After the end

seven

EVERYONE rolled out of the giant hotel/office building and began their pursuit to the bank. They had to try and stay quiet, Joel jogging to catch up with everyone. "We need to get out of sight." He was breathless, hands on his knees as he caught his breath. "I- I think it's this way." They all ran left, making their way to the maintenance tunnels. "This should it, you ready?" Henry asked, moving so Joel and Lexi could go first. "Get your guns out." Joel ordered Ellie who smirked at Sam, putting her hand in her pocket and pulling out her gun. Lexi held out her  pistol, light on as she followed after Joel. Water leaded onto the floor as they began their route through the tunnel. "See, it's fine, the plan is good." Henry exclaimed and Lexi put her hand over his mouth. "Shh, we've been down here two seconds, we don't know anything." Joel explained with a grumpy old man tone. Henry turned to Ellie with a playful grin. "Your dad's kinda a pessimist." "He's not my dad." "I'm not her dad." "He's not her dad." All three travelers said in sync, Henry being somewhat shocked at how fast they all defended themselves. "Just point your light forwards and be ready to run." Sam stayed quiet behind with Ezra and Ellie, in which Ellie was hot on Lexi's heels pointing her light forward and her gun in her hand by her side. It was silent for a while, the only sound was dripping water and their footsteps. Soon enough they came upon castles drawn on walls paintings all over them as Ellie marveled at it. They pushed through the door, Joel and Lexi shining their lights on it. There were signs of people there, children. The whole room was a giant play area, like a kindergarten. There were mini slides, a goal, a ball, everything. "I heard about places like this. People went underground after the outbreak, built settlements." Lexi looked left and saw 'rules' written on a board. "What happened to them?" Ellie asked. "Maybe they didn't follow the rules and they got infected." Lexi let a small smile let on her face from Ezra's comment and she watched Sam and Ellie play, and talk about another comic book they found. "Keep it down, we're not out yet." Joel scolded and Ellie huffed, getting her sass on as usual. "It would be better to wait for the light out, so it's dark when we pop out the other side." Ezra suggested and Joel stayed silent, making his way over to the adult sized table. Him, Lex, Henry and Ezra sat watching the kids play, Lexi watching with a small smile on her face. She saw her sister in all four of them, her sass in Ellie, her sarcastic personality in Ezra, her playfulness in Sam and her stubbornness in Henry. God she misses her baby sister and hopes every night that she's okay.

"You know it was uh.. exactly the truth before about me not killing someone. There was a man, a great man. You know he was never afraid, never selfish and he was always forgiving. Have you ever met someone like that?" Lexi's eyes wandered to Joel as she nodded to him, hands now in his lap, holding his fingers in her grasp. "I wanted to, I would've. Yeah but uh. Sam he uh got sick with Leukemia. Yeah anyway um. There was one drug that worked and woah big shock there wasn't much left and it belonged to FEDRA, and if I wanted some it would've taken something big, so I have them something big. that great man. The leader of the trust dance movement in Kansas city. And Kathleen's brother. Yeah, so you still think they should take it easy on me? Or am I the bag guy. I am the bad guy because I did a bag guy thing. But you get it though, you might not be her farther, but you were someone's. She was a mother too. See, I could tell." Lexi's eyes glazed over. She was a mother, well sort off. She never had a genetic daughter of her own, but she always treated Sarah like her daughter and when Rosa first moved in with her back in Ohio before they moved to Texas, she treated Rosa like her daughter.

Flashback

Ohio

12th July 1998

Lexi was sat on her couch watching TV when she heard a knock at her front door. 'Who could that be?'  The women thought to herself as she headed to the door and opened, she made eye contact with her younger sister. Their eye contact was broke when the women next to her started talking. "I'm sorry to disturb you but as you may know your farther died last month." "Yes I'm aware why is Rosa here?" "Your sister has no parental guardian to look after her so we have to give her to you, I'm sorry this is inconvenient for you as you too are dealing with the loss of your farther but-" "I have nothing to owe that cunt of a farther he doesn't deserve grief from me after what he put me through." Lexi interrupted the child protective services women. "Anyway, we couldn't find a guardian willing to take her in so you were the last one we could find that fits the criteria of being a parent, however if you feel like you cannot take care of your sister then she will be placed into an adoption center where she will have a new family and we'll make sure she's safe, you can keep contact with her if you chose this option if you wish. If you want to take Rosa into your care then you will have to sign some paperwork to make yourself her official legal guardian." The women explained and Lexi listened already knowing her answer. "I would like to take my younger sister into my care thank you." The women handed Lexi a folder and Rosa went to grab her things from the car. "As she is only 17 she will be checked in on every so often until she turns 18 once she is 18 she is an adult and can do whatever she wants." "Okay thank you very much, I'll take good care of her." "Okay then I'll come collect the paperwork off you tomorrow morning, take care." Rosa came back to the front porch with all her things and she waved the women goodbye as she drove away. "Come on in and make yourself at home." Lexi said as Rosa ran in jumping onto the sofa. "Hey Rosa I'm moving to Texas in about a year okay." Lexi informed the teen. "Okay, hey sis can we go out for dinner please?" Rosa pleaded the older Rodriguez who gave in quite quickly. "Okay c'mon then let's go." Rosa jumped up and ran to the door while Lexi grabbed her car keys out of the little bowl at the side of the door. The two Rodriguez's left the house and headed into the town of Ohio to get some food.