• • 2015 • •

HIS FIST CONNECTED to Y/N's face and he stumbled back. The sixteen-year-old held his jaw as the crowd's reaction got louder.

"Come on, bitch." The other boy, Jeffrey, cursed. "Come on!"

Y/N waved him off and leaned over, catching his breath. Jeffrey laughed and stepped up to him.

"We barely even got started. Fucking pu—"

With his guard down, the sixteen-year-old quickly landed a right hook across Jeffrey's face. He stumbled back and Y/N charged, grabbing him and the struggle ensued.

Other students looked on and reacted to the scuffle with ooohs and other exclamations. It was pretty rowdy so they knew teachers or other FEDRA officials would come by soon.

Jeffrey landed a knee to Y/N's stomach but it didn't hurt him. Y/N countered with his own knee to the boy's groin, where he doubled over and allowed the sixteen-year-old to kick him in the face.

With the bully down, Y/N was still going to attack again. Suddenly, one of Jeffrey's friends came in and grabbed Y/N from behind. He struggled to get out and Jeffrey stood up and landed a hit to his stomach.

Y/N wasn't held for long as the other guy was pulled off of him. Brent had come in to help in the sudden two-versus-one fight.

"You guys aren't fair, huh?" Brent asked as he landed a hit on the other boy's face.

With Brent handling the other, Y/N went straight for Jeffrey again. He was hit once but avoided the next attack, allowing Y/N to tackle Jeffrey to the floor.

He kept him pinned down and landed blow after blow on his face until his arm was grabbed and the shouts of officials rang out.

"Disperse! Disperse, now!"

Brent was also held back by the uniformed men. They pulled Y/N off of Jeffrey and also got the bully to his feet. Each boy involved in the fight was detained then and there.

Jeffrey's face was bruised up and he was teary-eyed. Y/N shouted out to him as he was being pulled back.

"Who's the pussy now?! And you keep her name out of your mouth!"

"Enough!" One of the officials exclaimed then ordered the others. "Take them to the Captain."

They did as instructed, taking each of the boys out of the chow hall as other students in the room looked on.

Y/N sat on a bench in the hallway. He had just spoken with the Captain and was waiting for Brent to be released. The sixteen-year-old had a sore jaw and sported a cut above his brow.

Brent finally arrived and joined him on the bench. He too had some scars, his being a black eye. They sat there in silence before looking at each other...then that silence was replaced with laughter.

"You look like shit." Y/N joked.

"I don't know how man. You were in that fight longer and you came out like nothing happened."

"Guess I'm lucky like that."

Brent chuckled. He folded his hands and rested his elbows on his knees.

"What'd you tell the Captain?" Brent asked.

"The truth." Y/N replied. "He was being an asshole."

"So that's what you said? He was being an asshole."

"I wasn't as vague."

Y/N looked down at his hands as he sat back against the bench. He shrugged.

"I told him what happened. Jeffrey said some shit about...Sarah...and I got mad. I knew I shouldn't have brought her up that one time in class. He was bound to use that to piss me off."

Brent nodded in understanding. He looked ahead at the wall in front of them.

"I get it." He said, thinking of his own sister that he didn't know was still alive or not. "It's hard not to think about them, any little thing could set you off."

Y/N nodded. Brent let out a sigh and turned to his best friend, tapping the side of his shoulder.

"No matter. Any time Jeff fucks with you, I'm there so I can fuck him up with you."

"Appreciate it." Y/N simply said.

"For real. We're hermanos. And hermanos stick together to fight the common enemy...seek the same goal."

Y/N finally turned to Brent and smirked. He continued and listed them with his fingers.

"The enemy: bullies. The goal: graduation. Only a couple more years, man."

The sixteen-year-old agreed. He was very happy to have Brent by his side for the last couple of years.

"Is it even a graduation, though?" Y/N wondered. "What they gonna give, a FEDRA diploma?"

"Shit, I'll take whatever. Then we'll see where they assign us."

That was what they expected, to finish school and then be given some kind of assignment within FEDRA. It was that or go back into society and do jobs as a citizen in the QZ.

"Hope we find our purpose when we're done with all this." Y/N said.

Brent nodded. "We will. We just gotta look for it."

• • PRESENT DAY • •

Y/N STARED AHEAD at the graffiti on the highway barrier. The yellow paint stood out to him and it didn't surprise him that the color was used to write the line.

Look for the light

A sudden call out got his attention. He looked back, seeing Joel come out of an abandoned RV with some things.

"Catch."

Joel suddenly threw a ball at Y/N. He caught it and the young man saw that it was a football. It wasn't as inflated but he was surprised it still had air in general.

"Playing catch with my old man." Y/N remarked with a chuckle. "Can finally cross that off my bucket list."

Joel held out one hand and signaled for him to throw it back. Y/N did but the smuggler ended up fumbling and the ball dropped. Y/N laughed.

"You fucking suck."

Joel scoffed. "You're the one terrible at throwing."

"Oh yeah?" Y/N chuckled, walking over and picking up the ball.

He wind up his arm and threw the football across the highway rather far, proving to his dad that he did have a good arm. Joel just looked on at the disappearing ball.

"I wanted to keep that, you know?" Joel said.

Y/N laughed and Joel soon joined. They started walking back to where Ellie was, the girl sitting on the tailgate of a truck and looking down.

"Ellie." Joel called out. "Ellie."

She wasn't hearing him. Joel shouted a little more loudly.

"Ellie!"

She finally turned around and faced him.

"D'ya hear me?" Joel asked.

"No...What?"

"Well, I found this in there." Joel held up a can of food. "Beefaroni. Chef Boyardee."

"Oh, cool."

"You did?" Y/N called out, standing on the other side of the truck. "Give it here."

Joel tossed it toward Y/N and he caught it. The young man read the label and walked over to Ellie.

