'Finally, a workbench.'

Y/N, along with Joel and Ellie had dropped down into another room, after prepping the metal trolley they had used to wedge the gate open beforehand, against the open half of another gate ahead.

Considering the main entrance was blocked via debris.

The boy had his eyes settled on a small metal workbench sitting in the far right corner of the room.

Allowing a small smirk, he walked up to it and removed his bag from his shoulder and placed it down on the table. Y/N pulled out of his sidearm and began to get to work, cleaning the gun, taking apart the weapon itself.

He was familiar with cleaning guns on the occasion, had to be or his guns would be dead in the water.

Next he moved onto his rifle and propped it onto the bench, gathering up any scrap he had on him and began to fashion himself a mag for it.

While that was happening, Ellie watched the boy close (Joel had his eyes on the kid still not being too trusting, but not hostile as he swept the room) though Ellie was more curious than indifferent unlike her protector/smuggler.

She couldn't help but take interest in him. Considering he was the only person around her age that wasn't dead or an asshole... now, at least. Though she couldn't blame him for being snarky when they first met.

Three minutes later, Y/N was finished. A makeshift magazine slapped into the underbarrel of the rifle. Five round mag, something he was grateful for.

Y/N turned to face Ellie as she laid off to the side as Joel was just finished recapping the area.

"You done?" Ellie asked as she looked back at him, pushing herself off the wall and walking up to him.

The sixteen year old raised an eyebrow as if to say 'What do you think?' as he picked his bag up and hoisted up around his left shoulder and strapped it on. His weapons already back on him.

Deciding to humour her, he answered, "Yeah, Princess."

Y/N allowed a small grin, but soon fell as he schooled his features. Sighing, he followed after Joel as he led them, the man gave the kid a glance now and again. While Ellie scoffed, and shook her head.

"I'll shoot you."

It was meant to sound threatening but Y/N merely pushed it aside.

"You'll miss."

"Not at this range."

Joel huffed up ahead as they ventured into the next room. The man jumped over a knocked over metal shelf, followed shortly by the two bickering kids that could honestly be mistaken for a married couple the way they were talking.

Though the talk was immediately shut down by the sound of a woman's scream.

"Oh shit. Get down, get down." Joel hushed them as he crouched fast, planting himself close up against the window in front of them.

"Keep running!" A man's voice was heard from the outside.

It had Y/N tighten his hands around his rifle, as the boy peered out of the window, the sound of voices coming from their left. Soon enough they were proven right as a man and woman came running down the street.

That was, until they were lit up. The two people were shot from behind by machine gun fire, if Y/N had to guess the loud gunshots that followed were to go from.

He held his breath, as he felt Ellie next to him freeze as she watched the scene play out.

An armoured truck soon followed behind and parked directly to the next survivors on the floor. From what Y/N could see, the man was already dead yet the woman was still alive. Something Ellie noticed too, she made a notion as if to get up and help, but Y/N held her back.

His hand suddenly shooting out and grabbing a hold of her wrist that was almost certainly going to go to her new sidearm.

"What do we do?" Ellie asked, her breath hitched as they watched a group of bandits pile out of the truck.

"Nothing." The two males of the group whispered, the same thought running through them. If they were surprised that they spoke the same, then they didn't show it.

All they did was watch as the lead bandit pulled out a shotgun and blasted at the woman below him, her endless withering of pain ended as the buckshot blew her head completely.

"Jesus..." Ellie winced, her eyes wide and shocked as she watched the barbaric display continue. The group of bandits began taking apart their gear, even their shoes. Not bothering to leave anything for the rats.

Y/N would've thought the same. He had seen it too many times on his lonesome travels. He wasn't shocked by it, though he was disgusted by the action alone.

'Fucking bandits.'

The group soon packed up and hauled back into the truck and drove away. Only then did Ellie let out a breath she didn't even realise she was holding.

"Oh man."

"There ain't nothin' we coulda done." Joel told her, feeling the need to assure her.

