Chapter IX: A Home.
As we made our way down the hill and towards the settlement, I took a moment to look over the vast landscape once more; Just incase I happened to get deceived because of the stupidity in allowing myself to get disarmed so easily.
During the walk, Ellie continued in her questions.
"So... where you from?"
"..."
"...Um, okay. Where'd you get all those scars? You look like a war veteran."
"..."
"Can you answer some damn questions?"
(Music: "Johnny Law", by William Elliott Whitmore)
I was taken aback by her sudden frustration; Did she really think I was just going to spill the beans on my entire damn life right here and now?
"Are you always this pressing?"
She turned on her heel, peering at me with a disgruntled expression. I wondered in dismay if everyone in the town was just as bull-headed and stubborn as this woman.
"Look- I'm already taking a huge risk letting a random fuckin' stranger like you into my home! The only reason you're not lying face-down in the snow-"
"This is twice- TWICE you've talked about killing me now!"
"I didn't KILL you, dumbass! That's my POINT!"
I hadn't realized we'd gotten into a shouting match in the middle of the open field, and our collective noise level had prevented us from hearing the guttural grunts of some approaching danger.
"Why are you such a DICKHEAD?" Ellie shouted at me, her face scrunched up angrily in such a cute way that I had momentarily snapped out of my shouting fervor, to notice-
"HUH!" I gasped.
"RRROOAOAAAAWWWWW!"
With only split seconds to work with, I forced my arms forward, shoving Ellie out of the way just as an Infected cougar pounced from the side; Switching its target to me.
CRASH!
"SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTT! AAAAHHHHH!"
I screamed in pure terror; THE COUGAR WAS ON TOP OF ME!
ITS JAGGED TEETH GNASHED IN MY FACE VIOLENTLY, ONLY HELD BACK FROM TEARING MY THROAT OUT BECAUSE OF MY HANDS DESPERATELY GRASPING THE LARGE GROWTH PLATES JUTTING FROM ITS HEAD, PUSHING ITS HEAD AWAY FROM ME AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE; FUUUUUCCKKKK, THIS WAS TERRIFYING!
BANG! BANG-BANG-BANG!
"ROOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWW!"
I had a moment of reprieve as several gunshots rang out, and four bullets slammed into the side of the cougar; To no effect, it turned its growth plate-covered head towards Ellie, who stumbled back in horror as she tried to fire the handgun in a panic.
Click-Click-Click-Click-Click!
"WHY THE FUCK ARE THERE ONLY FOUR BULLETS IN THIS GUN, JACK?!"
"I'M SORRY, ELLIE, -GRH- THAT I DON'T HAVE A -GH- BUNCH OF AMMO TO -GHH- CONSTANTLY LOAD MY CLIPS!"
"THEY'RE CALLED MAGAZINES, NOT CLIPS!"
"HOLY FUCK, SHOOT ALREADY!"
Just as the cougar turned its attention to Ellie, I swiftly reached down into the back heel of my boot, pulling out the small knife and snaking it up under the Infected cougar's throat.
Shick! Shick-Shick-Shick!
I stabbed the absolute shit out of its esophagus, and for a moment I felt a rush of victory as I saw the cougar stagger; It was going to die soon!
Unfortunately for me, the cougar still had enough energy to launch a flurry of swipes at me with its claws; Creating several lacerations across my arms and forehead. The moment was entirely chaotic, as being attacked by a fucking predatory animal ALWAYS was; I wasn't sure which swipe of the claw would end my life, or if the cougar's fangs would instantly reach my throat and tear out my vocal cords.
"AAAAAAHHHH!"
BANG! BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG! BANG-BANG-BANG!
After several more gunshots from Ellie, along with the now-alert settlement guards who'd come sprinting from the town to help put down the monster, the cougar finally let out a final death groan, before slumping onto me. I felt crushed by its weight, the breath from my lungs being pushed out by force.
"Huuuuuuh!" I gasped for air. As my vision became blurry, I saw Ellie desperately pushing the cougar off of me, with the help of several other faces I couldn't make out. For several moments, my consciousness faded in and out, as my heart desperately tried to pump oxygen and blood to my brain once more.
...
...
...
"Huuuuuh?!"
I gasped for air- and consciousness returned to me once again, sending painful prickles all across my body. It was then that I noticed four individuals carrying me towards the gates, blood dripping from the gashes in my arms and forehead; Even still, I was angered that I was being carried like some wounded puppy!
"Ergh!"
I wrestled myself out of their grip, much to their protests, and tumbled to the ground with a grunt of pain.
"Jack, what the fuck?!" I heard Ellie protest.
"I CAN WALK!" I shouted in fury; For some reason, being carried in like that was insufferable. To be left in such a defenseless state- Unthinkable!
With several heavy shudders of breath, I managed to stand up on my feet, and noticed concern in the faces that were staring at me. I noticed we were just outside the gates of the settlement now and sighed in deep relief as I saw the massive walls span out in either direction.
At least now, I wouldn't have to worry about being ambushed like that for a bit.
"Let's... go inside, then," I muttered tiredly; Fighting that cougar had exhausted the already-little energy I had. As I stumbled past the four stupefied settlement guards, I only glanced back once to confirm that Ellie was still staying with me.
(Music: "Wonderland", by Paul-Marie Barber)
As the gates opened up, I became awestruck by the sights around me.
