Chapter 71:We could be heroes just for one day
'A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer.'
Joel walked alongside his brother with wariness in his heart. He didn't know what to expect. He could very well be walking into an ambush. They let him keep his weapons, but he still felt uneasy about the situation. He didn't trust the council. He sure as shit didn't trust his brother either.
Tommy stopped in front of a door at the end of the hallway. He looked back at Joel, a small smile on his face,'All they want to do is talk.'
Joel nodded curtly as he hesitantly followed him inside. He didn't have anything to say to him. The council wanted to talk, but all he wanted to do is fight. He's been itching to get his hands on them.
Tommy closed the heavy door behind them. The loud sound reverberating throughout the otherwise silent room. He saw the council sitting around a conference table. They were dressed casually, but he could see the Peacekeeper insignia on their blazers.
He looked at Sharon disgustedly. Becca trusted this woman and held her in such a high regard. She looked at her as a mother figure. She respected her and looked up to her.
His eyes widened when he saw Francis sitting there. Of course he would be included in this discussion. He was their leader after all. He wanted to strangle the man slowly and watch the light drain out of his eyes.
He couldn't believe this man shared the same blood as his Becca. It didn't make sense to him. Then again, nothing did.
Sharon held her hand out to the empty chair at the end of the long table,'Please, take a seat.'
Joel crossed his arms over his chest and shook his hand,'No thanks. I would rather stand.' His eyes scanned the people in the room,'What do ya wanna talk about? Cause I gotta be honest. I ain't in a talking mood right now.' He glared at Francis,'Where's my family, old man?'
Francis chuckled slightly and shook his head,'They're safe. I assure you. For now at least.'
Joel took a deep breath to calm himself. All he wanted to do was reach over the table and strangle him with his tie. He would kill them all if they didn't have his family. They were more useful to him alive than they were dead.
'What the fuck is going on around here?' Joel jerked his head to Tommy,'First this jackass is preaching to me about cult type shit. Cause no matter what way ya get around it. This is a fucking cult.' He sighed,'Why don't you just leave these people alone? They've done nothing to ya. They ain't your lab rats. Ya can't use this place like a goddamned playground for your little experiments.'
Sharon shook her head and sighed,'It's not experiments. We're making a breakthrough. We're almost there, Mr. Miller. All we need is Rebecca, Maria and Ellie's blood.' She had a creepy smile on her face,'Then it'll be complete.'
Joel was almost creeped out by this. Almost. He was more angry than anything.
'Not at my family's expense ya ain't.' He slammed his hands down on the table, his eyes boring into Francis's,'You'll never have her. Do ya understand me? She's far gone from here.'
Francis leaned back against the chair. His eyes widened slightly, but his face was neutral,'We've asked you here to propose something to you. You give us Rebecca and we'll give you back the rest of your family.'
Francis turned to his guard and nodded. A few moments later, the guards brought in Ellie, Lizzie, Maria and Betsy. His eyes widened when he saw the guard holding the baby.
Ellie's eyes met his and they shared a knowing look between them. She had a small smile on her face and he bit back a smirk. She had a plan. He could practically see the wheels turning in her head. His girl was smart and resourceful. She's gotten herself out of a few jams. Himself as well if he was being honest.
Their hands were bound with zip ties. His jaw ticked when he saw that bruise on Betsy's face. Some men they were beating on an old lady. They were nothing but pussies.
Sharon looked over at the group and frowned,'We never wanted it to come to this. Thomas was supposed to bring you here quietly and without and trouble.' She glared at his brother,'When he couldn't do the job that's when I stepped in. Joel…none of this would've happened if you just let us do our job back at the hospital. Marlene gave you specific instructions. You were to deliver her and be done with it.'
Tommy snorted and shook his head,'I never thought you would get a heart.'
'Fuck you.' Joel seethed,'I agreed to deliver her and…' He looked at Ellie, sighing deeply,'I knew what was gonna happen, but I couldn't do it.' He shrugged,'Maybe I did get a heart or a fuckin conscience, but I wasn't about to let a little girl die because you thought there was a cure.' He lifted his hands up,'Look around us? You're hiding underground because even you know how fucked up this is. You're killing children. You want to kill my pregnant wife and daughter. My family.' He narrowed his eyes,'And you expect me to just be okay with that? Why? So you can try to save your own family at my expense?' He spit on the ground,'Fuck you all to Hell.'
