A/N:

Just wanted to state that this will more follow the game than the show. I missed the spores from the game, and I missed the banter and interactions between Bill and Ellie. Some things of the show will remain the same for drama and it'll be easier to depict in book form, but some key elements that were cut from the game (I.E. The sewer scene) will be here instead of what happened in the show.

This book will loosely follow the Supernatural show as characters will pop up that died on the show. I hated some of the deaths and well, creative liberties and all. Sam and Dean will be in the story, but the majority of the first game content is going to focus on the relationship building of Joel, Rose, and Ellie.

***Rose Winchester and Dean Winchester are 39 in 2023 and Joel is 45 for story purposes.***

Year 2020 in Cambridge, MA

Rose Winchester was terrified they would all die. Castiel disappeared to scout ahead over an hour ago, but Sam and Dean got tired of waiting. They decided to leave their hiding place in the apartment they were in and forge ahead. It used to be student housing for Harvard, but it became a quarantine zone before Fedra developed the QZ in Boston once the cordyceps infection started. Rose thought fighting regular demons, vampires, and other monsters was challenging enough, but these infected were something else. Castiel had been bitten more times than they could count, but being an angel, he was immune. The weird threads that spread through a human just died and would seep out of him. There were different types of infected and some were worse than the most frightening monsters she'd ever faced, being a Winchester. Sam and Dean treated her like a baby even though she was Dean's twin. They demanded that she stay put in the apartment while they cleared a path to leave. The whole building was covered in spores, so everyone wore protective overalls and gas masks. Luckily the spores seemed to die on impact once water hit them so that's why they always wore coveralls until it was safe.

They'd arrived in Massachusetts after several reports of a wendigo in the area had been reported through the hunter chain. Cell phones and electricity were gone, so they used radio systems to communicate. Despite being in Kansas at the bunker, they'd still been the closest hunters, so they hadn't hesitated to get there. Normally, they would never have ventured so far away from their home base. However, if a wendigo was so close to a QZ, one of the biggest at that, they had to take care of it. Before he and Sam left the apartment they were hiding in, Dean told her to give them a five-minute head start and then head out of the building. He told her to head immediately towards the bunker while they grabbed Cas, and they'd catch up. She heard screeching and clicking followed by shooting and she froze. She stayed where she was for 45 minutes instead of immediately leaving. The building they were in was completely overrun with infected and though she'd taken out her fair share before, they scared her. She'd been about to move when she heard the unmistakable roar of the one type of infected, she hoped to never have a close encounter with.

She could tell it was one floor up, so she didn't wait anymore and sneaked out like she should have done a half hour ago. She had her compound bow slung over her shoulder. She was better with a bow than with any other weapon, but this was close quarters, and it wasn't practical or logical. She had her favorite custom 9mm in her dominant hand and her Angel blade in the other. Sure, it was specifically made to kill Angels and Demons, but it worked just as well on the infected. As she moved down the hallway towards the stairwell, she passed several dead runners and two clickers. Fedra should have burned this building down to the ground, but instead left them to swarm. It was dangerous because they were only a little over three miles from the main gate. It was a miracle that these infected people hadn't already attacked the walled city.

Once she was at the end of the hallway, she began to slowly descend the steps from the third floor to the ground floor. She kept herself in a crouching position to not draw attention to herself and be as quiet as possible. Once she was on the main floor, she got goosebumps. It was eerily silent, and she could no longer hear the bellows from the bloater that was above where she'd been hiding. She made her way out of the front door easily and scanned the area before standing up. Something was wrong. The bicycles they'd confiscated to ride to their destination along with all of their spare gear were missing. Luckily, she had her pack with water, first aid, extra ammo, arrows, and food. Their duffle of extra weapons and food had been left outside after making sure no one was around. Had Sam and Dean really left without her? She silently began to pray to Castiel, but it was left unanswered. That was never a good sign because unlike Sam and sometimes Dean, he never ignored her unless he was in a dire situation. She began walking in the direction they had come from. However, it was going to be dark soon and she didn't want to be stuck outside alone. Not that she couldn't handle herself, but if there was a wendigo on top of the infected? She'd definitely need backup for that. Realizing she'd never removed her mask, she pulled it off and hooked it to her backpack. Groaning, she also noticed that she had her concealment charm necklace on which is why Cas couldn't come to her if he could. She dropped down into a crouch, took the necklace off, and dropped it on the ground next to her. She immediately prayed to Castiel again, hoping he was okay. She was on her fourth round and getting desperate when he suddenly appeared in front of her looking haggard. He surveyed her for injuries as he spoke.

"Rose, you made it out of the building, that's fortunate." She brushed her dark auburn curls out of her face and gave him a concerned look as she replied. "Where are Sam and Dean? All of our gear and back up supplies are gone." Cas sighed heavily and looked around their surroundings as he answered her.

"I don't know, Rose, they're still wearing their concealment charms. I was taking care of the big one in the apartment building when I heard you. My guess is that raiders took them and the stuff into the building. They are no longer in the building. Listen, it's about to be dark very soon so I'm going to transport you to the QZ that's a few miles away. You'll be safe, Rufus is there. He is the one who sent out the message about the Wendigo and should be told that it was a ruse by raiders. You should be able to stay there until I find your brothers." Rose didn't want to be stuck in a QZ. It was not easy to leave them once you were in from the horror stories heard from other survivors. Still, she also didn't want to be stuck with no cover after dark. After battling internally with herself, she nodded agreement. She shoved all of her belongings into her back that fit and stood up. "Okay, Cas, I appreciate you coming for me," she replied. "I'd like to stash my stuff before going in, so they won't take it if that's ok." Castiel gave one of his rare smiles and held his hand out as he spoke. "As long as I'm able to, Rose, I'll always be there for you like you've always been there for me."

