Hey everyone! At the time of this chapter's posting, it is officially Outbreak Day, the day that the Infection in The Last of Us hit critical mass, and the day the critically acclaimed videogame's story begins. So, in celebration of the most holy of holy days for The Last of Us fanbase, I decided to go back to this thing and bust out a nice 10,000 word chapter. Part of my inspiration was seeing that new trailer for The Last of Us Part II on the 24th, and part of it was just me feeling the need to write something. The Last of Us community is an amazing collection of fans of Naughty Dog's great work and I'm so happy to contribute to it as a gamer and a fan in this very small and inconsequential way. Since the first chapter of this story was published years ago, there have been a lot of changes in my life. In 2013, I was a high school student. In 2019, I'm a college graduate! As you can probably imagine, as years go by and we grow up, priorities change, and as much as I would love to think about The Last of Us all day and write about it, it just can't always work out like that. But I will make you guys a deal! If you like this new chapter, and you love this story, and you LOVE THE LAST OF US, then hit me with some reviews. Tell me what you like, what you don't like, what you hate, what you love! Leave a review, shoot me a private message, do what ever you feel like. If I feel like enough people want to see this crazy piece of fanfiction that started when I was just high school dweeb obsessed with Naughty Dog's new masterpiece finished all the way to the end, then however long it takes me to finish it I will finish the bastard! All you guys that have read my work on this story already and love it, I can't express how much the kind words mean to a silly little scribe like me! So if you like this new chapter, be sure to let me know!

The Last of Us Part II releases on Feb. 21, 2020. If you want me to finish this fic before then (...because after that I will have no time for writing...) you be sure to tell me.

Thank you all so much, happy reading, and Happy Outbreak Day!

Chapter 18: Family Matters

Ten Years Ago

November 20, 2025

Military Quarantine Zone

Hartford, Connecticut

John knew everyone else hated the rain, but for some reason, he really enjoyed it. The little boy couldn't get enough of splashing around in the puddles, jumping off of a curb and pounding down into the water as hard as he could. He would launch little droplets higher and higher every time. John was only seven, and as hard as it was trying to stay amused after his classes, having a few puddles to jump around in certainly helped. It was either that, or sit around in his family's apartment reading his comic books again. It was raining that morning. The small droplets of water were pounding down on the window hard as the moon fell, and the cloud covered sun began to slowly rise over the Hartford Quarantine Zone.

It was early in the morning when his mother woke him and his sister. They were luckier than most. John's mother, Kari, had been a well educated and brilliant surgeon before the outbreak, and her skills as a doctor had allowed them privileges inside of the QZ that few others got. Among them, the first pick at rations, way before the ration lines opened. John had made the mistake of bragging about that fact to his peers at school before, and the six-month-old scar on his face was a constant reminder not to boast, or to talk much at all, to the other boys.

"Kids" a female voice called out to John and his sister as they slept, rousing them from their sleep as the light flooded in from the opened door. Kari knocked on the door softly, her pale white knuckles rapping gently against the wood. Kari was a gentle and kind soul, and when her eyes moved from one side of the room to another, to see her son in one bed and her daughter in another, she couldn't help but want to cry, having seen her children through some of the worst of it. The world may still be horrid, but they were alive, fed, and together. Kari had dark red hair and bright green eyes, just like her son. Her daughter, on the other hand, was the spitting image of her at the same age. Same high cheekbones, pale milky skin, and long dark red hair. Only difference was, her daughter Elizabeth shared the same eyes as Kari's husband, Edward, a deep blue.

"Lizzie" Kari shook her daughter's leg as she flipped the switch on the lamp by her bedside. "Come on Liz, its time to get up."

Her daughter did nothing but groan as she slowly lifted her head off of the pillow and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Lizzie, having just turned thirteen, was closely approaching her entrance to the Military Academy, something her father had insisted on, being a soldier himself. Liz threw her legs over the side of the bed, pulling at her sweatpants, which she was quickly outgrowing.

"How can you even sleep in these?" Kari asked her daughter as she grabbed a bit of the fabric between her fingers and pulled at it herself. "You're probably cutting off the circulation in your legs sleeping like that."

Lizzie looked up at her mother and yawned heavily, "You're the one that makes me sleep in the same room as doofus" she gestured to the bed across from hers, where her brother laid his head every night. "Just because he's comfortable sleeping in his underwear doesn't mean I am."

"Liz, you know we don't have the room" Kari said, putting her hands on her hips as she gestured towards the covers that had been pulled down to the bottom of the bed. "We're lucky to have as much space as we do"

Lizzie sighed as she got up, pulling the covers and the sheets up over the rest of the bed and patting it out as Kari dutifully watched. "Yeah Mom, I know, I know." The girl said as she grabbed onto a pair of dark blue jeans and a tee shirt, starting to exit the room to go to the bathroom and change. "Be someone important and you get to have a slightly less shitty apartment."

"Lizzie…" Kari's eyes softened slightly as she watched her daughter walk away.

Liz stopped for a moment, clearing her throat as she turned back to her mother. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you." She said as she scratched the back of her head, and then shaking her hair a bit, having become a mess overnight like it always did. "I just didn't sleep well last night, that's all." The girl said before walking out of the room.

Kari crossed her arms slightly before looking down at the floor and sighing. "Yeah, me neither." She said softly as she watched Lizzie leave the room. The woman turned, looking down at the other bed, where her son was already starting to rise. He was on his knees in the bed, with his arms dug in to the mattress like a football player at the line of scrimmage. Kari laughed slightly as she watched her youngest child look up at her. "Were you trying to sneak attack me again Jack?" she asked him as he simply blinked at her.

