-CHAPTER 8: AUTHORITY-
-SUMMER SAGA-
The darkness of midnight enveloped Las Vegas. Normally, the city would be shining with life; neon lights from the buildings would sparkle across the streets while tourists would hustle around and enjoy the scenic night. That was before days were dedicated to survival. Now, the streets were quiet as the abandoned hotels and casinos loomed in silence.
"Keep quiet," Joel whispered to his comrades, consisting of Tommy, Gordon, Mark and Roselyn. They headed to Luxor Hotel, where the Reapers were based at for the moment. "Remember, all we have to do is sneak inside and take their fuel supply."
"Easier said than done, don't you think?" Roselyn remarked. She swung around her crowbar in circles to her side.
"Jesus, woman. Careful where you swing that thing!" Tommy warned her. He'd been following behind Roselyn and felt uneasy thinking the crowbar could clock him in the face any moment.
"This thing has a name, you know."
"Well I'm sorry if I forgot. Her name is Lucy, right? Well, I'm sure Lucy would appreciate it if you stopped swinging her like that!" Tommy spoke sarcastically. Roselyn simply glared back at him as she placed the crowbar back in her bag.
"Remind me why I had to come?" Mark asked, turning to his father. Gordon patted his son on the back, reminding how Joel practically begged for their help to retrieve the fuel cans. Mark chuckled. "I shouldn't be surprised. Guess Joel was too much of a wuss to go by himself. On the other hand, he was at least smart to ask for our help."
"First of all, I did not beg. I asked you guys politely," Joel defended himself. He easily got annoyed by the Wilson's arrogance. The father and son wouldn't shut up, would they? "Secondly, I have my reasons for asking for help. You have no idea how dangerous these Reapers are."
"Hmph! You're over exaggerating! Just shows how cowardly you are. Man up, Joel!" Gordon remarked with a snarky attitude. Joel gritted his teeth. He tried to tolerate Gordon's behaviour, but the longer he spent time with him, the more he wanted to clobber him in the face.
Sheesh. Are all British people like this?
The group soon reached Luxor Hotel. The area appeared as if a piece of Egypt was dropped into the city. The hotel was a staggering pyramid with many glass panels across the sides, which were either intact or broken to shards. A giant Sphinx sat in front of the hotel as a path decorated with palm trees passed by the statue leading towards the entrance. The group hid behind the obelisk situated by the street in front of the hotel. At the moment, there were no signs of any Reapers around.
"Now does everyone remember the plan?" Joel asked them. The group nodded. "Okay. Roselyn and Mark, make sure you come in as quickly as you can once Tommy gives you the signal."
"You've got it, boss." Roselyn answered.
Joel, Tommy and Gordon quietly headed towards the entrance to the hotel. As they were low on ammunition, their best option was to sneak through and avoid detection by the Reapers. Joel and Tommy were aware how powerful the enemy's firepower was, and if they ever got into a shootout, the trio would be hilariously outmatched.
"Shit... A pair of them just came out." Joel informed them. The Reapers walked out of the hotel and stood guard in front of the entrance. They wore their usual skull masks and both wielded assault rifles.
"What's your plan, brother?" Tommy asked him. Joel looked around them to see if they could use anything to distract the Reapers. Finding nothing, he turned to Gordon and asked to borrow his shoe.
"Like I would lend you my shoe! Use your own!" Gordon snapped.
Joel rolled his eyes. No way would he argue with Gordon again. Taking his shoe off, he aimed in the direction of the Reapers and threw his shoe a few feet next to the door, causing it to smash against the glass of the hotel. As the two Reapers were distracted, Joel and Tommy ran up and held them by their necks. The Reapers struggled in their arms as they gasped for air and were soon strangled to death.
"Hmph! I could have done that." Gordon spoke, giving an unimpressed look.
"Quit complaining!" Tommy argued back. As Joel retrieved his shoe, Tommy took both the assault rifles the Reapers dropped and handed one to his brother. The rifles were loaded with full rounds, which would be useful later in case they were attacked.
"Hey! Why must you nitwits take the guns for yourselves?" Gordon complained.
"Now is not the time, Gordon!" Joel talked back. "Besides, you have that shotgun of yours. So stop complaining!"
The trio entered the hotel and gazed inside. The lobby had statues of Egyptian pharaohs placed along with the palm trees planted to the side of the pillar walls designed to look like pyramid ruins. The hotel had a large atrium roof, essentially making the building appear to be one gigantic room. The hotel rooms were built within the angled walls as rows of the doors lined up across the balconies.
"Now remember, we can't let the Reapers know we are here." Joel reminded them. He took a moment to think where the Reapers would hide the fuel cans. He decided to check in the casino room. Various gambling areas such as poker tables and slot machines filled the place. Some had been flipped over due to the deterioration over the years. The casino seemed spacious without the usual sight of people crowding around the area.
