The Last of Us

"You little shit, you have no fucking clue who you're messing with." James Bradley spit out the venomous words through clentched teeth, I resisted the urge to wince away from his rancid breath.

"we're gonna fight! Right here, tomorrow after school. If you don't show up, I'll personally come for you and drag you from your bed, and I'll stab you to death, right here... Got it?"

His bowling ball fists were wrapped tightly around the front of my t-shirt. His nostrils flaring and a wild look in his eyes: he wasn't kidding or messing around.

Great... I thought. Another school fight, maybe they'll suspend me this time...

I'd already been to the principles office three times in the last two months, but before you write me off as a worthless punk, let me tell you my side of the story.

James Bradley, was a full year younger than me, and his 'brilliance' showed because of it. Me and Tommy would steer clear of him because of his dark presence. He rolled around the school and town with his group of fellow jockies, waiting for their chance to strike, and it was just our luck... Me and Tommy were his favorites. Well, not me at first.

James picked on Tommy every day after school, did the normal bully things: talked him down, stole his lunch money and school books and sold them to some druggy that hung around school for a new pack of blunts. Tommy would walk home from school everyday, a whole hour before I got out, and when I'd get home, I'd walk in on him leaning over the kitchen sink, rinsing out the cuts on his forehead.

He denied being involved with any fights for two solid weeks before I witnessed it once. Baseball practice was cut short, and as I walked from the gym, I saw the group of older kids gathered on the basketball court.

I approached warily, and finally made out my brothers face through the blood, crouching on the ground. James Bradley towering over him, laughing with his friends.

White hot rage filled me and it was difficult to push it all back down as I shoved the kids aside to get to him. I helped him to his feet and checked his face briefly, realizing it'd need stitches, I became blinded with anger. My fingers curled into fists, and before I could stop myself, I was spinning around and sending my right fist hooking towards James's jaw.

The gasps of surprise sounded around us, I didn't stay to watch his reaction or hear his retailiation. I pulled one of Tommy's arms over my shoulders and half carried him across the parking lot.

I stitched up his cuts myself, but that didn't stop mom from demanding where they'd come from. Tommy begged me not to tell, and it sat like a rock in my stomach as I told our mother a lie.

It worked almost like clockwork for the following weeks. I dropped out of baseball to walk home with Tommy at the same time everyday, but some days, my history class didn't get out on time, and Tommy's chemistry class always did... Those were the nights we'd avoid mom as much as we could, to hide the bruises and cuts I got from fighting back, and the stitches Tommy had criss crossing his face. It amazed me that no one at school, none of the teachers, ever asked what happened. They were probably all on James's side, anyways.

And that's how it happened today.

James smirked at me, his fingers twisting in and out of fists. I stood straight, at eye level with him, and finally, I nodded. Tommy was beginning to look like a scrap doll with all the stitches, and I think mom was beginning to worry when he'd call down and say he wasn't hungry just to avoid her.

I'd be lying if I didn't say I was terrified. It was sometimes a lot harder not to run from the fight than it should be...

This was the kind of fear I faced now...

The figure was tall... Very tall, around 5'11". The light from the smoke detectors down the hall behind him outlined his silhouette, and made the barrel of his shorty shimmer.

He stepped forward, until the green glow swept his weathered face. "I asked you a question." he growled, alternating between pointing the shotgun at me, then Tommy. We both held our hands up, my eyes darted to the floor under the chair where I was certain my handgun was.

"We didn't know anyone was here-" Tommy began.

"Shut up!" the man shouted, turning to point the shotgun in his face, Tommy took a step back and proceeded to hold his hands above his head.

I exchanged a look with Tommy. The man had asked us who we were, and when we tried to answer...

"listen to me, eyes here, shitfaces," his dark eyes narrowed at us both. "I know what you're thinking, but stop thinking it. You won't make it that far, my girls back there, you think they're easy targets?!" the shotgun clicked as he slid a shell into place. "I'll put a goddamned shell in the back of your skull before you even set foot in that hall." he warned severely.

"I swear, we were not here for your girls." I said as calmly as I could manage. Though my heart was pounding and I could hear my pulse behind my ears. "we were just passing through." I finished as I continued to hold my hands above my head.

"How the hell am I supposed to-"

"Daddy!"

The door at the end of the hallway behind us swung open. Yellow light ventured down the hallway and illuminated our little hold up.

Two little girls, of identical height and looks stepped out of the room. Their big smiles faded as they took in the situation, looking up in confusion at their presumed dad, cautiously taking steps backwards.

"dad?..."

"Jenna, Jaise, go back inside." the man urged, his eyes softened at the sight of the two girls, and it clenched my heart... My anger turned to bitter, sad thoughts as I recalled...

"What's going on?" one of the girls, in a pink sweatshirt and grey jeans asked.

"Girls..." the man tried to speak to them, but they weren't budging, their eyes wide in curiosity, looking at me and Tommy then back to the man slowly.

"Some stubborn kids you've got there, huh?" I chuckled, remembering back to the days when Sarah had been quite similar... Hands on her hips, determined to be smug until she got her way.

He sighed heavily and I noticed the gun barrel tilting down slightly. "You could say that again."