"No" the boy said as he stared back up at his mother, before jumping off of the bed and straight into her, laughing as he tackled her. Kari laughed back, grabbing onto him and slinging him into her arms. "Oh, you little brat" she chuckled as she spun him around a bit, he wasn't all that heavy, barely forty-five pounds. Years of helping nurses and other doctors put patients on stretchers made her more than capable of throwing her malnourished seven-year-old around. They were luckier than most of the people in the city, and yet, she could still see her son's ribs. Despite the hunger pains, John, or Jack as his mother and sister called him, was still overjoyed to have his mother laugh with him before she went to work at the clinic for fifteen hours. He'd gotten the nickname when his grandfather, his namesake, was still living with them. Kari had gotten sick of calling out 'John' and having both her son and her father call out to her. So John became Jack to everyone in the family. Kari's father wasn't around anymore, but the family nickname had stuck.

"Alright you little killer" Kari smirked as she threw Jack back down onto the bed. The boy let out a small yelp as he hit the bed and bounced back up softly, the old box spring bed creaking slightly as he shifted his weight onto it.

"Is Dad home yet?" Jack asked as he got up off of the bed and let his bare feet hit the hardwood floor. It was cold, almost like stepping on ice. He moved over to the dresser on the other side of the room, grabbing himself a pair of jeans and a shirt while his mother grabbed the sheets on his bed.

"He should be back in an hour or so" Kari said as she started to pull the sheets back up over his pillow.

"An hour?!" Jack said as he slipped his jeans over his legs and pulled them up, tossing on his favorite Batman tee shirt on over his torso, "But that's forever!" He said as he turned to face his mother again. "No…" he moaned as he ran over to her, grabbing her by the sleeve and tugging at it.

Kari looked at him with a wide eyed gaze as he pulled her sleeve. "Jack…" she chuckled as she let go of the sheets. "What's the problem?"

Jack let go of her, grabbing onto the bedsheets and the covers himself and pulling them up over his pillow. "If Lizzie has to do it, then I can too!" he pouted as he tugged at the sheets, before climbing back onto the bed and tucking in the side next to the wall. The boy stood up on the bed before turning, as an artist would examining a masterpiece, before leaping off of the bed back onto the floor. He pulled at the sheets again, making sure they were as unwrinkled as they could be before turning back to his mother and throwing up his hands.

"Tah da!" he said as he beamed up at Kari, glancing back at the bed to ensure it was still made.

Kari couldn't help but laugh again as she bent at the hips and planted a soft kiss on the top of her son's head. "Kid you are just too much." She said as she placed her hand on his upper back, nudging him along towards the kitchen. Kari smiled as she closed the light on the room, walking with Jack as she opened up the light in the kitchen. Their electricity allotment didn't exactly allow them very much, and one of the biggest rules in the apartment was no unnecessary lights. On a stormy day like this however, it was more than necessary, they'd be stumbling around in the dark otherwise.

Lizzie was still running a brush through her hair in the bathroom when Jack and Kari came into the kitchen. Jack ran up to the bathroom door and rapped on it softly with his knuckles.

"Hold on!" his sister yelped back in response as she brushed.

"Lizzie! I gotta go!" Jack cried out as he knocked again. "I've been holding it all night!" he said as he continued to tap his hand against the locked door.

A few seconds later the door opened up and Lizzie walked out, her hair as straight as it could possibly get with just a brush. She had an unenthusiastic grimace on her face. "That's only because you just stopped going in your bed a few months ago, you dweeb" she said as she quickly pushed past him, grabbing her sneakers from the floor and sitting down at the table to slide them onto her feet.

"Elizabeth!" Kari looked at her daughter from across the table, having stopped moving around to tie her hair into a neat bun.

"I did not!" Jack yelled back at his sister.

Elizabeth turned back to Jack, away from her unlaced shoes. "Maybe that's why nobody at school wants to be friends with you! They're just too worried about being peed on to get close!"

"Shut up!" Jack screamed again.

"Elizabeth!" Kari snapped at her daughter again, getting out of her chair and walking towards the bathroom. Before she could say another word to either of her children, the entire apartment echoed out the sound of Jack slamming the bathroom door as hard as he could. Kari tensed up at the sound of the door slamming, and turned back at Elizabeth, looking down at her with an angry and disappointed gaze.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked as she put her hands on her hips.

"It's not like it isn't true!" her daughter retorted, her face flushed and red as she turned to her mother.

"All he ever is, is kind to you." Kari said as she walked back over to the other side of the room, grabbing a small bundle of ration cards before shoving them into Elizabeth's hand. "He looks up to you Lizzie," Kari said in a hushed tone as she placed the cards in Lizzie's palm. "The least you can do is not take your anger out on him!"

Elizabeth looked down at her shoes for a moment as Kari started to walk towards the door, unbolting it and opening it up. Lizzie spun the ration cards around in her hand for a moment, before her face contorted with anger. She stood up and turned back to her mother. "Yeah, well he won't have to be tormented for too much longer." Elizabeth yelled as she put the ration cards down on the kitchen table.

"Lizzie…" Kari said as she held onto the door, having only gotten it slightly ajar. "We talked about this." She started, her voice cracking a bit as if there were a lump in her throat.

"We?" Lizzie crossed her arms as her mother turned back to her. "We talked about this?" she waved her arm around, pointing to Kari and then back to herself. "We never talked about anything!" Elizabeth said as she turned around and paced the room, shaking her head.

"Elizabeth…" her mother started again, turning completely to her and letting out an exasperated sigh.