Streetlights lined the open paved roads where people bustled about actively, illuminating the abundant shops, restaurants, bars, entertainment districts and open areas of greenery and recreation. Up close, I could see that the buildings were maintained and clean-looking, a colorful contrast to the usual decaying structures I had ever only seen outside of this place. Merchants had set up stalls in open venues, couples walked about, children ran around me as they played in the swept streets, litter-free streets.
There was no overgrowth of plants; No stench of death and decay, no smell of blood or rotting flesh; No screaming Infected, no Clickers, no guttural noises from mutated animals; No Hunters or Cannibals or hostile factions or-
"Hey, man. Are you okay?"
...
...
I looked with disillusioned awe at the older man standing in front of me, taking in his features; Brown hair, a fancy mustache, a red plaid button-up shirt, and brown pants. His eyes were filled with concern for...
Me.
"H-Hey! Seriously, are you okay? Why are you crying?"
I grunted in frustration as I noticed I was in fact shedding tears, and rubbed my face with vigor. It was pissing me off how much this had happened since I'd come into contact with these damn people.
"I'm... fine."
I brushed past the older gentleman, carrying on through the town, ignoring the bleeding lacerations on my arms and forehead. I reached up to feel the wound; There were three claw mark lacerations that cut diagonally across my forehead, but they weren't deep. I could wrap it up later.
"Jack!"
I heard Ellie cry out my name, and glanced back to see her running up towards me, her face shrouded in anxiety.
"What-What the hell? Don't just walk off like that- you're injured, for fuck's sake!"
My continued silence only boosted her frustrations, and she let out an audible groan of irritation.
"Damn it! Why are you like this?"
She huffed, and eventually trudged past me, grabbing my bloodied arm-
"Huh-!"
Her hands were calloused, but still possessed a soft quality to them. Her grip on me was firm, but not rough. She was just... leading me. And so, I gave in, allowing her to lead me to wherever she was intending to take me. I was too exhausted both emotionally and physically to protest much, and it gave me that same warm feeling inside.
We winded through the streets, past concerned bystanders and curious children, as Ellie occasionally looked back at me with worry. Finally, we ended up in front of a modest lodge, with a porch, two front windows, and an oak-plank door. Ellie led me up the steps, pushing the door open and leading me inside the room.
The lodging was small; A single bed sat in the corner of the room, next to a window overlooking a small park. A dresser sat opposite of it, and a desk and chair were sat at the foot of the bed. A side door led into a small bathroom area with a sink and shower.
"Sit on the bed."
"Okay."
I trudged over towards the bed, letting my body slump onto the comfy surface. It was... cozy.
"Stay here."
I'm not a dog, I thought, though I didn't protest aloud, instead watching her move to the nearby dresser and open it, taking out a first aid bag that'd been tucked away. She walked over to me, pulling up the wooden chair from the desk and sitting across from me. She grabbed my arm, causing a modicum of pain, and took out a bottle of alcohol from the first aid kit.
"Wait," I protested, realizing what she was about to do. "Can you let me prepare first before- GRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHH!"
I groaned loudly in agony as Ellie mercilessly poured the bottle of rubbing alcohol over my lacerations, causing them to foam up and sending burning pains through my arms!
"DIDN'T I SAY 'WAIT'?"
"Stop whining, you pussy."
Despite her rough response, I sensed a slightly apologetic tone, and that made me feel a little better.
"Anyways," She started, wrapping my arms in bandages. "I... I need to talk to you about earlier!"
Even in my half-conscious state, I was confused by the fluster in her voice.
"Wh-What?"
"Don't do shit like that, alright?!"
I couldn't possibly understand the mind of this woman; I saved her life, and now she's mad at me?
"Just... think about yourself first from now on!"
Like I haven't already? I thought ironically.
"You can't risk being bitten by Infected. Especially whatever the fuck that was!"
Once more, I was confused by her statement.
"Wh... What do you mean, 'whatever the fuck that was'?"
Ellie glanced up at me with a look of consistent shock; As if she was still reeling from the events outside.
"What do you mean, 'what do you mean'? That... thing! That fucking Infected monster! I didn't know the Infection had spread to animals!"
I was genuinely confused now. Had she not encountered any of those animals yet? Did that mean they had only shown up in select regions around the country? How come I had to deal with them so much?!
"Anyways, that's not important right now!" She huffed. "Too much is happening at once. Just... stay here and recover, alright? We can sort all of this out in the morning!"
Having finished wrapping up my arms (much to my dismay), she stood up from the seat and moved towards the door.
"I have to go talk to a few people, alright? I'll be back soon, just... stay put. Please."
I sighed inwardly; In this one day, I'd broken multiple traditions of mine since the start of my life; Giving up my weapons, throwing myself in the way to save other people...
Trusting others.
I watched as she opened the door, but before closing it, she glanced back at me, and it was then that I saw the gratitude shining in her eyes.
"First you save Joel, then me... quite the hero, huh?... Thanks for that, Jack. I'm sorry for the rudeness. I... am deeply grateful to you."
Her parting words left me with that fuzzy feeling in my head once again; I swore I would pass out from the collective flood of overwhelming feelings that assailed me in that moment. The door closed, and I was left to silence. Of course, I spent that time plotting what I would do next.
Although... I was incredibly tired. Perhaps a little nap would suffice...-
NO! I needed to find JOEL!
I tried pushing myself up from the bed, but it was too much- the exhaustion had overwhelmed every part of my body, and my arms shot streams of pain through my body as I placed pressure on them.
"Fuck..."
Begrudgingly, I lied back in the bed once again, filled with intense rage that I was so close to Joel, and I was being stopped by my own pathetic body!
Fuck it!, I thought sourly. He'll still be here in the morning.
