Chapter 11: Out of the Frying Pan
"Damn it... goddamit! Fuck!" Ellie was just so sick of corn by now.
She and Joel were wise to stick together like glue at this point because now it was just like 'the good ole days' with the two of them by themselves running around. After another minute of the vain search, Joel had enough and he grabbed Ellie by the shoulder and they both stepped out of the far edge of the cornfield, back on the side of where they could retreat to the cabin. Ellie had already begun to run ahead when Joel stopped her.
"Ellie!" He bellowed, and she instinctively stopped and turned back to him.
"What?!" She responded with a look of frustration. "What is it?"
"What do you think you're doing?" Joel inquired while he put away his gun and crossed his arms.
"I was going to go back to the cabin, thought that would be fuckin' obvious." Ellie meanly retorted. "I mean, we have to tell Carter about this or at least-!"
"Ellie! Listen to me..." Joel stepped forth and he looked like he didn't want to break some news to her. "The Fireflies are still after us... and this Devlin guy, he is after you... after me... after both of us. So, what we're going to do is loose them in those mountains." Joel pointed at the Rockies on the horizon. "Now we're just going to go and-!"
"We're just going to leave them?" Ellie shook her head at him. "Claire and Rylan... even Carter offered us a bed when he could have just shot us in the fuckin' faces. And you just want to abandon them, all of them?"
"Ellie, they're not our responsibility. We can't put ourselves at risk for every struggling survivor out there!"
"They're good people!" Ellie argued back.
"You barely know them. You only knew that boy since, what is it now, three days? Not even that..."
Ellie's face then became stoic at this remark, and she was about to tread on some mighty thin ice here. "...I only knew Tess for a couple of days..." No, you never bring Tess up, ever. "I trusted her with my life... and she, she gave up hers to buy us time to escape Boston..."
"Ellie, don't you go there..." He was angry, he was frustrated, that moment brought back some of the emotions and grief he had to bury deep down inside just to get out of that Capitol Building. "This is different."
"What about Sam and Henry? Are they any different?"
"Yeah... they are." Joel growled. "So you're telling me that kid... who shot a woman in the back with an arrow-!"
"You and I both know we've done worst things. And believe or not, Claire was going to kill us, or at least try..." Ellie sighed. "I just... don't want anyone else to die because of us..."
Joel turned away from her at that moment, her survivor's guilt was emanating so much that he started to get a little choked up from all the lives he had ruined over the two decades he survived in this world. But that's the thing, this was their world, almost everyone you meet wants to kill you or they're an asshole, or they're both. But Joel studied Ellie's pleading face, her expression reminded him so long ago of when Sarah wanted him to buy a certain toy or some other nonsense. So Joel, much to his initial survivor's instincts, wanted to ask Ellie a question. "What was the boy's name again?"
"Rylan." Ellie replied, a glimmer of hope and gratitude began to etch on her face. "He sits in front of me in History class back in Jackson."
"Uh-huh..." Joel rubbed his nose as he placed his hands on his hips, avoiding eye contact with her. He never had to deal with stuff like this before, so it was sort of a strange first. "So uh... you like him then? You trust him?"
"Yeah." The redhead nodded. "He was there when... well he was just there. Saved me a couple of times since we met." Ellie smirked at the recent memory. "I-uh... trusted him enough to ask if he could teach me how to swim."
"Oh really?" Joel pried, curious as to the answer. "What'd he say?"
"He said a river full of rapids was no place to practice." Ellie chuckled. "He can be smart when he wants to be."
"Any family or friends back in Jackson?" Joel began to walk past her and he motioned her to follow him. "Anything else I should know about him?"
"Uh well... he said he lived by himself and uh..." No no no no, it would be wise to not tell Joel about the bottle of wine, or their moment when they woke up this morning. "...He's a good guy."
"A good guy huh...? Ain't that something?" He then sighed as he took his hand and rubbed his face, he also got some itches in his beard while he was at it.
"Yeah... it is." She smiled softly. "So, what are we going to do then?"
Joel affirmed her. "I reckon we just get back to the cabin, get some supplies and we'll see what happens..."
The two of them eventually made it back to Carter's Cabin without incident. They stepped through the front door and saw the old cowboy whistling a tune as he whittled on a piece of wood with his knife. Ellie's eyes also curiously found Rylan's backpack on the back of one of the chairs. He left his backpack behind...?
Carter grumbled as he shaved another layer of wood on his mini-sculpture. "Four of ya leave... two come back, somethin' bad happen? Usually always do."
Before Ellie could even ask her first question, Joel advanced on Carter and pointed his gun at him. "Drop the knife. Now!"
"Joel! He just-!"
"Quiet, Ellie! Go find some tape or rope or something. Now I said drop it!" Joel ordered. "Didn't I?"
"I reckon you did partner." Carter remained calm as he let his knife fall to the floor with a clank. "I suppose this is what's comin' to me for trustin' others... Oh well."
