Flicker||TLOUII {Joel x Reader}

•5•

5 years later

(Y/N) rushes forward, her boot coming into contact with the infected and she shoots a bullet in its head, her other hand twirling a covered in red knife.

"Gimme your hand." She yells at the woman on the ground over the storming snow and cries of the diseased.

"We're gonna have to run for it." She tells her as Joel and Tommy cover them, shooting through the chain mail fence.

"There's too many of them!" Joel exclaims.

"We'll cover you, get going!" (Y/N) orders Tommy and he nods, leading the other woman into the building as herself and Joel keep shooting.

They follow soon after, running through the doors and the pairing slam a cabinet against it to keep it shut.

"You okay?" Joel asks the stranger and she nods. "Yeah."

"Where the hell they'd all come from?" Tommy asks.

"It don't matter. What does is where we're goin'?" His brother counters  back as the group check their surroundings.

"I reckon we go out the back and we can make a break for the lodge." (Y/N) suggests and Joel gives her a look and she points her bloodied weapon. "You got a better idea Miller?"

He shakes his head. "Hey you got a gun?" He calls to the woman and she nods. "Hope you're a good shot. You keep up with us."

"We gotta warn everyone... come back with a clean-up crew." Tommy says.

"We gotta live through this first." Joel reminds him and (Y/N) rolls her eyes. "Always the optimist." She mutters.

The infected start to crawl through the windows and the group push their way through the door, out to where the cable cars started.

(Y/N) closes the door behind her, barricading it and she backs up as the stranger fights off their enemy. "That door ain't gonna hold." She whispers, twisting the ring on her finger.

"We gotta move." Joel warns, pulling her away from it.

"Up there! The window. That's our way out." Tommy yells over the sounding storm and the trio find a cable cart they can use, getting ready to push it.

"Hey girl, give us a hand!" Tommy shouts and she joins them, the four push it up onto the cart when the door breaks down.

"They're getting inside. I'll get the gondola to the window, you three keep those infected offa me!" Tommy orders.

They set to work when one of the infected grabs the brother and the woman takes care of it, making Tommy chuckle. "Saved my hide there!"

"You need one of us to take over?" Joel shouts.

"I got it! Just keep those infected away!"

(Y/N) grabs Joel, pulling him away from danger and stabbing her knife into its chest, glaring at Joel. "Watch your back, old man." She jokes and he scowls at her.

"I got it, come on!" Tommy suddenly shouts and Joel puts his hand on her lower back, the pair rushing to the cart. He helps her up and then jumps up next to her, both jumping out the window and landing in the soft of the snow.

The woman lands next to them and on either side, they haul her up. "Stick to us!" (Y/N) exclaims, running after the brothers.

"Where are we going?" She calls after them.

"It's this way, come on!" Tommy promises.

The infected floods the area and they keep running. Sprinting their way into the red doors, the Millers close it and Joel slides a piece of wood over to lock it. They can hear the screams on the other side and the younger brother turns to the woman.

"I'm Tommy. That's Joel and (Y/N). What's your name?"

"Abby."

"Abby, are you okay?"

She looks paralysed with fear but manages a breathy 'yeah', aiming her pistol at the door and copying Joel's stance.

"That ain't gonna hold. We gotta go back." Joel says and Tommy shakes his head. "We ain't gonna outrun them all the way to Jackson. We gotta barricade that door."

Another door to the room is smashed and (Y/N) grabs him. "Tommy, we cannot stay here!" She yells, her eyes wide in desperation.

"The horses ain't gonna make it all that way -"

"My friends." Abby cuts the trio off from arguing. "My friends are at a mansion just north of here. It's fenced in. We have the whole perimeter secure."

"It's the Baldwin place. That could work." Joel mutters.

"All right. I'll get the door." Tommy agrees.

"You'll ride with Tommy." Joel instructs to Abby as he clambers onto the horse, extending his hand to (Y/N) who jumps on behind him.

"Hold on tight." He warns and she wraps her arms around his stomach, burying her face into his back to shut out the cold.

The infected break into the door just as the two horses ride off into the storm.