"I know it's just..." Ellie trailed off as they got up, cautionally looking around before pushing onwards to the left through an open door. "Fucking sucks."

"Let's just get to that bridge."

Y/N nodded, he looked back at the dead outside, before shaking his head.

He walked up to Ellie as the group proceeded ahead. "You can't save everyone..." He said, and before she could say anything, he already moved on ahead.

Leaving Ellie to digest their words.

—

They ended up going through the building and up a stairwell, before exiting into a larger hallway. They encountered two bandits there too, scuttering around for supplies. But they didn't have much luck as Joel and Y/N quickly took them down. The two putting their stealth skills to the test.

Despite the indifference the two shared for each other. They had a great sense of respect, and an understanding, if it could be called that, between themselves.

The two worked well together. Joel would strangle a guy to death, and then turn to take the other out, but soon find him dead with a knife thrust through his neck.

He had to give it to him, Y/N knew how to kill. Not something someone would really be proud of for a teenager, though nowadays, they all needed any help they could get. And despite the indifference, Joel knew the kid could handle himself.

Though, skills like that didn't come without baggage. There was something about the kid, there was more to him.

"That's the last of them, I think." Ellie announced as Y/N finished cleaning of any stray blood from his knife.

They had moved out onto the streets and encountered more bandits. And they had made short work of them. They finished off the last two in a small office corner, overlooking the street below them.

Joel merely grunted, and Y/N nodded. Neither offering any words, but moved on.

It seemed Ellie was the only chatty one. She could occasionally get them to talk, more so for Y/N. But it seemed anytime he would talk, he would hesitate, something she couldn't help but frown at.

Then again, he had been alone all this time since she had gathered. No one was this antisocial if they had people looking out for them.

Turned out, he didn't have anyone looking out for him. Not until now though.

The three continued onwards, exiting the small store and down to the streets. As they sneaked ahead, they noticed more bandits ahead. Three of them, from what Y/N could see from his rifle scope.

The boy looked to his right and gave Ellie a look that she guessed as a 'Oh really?' To which she rolled her eyes. Before they moved on, using the wrecked cars as cover.

Soon enough them arrived at the end of the street. It was blocked off by concrete walls
and blocked cars. The bandits seemed to be guarding the place, muttering and scowling amongst themselves.

As if communicating via looks, Joel and Y/N moved forward followed by Ellie.

Y/N broke off to the right (Ellie following him) to get the two there, one holding a pipe and the other a gun of his own. He came up behind the second guy and forcefully grabbed him, his left hand gripping hard at the man's mouth, and before he could mutter anything, Y/N's knife moved fast and swift, cutting the man's throat.

The other hadn't yet noticed his comrade's demise, and it proved excellent for Y/N. The boy picked up his enemy's pipe (since he wasn't it anymore) and came up behind the last one.

With a violent rush, he charged the man and swug hard. The base of the pipe smashing against the man's head, it knocked him down to the ground in a stagger. Yet he didn't have any breath left to do anything as Y/N brought the pipe down on his head, and then again.

Each swing made a sickening scrunch against the bandit's brain.

After the fifth swing, Y/N pulled back and breathed in small gasps, the adrenaline giving way, before dropping the bloodied and busted pipe to the ground.

His eyes settled on the man's head which was paste. Smashed up brains and blood. It was a terrifying sight, it made him question if he had gone too far. But he soon shot that thought down and rolled his shoulders before looking up.

Just in time to hear Joel clearing his throat, impatiently.

Y/N turned to face the two, and without a word he followed them. Already coming to the assumption that Joel had handled his guy.

Though the boy faintly saw the look of curiosity on Joel's gruff features, and the shocked look from Ellie. The same looks they had gathered before, when he had gone complete slasher knife mode on the bandit in the square.

Yet, it didn't faze him.

As they made their way past the centre and to a small stairwell leading up to another building, past the concrete wall. Joel couldn't help but wonder what the boy was hiding deep inside him that made him so brutal.

