The Both Of Us | Zelink X The Last Of Us

Chapter Twenty-Five

Zelda's pov

My lungs fill with the fresh air outside. We'd been down there for hours, breathing in the wet, heavy air. And I came into contact with an infected for the first time. It smelled rancid as it snapped at me and it took everything to keep it far enough away to prevent a bite. Then I stabbed it. I didn't hesitate, I just did. I can't tell if I feel good or guilty.

The sun is going down but we're not in the city anymore. We're in the suburbs. We walk onto a neighborhood street with boarded up houses. It's deserted and overgrown, the street full of rusty cars and debris.

"See," Henry says happily. "I said the tunnels would get us out." Sam walks next to him with a toy he took from that playroom.

"We would've been out hours ago if you knew how to read a fucking map," Link snaps. My mind keeps wandering back to how it felt to hold his hand. Even now I look at it resting at his side.

"We still got out-"

A bullet hits the ground near my feet and Link tackles me behind a car not seconds after. My head falls back but instead of hitting the pavement, my head is padded by his hand. The windows are shot out and glass shatters over us. He shields me with his body, his weight keeping me from taking a deep breath. I doubt he only weighs two hundred pounds.

He pushes himself up and we make eye contact for a moment before he pulls me up to crouch against the car. Henry has Sam crushed in his arms.

"Stay here. I'm going to sneak around back and take him out," Link says and goes to leave.

"No!" I grab his arm. "He'll shoot you." The sudden and intense fear of losing Link makes it hard to think. What would I do if he died? Henry isn't nearly as capable. And I care about Link. I don't want to be without him.

"It's dark and he has shit aim. He's not going to get me." My chin trembles a little. I don't want to lose him.

"Then he's going to kill us."

He presses his lips together, thinking "Do you trust me?" I know I do.

I nod and let go of his arm. He doesn't waste any time running for the next point of cover. All I have to do is stay here until it's safe. Link will make it safe.

Link's pov

The sniper doesn't see me as I move in. He shoots blindly where he thinks I am. I stay in the dark and move quickly from car to car until I'm behind the house. The door only creaks a little when I push it open and I step inside. The stairs are right in front of me and I step quietly up them. Until I hear more gunshots. Zelda has a history of not listening.

I run up the rest of the stairs and my eyes lock on the one door that's open. Gun raised, I creep to it. The window is open inside, facing out over the street. I step inside, only to be tackled seconds later.

The sniper is over me with a knife. He's older with graying hair and a long beard. I flip us over, taking his knife and bringing it down towards his throat. His hands fly up to grab my arms. He grunts as he falters but I can't let him live. If I do, he'll kill me or he'll kill Zelda. I can't let anyone hurt her.

I slam the knife down into his throat, his eyes going wide and he chokes. He lets go of me and his hands grab around the knife desperately, blood spilling out under his fingers. He would've killed Zelda.

I get up, moving towards the window and hear a radio go off under a jacket.

"Anthony," a woman's voice says. "Hold them where they are. We're almost there." Kathleen.

"Fuck," I say under my breath and go to the window. "RUN!" I yell as loud as I can. "RUN!" For god's sake run! "RUN!"

My heart pounds in my ears when I see headlights. I'm not there with her. I'm not there to keep her safe.