Firefly

Ten

A/N: Just another little filler. Next chapter jumps two years.

Two Months Later

It was so fucking hot. The summer weather in Pennsylvania was killing me. I mean it's not as bad as summer in Texas but it was still hot. And it was fucking humid as hell. We were almost to our destination, the QZ in Boston. If it was as simple as driving the rest of the way there we would get there in like six hours. We could just go to the QZ in Philadelphia but to try and get through with the infected wasn't worth it.

We have also been having problems with raiders. We stayed in Arkansa longer than planned. It was nice until people showed up. Men, to be exact. Men who took one look at me while I was in one of the apartments…alone…helpless…easy target. One woman… four men. Four men who were much bigger and stronger. They saw me and all morals flew out the window. There were no more rules. No more laws, nobody around to stop them from doing whatever they wanted. 

I tried being civil and calm. I tried to act like I wasn't scared. I fought them and screamed for Joel and Tommy until one of them punched me. It all happened so fast. One moment I was acting tough then the next I was being cornered. I smashed a vase on one of their heads, threw something else at another one.

I was pinned to the floor by another until I brought my knee up and he fell off of me. Then I was being dragged to my feet by my hair. And when I spit in his face and told him to go fuck himself he pulled his fist back and clocked me. When I was on the floor holding my jaw he kicked me in the side before climbing on top of me. But when he reached for the button on his pants and panic dug its claws beeper into me…it all ended.

There was a loud bang and he fell off of me. Three more and then there was silence. I felt hands on me and jumped back, screaming for them to let me go. "It's me! You're okay. It's just me, sweetheart." Hearing his voice calmed me and I was flinging myself into his arms. Joel wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to stand with him. He held me close to him, kissing the top of my head while I cried. He had kept his promise once again to protect me.

Now we were in a small little Pennsylvania town called Landisburg. Of course there were infected but not many. It really wasn't that big. The post office is right across from the bank. And just up the hill is the fire department. Then down for the fire department was a little gas station called East End. We had checked it out but there wasn't much left behind, which isn't surprising.

"Nice little town." Tommy hummed in agreement. Joel hasn't said much since we left Arkansa. He's just been more guarded. Of course he hasn't been himself since all this shit has happened, since Sarah…"So, you think we'll get lucky and be able to drive the rest of the way to Boston?" I asked him. There were two garages, one was right beside the gas station and the other was across the street.

I was leaning against the truck that he was looking under the hood of. Tommy was across the street looking around the other garage, Martin's. Joel and I were inside Smiths Garage, the one right beside East End Gas Station. They had a truck inside that looked like it had almost been finished before shit went down. Joel didn't answer me and my mind started to play back everything that has happened since we left Arkansa. "Joel?" Still no answer. I sighed and pushed off the truck, "okay, well…I'll leave you to it."

I start to walk past him towards the door when his hand suits out and wraps around my wrist. "Where are you going?" I look down at his hand and slowly look up at him. "To see if Tommy is having any luck." He shook his head, "you don't leave my side." I raised an eyebrow at him, "I'm just going across the street, Joel." He pulled me closer to him. "You do not leave my side. Understood?" I nodded my head, "yeah…be clingy and all over you."

He gave me a deadpanned look that said he was serious. "I understand. Don't leave your side." I moved even closer to him and wrapped my arms around his waist. "Nothing is going to happen to me, Joel. Not while I'm with you." He kissed the top of my head and hummed. "So…think we'll be lucky enough to be able to drive the rest of the way to Boston?"

Two Hours Later

"Great. Wonderful. Perfect. I guess we walked the rest of the way." We weren't even out of Pennsylvania yet and we hit a huge fucking traffic jam. There was no getting around it like we did with the other ones. "Looks like we're walking." Joel got out of the truck followed by Tommy. I groaned before opening the back door and jumped out, making sure to grab my backpack. "So, who wants to give me a pig back ride?" I said, looking at Tommy.

"Not happening. Joel will do it," he said. Joel looked at us and I smiled. "No." The smile turned into a pout, "why not?" He walked past me and started walking down the highway. "I hate this shit," I mumbled, Tommy nodding in agreement from on the other side of the truck. "Let's go! What did I tell you?" I rolled my eyes. I've noticed I've been doing that a lot lately. "Don't roll your eyes at me!" I looked at Tommy and he shrugged. "Better get up there."

It was hell walking past all the cars in the middle of the day. I was hot and humid. The sun was beating down on us. We had stopped for a small break and pulled my shirt over my head. I had a sports bra on so it's not like it would matter. Or at least I didn't think it would until Joel practically tackled me. "What the hell are you doing?"

He had planted himself right in front of me, looking over his shoulder to make sure Tommy wasn't looking. "Taking my shirt off. It's fucking hot as hell, Joel!" I tried to walk around him but his hand shot out to grab my shirt. "Put your fucking short back on." I swatted his hands away when he tried to pull it back over my head. "I am in a sports bra. Calm down. It's no different than seeing me in a bathing suit." I tried moving around him again and his hand landed on my hip. "Put your shirt back on." I rolled my eyes and knelt down to my bag, unzipped it and pulled out a tank top and pulled it over my head. "Happy?"