Silver ||Joel Miller||

you don't seem fine

LAURA

Her head throbbed, and it wouldn't stop. Of all the embarrassing things she'd done in her life, having to cross a plank of wood on all fours so she didn't fall off had to be in her top three. Even though she felt like her head might explode, there wasn't any time to let it pass. If they waited in place for forty-eight hours for her to be okay, they could be trapped by infected and killed.

Besides, she wasn't feeling nauseous... much.

She could rest once they made it to the State House—once they were with the Fireflies and surrounded by people who could keep them safe. Until then, she just had to...

Why was there no one guarding the State House?

"Where are they?" Laura whispered, unsure of what to do next. If the Fireflies weren't there, what was she supposed to do? Going back wasn't an option, and making it across America by herself would be... interesting since she hadn't left the QZ in twenty years aside from coming here—aside from making it to the State House for business purposes.

She had not had part of a building collapse on her for them to not be here.

"Just..." there was obvious concern on Joel's face as he looked down at her. "Just stay here. I'll go check it out," he said. She nodded and nocked an arrow to her bow, just in case. All she had to do was wait. All she could do was provide backup if needed.

Joel could handle himself, and right now, she needed to breathe. And think.

What was she supposed to do if they weren't here? Ellie gasped behind her, likely going over the same thoughts as Laura. So Laura whispered to the kid, "I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'll keep you safe, no matter what." Although the words were more to remind herself of what she was doing—to remind herself of what was at stake.

"And I've got your back too," Ellie replied, also in a whisper. It made Laura feel a little warmer, her head a little clearer, to know that there was that trust and loyalty both ways.

"I know." Laura turned her hazel eyes back to where Joel looked at the armoured truck. Boston wasn't viable anymore, which meant she would have to push ahead with or without the Fireflies. She could handle it, as long as they were smart and kept away from swarms of infected.

If she was going to be going alone, she would need to get Ellie a weapon and train her with it. Finding a semi-automatic would only be of use if she could practice and become more accurate with it than her bow, but that would waste ammo, which was hard to come by. It would be better to stick with her bow and train Ellie with a handgun. More importantly, they would have to find a car that works or horses from somewhere, otherwise it would be months of walking ahead of them.

If it was going to be months ahead of them, then she had to think about food and water and shelter. Well, Laura had packed a sleeping bag for herself, but she only owned the one... the list of things she needed continued to grow from there, which wasn't good when she didn't know where to get any supplies from.

God, she had to slow her breathing down. And her racing heart. She couldn't think straight like this.

"It's clear!" Joel shouted, and Laura wasted no time in stumbling forward.

"Where are they?" She asked again once she reached the truck. The tank had bullet holes in it and there was blood on the seats. Well, that truck wasn't an option for her to take. Fuck. What the fuck was she going to do?

"Not here," Joel said through gritted teeth, and the tone shook her to the core. Her lungs tightened even further, and the oxygen around her somehow became thinner.