Sharon and Francis shared a knowing look. Francis sighed and nodded,'Very well. We'll do this the hard way.'
Joel watched as the guards grabbed the women roughly to drag them away. Ellie stomped hard on the guard's foot and elbowed him in his side. The guard tried to grab her, but she quickly ran towards Joel.
Joel used it as a distraction. Tommy tried to grab Joel's rifle, but he butted him in the nose. He smirked as his brother screamed in pain as he held his broken and bloody nose.
The council all pulled out their weapons. A loud sound came from outside the room that almost sounded like a bomb. Joel slid Ellie a pistol and they both shot at the council. The council members quickly ducked under the table, which amused him. Even with guns they were still cowards.
One of the guards lunged at Joel, but he ducked and kicked his legs, knocking him on the ground. He stood over him as the guard pleaded for his life. He spared no remorse as he shot him in the legs first. He grinned as he cried out in pain.
The guard held his hands up as his eyes were wide with fear,'Please don't. I'll do anything. Please.'
He couldn't have been no more than nineteen. A child forced into servitude by madmen. He shot him in the heart, killing him quickly. He only begged because he was about to die, but just five minutes ago he was about to let a child be murdered.
Joel turned around as the door opened. He sighed when he saw Tommy running out of the room. He turned to Ellie as she cut the zip ties off their hands. Maria was clutching onto Sebastian as they made their way towards the exit.
He frowned when he saw the council were gone. They managed to sneak out of a secret exit. They wouldn't get far. He had guards on ever perimeter. They were hell of a lot better shooters and fighters than the Peacekeepers. Novices.
Joel held onto Ellie's hand as they ran out of the room with the rest of the group following behind them. The tunnel was filled with smoke. Kevin must've let off a smoke bomb as a distraction.
Joel pulled his bandana over his nose and mouth as they made their way through the smoke.
Ellie slid her head inside her t shirt coughing slightly,'Where's mama?'
He couldn't help but smile at that. It was the first time she's ever referred to her as such. He knew they had to get out of this. He wanted his family back to where it was before.
'She's safe. I promise.' He squeezed her hand tightly,'We're gonna get out of this.'
Ellie looked up at him warily. She hoped he was right. She was too young to feel this old.
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Becca made it halfway to Arrowhead before she decided to turn back around to Jackson. She felt too guilty. She couldn't just sit back at the cabin while her family needed her. This was her fight too. She may be pregnant, but Ellie was still a child. Maria and Sebastian didn't deserve to die either. Why was her life any special than hers? She already knew the answer.
Francis. She was his granddaughter. Her baby would be his legacy. The one who would carry on the bloodline of his ancestors. She didn't consider him family. He was nothing to her. She would take great pleasure in killing him.
She reached the gates of the city and her eyes widened when she heard the gunfire. It seemed to be coming from all directions. She knew what was happening.
There was a fire fight.
Becca slowly climbed off the horse and grabbed her weapon bag. She made sure her rifle was loaded. Her hands were shaking slightly in fear, but she couldn't let her nerves get the better of her. She needed to do this. Not just for herself, but her family and friends.
She slipped through the gates and saw the Peacekeepers and townsfolk shooting at one another. Everyone from town seemed to be out. It reminded her of a Wild Wild West shootout. Maybe in a way it was.
She looked around for somewhere to hide. She saw the scaffold and climbed up the ladder. Everyone seemed to be on the ground, giving her some time to decide her best course of action.
She reached into her bag and got out a Molotov Cocktail. She lit it and threw it out onto the crowd of peacekeepers. She watched as some managed to escape the fire. While some were burned alive as they tried to roll onto the ground, but the dirt only made it worse in the summer heat.
Joel was hiding behind a wall when he saw someone throwing the Molotov Cocktail onto the Peacekeepers. He peeked his head out and his eyes widened when he saw the distinguishing red hair.
He shook his head and scoffed, whispering, 'Son of a bitch.'
She was more stubborn and hard headed than him. He didn't think it was possible. Their baby was going to be as thick headed as bulletproof glass. He was half relieved and concerned to see her. She was high above and out of sight, but who knows what the council has going on.