I realized that we had a distraction. Obviously, he wasn't going to blow our heads off in front of his two children, and obviously, he wasn't going to be pointing the gun at us anymore.

The two girls bounded down the hallway and hid behind their dad. He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Girls..." he began again.

"Who are you?" the girl with the lighter blond hair asked, I assumed her name was Jaise. She watched us both suspiciously, her hands wrapped around her dad's left side, playing with the tear on the pocket of his leather hunting jacket.

"Yeah, y'know what? Let's start from there. Who are ya?" the man stepped forward a little bit, the gun tilted towards the floor.

"I'm Tommy..." he whispered out in shock, clearing it throat and saying it louder.

"Joel..."

The big man nodded, then chuckled. "I'm Kendall Larson, these are my girls, Jenna and Jaise."

I nodded in agreement and acknowledgment. "Nice to meet you."

"Same to you. Now, mind explainin' what yer' doing here?" Kendall cocked an eyebrow at us, he clearly did not trust us, but the conversation wasn't as heated as before.

"We, uh, me and Joel were on our way to Atlana, we just stopped in for the night." Tommy finally spoke up, slowly lowering his arms to his sides. "heard there was a quarantine zone up there."

Kendall laughed, but it was bitter and forced. "There ain't shit up there, boy. Just a buncha dead walkin' around."

"Maybe there is, maybe there ain't, hard to tell from this distance." I spoke bluntly, venturing out to test the waters and see what would set him off again. His eyes narrowed at me, but he inhaled a deep breath and turned to speak with Tommy, since he seemed more willing.

"Well, I'd reckon so... You from around these parts?"

"No sir, we're from Texas, actually." Tommy nodded.

"Texas! Ain't been there in years, damn big bugs kinda ruined it for us."

"Yeah..." Tommy said in agreement, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "they probably would, they're pesky little things, I'll tell ya."

"Tell me what?" Kendall's brow scruntched up.

"The bugs, uh they, er, them, yeah."

Kendall let out another quaking laugh that echoed in the small room, a grin that made or broke our discussion, his brow furrowed in a way that hinted that he'd kick us out without hesitation upon any mistake. He crossed the small space between us and clapped Tommy on the back and laughed once more, Tommy laughed nervously, watching the crazy look that lingered in Kendall Larson's face.

"I'm just jokin' with ya, son." his wide smile the color of pale white corn, his greasy dungarees draped on his shoulders in a myriad of cuts and gashes in the weathered fabric.

"Me and my girls made a break for the city after my old lady changed." he spoke smoothly, and coy smile on his lips, hands placed on the shoulders of his girls, and you could just see the gears turning in his head, I imagined he was probably thinking up over seventy different ways to kill us in our sleep.

"We left Texas after Joel's-"

"Tommy." I glared at his flatly. We were not bringing her into this to gain the warmth of Kendall's heart for the night. We would not involve Sarah in the hideous tradings of general conversation between three men and three loaded guns.

"Joel's what?" Kendall looked to me in coy suspicion, stepping away from Tommy and taking a half step towards me. I didn't miss the brief but smooth movement of him sliding his two girls behind him as he slowly approached me, never breaking eye contact.

"There somethin' I need to know about you two?" he demanded, eyes flattening, the blue color shifting silver in the limited light. "cause Goddamned by mornin', I will not hesitate to blow both yer goddamned heads off. Feeling me now?"

"Yes, sir." Tommy spoke up in fear.

"Not you, you're not a threat to me, after all, it wasn't your decision to try and exchange gunfire." Kendall says, shrugging and turning back towards me.

I narrowed my eyes at him a little bit. If anything, Kendall seemed unstable... Either that or highly paranoid.

"Now you... Joel, what is it that happened?" he walked towards me slowly, a smirk on his lips. "if we're gonna get along for the night, we're gonna be square. Is that clear?" he cocked his head to one side.

I glared at him. "I ain't tellin' you s-"

"Joel!" Tommy grabbed my arm and pulled me aside, speaking to me in a low voice. "we can't fuck this up. We ain't leaving this building without either an agreement or being dead."

I really just wanted to punch Kendall Larson and tell him it was none of it his damn business, but no matter what I do... Tommy's right. We wouldn't leave the building. We'd either end up dead, or kicked out without a single supply to our names, because that twisted look in Kendall's eyes told me he'd take every possession from us before booting us out...

I glared at Kendall as I summoned my reserved strength to spat out the words that would leave me winded "I lost my daughter during the outbreak." I muttered flatly, it still sounded far more venomous than anything he'd said this evening. It sounded like a low growl echoing through a damp, empty tunnel, just broken and empty...

Something else flashed across Kendall's features. It looked like a mixture of denial and pain. Instantly, his shotgun lowered. "Ain't neither of you threats, you can have the office in back. Now, I ain't goin' soft on you rather ya'll tellin' the truther not. Got that? Don't approach us, come anywhere near us, and maybe... If I feel like it in the morning, I'll discuss some general topics with ya."

He brushed past me and went for the doorway at the end of the hall. I looked at Tommy, confusion obvious in her widened eyes.

"Let's go before he changes his mind..." I muttered, grabbing his sleeve and pulling him, walking towards the back rooms.