"Damn, we hit the jackpot." Y/N smiled and showed it to the girl. "Chef always makes the best."

Ellie didn't respond and simply nodded. Joel joined the two, holding a board game in hand.

"And have you ever played this?" He asked Ellie. "Boggle? It's a word game."

Ellie shook her head and mumbled. "Mm-mm."

"No fucking way." Y/N's eyes widened and pointed at the game. "We used to play that all the time when I was little."

"Yeah, I remember." Joel chuckled, then looked back at Ellie. "And I was terrible. So, if you wanna beat me at somethin', it would be this."

Ellie feigned a smile and looked away. Joel could tell she was feeling a bit down and tried his best to cheer her up. It'd been that way the last couple of days.

Y/N noticed it too. A part of him knew she was likely still reeling from what happened in Silver Lake eight weeks ago. Although it was long ago...the trauma still stuck with her.

"Well, all right then." Joel said, looking back at the highway. "We're gettin' close. Hospital that way. May be the one we're lookin' for."

"Got it." Ellie replied and hopped off the truck.

Joel walked away and started putting the things in his pack. Y/N grabbed Ellie's backpack and handed it to her.

"I'll show you the tips and tricks around Boggle. Won't show you too much, though. Can't have you beating me." Y/N said with a chuckle.

The young man walked off. Ellie stood there for a moment before finally going to join the two men.

"Take this for me?" Joel handed his rifle to Ellie as he put on his pack. He took it back moments later. "Thanks."

The three started moving, passing by the RV Joel was searching. He glanced at it.

"They had a guitar in that RV. It was all smashed up but got me thinkin', maybe I should find one. I haven't played in forever."

Ellie was simply nodding as she listened to him. The older man turned to her and continued.

"In fact, I was thinkin' maybe I could teach you. I bet you'd be great at it."

She let out a slight chuckle.

"Do you wanna learn how to play guitar?" Joel asked her.

Y/N glanced at them as they conversed, surprised yet touched that his father was willing to teach Ellie how to play guitar. Still, the girl was unresponsive.

"Ellie?" Joel asked.

"Hm?" She snapped out of her trance and remembered what Joel was asking her. "Oh, yeah. That'd be great."

Joel nodded, and the three continued their trek through the highway toward Salt Lake City.

Y/N, Joel, and Ellie walked down an alleyway. The smuggler looked around and then ahead at the debris blocking the path.

"Okay, so this is what I'm thinking..."

Ellie cut Joel off. "Cut through that building to get around that stuff, find the skyscraper, go up and look around."

Y/N nodded, impressed at her plan. The months and months of traveling with the smuggler and the Firefly surely rubbed off on Ellie.

"Uhh, actually, this time I was thinkin' we blast our way through that rubble." Joel replied. "I found some dynamite in that RV back there."

"Oh, shit. Really?" Y/N asked.

Ellie was also surprised. Joel paused for a moment before responding.

"No, so we're gonna cut through that building, find a skyscraper, go up and look around."

Y/N quietly chuckled at his father's attempt at a joke. Joel was pretty proud of himself, nonetheless.

"But I had you guys goin', didn't I?" He asked them.

"You got me, I guess." Y/N replied. "Really felt like blowing some shit up."

Joel chuckled and turned to Ellie. The girl simply shrugged and nodded at his previous question.

The trio continued and made it inside a construction site. They went up the dilapidated skyscraper and walked through floors, passing by scaffolding and equipment that was abandoned.

"Look at this place. Talk about bad luck." Joel said. "Military drops bombs...not one of them hits the building you're trying to demolish."

Y/N held his crossbow and stepped forward. He saw another staircase but it was destroyed.

"No way up." He told them.

Joel went to a fenced-off area and moved the gate aside. They walked through and the smuggler looked up, spotting a ladder through a hole leading to the next floor.

"All right, Ellie, I get you up there, you can drop that ladder down, maybe we go through that way."

"I can do it." Y/N told Joel. "Boost me up."

"No. You're heavier, so one wrong move and we both can hurt ourselves. Can't have you messing up that ankle again."

Y/N understood Joel's caution. It had been several weeks of his ankle recovery but he still felt some lingering effects from his injury.

"Come on." Joel called out to Ellie. "I'll give you a boost."

They looked over and saw Ellie at a table looking through blueprints. She didn't hear him yet again and was spaced out. Joel went over to the teenager.

"You okay?" He asked.

She turned to him. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"It's just you kinda seem extra quiet today, so..."

"Oh...I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. Did you hear what I—?"

"Yeah, boost." She nodded. "Got it."

Ellie went over with Joel and allowed him to boost her up to the ladder. She made it to the next floor and started lowering the ladder to them.

"Whoa!" She suddenly reacted after looking to the side.

Ellie dropped the ladder and it almost hit the both of them. Y/N quickly went over and picked it back up.

"The fuck?"

"God damn it, Ellie!" Joel shouted. "Shit."

"You stay there!" Y/N exclaimed and lifted the ladder, giving it to Joel which allowed him to put it in place.

"You gotta see this!" Ellie called out.

"Go, go!" Joel motioned Y/N to go up the ladder first, which he did.

"Ellie?!" Y/N exclaimed as he climbed up to the next floor.

"Up here!"

Joel finished climbing the ladder and Y/N helped him up. The smuggler called out as well.

"Ellie!"

They saw the girl running up the stairs and across the top floor's railing.

"C'mon!"

The men ran up the stairs and made it to the next floor. Ellie was still far ahead.

"Ellie." Joel called out.

"C'mon!"

Y/N, despite his healing ankle, was faster than his father. Joel watched as he started getting ahead too.

"Just wait." He breathed out. "God damn it."