After bending down and grabbing the charm on the ground, she took the hand he offered and felt the unsettling sensation of his teleportation. He helped her pick a secluded location to stash her stuff. It was in a footlocker under a bunch of rubble; someone would have to know it was there to find it. Once they were both certain it was safe, Castiel teleported them to the Boston QZ entrance. It was far enough that the sentry guards couldn't see her yet, but close enough that she could walk the rest of the way before dark. Cas turned her so that she faced him and gave her instructions.

"Just walk up there. You'll want to raise your hands in surrender, so they'll know you're not infected. They'll test you anyway, so don't fight them. Tell them you'd been surviving in a camp with your family that was wiped out by raiders. Do not mention infected because it will raise their suspicions. Let them know that you came here because you know Rufus and you should be okay. I will find your brothers and then I'll come back and get you. Rose, you have to stay here until I return for you, okay? Sam and Dean would never forgive either of us if we lost you." Rose could only nod her head because she was afraid she'd start crying. She was beyond tired and stressed and this speech he was giving her felt like a final goodbye. She knew this was the logical course of action because she'd only get in Castiel's way if she insisted on going with him. With an awkward pat on her shoulder, he disappeared.

It was dusk and getting darker by the minute. So that she wouldn't lose it, Rose put the charm in her hand back around her neck and began walking to the heavily armored and guarded entrance to the QZ at a steady pace. When the spotlight hit her, she stopped and raised her arms as Castiel instructed her. The soldiers shouted orders at her, telling her to walk towards them slowly. Once she was only a few yards away from the gate, she was met by two men wearing old prison riot gear. She could only see their eyes as they saw her ragged appearance. They both had guns trained on her, but the one on the right spoke to her.

"Where did you come from and why did you come here?" Rose's voice shook as she replied to them, revealing her fear. "My family and I had a camp near Cambridge. We were attacked by raiders this morning and I only just managed to sneak away. Our home was also taken by raiders, and we'd been slowly making our way here for refuge, but…I'm the only one who made it. My dad's best friend, Rufus Turner, is a resident here." She watched as the two guards exchanged looks before the male on the right spoke again.

"You know old man Rufus? Did you come across any infected along the way? Do you think any of your family made it?" Rose couldn't stop the tear that slipped down her cheek. She was so exhausted. "No, we stayed out of the buildings, so we didn't meet infected", she replied. "They're all gone, it's just me."

The guard who had done all of the talking scanned her right there for infection. When it was negative, they took her to a holding cell and were surprisingly gentle with her. They must have felt sorry about her situation. A female officer escorted her to a shower and made her discard all her clothing, even her shoes. She allowed her to keep the charm necklace and gave her a t-shirt, jeggings, a used jacket, socks, and boots to wear. They also gave her five ration cards to start her off once she was released and explained how to get more. They didn't charge her ration cards for the food they provided her with while she was in holding for two days, trying to track down Rufus. When he did make his appearance, he wore a grim expression. It cleared almost instantly when he saw it was her and not her brothers. The two male Winchesters left a lasting impression on most people, and it wasn't usually positive. Rufus spoke softly to the guard briefly before, to her surprise, she was released to him. Once they were in the relative safety of his small apartment, he handed her a glass of water and he had her sit next to him on his loveseat. He studied her for a few minutes before finally speaking.

"I have to say, Rosie, when they told me a Winchester was in holding and requesting me, I thought it was Sam or Dean. I'm pleasantly surprised that it was you instead. That being said, are they dead? You wouldn't be in a QZ unless something happened to them." Rose looked down and shrugged her shoulders as she replied. "I honestly don't know, Rufus. Castiel dropped me off here and said he'd return once he found them because we all got separated. We came here looking for the wendigo you reported on the network, but it appears to be a fake. The only things we found in the area were infected and raiders. Cas thinks the latter is what happened to Sam and Dean." She took a deep breath before continuing. "He dropped me here almost three days ago so I'm starting to think the worst has happened." Rufus sighed heavily and gave her a sympathetic look. He reached out and squeezed her arm gently. "I'm sorry as all get out, girl," He said. "You can stay here with me as long as you need to." Rose smiled sadly at him, but before she could respond, a harsh knock sounded on the door causing them both to jump. Rufus frowned as he announced for the visitor to come in. Rose watched warily as two road worn individuals strolled in followed by a woman she thought was long dead. She glanced over at Rufus to find him grinning at her. She looked back over to find Ellen stalking forward and complaining, not noticing her at first.

"Dammit, Rufus, you were supposed to meet us at the drop point over an hour ago and we come back here to find you sipping your damn whisky." It was then that she side-eyed Rose and immediately did a double-take. At her gasp, the rough and handsome man next to her asked if she knew her. Ellen ignored him and stepped closer to her, her eyes welling up. "Rosie?" Rose jumped off the couch and embraced the older woman who had always treated her with motherly affection. When she pulled back, she had tears of her own in her eyes. Ellen ran a hand through Rose's tangled curls and chuckled slightly. "You look amazing as always, Rosie girl," She said. "Are Sam and Dean with you?" Ellen took in her defeated expression as Rose shook her head. The smile Ellen wore dropped off her face and pulled her into a hug once more. She pulled back and spoke so the whole room could hear.

"I'm sorry Rosie, I myself lost my Jo last year. I'm glad you're here and safe. These are some friends of mine, Tess and Joel. Guys, this is Rose Winchester. She's one of the traveling trio I'm always talking about." Rose glanced at the other two in the room and said a soft hello, but it was Joel who caught her eye immediately.