Chapter Text
A/N: Just a reminder that due to feedback, Kira's age has been increased to 31, as has Henry's age in this story. I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Kira’s eyes fluttered shut as she desperately tried to keep herself calm, resisting the urge to try to shove her attacker away, knowing she would likely have her throat slit if she did. Blood pounded in her ears, drowning out all the sounds around her, everything but her own shaky breathing. She didn’t want to die. Not like this, not in front of her sister. A soft whimper caused her eyes to spring open, instantly connecting with Ellie, who had been pushed behind Joel.
“We can talk about this, alright? Put the knife down, kid” Joel exclaimed, as Kira felt the knife press harder against her skin.
“You killed my friends. Why don’t I kill yours?” The man, perhaps a boy really, muttered.
“What do you think is gonna’ happen if you slit my throat, huh? Joel over there will kill you in a heartbeat” Kira stated.
“At least you’ll be dead too, bitch” He hissed in her ear.
“Don’t even think about it” Joel warned, raising his gun toward the boy.
“How good is your aim? You sure you can hit me without killing her too?” Her attacker continued, pulling Kira closer to him, all but hiding behind her now.
“Like you said...at least you’ll be dead, too” Kira exclaimed.
“My buddy’s gonna’ be here any second. And then ya’ll are gonna’ be fucked!” The boy shouted, the knife scraping against Kira’s neck.
“Joel, just shoot him” Kira insisted, as the older man shook his head.
“Don’t—” Joel began, but Kira immediately cut him off.
“ Just fucking shoot him! ” Kira cried, as a bullet whizzed through the air a second later.
Kira’s eyes went wide as she felt the man behind her flop to the ground, his knife hitting the floor with a loud thud. She turned to see a bullet wound bleeding from the centre of his forehead, his own eyes still open, blood splattered onto the iris. Kira found herself shaking when she twisted around to face Joel and found Ellie standing behind him, her arm raised out in the air, smoke still wafting from her gun. She had shot the man. Ellie had killed him.
“El?” Kira called out, stumbling forward.
The teenager made no sign of being able to hear her, Ellie’s gaze firmly on the dead body on the floor, and the blood seeping out of his head. Her gun was still raised in the air, as Kira approached her slowly, repeatedly calling out her name. As soon as she was close enough, she pulled the gun from Ellie’s grip, watching as her arm fell to her side. Kira was then pulling her sister into a hug, who all but collapsed against her, hiding her face in Kira’s chest.
“It’s okay. It’s okay, Ellie” Kira soothed, as Ellie shuddered against her.
“Hey, look at me” Kira insisted, dropping to her knees in front of Ellie.
“It was him or me, alright? You did what you had to do” Kira went on, reaching up to place her hand on the teenager’s shoulder.
“...Us or them” Ellie nodded, a moment later, as Kira gave her a reassuring smile.
“We need to go. Now” Joel announced, feeling how his own hands were shaking.
He should have taken the shot. It shouldn’t have been down to Ellie. But he had hesitated. Since when did he fucking hesitate?
“They're not FEDRA, and they're not Fireflies, so who are they?” Ellie queried, as they peeked out from a gap in the window of the store, they were hiding in.
Dozens of trucks had driven past in the last ten minutes, with even more people on the ground breaking into the nearby abandoned apartments. Kira had her doubts about what they were looking for, finding it hard to believe that much effort would be put into finding them alone. Still, she knew they would be shot on sight if they were discovered.
“The more pressing question is why aren’t they worried about the infected hearing all this?” Kira pointed out, as Joel quirked an eyebrow.
“Good point” He admitted.
“Are we okay in here?” Ellie asked, from where she was sitting on the floor, her legs drawn up to her chest.
“For a little bit, maybe. Looks like they're checkin' out apartment buildings first. But they'll be coming through these places soon enough. We head over to that tall building four blocks away as soon as we don’t hear a truck” Joel informed them, as he limped over to a nearby chair.
“Are you okay?” Ellie questioned.
“I’m fine” Joel dismissed.
“And in your world, I’m guessing fine means, really not fine at all” Kira mumbled, coming to sit beside him.
“Are you alright?” Joel asked, turning to Ellie, ignoring Kira’s words.