"We're not gonna kill you if that's what you're thinking, we just need to ask you some questions." Ellie responded as she came back with an old grey roll of duct tape.
"Wrap his wrists and ankles baby girl, go on I'll cover ya." Joel encouraged her to listen to him. "Met your buddy Grant... he's a real nice guy." He stated sarcastically.
As Ellie reluctantly wrapped the duct tape around his wrists and placed them behind his back, she went straight to work on his ankles already. "He has Claire and Rylan... and he wants you to join back up with him."
"Cheyenne my ass." Joel huffed. "Is anything you mention about Grant true? Because I do not have any more time for lies!"
"I see how it is..." Carter sighed. "Grant's got you thinkin' I'm crazy now right?"
"How'd you know?" Ellie quickly inquired.
"Point that finger at him, that's exactly why I left his group... he's, Jesus... he said he was off makin' a difference." Carter shrugged his shoulders. "Helpin' the world become a better place... or some bullshit like that..."
"He wants you back," Joel gave a supportive but anxious glare at Ellie, which she nodded in response in gratitude. "We're gonna trade ya for our friends... that's how it's gonna be."
"That Grant guy will kill them both otherwise, so... sorry." Ellie apologized to the bound cowboy. "And unless we can think of something else by sunset-!"
"Ellie... hold on a moment." Joel oddly put his gun away and looked out the windows of the cabin, only to shutter them closed and isolate the three of them from the outside world. "...I think I got an idea."
"Wait what?" They both questioned at the sudden change in attitude. "Joel?"
"I think I have a plan..." Joel answered them vaguely. "Just trust me, okay?"
"You? You have plan?" Ellie joked as she crossed her arms. "That's a first."
"Knock it off."
"Somethin' that makes us all happy? I'm all ears. I'll tell ya everythin' I can too." Carter affirmed his concerns of never wanting to return to Grant's group. "What'd you have in mind?"
"Alright, here's what we do..."
Darkness...
Darkness was all he saw...
His eyes were enveloped by a black rag or a blindfold of some kind, and he could feel that his wrists were handcuffed to a vertical pipe on a wall. Rylan's hands were over his head and it was physically awkward to wait there in a position other than standing.
"I've been here five minutes and I already hate it here!" He shouted to what he saw as an abyss. "I saw most of your faces; I don't see why I have a blindfold!"
"No need for shouting, I'm right here."
Rylan felt a tug on his head as his captor took off the blindfold, and he revealed himself to be Grant. The brunette looked around the room he was in. It looked like an old wet basement of a building. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all concrete cement, and the room was lit by only candlelight of which there were five, one for each corner. The fifth candle however was placed on a simple metal table with two chairs on either side of it. Rylan deduced that this was their interrogation room of some sorts... But why was he here? Oh god... the smell!
"It stinks in here! And are you going to un-cuff me?" Rylan sneered at the only other man in the room. "Or have I not earned that luxury yet?"
"Not yet, hold your horses." Grant responded as he waved him off. "Hey girl, how you doing?"
*growl*
"Jesus!" Rylan had only noticed the large grey wolf obediently and silently sitting in the corner albeit it was collared and chained to the wall. The wolf was snacking on something... Its dull grey and black fur blending into the shadows of the basement they were in. The large canine's black eyes were the eyes of the pure wild animal held in this captivity. She woofed as she acknowledged her master and continued with her meal, which was... "Oh my god..."
The wolf was picking the meat off of the bones of a very familiar looking body. Mangled and bloody, the wolf had already torn away at the clothes, and the blonde mat of hair had lost any shine or decency. There was no mistaking it... this was the man Rylan starred down the barrel of a gun during the rainstorm last night...
"Glad we got to feed her today... she'd been starvin' for a while now." Grant smirked smugly. "Pepper is a cutie-pie though, ain't she?"
The wolf named Pepper relentlessly gnawed at the bones of her captured prey, now already past the muscle and working on breaking down the right femur of Brad's body. It took nearly all of Rylan's willpower not to vomit again, even from just the smell alone. "What kind of sick bastard does this to a person?!"
Grant chuckled. "Well... I've always liked the term 'throw them to the wolves...' besides, couldn't let good meat just rot away like that in the middle of a damn field. It's a waste..." He then pulled up a chair and sat himself down in it, the light from the candle flickered and danced across his terrifying face. "...None of my men wanted him... too dead for their taste, so I gave him to Pepper..."
Rylan's eyes widened with the revelation of who these bandits were... who Grant really was. "Y-you eat people?! No! ...NO! Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you! Cannibalism is not the answer!" Rylan struggled with all of his might to pull away from the metal pipe he was cuffed to, but to no avail and only achieved the bleeding of his wrists. "You fucking sick bastards!"
