The Both Of Us | Zelink X The Last Of Us

Chapter Twenty-Two

Zelda's pov

The Midwest is as plain as it's always been, only now the fields are overgrown. The hawks still circle above them, looking for field mice. They're so free in the sky, getting to go anywhere and they're untouchable.

Despite my attempts, Link has stayed tucked away behind his brooding walls ever since his last lesson. Not even a small hint at the smile I want to see again. He's good at hiding.

I finish reading another book and stare out the window, hoping to see some cows. There's broken down farm houses scattered in the fields. One looks like it'd burned down. The outbreak reached everyone, even if you lived out here. The infection still found you.

Feeling more depressed than hopeful and a little let down at the lack of cows, I flip open the glove compartment to see if there's anything interesting to entertain myself with. There's stacks of CDs inside. One look at the dash and I have my mind made up.

I pick a random CD and put it into the player in the truck. If Link cares, he doesn't protest. A song begins to play and the warm feeling of nostalgia washes over me. It's a song I forgot about over the years and it comes back to me like I heard it yesterday. I hum along as it lifts my mood.

The next song plays and Link reaches out and pauses for a moment before he turns up the volume. His expression is hard as usual but his eyes are sad.

"Did you listen to this song a lot?" I ask.

"No." He shakes his head. "Someone I knew did." Someone who is gone.

"Who?" I knew that question would be pushing it the second I said it. He doesn't talk about the people he lost.

"My sister." He reaches over again and turns the CD player off then stares straight ahead.

He had a sister. The teddy bear was probably hers which means she was most likely younger. That means the blood was hers too. I can't imagine what that was like. I should count myself lucky I'm an only child. I didn't have to learn the pain of losing a sibling.

Link drives in silence for a while, constantly checking something on the dash behind the wheel. He looks increasingly frustrated each time.

The truck makes strange noises until it shuts down. We ran out of gas. There haven't been any cars to siphon gas from for miles. I knew it was going to happen at some point, I've just been ignoring it until now.

"We'll stay here tonight," he says without hiding his frustration. "We can make it to Kansas City tomorrow if we keep a good pace." Another city. Every city has given us hell and it's unrealistic to hope this one will be any different. "There's a QZ there so we'll have to avoid patrols." It's like the start of the trip, ducking through streets and avoiding floodlights. I'm more prepared now. I've done it once, I can do it again.

***

It's chilly in the morning and Link hands me his jacket again. He however, still has his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. I study his tattoo again. The details of it keep most of his scar hidden. The wolf's snout is scrunched in a snarl, showing large fangs and the sword is behind it. It has a winged handle with even smaller details I can't make out. I can only imagine what he traded to get an intricate tattoo like this.

Kansas City's skyline comes into view after walking for several miles. We still have a long way to go. I'm sure it's full of infected along with raiders and the military. I can't hesitate if we get into another situation. I should say when we get into another situation. It's inevitable.

As we get closer, plumes of gray become visible over the city. Fires.

"Is that smoke?" I ask when I notice Link studying it as well.

"Shit," he mutters. "Put your gun in your pocket." Quicker access. He obviously knows I'm going to need it.

With the gun weighing in my jacket pocket, we keep moving, Link more alert as we approach the city. His head is on a constant swivel and his steps are quiet. It's surprising how a man that big can make next to no noise.

"The fires are coming from the QZ," he explains quietly. "My guess is an uprising."

"An uprising?" The military runs the quarantine zones. They'd hang or shoot people who talked about rebellion.

"The military isn't exactly known for treating civilians well." They kept everything in order, sometimes using cruel methods like the public firing squads. It was meant to scare us into submission and keep us safe. I never had a problem but I always kept my head down and did what I was told. Seeing people shot was enough to keep me in line.

"Did you..." I trail off. I shouldn't ask him about it. Curiosity always wins though. "Did you have to do things when you were with the military?"

"All the time." He doesn't give anything else away but I know what he's done without him explaining. They'd shoot non infected people because dead people couldn't become infected. If you didn't get to a quarantine zone quickly, your fate was up to the soldier who found you.

The distant sound of a truck yanks me from my thoughts. We hide in the nearest building with windows covered in newspapers. He peeks out and I stand next to him, trying to see too. A military truck drives by with regular civilians on it but they're armed and cheering. 'Freedom' is painted on the side of the truck and my stomach drops when I see the bodies being dragged behind by ropes.

"That's just fucking great," Link whispers. "Fucking lunatics." He's one to talk.

"What do we do now?" Those people will kill us if they find us trespassing in their city.

"Hole up tonight and get the hell out tomorrow."

We travel through alleys and the occasional truck will go by with whooping passengers shooting rounds into the air. Most are dragging the bodies of dead soldiers but I saw one that was alive. The rope was around his neck and they drove like that. It's a cruel way to kill someone.

"Let's go up that fire escape," he whispers when it's getting dark and difficult to see. He crouches down and makes a platform for me to stand on with his hands. I steady myself with his shoulder as I step on his palms. He lifts me up in one smooth motion and I haul myself onto the platform. Then I drop the ladder for him.

We go up several floors until we find an unlocked window and climb into the apartment. It's dusty and ransacked with torn blinds and knocked over furniture. Link checks for monsters while I clear a space in the middle of the floor to sleep on. The distant sounds of gunfire and engines echo in the dark city. It sounds like a riot. I'll be happy when we leave tomorrow.

I sleep closer to Link than usual to feel safer. His presence used to scare me and now it comforts me. I listen to his steady breathing instead of the gunshots and eventually sleep finds me.

***

A slight creak in the floor near my head startles me and I roll over when I had been facing Link. My eyes land on shoes and travel up to the man they belong to. Then I see the gun pointed at my head.