Uncharted: A Thief's Legacy

Chapter XX - A Thief's Legacy

The only thing Sam could feel was his heart pounding in his chest. He ran hard, bursting through the front doors of the factory and tearing down a side street towards where he knew Charlie was waiting. The sedan came into view and Sam saw the driver's door swing open and Charlie climbed out.

"Sam! You made it!" he shouted. Sam slowed as he got nearer, dropping his pace to a fast walk and gasping for air. Adrenaline coursed through his veins and he couldn't find words to reply to Charlie.

"You all good, mate?" Charlie asked. "You hurt? What happened to Eli?" Sam just stared at him mutely.

"He's dead, isn't 'e," Charlie said flatly. "Marlowe shot him?" Sam processed the question well enough to shake his head 'no'.

"So, you shot 'im." Sam nodded, pressing his lips together in a thin line. Charlie sighed.

"Get in the car," he said. "But gimme those first." Sam slipped the rifle and his holster off and handed them to Charlie, and then slid into the passenger seat. After Charlie had stowed the firearms safely in the trunk, he joined Sam in the cab and started the car.

"You gonna say anythin'?" he asked Sam. Sam didn't respond in any way. He couldn't move or think clearly, and he felt like there was a lump in his throat that prevented him from speaking. "I guess not."

Charlie resigned himself to a drive of silence, but he couldn't help glancing at Sam every minute or two while he drove. The whole way back to Charlie's flat, the Drake's position and expression never changed. He stared out the windshield, his face completely unreadable.

At the flat, Sam flew out of the car and headed up the front steps before Charlie had even turned the car off. When Charlie got inside, he found Sam stuffing all of his belongings into his duffle bag.

"Where d' you think you're goin'?" Sam paused his packing. "You leavin', jus' like that? No sleep, no goodbye, no explanation? Not even a 'thank you for settin' this all up an' buyin' illegal guns an' makin' sure I don't die an' keepin' me from killin' our partner'? After all we've been through you're jus' gonna run off again?" Sam straightened up slowly, but he waited for a moment. Charlie wasn't done.

"You know, I didn't 'ave to 'elp you with any of this. I coulda backed ou' after we lost Nate. I shoulda learned my lesson with you Drakes, you both take everythin' too far. You might even be worse tha' Nate. At least 'e knew t' stop before someone 'e cared about died. And maybe I shouldn't 'ave 'elped you but 'ere we are. So, I'm not jus' gonna let you walk outta 'ere without saying anything to me." Sam's eyes widened slightly and a look of hurt flashed over him. Charlie realized he'd gone too far.

"And, Sam," he continued, calming his voice a bit, "see, I did stick around an' we've been through a lot together the past couple o' months, 'cause I care 'bout you and your family. An' I've watched you go through this whole thing an' I can probably make a wager a' what you're thinkin' right now."

"Try me." Sam's voice sounded hollow and cold. Charlie tried not to let his surprise at Sam speaking overtake him and he quickly gathered his thoughts.