“Yeah” Ellie shrugged, fidgeting with her hands, uncharacteristically quiet.
“Thank you” Kira announced, as her sister’s head snapped up, shooting her a confused look.
“You saved our lives back there. So, I figure...maybe it’s time you get a gun?” Kira suggested, raising an eyebrow at Joel.
“Where’d you even get this?” Joel sighed, taking the gun Ellie had used out of the waistband of his jeans.
“Bill and Frank’s. I just...I want to help” Ellie replied, as Kira’s eyes softened.
“I know, El. But you shouldn’t have to. You’re fourteen. It’s fucked up” Kira explained.
“I know what it's like...first time that you hurt...someone like that. If you, uh...want...I'm not good at this...” Joel stuttered over his words, running a hand over his face.
“Yeah, you really aren't” Ellie scoffed.
“I mean, it was my fault. You shouldn't have had to. And I'm sorry” Joel confessed, surprising both girls a little.
“...It wasn't my first time” Ellie mumbled, as Kira knew exactly who she was thinking of.
“And that sure as hell wasn’t your fault either, El” Kira pushed, as Ellie gave a small nod, rubbing at her watery eyes.
Joel pushed himself to his feet a moment later, Ellie’s gun in hand as he turned the safety on. He then crouched in front of the teenager and pressed the gun into her palm, whose eyes lit up a little.
“Show me your grip” Joel exclaimed, as Ellie gripped the handle of the gun in one hand.
“Now, I know it wasn’t your sister who taught you to hold it like that” Joel huffed.
“FEDRA school” Ellie clarified.
“Figures” Joel muttered, before he moved Ellie’s other hand to the gun, pressing her thumbs together.
“Alright, see?” Joel stated, as he pulled at the gun, which Ellie now had a tight grip on, a grin growing on her face.
“You remember how to load one of those?” Kira questioned, coming to loom over the pair.
Ellie’s grin widened as she quickly took a magazine from Joel’s hand and managed to reload the gun in just a few seconds, a proud look in her eyes. Kira only hoped Ellie’s fascination with weapons wouldn’t send her down a slippery slope. The image of her all but torturing a Clicker a few days earlier suddenly came to mind.
“Just don’t shoot yourself in the foot, yeah?” Kira begged, causing Ellie to roll her eyes.
“You put it in your pack. It’s for emergencies only” Joel told her, as he and Kira moved toward the door of the store, realising they hadn’t heard any trucks for at least a couple of minutes.
“I’m guessing these people overrun FEDRA, right?” Kira suggested, as neither of them saw Ellie shove her gun into her pocket.
“Seems that way” Joel mumbled.
“In other words...we’re fucked then?” Kira whispered, as Joel looked down at her.
“Probably” He nodded.
“Thanks for the reassurance” Kira snorted, patting Joel on the back, before he ripped open the store door and they ran outside, with Ellie quick on their heels.
It was getting dark by the time they made it to their destination, as Ellie climbed through a vent to let her two older companions inside. The building was almost pitch black apart from the light from their torches and from the cobwebs that filled the garage they entered, no one had been inside for a very long time. Kira grimaced as they made it to the stairwell, shining her torch up to see she could barely even see the top of the staircase.
“Great, this isn’t creepy at all” Kira sighed.
“We'll make our way up, and come morning, I'll take a look at the city, and find our way out” Joel announced, as he started climbing the stairs.
“We're going up forty-two flights?” Ellie gaped.
“Forty-five. But no...we’re going as far as I can make it” Joel huffed, making Ellie laugh.
They had only made it to the third floor before Kira felt out of breath, her legs beginning to ache. Ellie remained as spritely as ever, as Kira found herself envious of the teenager. Her headache was starting to get worse, as she realised she likely had a concussion from the crash, but she didn’t bring it up. No point worrying about something that they couldn’t do anything about.
“Next time, I’m choosing where we’re spending the night, by the way” Kira complained.
“Be my guest” Joel muttered, clutching onto the railing of the staircase.
“Hey, you know that guy who said he was hurt? How did you know it was an ambush?” Ellie couldn’t help but ask Joel, watching as he froze.
“I've been on both sides. It was a long time ago. We did what we needed to survive” Joel admitted, not being able to look even girls in the eye.