"No, we did not have a discussion about shipping me off all the way to Area Seven, taking me away from my friends, and teaching me how to shoot Fireflies!" Elizabeth yelled again; her face even more red as she bellowed out at her mother. "I remember Kari and Edward Shaw having a discussion in the dead of night about sending their daughter away though! So then maybe they could spend a little more time with their favorite kid without silly Elizabeth in the way!"

Kari stared at her daughter, taken aback for a moment before closing the door and stepping forward. "Lizzie, that is not true…" she stopped for a moment, looking down at the tiled floor and then taking a deep breath. "This world is not kind to people, and unfortunately the best protection for you is being a soldier."

"Protection!" Elizabeth stammered as she stared at her mother wide eyed. "What kind of protection is outside work duty! With those… fucking things out there!" she pointed out the window, through the rain, one could barely make out the sight of the large thirty foot concrete wall, mounted with floodlights and without doubt manned by the large squad of soldiers that were unlucky enough to draw night duty.

Kari shook her head "Your father is almost certain he can get you into the Officer's Corps if you apply yourself and do well on your exams." Kari said as she walked towards her daughter, moving a chair out of the way. "You're a very smart girl Lizzie, if you just…"

"That's bullshit and you know it!" Elizabeth cried out as she crossed her arms, unwilling to break a gaze with her mother. "Edward Shaw…" she started, so angry she couldn't bring herself to call him 'Dad'. "…was a lowly state trooper back in the day that was barely lucky enough to get made a fucking military sergeant!"

Kari grimaced, starting to fill up with anger herself as she wrapped her fingers around the back of one of the kitchen chairs, trying her best not to throw it through the wall. "Do not speak about your father like that!" Kari said as she cleared her throat, her head pounding, having barely slept two hours last night. "Your father has done a lot for you, for both of you." She gestured towards the bathroom door, which had yet to open since Jack had slammed it shut.

"Fuck you!" Elizabeth said, turning her back to her mother and staring out the window. Tears had began to stream down from her blue eyes, the brightness in her eyes had seemed to dim year after year. She walked closer to the window, leaning her hand against the wall next to it as a one of her tears fell from her cheek and splattered on the floor beneath her. The rain was starting to die down, but was still pattering softly on the glass when she approached. She looked out at the destroyed city past the walls, with its crumbling buildings and wrecked bridges, filled to the brim with the worst of the worst. "When they send me out there…" Elizabeth sobbed slightly, though she tried her best not to show it.

Kari approached her daughter, reaching out her arm towards her shoulder.

Elizabeth cleared her throat as her mother strode towards her. "When they send me out there, and one of those monsters tears me apart like they did to Grandpa John, it'll be your fault!" Elizabeth wept as her mother's hand reached her shoulder.

As soon as Kari had heard Elizabeth's words, she pulled her hand back, her mouth agape as she grabbed onto her wrist with her other hand.

"Yeah…" Elizabeth said as she wiped a tear from her face, while her mother's own eyes began to feel red and puffy. Lizzie turned around to her mother, "Don't fucking touch me…" She whispered softly as she locked eyes with her Kari.

Kari stepped back as she found herself unable to scream or yell back, her hand still clamped around her wrist. "I don't even know what to say to you, Elizabeth." Kari said as she turned, moving towards the kitchen counter to grab onto her keys. "I need to get to the clinic" she said, tears still welling up in her eyes as she tried her best to keep composed. "Just take the fucking ration cards and pick up the food. Bring your brother to school, and be back here with the food before your father gets back." Kari said as she held onto her keys, her fingers shaking so badly she almost dropped them onto the floor. She kept her back to Elizabeth as the tears started to flow. Kari grabbed onto the doorknob and pulled it open, stepping into the hallway.

"Just…" Kari started again, not turning back as she grabbed onto the other side of the knob. "Just don't…" Instead of finishing her thought, she closed the door softly, waiting for it to click before leaning back on the door and burying her face in her hands. It had been to many years of just trying to hold it all together. Settling in to life in the Quarantine Zone was supposed to be the hard part. But it seemed like every day just got more difficult. She wiped her eyes on the hem of her shirt, taking in a deep breath and walking down the hallway, wanting to keep crying, and to scream at the same time. But she was already late, and there was no way she could put off work any longer, there were people that needed treatment. As much as she wanted to go back in there, those people at the clinic needed her help.

Kari was at the top of her class at one of the best medical schools in the country. It was amazing what she could fix with her hands. Try as she might however, she couldn't fix this.

Once Elizabeth could no longer hear her mother's footsteps, she leaned back against the wall next to the window, and slid down to the floor, curling up into a ball and trying her best not to sob any more. She heard the bathroom door jiggle a bit, and soon enough, the knob turned, and little John reemerged.

"Is it over?" Jack asked softly, his own eyes red as he slowly shuffled his short legs over to his big sister.

Elizabeth looked up, and her mouth opened to yell, as if she still had some anger left to get out. But when she saw Jack grimace like her mother just had, she couldn't help but stop herself, pulling herself off of the floor and walking towards the door. "We gotta get you to school" Lizzie said as she grabbed onto her hoodie, pulling it over her head and sliding it down over her skinny frame. She cleared her throat as she grabbed onto Jack's windbreaker, which was hanging on a hook by the door. "Here, it's cold out there" she said as she handed him the jacket.

Jack nodded as he grabbed onto the windbreaker and quickly slide his arms through the sleeves, before fumbling around with the zipper, his fingers clumsy and unable to catch the latch.

Elizabeth opened the door, before turning back to her younger brother. She watched him as his tiny fingers wrestled with the zipper. "Here" she groaned ever so slightly as she got down onto one knee and grabbed onto the jacket for him. "I got it" She said as she latched the zipper and pulled it up, getting the windbreaker done up before she grabbed onto the hood of the jacket and flipped it over his head.

