh, scratching his beard. Stepping forward, he spoke, "Let's say we do have a boat. So what?"
"You could get us out of here!" Liza exclaimed with a half-smile, trying to tell if Joel was messing with her or not.
"W-we just wanna get off this island, alright?" the younger man stuttered.
An odd smile came to Jason's face, "The Rakyat has some tools we could lend you. Food, too. Weapons, ammo, clothing, meds, you name it, it's yours. In exchange, I want you to take these two as far away from here as possible."
"What about you?" Lara wanted to know.
Jason's eyes suddenly turned grave as he stared into hers. There was a long, tense moment before he asked, "So? We have a deal?"
Joel shied away, looking to Lara, who eyed Jason suspiciously. A moment later, she stretched out an open hand, "Sounds like a deal to me."
Jason shook her hand.
Jason Brody was a young Rakyat warrior. Riley Brody was his younger brother, and Liza Snow his girlfriend. Potentially his ex-girlfriend. They had been on spring break when a band of pirates led by a crazed man named Vaas kidnapped them. Jason had freed the two of them with the help of the Rakyat, and now he was working to get them back home. When asked about what he planned to do, he kept quiet.
Joel, toting Jason's assault rifle, led the three, plus Lara, back to his group. Night was approaching, and Jonah had started a fire. About the flames huddled the remainder of their group.
Sam was the first to spot them through the lens of her camcorder, "They've returned!"
Ellie, sitting beside her, stood, awkwardly exclaiming, "Joel!"
"Easy, Ellie," Joel assured her with a nod. "I ain't dead just yet."
Reyes spotted the newcomers, hissing in Lara's direction, "More strangers? Girl, do you know how dangerous people can be?"
Lara opened her mouth to respond, but Joel spoke first, "It was my idea, ma'am."
Reyes snarled, "Well, next time, you can keep your ideas to yourself, old man."
"Nice to meet you, too," Liza muttered, eying the woman up and down.
Roth moved toward the five, his arms crossed, "Well, it looks as if our little group is growing quickly."
"You can all relax," Jason spoke. "I won't be staying long, and neither Liza nor Riley pose any threat to you whatsoever. No offense, guys. You take care of them, and I promised Miss Croft here supplies."
"Jason's with a group known as the Rakyat," Lara explained excitedly. "They have tools, food, water, meds, anything we need. And they're willing to share as long as we take Liza and Riley to safety once we get our boat up and running."
"If we get it up and running," Reyes snapped. "At this rate, I wouldn't get your hopes up."
"Oh, come on, Reyes, it's not that bad. We get a few of their tools and we're golden," Alex countered.
Reyes smirked, "I appreciate the enthusiasm."
"No sense worrying ourselves pale now," Jonah spoke. "It's time to eat."
It was decided early into the meal that the deer had been well prepared, despite Jonah's inexperience concerning venison. The three newest newcomers stayed clumped together while Ellie drifted toward Sam and Lara. Joel kept an eye on her, but he quickly learned that he didn't mind striking conversations with Roth. Alex and Reyes kept to themselves, though the former of the two tended to keep an eye on Lara. Jonah stood about the fire, entertaining the occasional listener with a story and providing everyone else with more food.
Sam began the meal by explaining to Ellie the story of Himiko, the Sun Queen. Slowly, the conversation degraded into an exchange of basic questions that primarily consisted of peoples' favorite food, movies, and activities.
"Ok, here's a good one," Sam spoke, her mouth still half-full of deer meat. "Once this is all over, what is the first thing you're gonna do?"
Ellie eyed her, somewhat confused, as Lara brushed hair away from her eyes, "Take a shower, honestly. I feel so filthy..."
Sam smirked, "I'll probably upload my footage onto my computer. It'll make for one heck of a documentary. Ellie?"
The younger girl looked from her to Lara, then back to her, "What do you mean 'once this is all over'?"