Y/N saw Ellie go to another room. He followed her inside, seeing that she was standing by a large open hole in the wall, staring at something. He caught his breath and looked on, finally seeing what she was seeing.

Joel came in moments later. He saw the young man and teenager staring at the giraffe eating from the overgrown foliage. He slowly walked up to them and put down his rifle.

"Don't scare it." Ellie softly said.

"I won't." He reassured her.

The older man went over and pulled off some leaves from the bush.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"It's all right." He held out some for her. "Come here, hurry up. Come on."

Ellie took some of the leaves. The giraffe turned to her and saw that she had food. She carefully gave some to it and the animal continued eating.

Ellie smiled and chuckled as she fed the giraffe. "Hey there."

Y/N watched, softly smiling as well. At that moment, he remembered one time going to the zoo with his family. The memory of Sarah helping her little brother feed a few animals came to him.

Suddenly, Ellie turned to Y/N beside her and handed him some leaves. He looked down at it and then at her, the two sharing smiles.

Y/N gave some leaves to the giraffe as well. It ate from his hand and he let out a soft laugh, Ellie joining in with her giggles.

Beside them, Joel smiled at the sight of the girl and his son sharing that moment. It brought back memories of his own...and feelings he thought he'd never have again.

"So fucking cool." Ellie remarked, giving the giraffe the last of her leaves.

The giraffe started to leave. It walked away but Ellie didn't want the encounter to end.

"Aw, where's she going?" She soon ran off to see, calling out to the Millers. "Come on, come on, come on, come on!"

Y/N chuckled and jogged after her. Joel picked his gun back up, letting out an exhale before following.

The smuggler made it to an exit and went outside, seeing Y/N and Ellie by the parapet of the rooftop. Ahead on the overgrown baseball field below was a collective of giraffes, each vocalizing as they walked around.

He joined them by the parapet and leaned against it, looking out at the animals just like they were. Joel was to Ellie's right and Y/N was to her left.

"So..." He turned to Ellie. "Is it everything ya hoped for?"

Ellie recalled that same question back in Boston several months ago when looking at the skyline. She gave the same answer.

"It's got its ups and downs...but you can't deny that view."

Joel chuckled. They continued looking out at the animals, their distant noises still being heard. After a moment, the older man spoke up.

"Look, I don't know exactly where this hospital is—"

"Yeah, we'll find it." Ellie interjected.

"Sure. It's just..." He sighed. "Maybe there's nothin' bad out there, but so far there's always been somethin' bad out there."

"We're still here, though." She replied, also remembering what Y/N told her. "We preserved. We made it through."

"I know. I'm only saying there's a risk." Joel said, then fully turned toward Ellie. "We don't have to do this. I just...I want you to know that."

He directed his gaze to Y/N as well, wanting him to know what he thought. The young man attentively listened.

"What do you mean?" Ellie asked. "What else are we supposed to do?"

"Nothin'. We just go back to Tommy's. We forget about the whole damn thing."

Y/N took the time to process his reasoning. It felt like in those few seconds all the memories of what he endured flashed in his mind. But among the ones that stood out were times shared with Ellie and his father.

From the good: like the car ride to Kansas City, the laughs they had with Ellie's jokes, their arrival to Jackson, and their trek to Colorado. And the bad: such as experiencing the loss of Tess, the ambush in K.C., Sam's death, Joel's near death, and Silver Lake.

All those things had brought them together and were now closer than ever. For the first time, Y/N seemed to forget all about his mission as a Firefly and the goal of a cure. He was already happy with what he had.

"Doesn't seem like a bad idea." Y/N finally chimed in. "Go back, have a nice meal again. This time I'll actually stay for movie night."

The young man chuckled and Joel reacted with a smirk of his own. Ellie, meanwhile, didn't react and had the same expression.

"After all we've been through...everything I've done..." She swallowed and shook her head. "...it can't be for nothing."

Both Joel and Y/N didn't say anything, but they understood her reasoning. Ellie continued, looking at both of them.

"I know you two mean well. I know you wanna protect me. You have. And when we're done, we'll go wherever you want. Tommy's, sheep ranch, the suburbs, farm, the moon."

Y/N chuckled, looking back at Ellie. Joel softly smiled and glanced at his watch for a moment.

"I'll follow you anywhere you go." She added. "But there's no halfway with this. We finish what we started."

Joel nodded, agreeing with the teenager. Ellie looked at the giraffes that were now leaving. Y/N stared at them too, before looking down at his bracelet and touching it.

"Well, I ain't leaving without ya. So let's wrap this up."

They made it through a tunnel and stumbled upon an abandoned army triage. Everything was dilapidated and overgrown.

"Was this a FEDRA thing?" Ellie asked.

"No. Army." Joel replied. "They put these places up all around the first few days after the outbreak. Emergency medical camps. Obviously didn't last. They had me in one just like this."

"Sarah and Y/N with you?"

"Just Y/N. She was gone already."

"Oh. So what was wrong with you?"

"It was for this." Joel pointed at his scar.

"Ah, the guy who shot and missed." Ellie said. "I figured that would've happened later."

Y/N overheard this as he walked beside them. He decided to keep quiet.

"No. Second day." Joel replied to her.

He stopping stopped by a cement barrier. Y/N noticed and slowed down. Ellie kept walking.

"Well, I've gotta hand it to the Army people. They were way better at stitchin' you up than I was."

"It was me." He called out. "I was the guy who shot and missed."

It got her attention and she turned around. The man looked down and sat on the barrier. Y/N stood beside him, holding his pack by the sling and looking down too.

Ellie joined them at the barrier and sat beside Joel. The smuggler kept staring at the floor.

"There's no story. Sarah died...and I couldn't see the point anymore. Simple as that. I felt like I failed everyone, I failed her...so it was only a matter of time before I failed Tommy and Y/N. So I was ready. And I wasn't scared either. I was ready."

