Look for the Light (Joel Miller fanfic)

Introductions

You shoved your cold hands into the pockets of your dark blue jeans as you walked through the corridor of the Boston QZ. You came around the corner of the infested FEDRA streets and went into the brown brick building that was marked with red paint. It was quiet here. You could finally think without being surrounded by the yelling soldiers in the streets. This wasn't really a place you wanted to stay.

You came here to see Tess. Something about helping you flee this area. You hadn't been here long, but the amount you stayed was more than enough. Your mind raced as you made your way up the wooden steps, stopping at a red door. You knocked three times hoping Tess would answer shortly. After a moment Tess opened the door.

"Ahh. Aly come in," she motioned.

"Thanks," you said as you stepped through the threshold. You found the small black leather couch in the corner of the room and sank down into the cool leather. You rested your hands on your forehead and leaned over until Tess interrupted your thoughts.

"You alright?" Tess asked, concern lathered in her voice.

You sighed and looked up at her. "I'm good, Tess. Really. Don't worry about me," you said as another sigh escaped your mouth. She looked at you another moment before she spoke again.

"You really want to get out of here don't you?" she asked with sincerity in her voice. Her hazel eyes looked sad as she looked at the ground. "Look Aly, I came up with a plan on how you can get out of here. It might be a little dangerous, but I think you should try if that's really what you want to do.."

Before she could finish her sentence, the front door lock twisted and turned as a tall man barged through the door and slammed the door shut. He had on a red plaid shirt, light blue jeans and some dark brown work boots. His sleeves were rolled up and you could see the way his veins bulged as he flexed his left arm to fix his messy dark hair. He had patches of grey streaked through his hair, and you could see this man had been through a lot just by the way he carried himself.

He stopped and stared at you the moment he saw you sitting in the corner. His eyes were curious yet leary. His gaze lingered for a moment before he looked back at Tess. "Who's the girl, Tess, and why is she in our living room?" He walked over to Tess and practically threw a sack full of supplies into her arms. Tess caught it and huffed in annoyance.

"This is Aly. Aly, this is Joel," she said to you as she put the sack down on the floor.

Rain pelted on the outside window lightly as Joel walked back into the living room from the kitchen. Joel glanced at you and then looked back at Tess, clearly waiting for a response. Tess closed her eyes before she spoke softly. "Aly's going to go with you to find Tommy."

"I'm what?" you said alarmingly as you stood up from the couch and walked over to Tess.

"She's what?!" Joel shouted as he glared from you back to Tess.

"Joel, listen, I need to explain," Tess pleaded before Joel interrupted her.

"I don't even know this girl, Tess! Do you? Do you have any idea where she came from or what her intentions are? What if she was sent here as a spy to try to corrupt this place even more? What the fuck are you thinking!" Joel yelled angrily as his face turned a dark shade of red.

"Hey!" you fought back. "I'm not working for anyone. I just stumbled upon this shitty little town that's overrun by FEDRA. I don't even want to be here so I'm gonna do whatever I can to get the hell out of here." You snapped and Joel's expression lightened up a little. He looked you up and down before he turned back to Tess.

"You want to tell me what the hell is going on?" Joel asked with his arms crossed and eyebrows raised.

Tess led him to the opposite couch, grabbed Joel's arm and directed him to sit down. He did so without a fuss. He huffed and looked back at you as you sat on the couch across from them.