( gif by ; -tzarrion )

━ CHAPTER THREE ...

' when you're lost in the darkness , part. 3 '

Now, the four of them were walking outside in the streets where it was raining and thundering pretty badly. On other circumstances, (Y/N) would of loved being in the rain but right now not so much, as her hoodie was up and trying to dodge the officers patrolling the streets right near them.

She was holding Ellie's hand still, as she followed behind Tess and Joel was at the end of the group, making sure they two in front kept up.

(Y/N) tenses up as she hears the radios going off, and pulls Ellie closer to her side, trying to hide her face more, as the older one had her hair to cover because of the rain wetting it.

They joged a bit up onto the walkway as a car was driving their way, and kept on that as they continued to walk through the street.

...

Eventually, the sisters were lead where Joel lived and Tess was currently staying with him because of their missions together. They had come out of the rain, but all their clothes were slowly drying as the sisters followed behind the other two.

(Y/N)'s boots made noise as she walks down the hallway, pulling down her hoodie and Ellie's as well off, so their hair could dry.

They came to the end of the hallway, where Tess went forward and grabbed the keys to unlock the small apartment, while (Y/N) ended up standing next to Joel with Ellie next to her, waiting.

The older Williams tried not to freak out too much, as her sleeved arm was grazing Joel's one and she avoided looking towards him, knowing she just become nervous.

However, when the door opens up from Tess unlocking it, he, just barely presses a hand behind (Y/N)'s lower back and pushes her forward into the apartment as she awkwardly shuffles inside with a curious Ellie behind her.

Tess clears her throat, and has one of her hands on the door as she looks at the older Williams, "Give us a minute, all right?"

Before (Y/N) could answer her, she closed the door in their faces, making Ellie exclaim angrily from beside her sister, "What the fuck?!"

(Y/N) sighs triedly at this, rubbing her temples with her forefingers as she shares a look with Ellie, seeing how annoyed she was with what was happening, "It's okay, El. Don't worry about them right now." She tells her gently, pulling the younger girl away from the door where the conversation was heard from outside.

Ellie grumbles under her breath, but would always listen to her older sister so, she let (Y/N) drag her to the table, and saw something on the table, that looked like it was getting fixed, or remade.

(Y/N) pulled her backpack off, placing her bow down next to it as well as Ellie does the same, and the older woman moves to a small, but tall table and saw a book full of old songs and a radio. She could only guess what this was for.

"Ellie, look at this." She calls to her younger sister, picking up the big book, and handed it to Ellie who took it and flipped through the many pages it had.

However, the flipping stopped when (Y/N) touched Ellie's hand, signally for her to stop as she spotted a small piece of paper with secret codes for messages over the radio.

The sisters shared a interested look, but couldn't actually talk on it as the door was opened and Joel came through, shutting in behind him as he past the two.

He walked over to the couch, chucking his bag beside it as Ellie follows the male with the book, and (Y/N) stood near their bags, watching her sister.

"So, who's Bill and Frank?" Ellie asked the male that just sat on the coach, and (Y/N) walked up to her sister as Joel's eyes followed her, "The radio's a smuggling code, right? '60s song, they don't have anything new, '70s, they got new stuff. What's '80s?"

Joel just stood up from his couch, and grabbed the book out of Ellie's hands, closing it shut and threw it on the table beside them. (Y/N) winced a little a that, seeming to feel that her sister pissed him off and placed her hands on Ellie's shoulders, to which she looked up and (Y/N) shook her head at her.

They turn their attention to Joel, who was now laying on the couch comfortable, seeming like he was going to sleep as his eyes were closed, "What are you doing?" (Y/N) questioned him, raising her brows.

"Killin' time." He simply responded, moving his hips up to get into a more comfortable position on the couch.

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" Ellie exclaims incredulously, motioning between her and (Y/N).

"I'm sure you'll figure that out." Joel's voice rasped, his hands resting on his chest and stomach, which showed his broken watch and (Y/N) noticed that.

"Come on, Ellie. Grab the book and we can look through the songs." (Y/N) whispered to her sister, hinting at breaking the code as Ellie perks up at this and gets the book as she hurries over to the chair opposite to where Joel was.

As (Y/N) walks by the resting Joel, she once again spots the watch, and goes to mutter lowly, "Your watch is broken, but you probably already know that."

Joel opens an eye at her words, peeking at her with it intensely as her words did somewhat suprise him, however, he shakes his head and closes his eye, going back to resting as the sisters go through the book.

...