He explained further. "When I...When I...went to pull the trigger, I-I flinched. Still don't know why. Maybe...maybe it just wasn't my time yet. Maybe the Lord still thought...there was something for me to do."

Y/N put a hand on Joel's shoulder. His gaze was soft and was on the verge of tearing up. He knew about his father's attempt at ending his life and this was the only time he really spoke about it.

"And you did do something." Y/N reassured him. "You didn't fail me. Or anyone else."

Joel nodded, appreciating his son's words. Ellie looked at them, content with the moment they were having. The two going from bickering men at the start to now having a close-knit father-son relationship was great to see.

"Anyway..." Joel cleared his throat. "The reason I'm telling you all this..."

"I know why you're tellin' me all this." Ellie said.

"Yeah, I reckon you do."

"So time heals all wounds, I guess."

Joel turned to Ellie. "It wasn't time that did it."

He was a cold-hearted and no-nonsense man before meeting Ellie. Not only did the journey with her soften him, but it also helped bring him and his son back together.

It was a similar situation for Y/N. He basically cut ties with his family and was set on finding a purpose with the Fireflies. He had nightmares, and he still reeled from the loss of Sarah, but his time with Ellie seemed to heal his pain. And that healing also brought him closer to Joel.

For both men, Ellie Williams had become the light in their lives.

She was touched by Joel's words and didn't know what to say initially, knowing that she had brought purpose to his life.

"Well, I'm glad that...that didn't work out."

Joel choked up. "Me, too."

After a moment, they decided to keep moving. The young man looked at the leaves and remembered the giraffe from earlier.

"You ever seen a giraffe before?" Y/N asked Ellie.

"Only in books."

"I—uh...remember going to the zoo when I was little. They were so tall up close. Even...even got to feed them too."

"You went with Sarah?" She asked him.

He nodded. "Yeah...yeah. It was her birthday and she loved animals. Nature in general."

Y/N let out a sigh as he rubbed his face. He felt the scar on his cheek.

"This...this wasn't from shaving." He admitted. "I got it in a car accident when everything began."

Ellie turned to Y/N and listened. Joel overheard and he recalled that fateful day. He continued.

"Sarah was in that car with me. Her leg was hurt pretty badly but she didn't care...all she was worried about was me. Just a cut on my face and that's all she cared about. She was acting strong for me...so that I could be strong myself."

"She..." Ellie looked down and shrugged. "She sounds awesome. A badass."

Y/N smiled. "Yeah. She was."

Ellie suddenly reached for her bag. Y/N figured she was getting some food or maybe even her joke book, but it was a photo. She handed it to the young man.

"I—I got this from Maria's place. Well...stole...but we can put it back."

Y/N took the picture and looked at it. He let out a quiet breath upon seeing that it was of him and Sarah. He remembered where and when it was taken: at her soccer game five months before Outbreak Day.

The young man smiled as he held it. Joel was standing beside him also with a grin. Y/N started putting it in his bag and turned to Ellie.

"That was great to see. Thank you." He told her. "You know...she was pretty damn good at soccer. Maybe we can try it out back at Jackson? All the snow should've melted so the fields should be good."

"Is soccer the one where you throw the ball or the one with the basket?" She asked.

Y/N chuckled. "No. You use your feet."

"Then why isn't it called football? Why is the other one with touchdowns and such called that?"

"Never realized that actually."

The two turned to Joel who they expected to have an answer to that mystery. He didn't want to get into it.

"It's complicated."

They kept walking. After a moment of silence, Joel turned to Ellie.

"You know what I'm in the mood for?" He asked.

"What?"

"Shitty puns."

"Oh-ho-ho." Ellie beamed and pulled out her joke book.

"It was about damn time." Y/N remarked.

Ellie began. "People are making apocalypse jokes like there's no tomorrow."

The two men glanced at one another, not reacting.

"Too soon?" She asked.

"No, it's topical." Joel replied.

Ellie laughed. "Oh, I love this one. Moon rocks taste better than Earth rocks. Why?"

"Why?" Y/N asked.

"'Cause they're meteor."

Y/N laughed. "Okay, that was funny."

"That was terrible." Joel chimed in.

"Fuck you." Ellie chuckled. "That was actually good."

"That's a...That...That's a zero outta ten."

"You're just hating now, viejo." Y/N replied.

"All right, all right." Ellie continued. "What did the green grape say to the purple grape? Breathe, you idiot."

That made Joel smile but still hid his laughter. "That was a three outta ten."

Y/N shrugged. "A four."

"Seven, minimum." Ellie interjected.

"Uh-uh. I'll give it a five. Five outta ten." Joel added.

"Five—?"

A sudden metal clank by their feet stopped them in their tracks. They looked down and saw the familiar-looking cylinder. It was a flash grenade.

Y/N reacted. "Oh, shit—"

Joel had shielded Ellie once it exploded but the unprotected Y/N got most of the concussive blast. He fell to the floor in a daze and was going in and out of consciousness.

Joel's ears rang and he looked around. Soldiers grabbed Ellie as she called out to the men.

"Joel! Y/N!"

"Ellie!" Joel exclaimed. "Ellie!"

She was taken away. The smuggler didn't have a chance to cry out again before he was hit in the back of the head with a rifle.

The men soon grabbed the knocked-out Joel and the unconscious Y/N, taking them back to their base.

• • 2021 • •

THE TWO YOUNG men had joined the rest of the recruits at their hideout outside of Area 2. Among them was Mike Bryant, who had served under Marlene for some time now.

He had spoken to them and prepped them for what was ahead. Mike didn't want anyone that wasn't 100% sure of what they wanted to do as a Firefly and needed those who bought in.

Two people caught his eye at that meeting: Y/N Miller and Brent Meadows. They both had been recruited by Marlene herself so he was drawn to them.