"There doesn't seem to be anyone around here." Tommy commented. He was uncertain to think that was a good or bad sign. Just then, the sound of a shotgun echoed out. Joel and Tommy turned behind them to see Gordon standing in front of a dead Reaper by a poker table. He had his shotgun pointed to the corpse as smoke emitted from the recently fired barrel.
"That stupid twit thought he could hide from me, eh?" Gordon remarked, smiling at the satisfaction of his kill.
"Son of a bitch! Gordon, do you realize what you just did?" Tommy yelled at him. Suddenly they heard shouts echo out from the casino room. A group of Reapers popped out from the room balconies above and began shooting at them. The three men ducked behind the slot machines for cover. Tommy began to shout at Gordon. "You see that? You blew our cover!"
"Is that how you thank someone who stopped a Reaper from sneaking up on you? What a load of bollocks!" Gordon shouted back. The two began to argue with each other as the sounds of bullets filled the casino room.
"Both of you need to focus!" Joel shouted. He took out his assault rifle and prepared it. He waited for the gunfire to pause and peeked out from behind the slot machines, shooting back at the Reapers above. He managed to hit one of them as they shouted in pain and flipped over the balcony.
"You take this side while I take the other." Tommy told his brother. Taking his weapon out, he sneaked closer to the balcony on the other side and shot back at the Reapers from there.
"What the bloody hell do I do?" Gordon shouted as he sat against the slot machines, clutching his shotgun in suspense. Joel motioned him to take the assault rifle from the Reaper he shot and help them fight. Gordon crawled over and grabbed the assault rifle. He joined Joel and Tommy as they shot back at the Reapers. As they fired, a few of the Reapers jumped down from the balconies and headed towards them.
"Watch out! A few of them are on our level!" Tommy warned them.
"Gordon! Keep firing at the ones on the balcony, I'll handle these guys!" Joel demanded. As Gordon continued firing, Joel ran towards the Reapers on their level, using the slot machines and tables as cover. As he got close to them he opened fire, taking out most of the Reapers, save for one as Joel ran out of ammo. Throwing the assault rifle aside, Joel quickly tackled the lone Reaper onto the ground and removed their mask, pummelling their face in with it.
"Where are you hiding the fuel cans?" Joel demanded. He stared down at the Reaper's face, which was covered with blood from the bludgeoning. When they did not answer him, Joel continued to beat their face in more, causing it to physically dent as more blood covered them. "Answer me!"
"They're in... the theatre..." the Reaper gurgled out. Using the last of their strength, they pointed to a double doorway over at the other end of the casino.
"Cover me! I know where the fuel tanks are!" Joel shouted back to Tommy and Gordon. Taking the ammo from the fallen Reapers, he started towards the theatre when suddenly the doors to it opened. A tall man with a muscular body slowly walked out. They sported a ballistic vest and sturdy riot armour over their entire body, along with their bulletproof skull mask. With the armour they sported, they looked like a terminator robot from the far future. What made the Reaper stand out was the mini-gun they lugged in front of them. The chain of bullets dragged across the floor as the Reaper headed towards Joel.
"That ain't good!" Joel shouted. He turned and ran back as the Reaper fired their mini-gun at him. The bullets rapidly shot through the room, destroying everything in it's path. Joel rolled out of the way and hid behind a fallen table. He peeked over it, watching as the Reaper headed towards him intimidatingly in a slow manner.
Son of a bitch. How am I gonna handle this guy?
"How long are they going to take?" Roselyn spoke. She and Mark sat against the obelisk for the past few minutes as they waited for Tommy's signal.
"Shut your mouth and be more patient, woman." Mark told her off, giving an annoyed look. Roselyn gave him a weird look.
"I was just asking a question. Don't get all pissy about it."
The two both may have been in their mid-twenties, but that didn't mean they got along very well. Mark was very cold to others, except for his family. He hated everyone else and his aggressive and blunt anger originated mostly from his father. The experience from growing up in the infected world helped shape his attitude and way of life. In Roselyn's case, she seemed to take things less seriously and kept things on the positive side. She was able to adapt to the world much more quickly than others. She spent most of her days taking care of herself and learned valuable surviving skills, such as fighting, parkour and quick-thinking.
"Did you hear that?" Roselyn said. She stood up and took out her crowbar, gripping it tightly with both hands. She heard rustling from the bushes a few feet away from them. Mark took out his sniper rifle and loaded it. The two cautiously walked up to the bush. Suddenly, Ellie popped out, causing Roselyn and Mark to jolt in surprise.
"Oh, hey guys." Ellie greeted them.