The townsfolk managed to get the council along with Francis. They were bound and shackled with over ten guards at the jailhouse. The Peacekeepers came to collect them. They've lost a lot of people, but they've managed to hold them back.
Lizzie was running towards the hospital for shelter when she caught a stray bullet to the back. It was as if Joel were watching her in slow motion as her body hit the ground. He faintly heard Ellie's blood curdling scream as she ran towards her girlfriend. Her love of over three years.
Ellie fell down upon her knees on the ground as she looked down at Lizzie's stomach. The bullet went through her body. She was bleeding out. She tried to put compression on the wound, but it wouldn't stop bleeding.
Ellie looked over Lizzie's face. Her eyes were fluttering shut as she writhed in pain. She tried to open her mouth and speak, but all that came out was blood. She knew she was going to die and there wasn't anything she could do about it.
Tears fell down her cheeks as she gingerly cupped her face,'It's okay, Liz. It's gonna be okay, baby.'
Lizzie weakly lifted her arm, but she still couldn't speak. She watched the light dissipate from her eyes as she took her last breath.
Ellie broke down into sobs as she held onto her, whispering,'No, please, baby. I love you so much. Please.
Her cried into her neck as the bullets flew all around them. She didn't care. She would die. She didn't want to lose another person she loved. She wanted her forever, but once again it was cruelly taken away from her.
Joel's eyes were wet with tears as he crouched down behind her, carefully placing his hand on her back, whispering,'We gotta go, sweetheart.'
Ellie shook her head as she held tightly onto her love,'No. I'm not leaving her. No.'
Joel cleared his throat. He was reminded of the night his Sarah was taken from him. Almost exactly in the same way. He understood her loss. Her unwillingness to accept the person you love so deeply is gone forever.
You may heal, but the pain would always be there.
Joel wrapped his arms around her and gently pulled her away as she sobbed. He managed to pull her over to cover. He didn't see Tommy sneaking up behind him. He seemed to come out of nowhere.
Joel looked back and his eyes widened when he saw his brother aiming a gun in his face.
Tommy seethed as he shook his head,'You ruined everything. I hope you're happy, motherfucker!'
Joel thought this would be how it happened. How he finally died. For it to be at the hands of his younger brother was somewhat poetic.
Tommy was about to shoot when a loud pop buzzed his eardrums. He saw the surprise register on Tommy's face. It took a moment for him to realize he had been shoot in the back.
Joel's eyes widened as he looked behind him, seeing Maria standing there with a rifle in her hand. He never expected her to kill her husband. She killed her husband to save him of all people.
Tommy fell to the ground as he stared dazedly up at Joel. He stood over his brother and watched him die. He felt so many emotions in that moment. Sadness, anger, confusion and hatred. He was sad to lose his brother, but not at the man he became. He wasn't his brother anymore. He was merely the councils' puppet.
Tommy's betrayal was something that couldn't be forgiven. Not even his death would be a resolution. He would be getting over this for the rest of his life.
Joel's she's met Maria's. Tears fell down her cheeks as she grieved her husband. She nodded at him and smiled tearfully.
He swallowed harshly and nodded back.
So much was said between them silently in that moment. He understood the significance of what she was doing for him. She trusted him. She loved him. Just as much as he loved her.
Maria ran off towards the hospital to get her son.
Joel saw Ellie shoot Evelyn as she stood over her. She shot into her as she spent her entire bullets. He sighed as he looked around at the carnage.
He grabbed Ellie once again and pulled her away from Evelyn. She tried to fight him as she became consumed with rage.
He couldn't stop her as she started shouting the AK47 she looted from one of the dead guards. She bulldozed into them as she screamed with rage, shooting anyone that came into her path.
Becca sat atop the scaffold as she watched in horror. She cried as Lizzie took her last breath. Yet another innocent life taken far too soon for no good reason at all.
She knew Ellie would be distraught for awhile and that would be okay. She could grieve how she wanted to. She understood what it was like to lose someone you loved. It was a shame she learned it far too soon.
She felt bittersweet sadness as Maria killed Tommy. It seemed fitting in a way. She should've been the one to make that call. She knew Maria wanted it this way.
