Firefly

Eight

A/N: I didn't even realize I forgot to post this last week!

Three Days Later

My eyes shot open, a gasp leaving my lungs as I shot up. Pain. So much fucking pain shot through me. My hand went to my stomach as I fell back onto the bed. I squeezed my eyes shut and bit my lip. Once the pain somewhat subsided I looked around. I was in a bedroom, one that I didn't know. Taking a deep breath I slowly pulled myself up to sit on the side of the bed. I took a few more deep breaths before standing. My legs were a little weak beneath me but after I found my balance I walked to the door.

I used the walls to help guide me and keep me steady. Walking down the hall and into the living room. A worn couch sat in front of a stone fireplace, a plush arm chair set facing the kitchen entryway. I walked into the kitchen only to find it empty as well. Fear was starting to creep up and the pain in my abdomen didn't help. There was a couple bottle of water sitting on the counter so I grabbed one and chugged it. I hadn't realized just how dry my throat had been.

I looked out the window above the sink and saw Joel. He was kneeling beside a grave. A grave a size of a child. Everything came back all at once. The Adlers, Joel killing Nana after see tried to attack us. The crash, the solider who shot at us. Joel cradling Sarah in his arms, sobbing and Tommy kneeling beside me as I gasped for air. I stumbled towards the door and swung it open letting it hit the wall behind it. Joel turned his head, eye widened before jumping to his feet and coming towards me.

"What're you doing out here? You should be in bed reating!" I down the stairs, staggering towards the grave. "No," I whispered. Before I could even reach it Joel stopped me. His arms wrapping around me gently. "Sa–no, no, no, no." My knees buckled but never hit the ground. Instead my feet left the ground and I was being carried back inside. "Come on. We gotta get you back to bed." I shook my head, "no. I don't want to lay in a fucking bed! What's happening? Where are we? Where's Tommy?"

Tears streamed down my face, hands fitting Joel's shirt. He sighed and sat on the couch instead of going to the bedroom. He kept me in his arms, cradling my head to his chest. "He's put getting supplies. Tryin' to find you something for the pain." I felt him place his lips to the top of my head and move my hair from my face. "We're at an old farm house. Shit got out of hand. Military has kill orders for anyone injured. Doesn't matter what it is. You're ignored they have orders to shot and kill. You're safe. I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you. I promise."

Eight Months Later

They were setting up quarantine zones for survivors. Joel, Tommy, and I have been on the road for almost a month now. After I had healed enough to travel we left that little farm house and made our way north. There was a QZ in Boston that was being built. Part of the city was getting a wall around it. There were other place in other cities they were putting QZs too. There was a lot of driving and walking. Highways were either jammed or blocked off. It was hard to get around everything.

We were hold up in an old apartment building right now. We all needed a break. "Maybe we just stay here for a little while," I said. We had just made it out of fucking Texas. You never know how big a start is until you have to drove and walk across it. We were somewhere in Arkansas. We had to abandoned the car we picked up few miles before getting out of Texas. We couldn't find a way past all the traffic jams. There were a couple times that Joel or Tommy had kill someone because they tried to rob us.

Joel wasn't himself anymore. He kept his emotions bottled up now. I mean he never really showed emotions before all this shit but now he didn't show any. And as promised, he protected me. Never straying to far from me and always making sure I was behind him when we did run into other people. There were a few times we had to run from infected. It was almost impossible to put rum them with how fast they are. Especially when they've just turned.