Sometime later, darkness had developed over Boston as nighttime had hit and Joel's eyes flutter open from his sleep.

"You mumble in your sleep." Ellie's voice comments from somewhere in the room, making Joel sit up from his position on the couch and looked over in the corner.

(Y/N) sat on the edge of the chair, with Ellie's head resting on her chest as the older sister brushes her fingers through the much younger ones locks, both glancing outside the window.

"We've never been on the other side of the wall." (Y/N) tells Joel, breaking the silence as she looks outside and saw what's she's never experienced, even being an adult, "Look how dark it is."

Joel does listen to what she says, but doesn't answer back as he rolls his asleep shoulder from the rest he had, and leans back on the couch.

"You guys go out there a lot?" (Y/N) now questions the older male, tilting her head to look at him for an answer.

"I guess." His voice rumbles a reply, gaze on his watch as he play with it on his wrist and moves it a bit down so he could see it better.

"When was the last time?"

Joel sighs a bit, trying to rack his brain for the answer as she waits for one, "Maybe a year. What's it matter?"

"But you know where to go." (Y/N) blurted over him, expresion a bit nervous and worried about what was to come for her sister out there, as she looks at him with knitted brows, "So we're gonna be okay."

Joel's face somewhat softens seeing her change of emotion, but didn't let it show as he purses his lips and nods his head determined, "Yeah."

After a few seconds, his brown eyes go up and down (Y/N)'s figure with a little interest, but stopped at her face when Ellie was staring warningly, "So, what's the deal with you two anyway? You two some kinda bigwig daughters or somethin'?"

Ellie sits up from her sisters chest, and tight lip smiles at the males question, "Something like that." She leans back into (Y/N)'s open arms, and she remember something from before, "Oh, the radio came on when you were sleeping."

"What?" Joel perked up alarmed at this, and sat forward as he looked at the siblings, "What was the song?"

"He kept sayin', like, 'Wake me up before you go-go'?" Ellie innocently told him, sharing a small look with (Y/N), even though it was just a trick to get the answer to her unresolved question.

Joel's shoulders drop at this, head dipping as he softly curses under his breath, "Shit."

Ellie smirks in accomplishment, while (Y/N) smiles but shakes her head at her sister, as Ellie talks to Joel, "Gotcha. '80s means trouble. Code broken."

Joel's feels his annoyance rise a bit at this, catching (Y/N)'s small apologetic smile but he ignores that and stands up to scold Ellie, "Listen-"

Before he could to anything else, the front door opens and Tess walked through the entrance, not noticing the situation happening between the three, "The spot under Lancaster looks good." She informs the group, and looks to the sisters, "You two got jackets in your pack?"

"Yeah." (Y/N) answers for them both, as she leans up a bit and looks at Tess when she talked.

"Okay, get it. It's time to go." Tess tells them, as she walks to grab some jackets and (Y/N) taps Ellie's arms for her to get up, and the two do that, grabbing their bags and searched for their other jackets.

Joel catches the jacket thrown at him by Tess, as he looks at (Y/N) and catches a brief look at her bare arms, seeing the muscles she had before her second jacket was shouldered on.

...

Outside of the QZ's walls, where the bright light for finding people out of curfew was just barely hitting an unnoticeable, piece of the dirt was moved around until it was pushed away and it opened up a way for the people down below.

Joel's head poked out as he grunted, pushing the heavy piece out of the way and pulled himself out of the hole, and kneeled on the ground. (Y/N)'s hands appeared above, and she heaved herself up with a grunt, as Joel's hands hovered over her arms in case she needed help, but she didn't.

Once she was up, she pushed her hair out of her face, keeping her bow over her shoulder and reached down to grab Ellie's hand, helping her up and then out came Tess as well.

"Holy shit, (Y/N/N), we are actually outside!" Ellie exclaims happily, standing up as her sister shushes her gently and pulls her down away from the lights and Ellie curses remembering the military if they find them out here.

"Okay, we're gonna take the left edge around the buffer zone." Tess whispered to the oldest, knowing her younger sister would follow automatically, "You two stay close and follow my lead."

"Yeah, yeah, of course." (Y/N) stumbles out, nodding her head quickly as her nerves were on fire being out here.

"Let's go." Tess orders lowly, giving thumbs up to Joel who stuck his noise in this air, nodding back.

Tess guides the sisters to crawl under the yellow bus there, as Ellie goes under first and (Y/N) quickly followed after her sister, with Tess and Joel last just as the light shined on where they once were.