"Been in that FEDRA school for how long?" Mike asked them.

"About eight...ten years." Y/N answered.

Brent agreed. "Same amount of time."

"And what did they teach you about Fireflies?"

Y/N glanced at Brent. The latter decided to reply.

"That they were terrorists."

"Do you believe that?"

"No." Y/N replied. "We understand the flawed system they're implementing. The propaganda they spew. It's all just for their benefit. To keep their power."

Mike liked that answer. "They have their purpose for why they do what they do. Just like us."

"For all to look for the light?" Brent asked. "Take down the darkness of FEDRA's tyranny."

"We have that common goal, sure. It pushes us." He replied. "But each of us, every single one of us, has that one thing that keeps us going. That one thing in our mind is what drives us to work harder and better."

The two took in his words. Mike continued and elaborated.

"Me...well, it's my younger sister. Nora. I do what I do so that she can hopefully live in a better world." He turned to Brent. "How about you?"

Brent let out a sigh. "I have a sister too. She's out there somewhere, I know it. So...I guess she drives me."

Mike nodded then looked at Y/N. The man looked down and rubbed the back of his neck. The Firefly noticed his hesitation.

"Come on. What drives you?"

After a moment, Y/N finally answered. "Mi hermanita. Sarah. She died a long time ago...but she still lives in me. So yeah, she keeps me going."

Mike liked all of their answers. He smirked and nodded to the both of them.

"The blood, sweat, tears...it's all for them. And in the end...we can say that we helped them be in that better world."

• • PRESENT DAY • •

Y/N SLOWLY OPENED his eyes. He was in a hospital bed in a rather chilly room. He sat up and looked toward the open door, seeing an armed militiaman.

"Private." He spoke upon noticing him awake. "Uh...let me go get Marlene."

The name caught him off guard. The man soon left, leaving Y/N in the room still confused. He recalled the gear he was wearing and the yellow band on his arm. He was likely a Firefly.

His suspicions were confirmed upon the arrival of Marlene. Another man was with her...Brent.

"Holy shit." Brent breathed out. "It is you."

He went up to the sitting Y/N and pat his shoulder before embracing him. The young man was still in awe at what was happening.

"Brent? Where—?" He parted and looked at the leader. "Marlene?"

"Y/N." She greeted. "You're a sight to see."

The young man got off of the bed and stretched a bit. He reached out and clasped Brent's hand, the two smiling.

"God damn, man. I—I thought you were dead." Brent said.

"Nah..." He shook his head. "Nah, not me."

"You really came all this way from Boston?" Marlene asked. "Wow...you're something else, Miller."

"If anyone could've done it. It's him." Brent added.

Y/N chuckled, but his expression soon faded upon remembering Joel and Ellie.

"Uh...my—my dad? Ellie?" He asked them. "Where are they?"

Marlene crossed her arms. "Joel is still out. Our guys must've hit him too hard. Sorry about that. Ellie's getting some tests done."

Y/N nodded. "Can...Can I see her?"

"She's out right now while they're running tests and scans. Don't worry, I talked with her and said you were okay."

That brought Y/N some sense of relief. He really wanted to see her but he was okay with waiting until she woke up.

"I appreciate everything, Private." Marlene spoke again. "You brought her here. Now we can move on with what we've been wanting to accomplish for years. All because of you."

Brent smiled and pat his friend's back. Y/N weakly smiled back but shook his head.

"It wasn't me. It was her." He admitted. "Ellie fought like hell to get here, and that kept us going."

Marlene simply nodded. He looked at Brent and then back at Y/N.

"Well, I suppose you two need to catch up." She started walking out of the room. "I'll let you know how the tests turn out."

Y/N and Brent soon left the room, walking down the hallways of the hospital. The two friends really wanted to know what each had been through and talked.

"After that shitshow at the State House, we just kept moving. Mike and I went west until we stumbled upon Marlene." Brent explained.

"Mike is here too?"

"Yeah. Upstairs I think. He just came back from spending the day with Nora."

Y/N nodded. The mention of Mike's sister made him remember something important to tell Brent.

"I—I made it to Wyoming. To Jackson. I saw Jane."

Brent stopped in his tracks. He turned to Y/N with widened eyes.

"What?"

"I saw her, Brent. Your mom too. They're fine and living great."

The young man smiled and let out a breathy laugh. Y/N pat the side of his shoulder.

"After this, I'm bringing you back there with me. I mean...I promised Jane I would."

Brent nodded and held Y/N's shoulder. Now he couldn't wait to get everything done and finally see his family.

"So you saw Jane, huh?" He asked. "What did you think?"

"What do you mean?" Y/N replied.

"On second thought, what did you do?"

The young man simply shrugged and kept walking. Brent followed.

"Months of just radio talk and you finally meet in person. Like...how was the first day?"

Y/N simply nodded. "It was good."

"Good." He repeated with a chuckle. "Wonder what the first date in Jackson was like."

For the next half hour, Y/N and Brent continued conversing and spending their time together. It felt like the times back in Boston.

Y/N was in a room with Brent, looking at a map and describing the route he took to get to where they were. Suddenly, Marlene came in.

"Miller. Meadows."

She got their attention. The lady sighed and crossed her arms.

"Tests have been done." She paused, then let out a breathy laugh. "Jerry says it's possible. We can make a cure."

Brent beamed and glanced at Y/N. The man smiled and felt elated knowing that they were a step closer to saving their world.

"That's amazing." Y/N replied. "Ellie...well, she's worked so hard for this to be possible. It's going to be nice seeing her being able to live in a world she saved."

That statement caused Marlene to react solemnly. Y/N noticed her reaction and she spoke before he can question it.

"She...she is being prepped for surgery." She admitted.

"Surgery?" Y/N asked. "Why?"