It had been Sarah's death, and the hellish years of survival that had pushed Joel himself to be like that. He couldn't imagine what had made that sixteen year old kid break.

It must've been awful.

—

"We're almost there." Joel broke the ice as they climbed down from the open stairwell they had climbed up onto. Previously they had to boost the over up and onto a ladder leading up, and the other had dropped it.

Luckily Ellie was the lightweight of the three.

The bridge was in sight, and Y/N couldn't help but wonder when he was finally going to part ways with the other two.

They weren't bad people. From their look and fighting alone, he could tell that. Maybe a bit crude, but Y/N was more like that than he ever wished to admit. But there was a quite deep understanding between them.

Something he didn't know if he liked at all.

The last time he had been near or with anyone wasn't until last summer, a year ago. And that hadn't turned out well.

He himself, didn't want to get attached to them.

To anyone at all.

There was a reason for that, a very hard, and painful, one.

Shrugging the thoughts away, Y/N dropped down from the truck he was standing on, his boots hitting the ground nicely as he looked up at the surrounding buildings. Ellie soon dropped besides him, and had that same look of awareness.

They were getting close.

Y/N made a move to carry on, but stopped mid step as he noticed a sign off to the right, held up by the rusted and scrap railing of a sidewalk.

The words, Military Preparatory School, visible for them to see.

'What a load of bullcrap.'

"I went to a place like this." Ellie remarked, to herself mostly as she looked up at the long faded and forgotten building. "Back in Boston."

"Military Preparatory School."

"Yeah, nice way of saying orphanage. I wonder what happened to all the kids." Ellie said, her eyes narrowing at the sign as if it had somehow mocked her. Frankly, Y/N was inclined to agree, for the most part.

"Same thing that happens to everyone." Y/N said, his voice low and rough. "They died."

Ellie looked back at him, an eyebrow raised, as she tried her best to conceal her tone of shock. "I'd like to think some of them survived."

"I'd like to think a lot of things too." Y/N muttered as he proceeded ahead, needing to block out anything that would remind him of his time back in Chicago. "They weren't ready to survive the real world, that's just how it is."

"Speaking from experience?" Joel's gruff voice surprised him, not thinking he'd speak up.

He didn't bother answering, instead he just nodded as he came to a stop. His gaze ahead, settling over a gate in front of him that was busted shut.

"You were in a Military school too?" Ellie said as she came up beside him.

"Yes." Y/N said as he crossed his arms over.

"So... that means you were a—"

"An orphan?" He interrupted her. "No. Not then at least." He let that little information slip as he moved on, across a parking lot as they moved into a set of buildings.

"I'm sorry." Ellie offered, while Joel gave him a... well, he didn't know what it was, but it was something that he recognised as a deep line of understanding.

"Don't have to be sorry." Y/N said as they moved out onto another street. "Not your fault is it?" He breathed in deep, before shrugging his shoulders and moving on. "Wasn't anybody's fault but mine."

Ellie went to ask what he meant about that, but found herself being silent as Joel sent her a look. One that said she shouldn't nose into people's businesses.

Especially strangers.

Though he didn't seem like a stranger to her.

Despite it only being a couple of hours, she was already starting to break into the boy and little by little, was beginning to understand him. For what it was worth, she thought she was making good progress.

And quite frankly, Ellie was starting to take a liking to him. Despite his ruthlessness, awkward banter and the annoying nickname he gave her.

As small as it was.

There was something about him that she found curious, and whatever it was he kept hidden and secret, she aimed to find out just exactly what it was.

No matter what it was.

Besides, it couldn't be too bad right?

Right?

A/N: I know it's short, and not much happened in this one but the next one will really start to pick up and get the story moving onwards.

Next we meet Henry and his little brother Sam. The sudden appearance of the two, will have Y/N reliving another time, and things he hasn't spoken of in about three years.

Painful memories.