"What are you doing out here, kid? You know you're supposed to stay back at the hotel." Roselyn asked her. Ellie ignored her and headed towards the entrance to Luxor hotel. "Hey kid! That's probably not a smart thing to do."
Ellie continued ignoring them. Suddenly, she was grabbed on the arm by Mark. The man gave her a furious look. "Listen, you little brat! You can't run around like you own the place. Now go back to the hotel before I lug you there myself!"
"Let go of me!"" Ellie shouted, struggling in Mark's grasp. Roselyn convinced him to let go of Ellie. She began to argue at them. "You guys just don't understand how serious this situation is."
"What are you talking about? We're here to pick up some gas, that's all." Roselyn explained.
"It may sound simple, but do you have any idea about the people who took our fuel?" Ellie waited for them to respond. "They're monsters. Fucking monsters who are much worse than the infected."
"I'm sure those monsters have their own reasons." Roselyn debated. "I mean, the world has been in shit for more than 20 years. In the end, we're all just survivors."
Ellie could only give a disgusted look at Roselyn. How could she have the nerve to defend the Reapers? Did she have any clue about them? "They aren't survivors. They are murderers who only care about themselves. And I'm going to teach them a lesson."
"Excuse me? Exactly how are you going to teach them a lesson?"
"By killing them, of course."
"Sheesh. That's pretty vicious for a young girl like you. I'd go so far as to say you're colder than Jack Frost over here." Roselyn pointed to Mark, who gave an offended look in response.
"You know what, I don't need to listen to your bullshit. You guys can't stop me." Ellie said. She ran towards Luxor hotel, causing Roselyn and Mark to give chase after her. The trio entered the hotel, only to be welcomed by the sound of gunfire erupting from within.
"Damnit! I guess Joel and the others were spotted." Roselyn remarked. She noticed Ellie heading towards the casino room. "Come on, kid! Slow down!"
"This brat is barmy! What's the matter with her?" Mark commented. Roselyn thought the same thing. They didn't seem to be aware of the horrible things Ellie had been through concerning the Reapers. All they could assume was that she was a little crazy in the head.
Ellie entered the casino room, witnessing the crossfire happening at the moment. She hid behind the doorway and watched as Tommy and Gordon shot at the Reapers from the balcony. Across the room was a Reaper with a mini-gun in their hands. They closed in on Joel, who hid behind a fallen table. Ellie cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted to get the Reaper's attention. "Hey asshole! Over here!"
The Reaper stopped and turned to her. At first glimpse of the skull mask, Ellie suddenly froze in shock. Seeing the familiar mask reminded her of the horrors that the Reapers pressed upon her when she and Joel were captured. Ellie started to feel dizzy as her vision began to blur. Her breathing became short and heavy as she began to lose her balance. As she experienced the panic attack, the Reaper pointed their mini-gun at her and opened fire.
"No! Ellie!" Joel screamed.
Luckily, Roselyn came to Ellie's rescue. She tackled the girl onto the ground behind cover as the bullets fired in their direction. At the same time, Mark aimed his sniper rifle towards the Reaper and shot in their direction, hitting them on their exposed hand. The Reaper yelled in pain, dropping the mini-gun on the ground.
Joel took the opportunity to tackle the Reaper onto the ground. Unfortunately, the Reaper was strong enough to throw him off, causing Joel to slam through the theatre doors. He quickly got onto his feet and looked around the abandoned theatre. The area was empty and dirty, with some of the chairs torn apart and the stage lights broken on the ground. Up on the stage were the pile of fuel tanks Joel's group had been looking for. There was plenty enough to fill a dozen trucks.
We just need a few of these and get the hell out of here.
As Joel headed towards the stage, the theatre doors barged open and in came the mini-gun wielding Reaper. They shot towards Joel, who quickly dove behind a row of seats. Joel kept his whole body low as the bullets shot through the seats.
"I know who you are." the Reaper suddenly spoke. He talked with a deep, Brooklyn accent. Joel quietly crawled past the theatre seats, listening to the heavy steps of the Reaper, each split apart with an agonizing pause. "You're the man who escaped from Jackson County, are you?"
How does he know that?
"You were the one who killed Richard and his men as well, hmm?" the Reaper spoke. He slowly looked down across the row of seats, searching for Joel. "You are also the one who has that immune girl with you, am I right?"
"How do you know all of this!?" Joel shouted. By that moment, he reached the end of the row of seats and began to sneak his way towards the stage where the fuel cans still sat. A creepy laugh emitted from the Reaper.
"Where are you going?" the Reaper spoke.