"The Cordyceps in her brain mutated, and it's been mutating since birth. In order to reverse engineer a vaccine...they have to remove it."

Brent stayed quiet upon hearing that. He looked at Y/N, whose expression fell and was now full of denial. He didn't want to believe that Ellie had to die to make the cure.

"You...you can't do that. There—there has to be another way, right?" He asked, turning to Brent as well.

Marlene looked down and shook her head. "This...this is the only way."

Those four words hit Y/N like a freight train. All the high spirits he had from being back with the Fireflies, reuniting with Brent, knowing the cure was possible...it was all gone. He was now filled with dread and sadness.

"But..." He muttered.

"I'm sorry." Marlene said. "I'm going to give the news to Joel, he should be waking up by now."

The woman walked out of the room. Y/N still stood there, staring out into blank space. Brent went up to him and gestured out of the door.

"Come on. Let's...let's get some air."

Y/N was back inside the hospital after taking some time to himself outside. He had reunited with Mike, who was glad to see him.

He wasn't as cheery as he was with Brent, since he was still thinking of what was going to happen with Ellie. Y/N didn't know what to do and was often spaced out when he was spoken to.

"I knew you were a badass, man." Mike said. "Walked across the country with barely anything and you finally made it here."

He followed him down the hallway through a red door and into a room. Y/N looked up and saw the window ahead. Through it, Jerry and a couple of nurses were tending to the unconscious Ellie. His heart began to race.

"Mike..." Y/N muttered.

"Marlene told me about her. I understand that you two probably went through hell and endured it together." Mike interjected. "I just want you to know that...she'd want this. Like you said...she fought hard to get here."

The young man looked through the glass into the operating room. He did recall saying that to Marlene. Ellie endured...survived...to get where they were. And now there were here...the finish line.

Y/N kept staring at Ellie. As he did, the room suddenly seemed to get darker. It felt like he had tunnel vision as he gazed at her. His mental picture soon changed little by little...and he began to see Sarah.

The image before him quickly morphed into the moment Sarah died in Joel's arms.

He remembered the moments after she did, when Joel wailed and sobbed and put her body back down. Y/N had gotten out of Tommy's arms and ran toward Sarah's body, crying and calling out to her.

"Wake up! Please wake up!"

"Open your eyes, hermanita. Please!"

"Wake up!"

Y/N blinked once and that image vanished, now replaced with Ellie and the doctors. He thought back at how Mike said she would've accepted what would happen to her.

But since he didn't hear it from her...alarms blared in his head and his ears lightly rang. Y/N wasn't going to let her go without knowing for sure. But even that didn't matter...

He wasn't going to let her go, no matter what.

"No..." Y/N muttered. "I have to hear it."

Mike turned to him and arched a brow. "Huh?"

"This is wrong. I have to hear her...I have to hear her!"

Y/N immediately stormed inside the operating room. Jerry and the other nurses were startled by his sudden entrance.

"Stop!" He exclaimed. "Let her wake up."

One of the nurses held out an arm. "She's—"

Y/N shoved her aside and stood over Ellie's unconscious body. The other nurse backed away. Y/N held the girl's shoulders and lightly spoke.

"Come on, wake up. Open your eyes, hermanita. Please."

Jerry started coming over. "Sir, she's sedated—"

He was about to place a hand on Ellie, but Y/N quickly swatted it away.

"Don't touch her!"

Mike had entered the room with a couple more Fireflies. One grabbed his shoulder and tried pulling him back.

"Let go of me."

"You need to leave, Private."

He kept trying to pry Y/N off. The young man gritted his teeth.

"I said get the fuck off me!"

He spun around and landed a hook across the soldier's face. The other Firefly charged Y/N and held him long enough for another soldier to come in and hold him too.

"Let go of me!" Y/N shouted. "Let go of me!"

The Firefly that was punched by Y/N got back up and socked Y/N in the stomach. Before he can land another hit, Mike stopped the soldier.

"Enough!" He scolded, then looked at Y/N and the two soldiers. "Get him out of here."

"Mike!" Y/N spoke. "You can't do this. I need to hear it from her. I need to..."

His superior stared at him for a moment before shaking his head. Even if they waited, the best opportunity was now.

"Can't lose this chance, Y/N."

The young man kept staring at Mike. He looked at the two Fireflies and spoke again.

"Take him downstairs and allow him to calm down."

"Yes, sir." One of them replied.

They started dragging Y/N out as the man kept writhing in their grasp.

"No! Stop!"

The Fireflies escorted Y/N out of the operating room. He still struggled as they made their way toward the elevator.

"Relax!" One of them exclaimed.

They shoved Y/N into the cabin and the two went in with him. One had his assault rifle in hand. The doors shut and they started making their way down.

Y/N stayed quiet, looking straight at his blurry reflection in the metal door. One of the Fireflies spoke to the other.

"Can you believe this guy? All that drama and shit for what?" He turned to Y/N. "A little girl?"

The young man kept quiet as the other chuckled. The Firefly spoke again.

"You'll get over it."

The elevator dinged and let them know they were passing the second floor. At that moment, one of their radios came on.

"Shots fired! Shots fired!"

The man reacted. "The fuck?"

As he reached for it, Y/N quickly grabbed the knife sheathed in the man's holster and spun around, stabbing the other in the neck. He immediately grabbed a hold of the rifle in the bleeding man's grasp and forced him to fire.

Bullets hit the buttons of the elevator and caused it to stop. He kept firing and shot the other Firefly several times in the chest where he soon fell to the floor.

Y/N let go of the other man and let him slide down the elevator, still bleeding from his neck. The young man looked down at him, picking up his assault rifle and checking his pockets for more ammunition.

