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Ellie secretly flipped through magazines in Bill's hideout. They were here to pick up supplies before getting a car battery from a high school. Ellie wondered if high school was anything like military school. From the books she read there were cliques of 'cool' kids. In those respects, military school was similar. But the cool kids were really just the kids good at stealing.
"Hey!" Bill yelled from across the room. "Keep yours hands off of my shit!" Ellie narrowed her eyes. "I was organizing it for you! God!" She walked away from the shelf but not before grabbing some magazines, comics, and a few cassette tapes. He wouldn't miss them anyway. He had a whole town to himself.
Tess analyzed the map Bill had showing their route. "Tess, you and I know that kid is nothing but trouble. You keep babysitting long enough and eventually it will blow up in your face." Bill noted, loading a sawed off shotgun. "Well, I made a promise so there. Let's just get on with it." Tess examined the nail bombs Bill showed her. "Besides, we'll probably be dead in a few days. Nothing to lose on your part." Bill shook his head. "A partner's only good for one thing: getting you killed." Bill's words hit Tess hard. He was right on some counts. But her and Joel always got by together until...
Tess looked at the fourteen year old exploring the hideout. How long was this going to take really? Tess didn't really know how life would go back to normal. She was strong, yeah but Joel was basically her best friend and one of few people in this damned world she cared about. Scratch that, loved.
"Alright," Bill said noticing Tess's silence. "Once upon a time, I had somebody I cared about. A partner. Somebody I had to look after, Frank. So one day I wised up and realized it had to be just me."
"Please let's just get this over with." Tess rubbed her forehead impatiently. Bill huffed and tossed her two shotguns, one which went to Ellie. "Let's get on with it." Bill repeated.
"So we got shotguns, molotovs, and bombs. What the heck are we doing?" Ellie asked. "Well every week a military caravan rides through here. I assume they're looking for supplies but you'd be amazed at the shit they overlook. Anyway, a few weeks back they were rolling through and they get overrun by infected. The truck plows right into the side of the high school. Still sitting there with our battery. And the infected. But fuck it, Tess needs a car!" He exaggerated the last part. Then he turned to Ellie. "I swear to god if you took anything-"
"I don't need any of your shit, okay? Believe me." Ellie rolled her eyes. Tess nudged Ellie forward and up the stairs of the church. "Nice place." Tess commented. "If you got anything to confess now would be the time." Bill said going through a window and onto the roof. Tess let Ellie go before her and carefully walked onto the roof. Bill pointed off into the distance. "There's the school." The football lights and large sign stuck out like a sore thumb. "Not that far then." Ellie emitted. "Past this gate is all new territory.
"Clickers." Ellie whispered crouching. The trio snuck past, using only four shivs. "I suggest we move quietly and watch for traps." They crept carefully through the church graveyard. They came upon a groupbof infected and Tess decided to try out a nail bomb. "Get behind that dumpster, quick!" Bill shouted. They heard the rough groans of infected dying and the blood splat on the pavement.
"Woah." Ellie whispered.
"We can cut through the house here." Bill said checking behind them for more infected. Tess went to open the door. "It's tied on the other side." Ellie stepped forward. "I can go through. Help me get this off." Ellie motioned towards the boarded flap on the door.
"The doggy door?" Bill questioned, laughter hinging in his tone. Ellie flipped him off, weakly. Tess tore the weak wood from the door. "Be very careful."
"Of course."
"I'll be honest, the kid knows how to handle herself." Tess smirked. "Yeah she's tough. I can only imagine what Joel would've done with her. He probably wouldn't even give her a weapon." Tess imagined.
"There's more clickers inside." Ellie said opening the door. Bill threw a bottle to attract the clickers to one area and Tess threw a molotov in the middle of the group.
"Okay, we have got to move quick. Get in, get out. I'm not trying to get trapped there." Bill said as they went into the backyard. "On the RV and over." They walked across a plank of wood into a tree house.
"Who the hell left this here? You got friends in town?" Ellie asked. Bill answered quickly. "No. But I got some idea who might've come through here."
After a while they were across the street from the high school. "What did I tell you? A shitload of them. Don't make a sound." Bill said leading the way. The trio tried to move stealthily but were swarmed when a runner caught Ellie stabbing another. Luckily, they managed to fight them all off.
"Oh man." Ellie said walking forward with her gun in her hands. "Shit!" She fired her gun at two infected coming from behind a bus. "They're coming from everywhere, let's go!" Bill shouted running to slice off the head of a runner.
"How do we get inside?" Tess yelled, shooting the last runner. "Someone left a ladder on the bus. Get me up there." Ellie said. Tess boosted her up and she dropped the ladder for Bill and her.
"We're okay. We just need to get to the hood of the truck." Tess ran for the door. "It's locked!" She yelled. "And incoming infected!" Ellie pointed to the fence they just walked over using the bus. They ran around the side of the building. "We just need the battery!" Bill said going through a window. Tess followed quickly and shut it behind her almost bringing in a clicker. "That's not gonna hold!" Ellie said. They heard banging on one of the doors. "Help me push this, Tess!" Ellie said trying to push a locker against the door.
"No," Bill said looking into the truck's hood. "It's empty." "What?!" Ellie and Tess shouted in unison. "It's fucking empty!" Tess threw her hands in the air. "What the fuck happened, Bill?! You said it would be here!" Tess's patience was running low. All she wanted to do was go back to her shitty home in Boston and relax with Joel. But obviously that wasn't going to happen.
"Guys!" Ellie pushed back against the door. "Where to?" Tess demanded, her voice dangerously hard.