Joel peeked over to the other side of the theatre and gave a shocked look to see the Reaper running on top of the seats at a lightning pace. He reached Joel in a matter of seconds and pinned him against the wall. The Reaper stared at him with his skull mask for a few moments. Slowly, he took it off and revealed his face. The man had almost a tanned face covered with wrinkles to show his age and jet-black hair slicked back. A large scar made up of fungus bumps covered his left eye. The man grinned at Joel.
"I am the almighty Ross. I am the one and only commander of the Reapers."
Joel struggled against Ross, but he could not break free from the man's grip. He felt weak as a mouse pinned down by a much stronger animal. The commander was amused by his attempts to escape.
"This is the power of the vaccine our scientists have managed to conjure up. Your strength is puny compared to my enhanced abilities." Ross explained. He grabbed Joel by the neck and was able to lift him off the ground with one hand. He threw Joel on the ground, causing him to roll towards the theatre stage. "Our vaccine is a blessing. With the ability to control the cordyceps in our bodies, we've become a new hybrid of supreme beings. The infection is not a curse. It is a gift that we must learn to embrace."
"Listen to what you're saying!" Joel coughed as he struggled to stand up. He realized how corrupt the Reapers were. They think the infection is a blessing? This vaccine has made them delusional!
"You are naive to what this vaccine is capable of." Ross stated. He walked up to Joel and picked him up by the neck once again and began to choke him. "This is why we must murder people like you who oppose us! You aren't fit to live and adapt to this world. The cordyceps has shown us the light. It has helped us evolve into a much stronger generation of humans! If you do not believe that, then you deserve to die!"
Joel could only flail his legs helplessly in the air, trapped by Ross's grip. As his vision dimmed, he caught a glimpse of a figure sneaking up behind the Reaper commander.
"LET HIM GO!" Ellie shouted. She pounced on the back of Ross and stabbed him on the shoulder with her switchblade. Ross growled in pain as he dropped Joel. He struggled to throw Ellie off his back, but she stuck like glue on him. Ross threw himself against the wall, slamming Ellie between them. She fell on the floor and began to cough from the impact.
"You impulsive little girl! How dare you sneak up on me?" Ross roared angrily as he held a hand over to his wound. It took him a moment to recognize her. "Wait a minute. Red-auburn hair. You are none other than the immune girl."
"How the fuck do you know me?!" Ellie coughed out. Before Ross could make a move, the rest of Joel's group barged into the room. Realizing he was outnumbered, Ross fled from the theater using the exit at the back of the stage. He left Joel and Ellie a warning.
"Your luck will run out eventually. The Reapers will come back to haunt you!"
"Joel! Ellie! Are you okay?" Tommy called out as the group rushed over to them. The duo assured them they were."We've managed to clear out all the Reapers in the casino. Who the hell was the coward that ran away?"
"It was their leader, Ross." Joel explained. His body still ached from the beating Ross gave him. He helped Ellie up on her feet. He gave her a stern look. "Ellie, what are you doing here? I told you to stay put back at the hotel."
"I couldn't sit back and do nothing, Joel. I had to help, okay?" Ellie defended herself.
"You guys can talk about this later, but now we need to get out of here." Roselyn reminded them. The others agreed. Joel pointed them to the supply of gas cans left on the theater stage by the Reapers. The group took as many as they could carry and left Luxor Hotel, heading back to Caeser's Palace where the rest of their group waited. Joel, Tommy and Gordon refilled their vehicles as the others prepared to leave.
"Blimey! I can't believe we made it out of there alive." Gordon spoke. He gave Joel a scowl look. "I never should have agreed to come along with you twits. I almost got killed!"
"Shut up, Gordon! If Joel didn't come up with a plan, we would have never gotten fuel for our vehicles!" Tommy shouted back. He looked over to Joel. "So what's the plan now?"
"We're leaving." Joel explained. He wanted to get his group out of Las Vegas. Ross's last words stuck with Joel. There was no doubt the leader would round up a group of his Reapers and hunt them down, so Joel had to get his group as far away from them as possible and find a safe place. Los Angeles would still be their option. With plenty of fuel in store, they would reach the city in a few hours.
God forbid those Reapers come after us.
-TO BE CONTINUED-
A/N: A new character is in the mix: Ross, leader of the Reapers! A short bio on him has been posted on my profile to give insight on his character. He may not seem like a big threat at first, but I can promise you, this man is going to give hell to the group in the future.
Speaking of the group, it seems like you guys are enjoying the original characters so far, with the exception of Gordon, which I was hoping you guys would hate on. Haha! My plan worked after all! ;)
But just a fair warning. Don't get too comfortable with all of them. This story is all about the emotional journey Joel and Ellie will face with this group. Expect the worst to come to these characters.
Thanks for all your support! Bye for now! :D
~I do not own any The Last of Us material. They are the respective property of Naughty Dog Inc~