She wondered how her husband felt. It was his brother after all, but better him than Joel. She tried to shoot Tommy, but her gun jammed. Those thirty seconds had been the longest of her life. She truly thought she was going to lose him.
She would be forever grateful to Maria. She would give her all the love and praise she deserved. She was the sister she never had.
They could raise their kids together. Maybe they could actually have a good legacy. When they're dead and gone their children could make this town what it should be.
Safe.
Becca climbed down the ladder as Ellie fell down onto her knees. She ran over to her and fell down on her knees in front of her.
Becca wrapped her arms around her tightly and cupped the back of her head. She felt rocked her and closed her eyes as tears fell down her cheeks,'I know, my sweet girl.' She whispered soothingly and lovingly as Ellie sobbed into her neck,'It's over. We did it. We did it.'
'She's gone.' Ellie sobbed brokenly, making Becca cry even harder.'None of this is worth it without her.'
Becca stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. She understood she felt hopeless. She needed time. She would give her all the time she needed. Grief has no time limits.
She looked up to see Joel standing there. His long sleeved denim shirt was covered in soot and blood. His face was dirty and his facial hair was scraggly. His jeans were covered in dirt, but he's never looked more beautiful to her.
Her eyes met his and in that moment everything became aligned. There had been many casualties and they've lost a lot of good people, but it was over.
The tunnels would be incinerated and closed off forever. She never wanted to step foot down there. She couldn't care less. The research and the science meant nothing. A cure was worthless to them. They didn't need to be saved or cured.
They just wanted to be free. They could finally do that. They wouldn't have to fight anymore. They were so tired of fighting.
Joel crouched down in front of them. He wrapped his arms around them both. He kissed both of their heads as tears of relief fell down his face.
Joel snorted as he sniffles roughly. He looked over Becca's face and snorted,'I thought I told ya to stay put?'
She laughed through her tears, whispering,'You and I both know I do what I want.'
He pressed his forehead against hers and kissed her firmly, whispering against her lips,'I love you so much.' He bent down and kissed Ellie on top of the head,'I love you both so much.'
He wasn't afraid to say those words anymore. He wouldn't bottle his emotions deep inside anymore. He wasn't afraid to be vulnerable. Not with the people that truly mattered.
Maria came running towards them with Sebastian in her arms. Joel kept Ellie against him as Becca ran for Maria and wrapped her tightly in her arms.
The two women embraced as they sobbed . Becca held her face in her hands, whispering,'I'm so sorry, Maria. I'm sorry.'
Maria rested her forehead against hers, whispering,'It's not your fault. It's his. Don't ever be sorry for another persons wrongs.'
Becca knew she would be sad for awhile, but she would persevere. She was a strong willed woman. She was brilliant and witty. She was also independent. She would raise a son alone and do it better than anyone.
'Are Betsy and Am alright?' Becca sighed shakily,'Did they make it?'
'Yeah. They're at the hospital.' She looked over at Ellie, who seemed distraught and lost,'I'll take care of her.'
Becca nodded and kissed Seb on top of the head,'I'll be there shortly.'
Maria took Ellie's hand and walked with her back to the hospital, leaving Becca and Joel alone.
Joel walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her tightly, resting his chin on top of her head,'We did it, baby.'
She looked up at him as tears fell down her face,'Did we really? What if they're still out there?'
'Then we take care of it like we always do.' He shrugged,'The council hangs at sunrise tomorrow. I wanna make sure it's slow and steady. The last of us as they get what's coming to them.'
'I want to be there.' She looked around and frowned at all the dead bodies,'How many you think are left of us?'
He shook his head and sighed,'About three hundred of us left. We have good people. We'll be alright.'
'I've survived on nothing but God and potatoes for years.' She smiled wryly,'I think I'll adapt.'
He placed his hand on her belly as his face softened,'How's our little one?'
She placed her hand over his and smiled softly,'The baby's fine. I would know if there's something wrong.' She cleared her throat,'I want to be there tomorrow for their executions. I want to watch Francis die. I want to make sure it's for good this time.'
He looked over her face as he stroked the side of her head. He didn't know if anyone else was out there, but it the worst was over. At least he hoped so anyway.
It would be time to rebuild and time to heal. They had a lot of work to do. He prepared to be there every step of the way.
(The show isn't over yet. I still have some more in store )