Jack looked up at his sister, his eyes still a bit red, but the faintest hint of a smile showing on his face. Elizabeth looked back down at him, her eyes softening slightly as she mouthed out the words, I'm sorry, her lips quivering slightly as the inaudible words she knew she should have said to her mother flew from her mouth.

Jack simply nodded as he walked over to the door, grabbing onto the knob and opening it up for her. "My lady!" he beamed up at her as he held the door open, gesturing with his other hand for her to go first.

For the first time in what felt like a long time, Elizabeth laughed. It was little more than a tiny chuckle, but a laugh all the same. "You're a gentleman" she said as she reached her hand under his hood and ruffled his hair a bit. "Still a bit of a dork, but a gentlemanly one." She smirked at him as he followed her out.

"Am not!" he said, although his retort, unlike the last time, sounded much more playful and enthusiastic.

"Let's just agree to disagree kid." Elizabeth said as she shut the door and took out her key, sliding it into the keyhole and locking the door behind them. "Come on, let's get you to school."

Jack's shoulders drooped "Aww, do I have to go?" he asked his big sister as they started walking down the stairs at the end of the hall, holding onto the railing as he took the stairs slowly, sauntering down the steps as slowly as possible.

"Yeah you gotta go" Lizzie nodded as she followed her brother down the steps. "You're gonna be a doctor just like Mom one day" she said softly, knowing that she'd never follow in her mother's footsteps. Even if she managed to survive her initial few years in the Military, she'd never have the brainpower or the ability to get through the kind of coursework needed to get through such a job. Lizzie had never done all that well in school, and she knew she'd never end up working with her Mom. She also knew in her heart that the Military Officer's Corps would never take her in. She'd resigned herself to that, but she didn't know why she had to enlist. There was still time for her brother though, he was smart, smarter than all the kids in his class. His teacher had even told their mother as such. An 'advanced learner' she had called him. Lizzie looked down at her brother, and as she saw the bright look in his eyes, she could tell he had the compassion to be a doctor, just like their mom.

"Eww" John's face scrunched up as he got to the bottom of the stairs. "I don't want to be a doctor!" he laughed "Blood is so gross!" he said as they opened the door to get out.

Elizabeth chuckled with him. "Yeah, it's pretty gross, but you're brave enough" she said as they started to walk down the street, a few people were already up and about, mostly soldiers, but she could see a few people walking around, getting to their early morning work detail, or trying to get the first pick at the ration lines. The rain was still slowly coming down, and Lizzie pulled her hood up over her head, making sure her hair wouldn't get any frizzier than it already was. "And you're a smart cookie too." She said as she looked down at him. "You just need to stop being such a show off about it" Lizzie smirked as she looked forward at the road, it was still quite a walk to the school, but if they didn't get delayed on the way there, she might have time to stop at the clinic and apologize to Kari.

Jack nodded a bit, looking up at his sister and reaching up his hand, wrapping his fingers around hers as they started to walk. Elizabeth almost pulled back, but when she saw the innocent little grin on her brother's face, she couldn't help but squeeze his hand back. She didn't want to admit it, but she was going to miss him when her parents sent her away to the Academy.

"I'll stop showing off" Jack said as Elizabeth started to swing her hand slightly as she walked, his hand following hers in tandem. They stayed silent as they walked down the street, while they noticed more people starting to exit their homes and head towards their destinations. Just shuffling around, nothing like the people inhabiting the city a decade ago, heading somewhere to a fulfilling career, or a warm homecooked meal, or a day spent out with friends.

"Hey Lizzie" Jack asked as they rounded the corner and headed down the main thoroughfare.

"Yeah?" Elizabeth broke the silence as well as she continued to swing his hand with hers.

"What's a cookie?"

"Ugh" Elizabeth looked down at her sneakers as she continued to walk. "I'll get back to you on that one"

"Okay" Jack nodded as he slowed himself down. "Can we jump in some puddles on the way there?" he inquired as he spotted a large collection of water in a pothole just a few steps away, starting to pull away from Elizabeth's hand.

Lizzie pulled him back. "Oh no" she said as she squeezed his hand a little tighter and brought him back. "Once you're out of school for the day and we don't have to worry about you making Miss Gordon's classroom a manmade lake, we can jump in as many puddles as you want!"

"Really?!" Jack asked her as they turned again.

"Absolutely, they won't be dry by the time you get out." Elizabeth said as she pulled him just a bit closer to her, they weren't passing through what one would call the best area of the Hartford Quarantine Zone at the moment.

"That's fuckin' awesome" Jack quipped as she drew him in closer.

"Hey!" Elizabeth said as she tapped him softly on the back. "Where did you hear that word?" she looked down at her brother, and his face revealed it all. "Oh" Elizabeth nodded. "It was me." She shrugged her shoulders a bit as she grabbed onto his hand again, laughing a bit. "Just no language like that till you're my age."

Jack brought his free hand up to his lips and imitated a zipper being closed as he dragged his thumb and forefinger across his lips.

"Great" Lizzie said as she kept them heading in the right direction. It was still a way to go, but at least the rain was dying down. It looked like the sun was trying to peak out from in between the clouds. It would be a welcome change of pace, since they had almost nothing but rain for the last few days.

The streets were starting to fill up, and they were close to the commercial market of the city, where small makeshift shops would trade trinkets and scraps for ration cards. Of course, if you knew who to ask, there were plenty of shops and stalls that had the things you really wanted to buy. Weapons, ammo, drugs (both medicinal and recreational, the latter of which was almost never safe for consumption) most of it brought in by smugglers who made their living sneaking outside the walls and scrounging. Lizzie shuddered at the thought, having spent most of her life in the QZ with no desire to ever leave. She hadn't seen many Infected, but she'd certainly seen enough. Either way, with enough cards in your pocket, you could get a good bargain. Lizzie already had a small collection sitting in her bedroom, saving up through odd jobs for her neighbors to grab something nice when the holidays came around.