"Heh-heh, that was quite an outburst, must still have some energy in ya." Grant smirked as he looked back at Pepper. "No worries, I only go after the people who were going to die anyway... the blonde girl who's in our care, I won't feed her to Pepper... I'm a survivor, not a monster."
"We're all monsters..." Rylan mumbled under his breath, scared for his life now.
"Some more than others." Grant added to the fact as walked over to Rylan and placed a small metal key in Rylan's palms to which the boy could un-cuff himself which he did as Grant sat back down. "Take a seat."
Rylan hesitantly looked at his chair and then Pepper, he wondered if that chain would hold the beast. The animal growled and eyed him hungrily as the brunette sat down across from Grant. "Where's my crossbow?"
"Part of my collection." The older man simply replied. "We promised your life, not your things."
Rylan scoffed. "Are you going to eat me and Claire, if Joel and Ellie don't give you Carter?"
And that was when Grant gave the widest and most sinister smile Rylan had seen on him yet. "Well, that remains to be seen... You have a lot of friends little man?"
"It's Rylan," He stated flatly. "Make sure to put that on the menu."
"Witty." Grant chuckled. "No, I mean new friends... friends you owe favors to, friends that we have in common..."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Rylan questioned, but he didn't receive a respond when he heard loud footsteps from upstairs and then the sounds of a door opening then closing. A moment of silence had passed without another word being said.
And out of the black shadows of the basement they were in, a man with a black trench coat stepped out, and underneath it was a Firefly officer's uniform...
"Hello boy..." Devlin greeted darkly as suddenly kicked Rylan's chair and he fell to the ground.
Rylan had landed in the bloody mess that was the remains of Brad, and a booming bark and snarl echoed in the basement as he narrowly retreated from the snaps and bites of Pepper, just itching to get a fresh kill instead. But in fear of the wolf, Rylan crawled backwards until he backed into the Commander's legs. And the next thing he knew, Rylan was picked up by the collar and slammed into the wall still reeling from the utter shock from the change of events. "You!"
"Yes ME!" Devlin roared as he punched Rylan in the stomach to which he keeled over in pain. "You remember me? Yes?!"
Rylan gasped for air, he did his best to respond to the strong man. "Y-yes..."
"Fan-fucking-tastic boy!" Devlin commended him. "Glad to see your memory still works!"
Grant chimed in. "He found them, the old man, and the girl. Joel and Ellie I presume?"
"Yes... that's them." Devlin nodded as he stared down at the writhing boy still in pain. "Now... did you do what I asked?"
"*cough* *cough* ...what?" The brunette looked up to him.
"The answer you're looking for is no, you stupid little shit!" Devlin scanned his prisoner with hatred. "I let you out of Jackson... and in return, you find the immune girl, stick with her, and leave us a trail to follow... which you absolutely did not fucking do!"
...
"You wanna know why? ...Because, you're a monster... you're a murderer... and a terrorist..." Rylan bravely or foolishly faced him, standing on his own two feet. "The deal was off as soon as you let me go..."
"Is that right?" Devlin hissed as he placed a hand to the boy's throat. "Deal's off huh? Well then... aren't I fucking lucky that my pal Grant found you and the others?"
"By the way, how did my men fair in Jackson, did they behave?" Grant jokingly asked.
"They did their job, and they'll depart the settlement as soon as I get my cure. Got it?"
Grant nodded in compliance, seemingly satisfied. "Anything to save the world."
"Absolutely, anything to put the fuckin' human race back in control of its destiny..." The Commander then addressed the teen again. "Now Rylan, you accuse me of such names as monster and terrorist, but the proper title... I consider myself a servant of the world... a savior for the redemption of humanity... Tell me, who do you think you are?"
"Tch... don't you hurt a hair on-! ACK!" Devlin's hand had tightened around his throat, strangling him, and he lifted him up off the ground against the wall. "...stop... I'm..."
"No. I'll tell you who you are... you should consider yourself a tool at best, a means to which I will utilize and accomplish my goals. Or maybe, you're just a lonely boy who met the wrong girl..." Devlin declared as he released Rylan and he dropped to the ground like a heavy sack, coughing some more. "And you care about her now... How stupid can you be?"
"Devlin, what do you want to do? March to Carter's Cabin, and start a shootout?" Grant crossed his arms in dismay. "I would still see him that he return here unharmed."
"Put this pitiful boy with my other two hostages, I think we're going to play a very interesting game here, it's going to be fun..." Devlin smirked as he eyed Pepper and departed the room. "And bring that dog!"
Grant then grabbed the weakened Rylan off the ground and punched him so hard across the face that his head banged against the metal pipe and he blacked out.
...
...
"Oh, there will be blood... but it will be your blood..."
A/N- And we bring Brad's fate to a close, but can they still save Claire? Will Joel and Ellie's plan be able to combat the incoming wrath now that they are within Commander Devlin's grasp?
:) This is still far from over, so await the next chapter: Into the Fire.