“You and Tess?” Ellie guessed, earning a quick nod.
“And the people we were with. My brother, too” Joel replied, as he turned back around to continue walking.
“Did you kill innocent people?” Ellie inquired, not getting any sort of reply apart from the way Joel’s shoulders went rigid.
“I don’t think anyone who’s lasted this long can be considered innocent anymore, Ellie” Kira pointed out, as her sister pursed her lips.
“...Do you think I’m a bad person?” Ellie frowned, as Kira gave her a look of disbelief.
“Jesus, El. No, I don’t. At all. C'mon, let’s leave these questions until I’m not gasping for breath” Kira insisted, ushering Ellie up the stairs.
Kira pushed her way through the doors to the thirty-third floor, having decided she couldn’t go any further. Her feet felt like they were going to fall off, and her chest was burning with exertion. As soon as they made it into the first apartment, Joel all but collapsed against a nearby wall, letting out a sigh of relief.
“Thirty-three floors. That's not bad” Ellie murmured.
“You’re gonna’ have to drag me if you want to go any further” Kira stated, leaning against the wall.
“Agreed” Joel sighed, shutting his eyes for a moment, looking absolutely exhausted.
“C’mon, Joel. I ain’t carrying you” Kira exclaimed, holding out her hand for him to take.
“Gimme a minute” Joel complained, as Ellie kicked his foot.
“Get up, lazy ass” Ellie smirked, as Joel quirked an eyebrow, before reluctantly taking Kira’s hand, allowing her to pull him up with a surprising amount of strength.
“Lazy ass. I’m fifty-two years old, you little shit” Joel scoffed, making Kira snort, as he pulled his hand away from hers quickly.
“Still a lazy ass” Ellie called after him, as he paced forward to search the apartment.
About thirty minutes later, they were settling down to sleep, with Ellie and Kira having pulled apart numerous couch cushions for them to lie on. Joel was busying himself with sprinkling glass shards over the floor, causing the sisters to stare at him in confusion.
“Do you think he’s finally lost it?” Kira teased.
“Joel? Joel! ” Ellie shouted, as Joel twisted around, annoyance clear on his face.
“What?” Joel barked.
“What are you doing?” Ellie frowned.
“I don't want someone sneaking up on us while we're sleeping” Joel clarified, as Kira pursed her lips.
“What about when we want to leave?” Kira exclaimed, seeing as they would probably end up with glass embedded in their flimsy shoes.
“...It’s...it’s a work in progress, alright?” Joel retorted, making Kira grin.
“Uh-huh. You missed a spot over there, by the way” Kira mocked, pointing to the corner, as Joel shot her a look.
“Go to sleep” He commanded, shuffling toward the cushions that had been laid out for him.
“Yes, sir” Kira smirked, laying down on her own makeshift bed, earning a quick roll of his eyes.
“Hey, Ellie?” Joel called out, after a few minutes of silence, having settled down on the cushions.
“When we were talking about hurting people...what did you mean it wasn't your first time?” Joel couldn’t help but question, hearing Ellie shuffle around.
“I don't wanna talk about it” Ellie muttered, turning her back to him.
“All right. You don't have to. I'm just saying...it isn't fair, your age...having to deal with all of this...” Joel trailed off, as Kira shoot him a grateful smile, glad he was putting in effort with Ellie.
“So, it gets easier when you get older?” Ellie questioned.
“No, not really” Joel sighed.
“It just sucks slightly less” Kira added, staring up at the ceiling, where she was lying down in between the two.
“...You know, I've noticed you don't hear too well from your right side. Is it 'cause you were shot there?” Ellie queried, after a few more seconds of silence.
“Probably more from shootin'. So,f you wanna keep your hearing, you stick to a knife” Joel told her.
“Hey, guys?” Ellie called out, earning two hums in response.
“Did you know diarrhoea is hereditary?” Ellie announced as the two adults gave her a confused look.
“What?” Joel frowned.
“Yeah. It runs in your jeans” Ellie grinned, as Kira let out a long groan.
“Oh my God, that’s the worse fucking one yet” Kira moaned, causing Ellie to snicker.
“Jesus. That is so goddamn stupid...” Joel trailed off, as a laugh escaped his lips.