The dying man tried to speak. "P—Pr—"

He paid him no mind and took a few clips of rifle ammo. Y/N turned around and pried open the elevator doors where he crawled into the second floor of the hospital. He could hear shouts.

"Shots fired! East side!"

Y/N kept walking down the corridor. A couple of Fireflies were ahead of them and were confused about seeing their fellow soldier.

"Miller? Are you—?"

The young man immediately raised his rifle and shot the man down. His colleague looked on in shock.

"Daniel! Fuck!"

He didn't have time to react as Y/N shot him in the leg. The Firefly fell to the floor and groaned, but it was cut off by another bullet to his head.

Y/N continued down the corridor and went up some stairs. He made it to the third floor and could hear footsteps and chatter from some other Fireflies.

"He's coming up from the east side!"

"I thought it was the south!"

"Fuck! Is there multiple?"

He came down the hallways and saw them by the front desk. Y/N shot one down and the rest quickly took cover.

"They got Jon! Shit!"

Y/N pushed forward and fired at them. He took cover behind another wall come they returned fire.

"Fuck you, motherfucker!"

The soldier made the dumb mistake of reloading while still having his head out, so Y/N peeked and shot him down with ease. His colleagues reacted.

"Monty!"

Y/N wasn't even hearing their callouts and shouts from people who he once considered comrades and friends. Everything was muffled and the only thing on his mind was getting back to Ellie.

He popped out of cover and pushed again. One Firefly peeked but was immediately gunned down by Y/N. The young man took cover again.

"You son of a bitch!"

The remaining Firefly in the room got out of cover and pushed toward Y/N, firing his rifle at the wall. He couldn't peek out or else he'd be shot, but the Firefly keep pushing whilst pulling the trigger.

Suddenly, he was shot down through a window he passed by.

Y/N looked out and saw the man groaning on the floor. From a doorway, an older man came out, holding a semi-automatic rifle and carrying his pack. It was Joel.

"Dad." Y/N muttered, going up to him.

He looked at him too. "Y/N."

There was silence for a moment. Joel let out a breath and looked down.

"It's Ellie. I can't let—"

Y/N stopped him. "I know. I'm not letting them either."

Joel nodded. On the ground beside them, the injured Firefly tried speaking into his radio.

"It's the smuggler...and the Private." He weakly spoke. "Private Miller is with the smuggler—"

Joel immediately shot the man in the back of the head. Y/N didn't react, simply gripping his rifle and going down the hallway with his father.

The Millers made it to the top floor and were on their way to the far end where the operating room was. Y/N had recovered his pack and crossbow but mostly stuck with the assault rifle.

They entered a large waiting saw the double doors leading to the next corridor. The two got to them but a stray shot hit the wall near them.

Y/N spun around and saw one Firefly, where he quickly shot him down. He could still see a few of them running toward them through the window of the adjacent hallway.

"Go." He told Joel. "Go get her and I'll meet you there."

"Mijo—"

"Go." He sternly said, gesturing toward the door. "I'll handle them."

Joel looked at the incoming Fireflies and then back at Y/N. He nodded and went through the double doors.

The young man turned around, taking a breath, and raised his rifle. The Fireflies came in and he fired at them but they quickly took cover.

"You're fucking dead, Private!" One of them exclaimed.

Y/N ducked behind the cover and reloaded. Another voice called out, one that he recognized.

"Is this what you're doing now?" Mike exclaimed. "What the fuck are you thinking?"

One Firefly tried pushing but Y/N quickly looked out and shot him. The other Firefly cried out.

"Fuck! You fucking bitch!"

He fired in his direction before throwing a flash grenade where Y/N was. The young man quickly reacted, diving at the grenade and tossing it back into the open.

It detonated and blinded both Mike and his colleague. The other Firefly groaned but was immediately shot in the head and taken out. Mike heard this, finally opening his eyes and seeing his comrade dead.

"Fuck!"

Mike quickly took cover. He reloaded his weapon and peeked out, seeing the tip of a rifle behind one of the sofas. He knew Y/N was there.

"All this? And for what!? A girl you didn't even know until late last year?" Mike exclaimed. "This is what has to happen! We have no other choice!"

There was no response. Mike took out a frag grenade he had and pulled the pin. He let it cook for a couple of seconds.

"Try throwing this back, you son of a bitch." He muttered.

Mike tossed it and it landed behind the sofa, immediately blowing up. The senior Firefly quickly vaulted over the desk and went over to the explosion site, aiming his gun behind the seat.

Y/N wasn't there. It was only his gun, which he had propped up against the seat as a diversion moments after the flash-bang detonation. The man was confused.

Suddenly, a knife entered the back of Mike's neck. He grunted and choked as a struggle ensued. Y/N spoke to him as he kept the knife in.

"I do." He said, finally replying to his statement about not having a choice.

He let Mike's body fall and the man quickly bled out. He gave one last look at Y/N before his eyes stopped moving and looked blankly ahead, finally dying.

Y/N looked at his hand containing the knife. He dropped it by Mike's body before picking up another rifle and leaving the waiting room.

Joel walked through the red door. He opened it, seeing the doctors with Ellie on the table. Thankfully, they hadn't started the surgery yet.

The smuggler quickly went to the next door and entered the operating room. The surgeon and nurses were oblivious to his presence.

"Unhook her." He stoically said.

The nurses gasped. Jerry looked back at Joel and was shocked.

"How did you get in here?" He asked.

"I said unhook her."

The surgeon grabbed the scalpel from the tray beside him and pointed it toward Joel.

"I won't let you take her."

Joel immediately raised his pistol and shot Jerry straight in the face. The nurses screamed upon seeing the surgeon fall to the ground.

"Unhook her." Joel demanded again, this time pointing the gun at them. "Move!"

The nurses were frantic and did as told. They removed the IVs from her arm and Joel saw blood.

"Cover her arm. Fast."