Once they were all under and out from the bus, (Y/N) keep Ellie in front of her eyesight as Tess leads them across the bus, all of them hunching a little to stay hidden.

(Y/N) was about to join where her sister and Ellie were, but a vehicle was incoming and Joel tugged her back by the waist, as she yelped quietly and landed against his chest, causing her to become tense.

She gulped feeling his body touching hers, and looked up to see him making a 'shush' motion with his finger, just as the vehicle past by them.

She nods her head shakily, gripping his arm a little bit as thunder starts rumble in the distance. Ellie looks over worried to her older sister, but she gives her a reassure smile, well the best one she could give right now.

Tess pokes her head up a little bit, checking to see if it was safe for them, and nods her head when it was. Joel now lets (Y/N) go as she moves to Ellie, grabbing her hand as they follow Tess into a long metal tunnel, as it just started to rain again.

(Y/N) helps Ellie inside of the tunnel, as she keeps her in front and they all hear the metal clanking because of the rain hitting the top of it.

Tess signal to stop, just barely see able as it was dark but the sisters obey as more military vehicles past by them with their bright lights, this time being a helicopter passing.

(Y/N) gulps a bit more nervous now, as it finally went over them and away, but the rain had picked up more and they were in outside territory now.

Tess picks up her movement, as they all follow behind and exited the tunnel with Joel hopping out last, as the rain was hitting them as they walked through the srsvp yard quickly.

Thunder strikes as (Y/N) joins where Ellie and Tess were, their backs to the wall as Joel ends up next to the oldest William sister, making her tense once more at his presences.

They wait for a few more seconds, till Tess gives the signal and they all leave the wall they were leaning against.

However, unfortunately where they needed to go, a familiar officer was currently urinating on the wall as Tess comes around the corner and quietly ushers the sisters to hurry.

Though, they weren't so lucky as the man turned around and his flashlight had caught them, "What the hell?" He fumbles to buckle his pants as he exclaims, "Hey, hey! Don't, don't move."

(Y/N) panics at this, and goes to grab Ellie, pulling her back away from Lee's gun as she looks to Joel in alarm, seeing him rising his arms up and she does the same, with Ellie copying.

The officer aims his gun at them, and lifts up his helmet, baffled to see who it was trying to leave, "You gotta be shittin' me."

"Okay, let's talk this out." Joel tries to smooth things over with the male he knows, as his body moves on it own a bit to cover (Y/N), as Tess does the same thing, all while (Y/N) keeps Ellie behind her.

"Turn around." Officer Lee doesn't listen, and orders them to do as he said.

"Hold on-" Joel tries once again, hands out to show surrender as the other three did that as well still, while (Y/N) was becoming more agitated to do something as she watched.

"What did I fuckin' tell you, man?" Lee grits out angrily, reminding Joel what their last conversation was about, "I said stay the fuck home. Get on your knees!"

Tess, having enough of this turns her back to the officer and speaks to Joel, "Just get on your knees," And then to the two siblings behind them, "just get on your knees."

"Listen, you let us do this run," Tess starts off to the soldier, as Joel kneels down and (Y/N) does reluctantly with Ellie following behind, her closest to the end.

"We'll split the cards with you." Tess finished off, as Lee came behind her with his weapon.

"Oh, will you?" He asked sarcastically, as Tess nodded her head and his scoffed loudly, "I'm so blessed. Hands on your head Eyes forward."

The four doesn't do what he demanded, making him get more aggressive at them, "Hands on your head!"

(Y/N) flinched a little a bit, breathing picking up as she raises her hands and places them on her head, trying to shuffle closer to Ellie and hoping to shield her away.

Tess makes an incredulously expression as she feels the object pressed up against her neck, "Really man?" She comments to Lee, as he holds up the detector to check if someone was sick or not.

"Yep. We're doin' this by the book." He answers bluntly, as Tess curses and sighs as the scanner zaps at her neck.

(Y/N)'s heart was beating faster knowing what was coming, and she had to act soon if she didn't want more people finding out about her. Ellie understood as well, as she shared a nervous glance with her older sister, hoping to save her from the secret being revealed.

"All right. What about three-quarters?" Tess tries to negotiate again with him, but he wat having it.

Once the test was done, it shows green and beeps as he reads what was on it, "Unauthorized exit. They'll hang you for that."

"Fine. Everythin' off of this run, and half off on all the pills." Joel now speaks up in his gravelly voice, trying to throw in different deals as the soldier was behind him.