A real, honest-to-God laugh. Something that Kira had been debating was even possible. Ellie’s own sniggering only grew louder, seeing to spur Joel on, the warm timber of his laugh bringing a smile to Kira’s face. She really wanted to hear that sound more.
“Ha! I win, Kira. I fucking win” Ellie exclaimed, reminding her sibling of their bet.
“I didn't laugh” Joel mumbled, despite the way he was still chuckling to himself.
“Yes, you did. You laughed, motherfucker!” Ellie smirked, holding her arms up in triumph.
“Well, if I knew shitty jokes were all it took to crack him, I’d have won days ago” Kira grinned, as Joel brought his hand up to his mouth.
“Oh, good pun” Ellie winked at her sister, leaning over so that they could high five.
“Jesus, I'm losin' it” Joel sighed, biting his inner cheek.
“You're losin' it big time” Ellie mocked.
“Go to sleep” Joel mumbled.
“ You go to sleep” Ellie retorted, as the sisters began giggling again.
The sound of glass crunching had Kira’s eyes snapping open suddenly, finding a gun pointed only inches away from her forehead. Instinctively, she turned to Ellie, finding she was already awake, her hands held up in the air, a gun to her own head, held by a...
Child?
The boy couldn’t have been older than eight or nine, paint covering his face, in the shape of a superhero mask. His eyes were wide and frightened, constantly darting over to the older man who kept his gun aimed at her. The man ushered for her to follow her sister, as Kira reluctantly placed her hands on her head, glaring up at him.
“Joel... Joel! ” Ellie cried, as he awoke with a start, fear flashing over his features for a split second when he saw their lives were in danger.
“Eyes on me. Eyes on me” The older man exclaimed, trying to get Joel’s attention.
“You don't have to worry about what to say. We don't want to hurt you. We want to help you” He went on, as Kira quirked an eyebrow.
“Okay,” Joel murmured, emotionlessly.
“I don't know what the next step is with something like this, but if I lower my gun...we didn't hurt you...so you don't hurt us...right?” He suggested, nervously.
“That's right” Joel deadpanned, anger burning behind his eyes.
“That's a weird fսcking tone, man” The stranger exclaimed, gripping the gun tighter.
“That's just the way he sounds. He has an asshоlе voice. Joel, tell him he's okay” Ellie insisted, as Kira’s eyes narrowed, noting something important about the man’s gun.
“Everything is great” Joel replied, sounding like he wanted to rip the newcomer apart.
“You ain’t filling me with confidence right now, you know?” The man cried, his hands starting to shake.
“ Hey. Can I give you a bit of advice, man?” Kira spoke up, as the man’s eyes snapped toward her.
“What?” He frowned.
A second later, Kira lunged forward, grabbing the barrel of the gun and using her other hand to slam down onto the man’s arm, making him loose his grip on his weapon. In one swift move, Kira was on her feet, the gun now turned on him, as a smirk grew on Ellie’s face at her sister’s actions.
“Next time you threaten someone with a gun...make sure it’s fucking loaded” Kira spat out, chucking the useless weapon on the ground.
“I’ll keep it in mind” He muttered.
“Drop the gun, kid” Kira exclaimed, turning to the child, who simply tilted his head.
“He can’t hear you. He’s deaf” The man sighed.
Every eyebrow in the room shot up as Kira made a few gestures with her hands, as the little boy slowly lowered his weapon. It took Ellie a few moments to realise that Kira had used sign language, shooting her sister a questioning look.
“Kid in fourth grade was deaf. They made all of us learn sign language” Kira shrugged, as Joel pushed himself onto his feet.
“Who are you?” Joel questioned, walking over to loom over the younger man.
“My name's Henry. That's my brother, Sam. I'm the most wanted man in Kansas City...although, right now...my guess is you're running a close second” Henry explained.
“You’ve been watching us?” Kira asked.
“Yeah...well, not in a creepy way or anything” Henry mumbled, making Kira huff.
“Well, ain’t that a relief” She snorted.
“I’m sorry, about you know...holding a gun to your head and all” Henry told her, as Kira gave a small nod.
“It’s all good, man” Kira shrugged, surprising the man.
“Really—” Henry was cut off as Kira sent her fist flying into his jaw, as he staggered backwards a few paces.