Sam turned and looked at her, herself confused, "Once we get off this island and go back home."
"I've been meanin' to ask ya'll," Joel spoke up, turning toward them. "Where, exactly, do you think we are?"
"On the island of Yamatai," Sam answered, even more confused than before. "Just south of Japan."
"Wait, what?" Ellie inquired, startled. "Japan? We came from Boston."
"Massachusetts?" Lara gasped. "You mean, you took a boat here, right?"
"No," Ellie shook her head.
Joel stared at Sam and Lara for a moment before standing, "Ellie, I reckon it's about time for us to retire."
"Joel?" Ellie questioned, turning to look up at him.
"Come on, Ellie," Joel gestured for her to follow as he left the circle.
"Ok," Ellie nodded, following his lead. "It was nice talking to you two."
Sam and Lara nodded as the two moved over to where they had set aside a couple blankets. Sam turned to Lara and whispered, "Well, that was strange."
"They must be delusional," Lara muttered, eying the two as they spoke privately. "Who knows how long they've been here."
Sam stood, grasping Lara's hand, "I'm tired. Let's go."
Lara nodded slowly, allowing Sam to pull her up, onto her feet and away to their tent. The tent that had been crudely set aside for the two wasn't much to look at, but it provided them with as much privacy as possible. Inside, they had a couple blankets, some books, Lara's personal journal, and a candle, which hadn't been lit.
As they entered the tent, Sam set her camera on a small nightstand and removed her jacket. Lara eyed her curiously, "You don't plan on sleeping just yet, do you?"
Undoing her belt, Sam turned to face Lara rather suggestively, "No, I don't. And I hope you don't, either."
Sam moved forward, pulling Lara into an embrace and a kiss. Lara pulled away after a long moment, "At least let me write in my journal first."
"I don't think so," Sam smiled, pulling Lara down, onto one of their blankets.
Sam, below Lara, began unbuckling her partner's pants. Lara blushed, leaning toward Sam, "The others will hear us."
"Let them," Sam whispered, removing Lara's pants. Sliding her hand along Lara's skin, Sam pulled her partner downward, into another kiss. As soon as their lips disconnected, their eyes met and Lara's breath became heavy. "I love you, Lara."
"I love you, too, Sam."
Content, Sam spun, throwing Lara onto her back and herself above her partner. Their eyes locked while Lara did her best to keep quiet. Once more, their lips met.
Lara's eyes shot wide open as she heard a harsh and sudden shuffling noise outside their tent. Half-naked, she sat up in her crude bed, Sam still asleep at her side. Quickly and as quietly as possible, Lara pulled on her clothes and grabbed her pistol. Taking one last look at Sam, who was just beginning to stir, Lara stepped out of the tent, her 90mm at the ready.
To her surprise and horror, a pale, naked man was above Roth near their campfire, his hands grasped tightly about Roth's throat. The older man tried with all his might to fight the crazed man off, but his strength was inferior.
Raising her pistol, Lara fired a single bullet that shredded through the man's chest, killing him nearly instantly. As Roth pushed the corpse aside and got back to his feet, the rest of the camp woke up, confused shouts and harsh curses coming from every direction.
A group of other naked men appeared from the treeline, dashing toward them with surprising speed. Roth took his pistol, firing and killing one of them. Lara shot and killed another as Joel scrambled for his gun and Jason hurried toward the raiders with a machete. Reyes, toting an assault rifle, opened fire. A single man lobbed a rock her way, smacking her in the head and throwing her to the sand. Lara fired once more before she hurried toward the woman, her gun still ready. A naked woman appeared from behind a rock, swinging a club in Lara's direction. The thick wood cracked Lara in the face, throwing her to the ground. The woman moved to hit her again, but Lara was faster, shooting her assailant in the chest. A crazed man appeared out of nowhere, stomping her face into the sand. Lara felt the pain, but was unable to react as the world around her faded to black.