"ATTENTION! ATTENTION!" a loudspeaker boomed in their ears as they reached the entrance to the market.

"Oh what is it now, lady" Lizzie rolled her eyes as she looked up, and spotted an old FEDRA sign, recently spray-painted with an all too familiar symbol over the old government issued letters. Fireflies, the way she saw it, the Fireflies were the only people dumber than the smugglers. Fighting against the Military was the only route in life stupider than venturing outside the walls for junk. At least the smugglers were fighting for something that still mattered, food and gear. Lizzie wished the Fireflies would get it already. As bad as it was in this damn QZ, you couldn't eat liberty.

"ATTENTION, ALL FOOT TRAFFIC THROUGH MARKET SQUARE, SECTION TWO, IS CLOSED TO CIVILLIANS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!"

It seemed like market traffic was slowing, and people were filtering out. There was a group of soldiers blocking the road up ahead, pulling people out of a building next to the road and lining them up on the sidewalk.

"Shit" Elizabeth muttered under her breath as she noticed the soldiers. They were already running late, and Jack needed to get to school. Her mother was going to kill her, if she didn't want to already. All of a sudden, a voice called out to her.

"Yo Liz!" a teenager called out to her.

Lizzie turned; it was only Veronica. Veronica Petrillo was the only person in the world that Lizzie could trust unequivocally. Veronica was also the toughest and meanest bitch that the QZ had ever seen, at least as far as Lizzie was concerned, but it was one of the reason's why she loved her. You wouldn't be able to guess Veronica's personality by looking at her however. She was a short girl of Italian descent, all of fourteen, with olive colored skin and the thickest and curliest hair on anyone for miles around. She had a sharp jawline that would have been called handsome on a man, but with the sharp eyes and perfect nose that made it strikingly feminine on her. Even in the conditions they lived in, she managed to dress well, a pair of torn jeans and a barely torn up orange flannel shirt.

Veronica waved her over, she was standing with a few more of Lizzie's friends, Henry and Jacob. Henry was a tall fifteen-year-old with curly black hair and dark skin, he was athletic and wired for a good time, always cracking a joke when they needed to laugh, or reminiscing about his parent's barbeques from the old days when their spirits needed to be raised. Wearing just a pair of chinos, a hoodie, and an old baseball cap, Henry still managed to effortlessly look cool, but he sure never showed it, way too laid back and selfless to care about looking cool. Maybe that was what made him so cool. Jacob, Henry's best friend, was a lanky but confident thirteen-year-old. His family had immigrated to the United States from Mexico when he was just a baby, and three years later, when the Infection hit them in Louisiana, they made the trip all the way up to the northeast to settle in Hartford. It had been a hard journey, they'd left with six family members, and by the time they passed through New York and into Connecticut, there were only three of them, Jacob's father Caesar, his aunt Aurelia, and himself. He was chewing on a toothpick as he leaned up against the brick wall behind them, pulling at a loose strand of fabric in his well-worn leather jacket.

The three of them were standing around, just chatting, as they waved Lizzie over. Veronica looked like she'd been hanging out a while, and was peeking down the road at the makeshift checkpoint every few seconds.

"Hey Jack" Lizzie tugged at her brother's arm a bit as she nodded over, "Let me just talk to my friends for a second, see what's going on"

"Okay!" Jack said with glee, anything to keep him from school for a little while. He ran over with Lizzie, walking up to the group of teens.

"What's happening?" Lizzie asked Veronica, giving her a small hug before breaking away.

Jacob groaned from behind Veronica. "Fucking soldiers all over the place today." He said flippantly as he pointed towards the blocked road. "I had the day off, was gonna go visit my girl in Area Three today." He coughed slightly before pulling the toothpick out of his mouth and throwing it down on the street. "Those idiots always gotta ruin everything." Jacob said as he kicked the dirt, before making eye contact with Lizzie. "No offense" he added, knowing that her father walked around in a uniform all day, and in a little while, Lizzie probably would too.

Lizzie gave him a little nonchalant wave, clearly not offended.

Veronica scoffed. "Girl?" she looked back at Jacob. "Oh Christ! Vasquez, what female would have you?" she joked as Henry laughed next to his friend, poking him in the shoulder playfully as Jacob rolled his eyes.

Jack pulled himself away from Lizzie, walking up to Henry and raising his hand up.

Henry smiled as he bent down a little, raising his own hand and giving Jack a high five. "What's going on little man?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders. "On the way to school" he said, bouncing back and forth on his heels. He groaned softly as he clapped his hands together.

"Lame…" Henry laughed a little bit as he reached out his arm and flexed his muscles a bit, holding his forearm up like a bodybuilder would.

Jack grabbed onto Henry's upper arm and braced himself, starting to laugh as Henry pulled him up off of the ground and let him hang off of his arm. "Oh wow" Jack said as looked down at the ground, while Henry started to pace around the group a little, making a small groaning sound as he stepped off of the curb and then turned back after a few seconds. "Are you getting weaker, Henry?"

Henry bellowed out a laugh. "Nah" He smirked as he swung Jack around a bit "You're just getting heavier, Johnny-boy. What are your parents feeding you?" Henry joked as he set Jack back down. "Pretty soon I'm gonna have to use both arms!"

"Well it's okay" Jack said as his sneakered feet hit the pavement again. "You've got your own little brother to play with now" Jack said as he slid his hands into his pockets.