“Now, we’re good” Kira smirked, as Henry straightened up, rubbing at his jaw which was definitely going to bruise.
“Good right hook you’ve got there” Henry huffed, seeming more amused than anything else.
“I think she was aiming to break your jaw” Joel stated, his lips twitching into a smile.
The room was filled with tension as they shared what little food they had with the newcomers, the only sound was their soft chewing. Kira had figured out by now the reason why the brothers hadn’t loaded their guns. They weren’t killers. She doubted whether they would be able to pull the trigger. She almost envied them. Her eyes fell on Henry, noting that in another life, she would have found him damn good-looking. But, that was another luxury that she couldn't indulge in.
“Where'd you get these?” Henry asked, trying to break the silence.
“From Bill...he's dead” Ellie announced, her blunt tone making Kira snicker, as Joel reached over to pass his leftovers to Sam, who still appeared hungry.
“My sister lacks basic social skills” Kira stated, as a smile spread over Henry’s lips.
“I'm guessing you don't have much, so...this means a lot” Henry exclaimed.
“How old is he?” Ellie nodded over to Sam, as the brothers conversed in sign language.
“He's eight” Henry replied, as Kira nudged her with her elbow.
“Hold your fingers up...now touch your thumb to your middle finger. There you go, that means eight” Kira explained, as Ellie did as she was told, grinning from ear to ear.
“Cool. I'm Ellie. This is my sister, Kira and...” Ellie trailed off, slapping Joel’s thigh.
“I'm Joel. Look, you ate, we didn't kill each other, let's call this a win-win and move on” Joel huffed.
Well, I'm betting...that y'all came up here to get a view of the city and plan a way out. And when the sun's up...I'll show you one” Henry announced.
“I knew there was a reason I didn’t kill you” Kira stated, only half joking.
“And I’m the one who lacks social skills?” Ellie scoffed, sarcastically.
“We should probably get some sleep. It’s gonna’ be a long walk tomorrow” Henry informed them, as he shrugged off his jacket and placed it over his little brother’s shoulders.
Kira was pulling herself onto her aching feet a moment later, grabbing one of the blankets they had found stashed in a cupboard. She then walked over to Henry, holding it out to him, as he shot her a shy grin.
“This an apology for punching me?” Henry inquired.
“Nope” Kira smirked, as he took the blanket from her.
“Night, then” Henry smiled, as he settled down beside his brother, pulling the blanket over them both.
As she turned back around, Ellie raised an eyebrow, a teasing remark on the tip of her tongue. In response, Kira brought her fingers and thumb up to her top lip, making a flattened O shape.
“What did that mean?” Ellie frowned, as Kira flopped down beside her, resting back against the cupboards behind her.
“Shut up” Kira said, with a mocking grin.
“You think we can trust em’?” Joel whispered, his gaze still lying on Henry, who had pulled his brother close to his chest.
“They could have killed us; they chose to trust us instead. I figure that counts” Kira explained.
“Doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that old Henry isn’t bad looking?” Ellie teased, as Kira slapped her around the back of the head.
“Go to sleep, brat” Kira insisted, as Ellie stuck out her tongue, before leaning down to rest her head on Kira’s lap.
“...You shouldn’t have done that earlier” Joel mumbled, quietly.
“Huh?” Kira frowned, watching as he came to sit down beside her.
“He could have shot you. It was dangerous” Joel pointed out.
“Like you wouldn’t have done the same” Kira scoffed.
“Yeah, well...I don’t have much to lose anymore” Joel stated, his eyes flitting down to where Ellie was already beginning to snore.
“You sure about that?” Kira asked, as Joel refused to look at her.
“Go to sleep, Kira” Joel exclaimed, as Kira stretched her sore limbs, before letting out a yawn.
“You gonna’ sleep at all tonight?” Kira inquired, as Joel simply grunted in reply.
“Night, Joel” She mumbled, leaning her head back, and shutting her eyes.
Kira awoke the next morning to the sound of childish giggling, her eyes fluttering open to find Ellie and Sam looming over her, looking far too amused. It took her a few more seconds to realise the comfortable cushion she was laying her head on, was no cushion at all. A blush rose over her cheeks as she realised she must have fallen asleep against Joel’s shoulder, who was pushing himself to his feet as soon as she pulled away.