"Okay." One nurse said and bandaged her bleeding arm.

"Turn around."

Joel forced the nurses to turn around with their hands up. He decided not to kill them and went straight to picking up Ellie.

"I got you..." Joel whispered. "I got you, baby girl."

With the girl in his arms, he quickly made his way out the other door. He walked through the hallway but someone came out of the next corridor in front of him and shouted.

"Stop!"

It was Brent. He had his pistol trained at Joel and the smuggler halted in his tracks. He looked at the young man.

"Listen, son—"

"Shut up!" Brent exclaimed. "Now, put the girl down. Now."

Joel didn't move and he didn't want to. The only way he'd let go of Ellie is if he were dead. Brent was starting to get impatient and gripped his handgun tighter.

"Put the girl down or I'll fucking—"

A shot rang out and hit Brent in the stomach. He to the floor, groaning and now bleeding from his wound.

Behind Joel came Y/N, an assault rifle in hand. He saw the Firefly holding up Joel and Ellie at gunpoint...and it reminded Y/N of the moment years ago when the soldier held up Joel and Sarah. The same scenario that cost his sister's life.

This time, Y/N was there. And he put a stop to it.

Brent looked up, seeing Y/N standing beside the smuggler. He was shocked at what he was seeing and the realization of what he just did was hitting him.

"Y/N...you—you're part of this?" He asked.

The young man assumed he meant the attack on the hospital in an attempt to rescue Ellie. Y/N just stared at him and the silence was all Brent needed for confirmation.

"Why are doing this?" He asked with a grunt. "Everything we worked for. Our purpose! Was it all for nothing?"

Y/N was still non-responsive. He simply looked down. Brent continued.

"Did what we go through mean nothing?"

"It did." Y/N muttered. "It did."

That simple response meant nothing to him. Brent continued holding his wound, looking down as he shook his head.

"All I wanted was a better world for me, my mom, my sister. We had that chance and you ruined it!" He exclaimed. "Was it worth it? Damning us all...for her?"

The silence in the room was so great that the drop of a pin could be heard. Y/N looked directly at Brent with a cold expression.

"Yes."

Brent could not believe what he was hearing. The Firefly kept shaking his head.

"We could've saved our world." He emphasized.

Y/N took a glance at Ellie in Joel's arms. He looked back at Brent on the floor.

"I did."

What was coming out of Y/N's mouth shocked Brent. It was as if he didn't know who he was anymore. That brought him immense sadness...along with great anger.

"You motherfucker..." Brent grunted and looked over at the pistol nearby. He started crawling toward it. "I'll kill you...I'll kill you both..."

"Brent—"

"I'll kill you before you go back to Jackson."

Y/N held up his rifle. "Please don't."

"Fuck you." Brent seethed. "I'm not letting a monster near my sister..."

Brent kept going for the gun. Y/N just watched, his expression now becoming crestfallen, since he knew what he would have to do.

The young man finally his hand on the gun. Brent stayed still for a moment...before grabbing it and turning toward Y/N.

With swiftness, Y/N lifted his rifle and shot Brent through the head. The young man let out a sigh, staring at his friend's corpse before lowering his gun.

Joel watched it all unfold. He looked toward his son and understood all too well why he had to do what he did. The man gestured toward the elevator across the hall.

"Come on."

His father kept moving. Y/N went up to Brent's body, lowering his collar and seeing his pendant. He grabbed a hold of it and looked at it, before taking it off of him.

Y/N held it in his palm and closed his fist. He decided to take it with him and placed it in his pocket before following Joel.

The elevator doors opened and they made it to the parking garage. Y/N lead the way and held up his rifle.

"A truck ." He pointed ahead. "Come on."

He allowed Joel and Ellie to walk ahead. Y/N followed close behind but he suddenly felt the barrel of a gun at the back of his head.

"Put the gun down, Private." Marlene demanded.

Joel turned around and saw his son at gunpoint. Marlene kept ordering Y/N.

"Now."

Y/N ultimately threw the rifle aside and kept his arms up. Marlene instructed him to step closer to Joel so she can have sight of the both of them.

"You can't keep her safe forever." She told them. "No matter how hard you try, no matter how many people you kill, she's gonna grow up. You'll both die. She'll leave. Then what?"

The two men stared at Marlene. The Firefly leader continued.

"How long till she's torn apart by a pack of Clickers? That's if she hasn't been raped and murdered first. That's the risk because she now lives in a broken world that you could have saved."

"Maybe." Joel said. "But it isn't for you to decide."

"Or you." She shot back. "So what would she decide, huh?"

Joel glanced down at Ellie in his arms. Y/N still kept his gaze on the woman before them.

"'Cause I think she'd wanna do what's right. And you know it. It's not too late. Even now...even after what you've done."

Marlene slowly stepped forward and lowered her guard. "We can still find a way."

Joel stayed quiet for a moment, looking down and then back at the girl in his arms. Marlene continued forward, getting closer to them.

A crack suddenly rang out. Marlene fell to the floor after being shot by Joel with the handgun he had in his right hand beneath Ellie's legs. The lady groaned in pain.

Joel made his way toward the truck with Y/N. He placed Ellie in the backseat and shut the door. The groaning of Marlene could still be heard through the garage.

He gripped his gun and was about to go back and finish the job. Y/N stopped him and held his arm.

"I got it." Y/N told him, taking the gun from him. "You stay with her."

Joel's hardened expression softened and he nodded. Y/N nodded back and walked off, going back to the bleeding Marlene.

"No, wait. Wait, wait, wait." Marlene panted in pain, holding up her hand to the young man towering over her. "Please. Let me go."

Y/N coldly stared at Marlene, gripping the pistol in his right hand.

"You'd just come after her." He said.

The former Firefly pointed the gun at Marlene's head and pulled the trigger.