Secrets And Hope {The Last Of Us Fanfiction}

XV

Joel and Nora pushed onward as the hours slipped away and their legs begin to burn. They ached from the endless miles they'd walked. As their surroundings blur they finally stop, taking a second to look back at the dusty road that stretched behind. Nora takes lead as they make their way towards a small town. The buildings sit peaceful and undisturbed. They take the silence as a good thing. After all silence meant no infected. It's the burnt out trash cans and shell casing littering the floor that causes instincts to take over. The weight of her backpack digs into her shoulders but she ignores the pain as she continued on. The breeze picked up again, whispering and whistling through the empty building frames as their aged and rotten wood creaks and groans. Looking up Joel gazes at the leaning buildings above, broken windows and smothering foliage are all he sees of the buildings' remains. The small town reminded him strangely of Bill's town. Only this place was different, he felt he was being watched.

"So how do you know this guy?"

"Just someone from my past; owes me a couple favors."

Joel followed Nora as she made her way towards an abandoned subway station entrance. The gateway boarded up with old street signs and scrap metal fitted together as a makeshift door. She doesn't wait as she bangs against the door with her fist.

"Who are you! What do ya want?!"

"It's me Benny now open up!"

Nora stands with crossed arms and waits beside Joel as they hear stumbles and clangs along with angered muttering. As the door is pulled open; a small, skinny man steps out. His ragged clothes hang against his tiny frame as he leans on the wall with a smug grin on his scruffy ageing face. Grey hair flakes through the ginger that covers the rest of his head and beard.

"Well I'll be! Look who it is! After all these years you finally come crawling back huh? How ya doing sweetheart?"

"Cut the crap Benny I'm here on business!"

He lets out a deep, booming chuckle as he moved to pat Joel firmly on the back.

"Really and whose this? Your new boyfriend? Or did ya you finally get this wildflower to settle down and get married huh buddy?"

Joel's only reply was a hard glare as he moved away from Benny, clearing his throat as he shifted slightly to stand beside Nora.

"We're not married... I'm just a friend."

"Yeah that's how it starts... Next thing you know you're..."

"Benny! Can we just get on with it?!"

Benny covered his mouth to stifle a deep cough as he moved back towards the subway station.

"Right of course what'd ya need?"

"As much as it pains me to admit it, I need your help."

"That so?"

"We're from a settlement couple miles back and we got ambushed by a group of bandits, they stole our supplies. According to one of their boys they left behind, they'll held up somewhere in Livingstone. You know how to get there?"

"Matter of fact I do. Got whole piles of maps in the back."

Joel and Nora both glanced at one another before Nora took a step into the station.

"Reckon you could spare us one?"

"I don't know Nora."

Nora stopped in her tracks before glaring back at Benny.

"Look I know how things go but I got nothing to pay you. Could you just do me this one favor...for old time's sake?"

Benny leaned against the makeshift door as he made eyes at Nora, his eyebrows raised and a suggestive smirk spreading across his chapped dry lips.

"Sure thing Nora always thought the two of us had something special..."

"Oh for god sake!"

"Say you gimme what I want 'n' we call it even...?"

As Benny moved to stroke Nora's cheek she grabbed hold of his arm, roughly dragging him forward and pinning him to the wall. He grunted out in pain as she pulled his arm against his back, her gun digging into his side.

"We could or you could try begging for your life like you did the last time we spoke. What'd ya say?"

"I'll go get the map."

"Good idea."

She released him for the hold and stood tall and firm watching him hobble into his shelter, rummaging through his belongs only to emerge a few minutes later with a rolled map in his trembling hands.

"Here that should be able to get from here to Livingstone and back to wherever the hell you came from."

Nora unrolled the map, her eyes scanning the area. Joel moved to take a look before she handed him the paper as he silently rolled and placed the map within his backpack.

"Thanks Benny. Alright we'd better be going."

"Right behind ya."

Nora checked over her gun before she and Joel began to make their way up the main road. She stopped in her tracks as Benny shouted to her.

"Hey Nora! ...Don't come around here again!"

Nora smirked pulling on her backpack, leaving Benny glaring and inching closer to the sanctuary of his beaten up home.

"Then don't give me a reason too!"

Benny grunted and swore under his breath, hobbling back inside his shelter before slamming the door closed with an echoed bang in the air. Nora laughed as she continued walking up the old dusty road. The too walked in silence a few miles up the road leading back to the highway, the wind howling against the broken aged town and dying trees. Nora took in the peace of the quiet, her eyes glancing towards Joel; an unstoppable smiled creeping upon her face when she noticed that Joel was staring at her in amusement.

"What?"

"You really are something."

"And you're not?"

Joel chuckled as they slowed in their steps, a moment to pause before he stood with crossed arms and a knowing smirk on his lips.

"Alright... what ya do to him?"

"Nothing."

"Really. You just walked away?"

"Course I did. Only good descent thing to do..."

Joel stood his ground as Nora walked on ahead. He waited before she eventually stopped and turned back to him.

"That... And I was outta bullets."

Joel let out a deep chuckle before he started walking again, Nora's eyes followed as he passed her.

"That's sounds more like the Nora I know."

Nora's eyes widened at Joel's comment as a playful smile appeared, along with the gleam in her eye. She watched him walk away her eyes wondering lower before she laughed to herself, channeling back to reality as she ran to catch him up.