"Half off?" Lee repeats his statement unsatisfied, just as the machine turned green again, "All off."

Now the guy had moved behind (Y/N), making her blood run cold and heart pound so loud it rang through her ears as fear gripped her stomach.

"Risky my jon of half off." He scoffs with unbeliviment, and presses the machines up to (Y/N)'s neck, "Outta your fuckin' mind-"

However, before the scanner could be brought back, (Y/N) was quick to headbutt the male's nose and stab him in the leg with her knife, yelling out as he also did but in pain.

"(Y/N)!" Tess and Ellie exclaim in alarm as she did this, and the older Williams scrambles away and grabs her sister and stands up with a heaving chest, Ellie safe behind her.

Lee groans as he rips out the knife stabbed into his leg, "Fuck!" He growls completely pissed off as he goes to aim the gun at (Y/N), but was met with Joel's body instead, "Get out of the fuckin' way!"

"Whoa, whoa!" Joel exclaims frantically, hands up in the air again as he stands protectively in front of (Y/N), and he turns back a little, meeting her frightened expression and this makes his eyes go wide.

Tess was standing near the side, getting ready to attack if needed, but was completely shocked to see Joel standing in front of a gun for (Y/N), someone who he barely even knows yet, but still, he was the only thing standing between that gun and her.

"We can fix this." Joel assured, trying to see Lee through the blinding light from his torch as he holds his weapon up.

"Move." Lee demanded, motioning with his gun for Joel to move but he stayed put. "Move!" He ordered again, more forcefully this time, but was ignored once more.

Joel was once in this situation before, and even now his mind flashbacked to that horrible, dreadful night. His eyes take a glance at (Y/N), seeing how her bottom lip trembled but still kept a brave face on as she held Ellie protectively in her arm, going to take the hit if needed.

He knew what he needed to do. And as Lee came to charge, Joel released a loud shout and tacked the other male to the ground, getting on top and punched him, not once, but twice, and many, many times after that.

Lee put up no fight, as he laid limp and the hits to his face continued on, while the lightning strike around them in the skies.

(Y/N) gasped a little bit at his punches to the male, pushing Ellie's head into her stomach to shield her away from the view. She was thankful for Joel protecting them both, but also watched a bit terrified as he continued to rapidly punch the bloody male.

Joel delivers once last punch, teeth gritted as he breathes heavily with a bloody knuckle. Finally, remembering who was behind him, he turns around with his heaving chest and spots (Y/N)'s stunned, open mouth expression.

A noise from beside her has her attention draw away, as (Y/N) releases Ellie and the older siblings spots Tess holding the machine, which showed red from her test, "No, no! No, I'm not sick!" She exclaims frantically, hands going to pull down her jacket sleeve.

"She's right! She isn't sick!" Ellie backs up her sisters words, and tries to grab the deceive but Tess moves it away from each.

"Joel!" Tess drags out her yell of his name, as he was still shaking off the daze he was in, "Joel! Joel!"

"No! I'm not sick!" (Y/N) continued to plea, eyes big as she pulls down her jacket sleeve and shows Tess her massive scare bite she hates showing, "Look! This is three weeks old. Nobody lasts more than a day!"

Tess grabs her arm quickly, baffled and not convinced as she looks at the healed scar mark from an infected bite.

"Does that look a day old to you!" Ellie shouts at Tess in question, motioning to her older sisters arm with a glare at Tess.

"When did it happen?" Tess questioned forcefully, eyes boring into (Y/N)'s ones as she pulls her arm bacc and hides the scar again.

"It doesn't matter!" She exclaims, shaking her head from side to side and points at herself furiously, "You have to trust me! They're gonna catch us if we don't run!"

Just then, the sound of a siren wailing was heard which meant the military knew what was happening.

(Y/N) calls for Ellie to come to her, and she grabs her hand as Tess grabs both of their arms, knowing they did need to move, "Joel, we gotta move. We gotta move, Joel!" She yells back to the still kneeling male, as she leads the siblings away and just hearing distant talking incoming.

Joel inhales heavily, reaching down to grab the weapon in Lee's hand as he goes to follow the other three.

Up near the fence, Tess pulled the free bit back and held it open so the sisters could go in first, and she grunted as she went up next.

(Y/N) hovered back a little bit, wanting to wait for Joel to come as they couldn't leave him behind, but was pulled along by Tess and Ellie, making her turn her head and just see Jeol pushing through the gab in the fence.

And with that, the four of them had entered one of the biological contamination areas filled with the infected, not knowing what waits them to come.