“Oh man, if only I had a camera right now. This is such blackmail material” Ellie smirked.
“You drool in your sleep, by the way” Joel informed her, as Kira’s mouth went slack.
“ I do not! ” She exclaimed, wiping at her chin, nonetheless.
She watched as Sam signed the phrase ‘snore, too’, as she restrained herself from holding her middle finger up at the eight-year-old. Standing up, she began dusting herself off, immediately feeling the chill in the air, doubting the twenty-year-old windows managed to keep the cold out anymore. Kira flinched when she felt a blanket draped over her shoulders, and looking behind her to see Henry giving her a small smile, before walking off into the next room. Joel’s eyes narrowed as the younger man passed him, crossing his arms, reluctantly following behind him. The sun had risen in the sky, illuminating the city below, smoke still billowing from the numerous fires downtown.
“Welcome to Killa City” Henry muttered.
“Do I even want to ask what’s with the nickname?” Kira grimaced, earning a huff in response.
“KC FEDRA...bastards were little better than animals. Raped and tortured and murdered people for twenty years. And you know what happens when you do that to people? The moment they get a chance, they do it right back to you” Henry sighed.
“But you're not FEDRA” Joel pointed out, looking out the window.
“No...worse. I'm a collaborator” Henry confessed, causing Kira’s eyes to widen.
“Just when I was beginning to like you...” Kira trailed off.
“I don't work with rats” Joel insisted, holding a hand up, looking like he was all but ready to storm out of the room.
“Yeah, you fսcking do. Today you do...'cause I live here and you don't. That's how I followed you here. I know this city, and that's how I'm gonna help you get out” Henry explained.
“Why help us?” Kira frowned.
“I saw what you both did...the way you killed those men. Now, I know where to go but I don't know how to make it through alive, not if it's just me and Sam” Sam admitted, as Kira gave a small nod.
“You seemed capable enough when you were holding a gun to my head last night” Joel spat out.
“Never killed anyone. And pointing an unloaded gun at you was the closest I've ever come to being violent. So that's the deal. I show the way...you clear the way” Henry suggested, holding out his hand to Kira.
“Ain’t up to me. He’s the one you’ve got to win over. And trust me, it’s not easy” Kira huffed, gesturing to Joel.
“Let’s hear your plan first” Joel exclaimed, hearing the sound of laughter behind him.
Ellie and Sam were giggling, nudging each other, managing to hold some sort of conversation despite the barriers between them. A genuine smile blossomed on Kira’s face as she continued watching their interaction, glad that Ellie had found someone closer to her age to be around. Maybe with Sam, she had the chance to be a kid again.
“Haven't heard that in a long time” Henry beamed.
“The plan” Joel insisted, crossing his arms, once again.
Marlene grimaced as the rain continued to drench her from head to toe, the thin jacket she was wearing not enough to protect her from the cold morning. They had managed to make it out of Boston QZ, but only barely. They had already lost two good men, and the rest of her group was starting to question her actions. Kim ushered her over to a nearby store, the front window was broken and the contents inside having been ransacked decades ago. Once the group were inside, they allowed themselves to rest for a moment, all eyes remaining on Marlene.
“Are you sure about this? Salt Lake is a long fucking way” Kim muttered.
“We don’t have a choice” Marlene insisted.
“We don’t even know if they’re still—” Kim started, but Marlene cut her off instantly.
“If those sisters are dead, then we’re all fucked anyway” Marlene spat out, watching Kim’s forehead frown.
“But...Ellie’s the only one who’s immune, right? I know she’s the daughter of your friend, but what do we need Kira for?” Kim inquired, as Marlene’s jaw clenched.
“She’s the perfect host. The perfect...incubator” Marlene explained, as a look of horror dawned on Kim’s face.
“Jesus, tell me you’re not fucking serious, Mar?” Kim gaped.
“They’re sisters. Closest blood match we’re gonna’ get. We get the cure from Ellie...we use Kira to grow the cure” Marlene sighed, running a hand over her face.
“I’m guessing those girls don’t have a clue about any of this, do they?” Kim mumbled.
“I hope not. It’ll be better if they never know” Marlene suggested.