"Uh,"
"Bill, where?!"
"Anywhere but here." He started towards the door. "Get ready to run, Ellie." Tess grabbed Ellie and pushed her along. They ran down the hall of the school. Bill was obviously shaken. "Let's uh. We'll sneak out the back."
"You better know where you're going." Tess grumbled then took a deep breath. She had to calm down otherwise she would start making poor decisions.
There were so many infected lurking around and Tess was running out of alcohol to light on fire. She looked at Ellie who's face was a mix of fear and determination. "We can cut through these classrooms." Bill said. They entered what looked like a science lab. Luckily there was more alcohol and rags in there.
Tess pushed against some large doors at the end of a hall. "Help me open this." Bill and Tess got the door opened and walked inside, Ellie following. They were in a small gymnasium. "Barricade the doors. There are still more infected." Tess pushed against the mat rack that originally jammed the doors.
"That's not going to keep them for long." Tess commented. Suddenly they heard a boom from another door. "That doesn't sound good." Ellie said just as a bloater burst through. "Oh no." Bill breathed. "Ellie take cover!" Tess said lighting a molotov and throwing it at the beast, sending it's body into flames. It roared and threw a sack of mycotoxin which Tess dodged by rolling out a the way. Ellie shot at the charred body with her bow and arrow only to have the two arrows she had get stuck in the hardened fungus. Bill continued to shoot at it with a shotgun and Tess tossed another molotov at it which she followed up with shotgun blasts. Finally, the bloater fell, writhing against the ground as it died.
"What the hell was that?" Ellie asked. "A bloater. It'll rip your jaw off of your face if it lays hands on you. It's been infected for a long time." Tess said panting. "Bloater...Okay. Got it."
"Hate to interrupt your biology lesson, but can we get the fuck out of here? Please?" Bill groaned walking over the stacked bleachers. He boosted Tess and Ellie to the top and pulled himself up with the help of Tess.
They exited the back of the school and went through the torn fence. They could still hear infected behind them. "We're sitting ducks." Bill said. "There's another fence!" Ellie pointed out. "Keep going!" Tess yelled to them before shooting at an infected. She was tackled to the ground, the infected desperately trying to scratch or bite her. Then three gunshots killed the clicker that was on her. Ellie stood on the hill waving her gun. "Come on!" She yelled down to Tess.
Bill pushed the ladder over once Tess climbed up. "In the house, now." They ran inside, slamming the door behind them. "So that worked out well." Ellie said after a brief silence. Tess shook her head and wondered how this kid could be so scared one minute and joke around the next. Then Tess remembered. To make it in this crazy world you have to have some humor.
Not enticing a response, Ellie excused herself to explore the house. "Well?" Tess questioned. "Somebody had the same idea. They stole my shit." He said simply. Tess paced around. "Then what is plan B?" She said desperately. Bill fumed. "You ought to be thankful you're still drawing breath! That was plan A, B, C, all the way to fucking Z! And furthermore, you can take this job and shove it. Screw whatever Joel-"
"Don't fucking bring him into this!"
"I couldn't give a rat's ass-"
"Do not bring him into this!" Tess shouted louder, her voice cracking a little.
"You better-" Bill suddenly stopped and stared behind Tess. She looked to see a man hanging from the ceiling. "God," She whispered. She glanced back at Bill. "You know him?" Bill grit his teeth. "Frank. The only idiot who would wear a shirt like that." He almost choked on his words. He cut the rope that suspended Frank down with his machete. Bill examined the body. "He's got bites." He shut his eyes hard.
"Joel didn't want to turn either." Tess admitted. Bill looked her in the eyes. "Well fuck him." They heard the sound of an engine fighting for life from the garage. Ellie was in the driver's seat of a beat up truck. "Look what I found. It's got some juice in it." Ellie grinned.
Bill walked around to the front of the vehicle. "That's my battery! The asshole." He slammed the hood down. "Get out." He commanded Ellie. "Okay...geez." Bill tried to start the car again. "The battery is drained but the cells are alive. We push it, get it started, we can recharge the battery. Then you guys are out of my hair."
Tess nodded. "Hop in, Ellie." Bill was mumbling to himself about Frank as he opened the garage door. Tess went back inside the house to look for supplies before finding a note from Frank. Not wanting to intrude, she gave it directly to Bill. Bill sniffed and balled the paper up. "So that's how you felt." He exhaled deeply.
"Alright. Let's do it. Don't fuck this up, kid!" Tess and Bill pushed against the car. The first time the car sadly rolled to a stop down the street. Infected were started to show up. Tess shot at them and went back to pushing the car. "You really fucked my day up, Tess." Bill sighed.
The second time down the hill, Ellie popped a clutch flawlessly making both adults wonder where the hell she learned that. "Great job, Ellie!" Tess praised. "Guys!" Infected were starting to run towards them. "Let's get to the truck!"
They dropped Bill back off at his base. He laughed as he got of the truck. "Tess, you're not as smart as I thought you were. You ain't gonna make it. Oh and, here." Bill tossed Tess another gas mask. "You'd be amazed at how many cars still got gas in them."
Tess weakly smiled. "I'm sorry about Frank." She said.
"Sorry about Joel. We square?" Bill asked. Tess nodded. "We're square."
"Then get the fuck out of my town."
So that's Lincoln. I kind of lied about the deviation in this chapter. Pittsburgh will be hella different from the game. You can guess which parts. ;)
As always, thanks for reading. Please reviews with tips, comments, and suggestions. Thanks.