Henry smirked as he looked off into the distance, where he could still see the front door to his family's apartment. "Yeah, my parents aren't exactly letting Sam out of their sight. Pretty overprotective!" He laughed a little bit before looking back down at Jack. "But you're a good practice dummy"

"You're a dummy!" Jack said back chuckling as he lightly punched Henry in his knee.

While Jack and Henry traded barbs with one another, Veronica pulled Lizzie to the side with Jacob, as Lizzie enquired about the state of the road.

"What's going on down there?" Lizzie asked, gesturing towards the makeshift roadblock.

"Nothing good" Veronica said as she turned away and glanced down the street. "They're pulling people out of that building. And that one asshole of a lieutenant there in the front sent one of his boys back to the truck for a scanner."

Lizzie pulled her away from Jack and Henry, with Jacob stepping with them. "There's Infected inside the walls?"

"Only reason someone would need a scanner." Veronica shrugged her shoulders as she scratched the back of her head. "My bet, those idiots they're lining up on the sidewalk were stupid enough to go outside. I mean, look at them, I didn't think it was possible to have skin paler than yours, but damn." Veronica said as she looked back at men and women plopped down on the sidewalk, each and every one of them sweating bullets.

"Fuck" Lizzie said.

"Yeah I know" Veronica shook her head as she crossed her arms. "I mean, as bad as it is, at least they're taking care of it." She looked down at the floor. "I trash talk them all the time, and they're still fascist bastards, no offense, but I wouldn't wanna do that job."

Lizzie raised an eyebrow. "Some taken…"

"Anyway" Jacob continued for Veronica. "Henry saw something the other day" he turned to Henry, who had picked up Jack again. "Henry, come here."

Jack was quickly set down again after the older boy had taken him for another stroll on his arm and Henry walked over, joining the group of teens as Elizabeth pivoted towards her younger brother. "Hey John."

Jack snapped to attention "Yeah?" he'd almost been conditioned to respond with absolute conformity when his mother or sister used his real name.

Lizzie met his eyes, "Stay where I can see you, okay?"

"Okay!" he said as he paced back and forth, leaving the teenagers to their conversation.

Lizzie turned to Henry, who was starting his own story. She listened intently, Henry, unlike Veronica and Jacob, had never been one to exaggerate a story. So, even if it was outrageous, it was probably true. She leaned in, not wanting anyone on the street to hear as they discussed. Hopefully it would just look like average teenage gossip.

"I saw a few Fireflies hanging around the clinic the other day, everyone knows who they are, just so long as no one rats them to the soldiers they never get caught." Henry recalled the events of the day before. "I was feeling pretty stupid so I decided to follow them, followed them all the way to the wall." Henry knelt down to tie his shoelace. "Anyway, they were pulling apart some boards near the wall… I don't know," He shrugged his shoulders. "It sounds crazy, but man," Henry shook his head "I think there's a fucking hole."

"What?!" Lizzie raised an eyebrow. "A gap in the wall that close to the clinic?!"

Jack meanwhile, couldn't seem to escape the boredom. It was almost as bad as listening to grownups. He shuffled on his heels, clapping his hands together as he looked up the road. Man, the soldiers looked so cool in their uniforms. When he grew up, he was going to be a soldier just like his dad. Then, all the kids at school would look up to him, and listen to him, and want to be friends with him. Jack smiled at the thought. He looked up the road again, wondering what all the people up the street were doing with the soldiers. They were sitting down on the sidewalk. Criss-cross-applesauce style, just like Miss Gordon had them sit in school.

Jack peered past one of the merchant stalls towards the group of soldiers, looking at the way they walked around in their uniforms, with one of them grabbing onto a small black box with buttons and lights all over it. He walked a little more to get a better view as he started to make out the soldier's faces, all of them were sad looking, with a weird looking expression on their face as one of them started to press the box up against the people sitting on the pavement. The soldier pressed the box into the backs of their necks, almost at the head. Jack watched as the lights on the box flickered red, and the soldier moved on to the next person in line.

The soldier looked familiar actually. Even with the helmet on, Jack could make out his face. The angles and the rugged beard he sported, along with the little mole on his right cheek just next to his nose. Sure enough, Jack found himself looking down the street at his father's face.

"Dad?" Jack said softly to himself as he peered ever closer. He turned back, Lizzie had her back to him, still deep in conversation with her friends. Well, too bad, she would have to wait to see their dad and he would get to say hi first. It had been far too long since Jack had seen his father, with shifts taking him away at all hours lately. He started to run over; he would be back before Lizzie even finished talking with her friends. His feet hit the ground, and he remembered to smash his sneakers into a little puddle on the way there. It was small, but it would do for now!

Jack started to run, his shoes tapping against the pavement as all the grownups around stood still. What was wrong with them? He watched his dad press the box up to another person. Jack was so close he could hear the loud beeping as the box lit up red again, and his father moved to the next person. Jack didn't know if his father was too busy, there were a lot of other soldiers there that could take his place for a minute. He kept running, breathing in and out as he pushed through the crowd.

"Dad!" he shouted and laughed, running towards Edward as he flailed his arms wildly.

Lizzie was still in disbelief as she listened to Henry's story, looking to Veronica and Jacob every once in a while, to gauge their reactions. She looked up at the sun ever so slightly, finally peeking out from the clouds. More time had passed. Lizzie groaned, she had to get Jack to school, it was late enough as it is.

"Alright," Lizzie said, standing up straight as she looked around. "I'm gonna have to catch up with you guys later." She looked around again, scanning every inch of pavement around the little circle they had made. "Guys?"

Veronica looked past her, sensing the worry in her best friend's voice as she stood up straight as well.

"Where's John?" Lizzie asked her friends as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

Henry turned himself, looking down the road towards the roadblock as his mouth opened wide. "Oh fuck…"

Edward steeled himself as he pressed the scanner to the next woman in line, pushing the box up against the base of her skull and hitting the button to scan. He looked down at the woman in front of him, barely over twenty-five. He waited for the result to come back; these old scanners were really starting to get slow. Faulty equipment was going to be the death of them.

"John!" Elizabeth screamed at the top of her lung, as if all the air was rushing out of them as her and her friends bounded down the street as fast as they could. Her little brother had a wicked head start on them. Henry was starting to eclipse her running speed, he was always faster, and Lizzie just hoped to God that Henry would reach John before something bad happened. Fuck, she had taken her eyes off him for just a second. This was all her fault. Lizzie screamed again.

"John! STOP!" she cried out with all her might.

"Dad!" Jack cried out laughing as he reached the curb and bounded off of it.

Edward stepped back with a gasp as the scanner lit up green, buzzing and beeping as the screen red POSITIVE. "Shit" Edward dropped the machine as two soldiers behind him rushed up to grab the woman.

"No!" the woman screamed as she pulled herself away, escaping the soldier's grip as she bounded down the street. "Don't touch me!" she yelled as her face twisted and contorted with fear.

"DAD!" Jack yelled as he ran towards the roadblock, passing by two soldiers who had turned at the sound of the scanner going off.

"JOHN!" Lizzie screamed

"JACKIE!" Veronica screamed after him with her.

Lieutenant Mars, Edward's commanding officer, screamed at him as soon as he heard the wild beeping and saw the light flash green. "Sergeant Shaw!" he yelled in Edward's ear as he slapped him on the shoulder. "You shoot that woman right now!"

Edward wasted no time in raising his rifle up, the safety was already off, and he took aim at the back of the woman's skull, ready to send a round through her head.

Jack found himself running towards a stranger, some lady in a mad dash, running away from his father. She must have been doing something wrong. His dad told him that people who broke the law went to jail. Jack supposed that she didn't want to go. At that moment, Jack found himself no less than ten steps from the lady.

"Sergeant Shaw! FIRE!" the lieutenant bellowed angrily as the woman headed towards the crowd

"JACK!" Lizzie yelled as they pushed past other pedestrians. "JACK, FOR FUCK'S SAKE TURN AROUND!"

"DAD!" John yelled, finally within earshot of his father with all the noise around.

Edward flinched ever so slightly as he pulled the trigger, hearing his son's voice echo in his ears. The gunshot reverberated all over the square, filling the ears of everyone around.

"Oh my God…" Lizzie breathed out as her and her friends stopped running.

The bullet flew through the ear at breakneck speed. The hollow point round entered the woman's head, splitting through her skull cleanly through the back, and rushing through her brain and exiting with a massive force, splattering brain fluid and blood all over.

John stopped in his tracks when he heard the shot, shaking slightly as he stopped. He closed his eyes as the gunshot rang out louder than anything he'd heard before. Then, he felt it, a splattering of wet sticky liquid splashing onto his face as the woman's brain exploded, covering his hood and his face in hot red blood. The next thing he heard was the sound of the woman's body crashing down to the pavement hard, her lifeless corpse becoming another casualty of humanity's great war against the cruelest evolution had to offer.

"JOHN!" the boy heard his father call out to him.

"DADDY!" John screamed as he stood their shaking, more terrified than he'd ever been in his life.

Lizzie started to run towards them, nearly pushing over one of the soldiers blocking her path as she bolted into the middle of the roadblock. "JOHN, KEEP YOUR MOUTH CLOSED!"

Edward reached his son a few seconds before his daughter did, dropping his rifle and grabbing onto John's shoulders. Edward's panicked and pained face twisted as he looked the boy over. "Son, keep your mouth and your eyes shut, do you hear me?!"

All Jack could do was nod as he shook.

"Did anything get in your mouth?!" Edward questioned him, sweat pouring down his forehead as he looked at the massive amount of blood dripping down his boy's face. It looked as if a bucket had been poured on him.

Jack shook his head no as fast as he could.

"Are you sure?!"

Jack shook his head again wildly.

"Okay…Okay" Edward reached around to the back of his belt as Lizzie finally reached them. Edward pulled his canteen from the strap on his belt and unscrewed the top. He looked over to his daughter, anger welled up in his eyes. "Where were you?!" he yelled at Lizzie as his shaking hands opened up the canteen.

"Dad…" Lizzie stammered as she looked back towards her friends.

"Forget…" Edward grunted angrily as he unscrewed the canteen. "Fucking forget it, Elizabeth" he stammered himself as Lizzie knelt there with her mouth agape, uncertain if she was properly processing what had just happened. She felt so stupid.

"John" Edward said slowly as the crowd began to gather around them even closer. "Keep your eyes and your mouth shut and stand still!"

John nodded quickly right before a cold splash of water hit his face, and then hit his face again, and again. And finally, he felt his father's gloved hands wipe at his face. Then more water, and more wiping. For what had felt like an hour, even though only a few minutes had passed. John could barely take more than a shallow breath as his father cleaned his face.

"Get this fucking thing off him." Edward said as he dropped his canteen, and Lizzie's shaking hands unzipped Jack's windbreaker as Edward pulled his gloves off.

"Okay…" Edward breathed deeply. "Buddy, you can open your eyes."

When John did, he found himself staring down at the corpse, just two feet away from him. If he hadn't stopped at the gunshot, the dead woman would have landed on top of him. He stiffened up in shock as he saw the woman's exposed cranium, blood and brain fluid still dripping out.

His father's calloused hands grabbed at his cheeks. "Don't look at that, look at me."

John found his father's soft eyes, looking deeply into them as he continued to shake. "Dad…what did you do to that lady?" he asked as he started to whimper, tears starting to stream down his face.

"Buddy" Edward swallowed the lump that was growing in his throat "Don't worry about that…" Edward stared at his son. "Are you okay?"

Before he could answer that question, Jack felt a sharp sting at the base of his neck, a cold metallic feeling that made him tense up. Edward took his gaze away from his son and looked up at his lieutenant, who had picked up the scanner and was now pressing the machine to the back of Jack's head.

Edward's face went from relieved, and back to anger as he stared up at his commanding officer.

"You son of a bitch." Lizzie said to the soldier as the scanner started to beep and blink.

The lieutenant barely looked at Edward as he scanned Jack, turning to Lizzie, somehow looking at her, and the monitor on the scanner simultaneously. "No mistakes young lady." He said as he waited for the result. "That's how humanity survives." He responded calmly as the scanner beeped in his hand.

"Dad?" Jack grabbed onto his father as Lieutenant Mars continued. "Are you going to shoot me too?" he asked as the whirring and beeping of the machine filled his ears.

"No…No…" Edward breathed deeply as he grabbed his son's hand, squeezing tightly as he met his eyes. "Everything is going to be fine, son…" he gasped as he looked back up at the scanner and then back to his boy. "I promise!" the man breathed shallow breaths as the scanner beeped again.

They stood there for what seemed like an eternity, waiting desperately for the result to come back.

BEEP

Lieutenant Mars nodded, his face lit up in red light as he pulled the scanner away from Jack's head and started to walk away, stopping for only a moment. "Sergeant Shaw, we're moving out as soon as I'm done scanning the last two." He gestured towards the last two people lined up, both of whom had about ten rifles pointed at them. "Wrap it up, your shift isn't over." the lieutenant said as he walked away to his next scan.

"Oh my God" Lizzie dropped down to her knees, wrapping her arms around her brother as tightly as she could, tears flowing from her eyes again. "Jesus Christ, John, I am so sorry!" she said, bury her face into his shoulder, her tears wetting his favorite Batman tee shirt.

John still couldn't think straight. The words exchanged between Edward and Lizzie were barely audible to him as he looked back down at the woman lying in the dirt.

It was a few seconds later, after some yelling from their father, that Lizzie pulled him away as Edward picked up his rifle and rejoined his squad. John had heard something about being taken to the clinic to his mother, about Lizzie having a long talk with their parents later, and something else he couldn't quite register.

When Lizzie finally got him away, she could see that, just like her own, John's bright eyes had gotten a little dimmer.

They walked away from the scene, with all of Lizzie's friends staring at him as he followed his sister to see his mother.

He wouldn't be going to school today.

When they reached the end of the square, John could still hear them scanning the last detainee. A few seconds later, another gunshot rang out through the air, shaking John and Lizzie to the core as they walked towards the clinic.

Later that day, on the way home, he didn't really feel like splashing in any puddles.

The Present

Summer, 2035

Somewhere in Jackson County, Wyoming

The rain was just starting to die down when John woke up. He'd been listlessly tossing and turning for the better part of the five hours of sleep that he'd gotten. He never slept all that well anyway. His mouth was still sore from losing his tooth during the raid before. The lost enamel wasn't in the front, but it was close enough to see a difference whenever he opened his mouth.

John could still hear small droplets of rain falling down and splattering on the tent if he slowed his breathing and listened close enough. He would do anything right now for a shower and a change of clothes, but didn't even feel like moving.

Just as he was about to close his eyes and attempt to drift back to sleep, he heard footsteps pressing into the mud underneath his tent. Soft, but forceful at the same time. He cautiously grabbed his gun and pulled it from the shoulder holster he'd taken off and placed on the ground a few hours ago. Flipping the safety off, he pointed it at the tent's flap.

The zipper started to open up, he hadn't secured it all the way. Someone stuck their finger underneath it and started to pull it up slowly. If he hadn't been in the middle of a heavily armed camp, he'd have already fired several rounds through the tent's material at his visitor. Even still, he would never trust an unannounced guest until he saw their face first.

"Jesus Christ…" A female voice said as the tent flap was zipped up completely. "Put that thing away, Jack."

John let out a sigh, not one of relief, but one of exasperation. He didn't even need to see her face before knowing who it was. There was only one person in the world that still called him by his nickname. "Great, you're back." John said as he lowered his gun, taking his finger off of the trigger as he watched the tent flap open up.

Lizzie ducked down and got into the tent with him, zipping the flap closed again. She was a skinny woman, but well-toned and muscular. Her long red hair was tied up in a loose pony tail, though some strands were falling down into her crystal blue eyes. Lizzie had grown up to be almost the spitting image of her mother. Except for the eyes, Lizzie had Edward Shaw's eyes. John's older sister was fully grown, having entered her twenties three years ago. Clad in tight dark black jeans, a ripped up white tee shirt, and a short cut and dirty leather jacket, she sat down in the small tent Indian style, crossing her legs together and letting out a deep breath.

"Did you miss me?" She asked, feigning a sweet smile and a loving gaze.

John scoffed as he flipped the safety on his gun to green and replaced it on the ground next to him. "Like a dog misses a flea."

"You're still a smartass…" she said, pressing a hand against his cheek and lightly smacking him with her palm twice. He shooed her hand away as she went for a third. Lizzie laughed and pulled her arm away. "Are you missing a tooth?" She chuckled as she looked at his face.

He didn't say anything, crossing his arms and laying his head back down into the ground.

"You know I tried to warn you."

"Warn me about what? Not to get hit in the face?" John started to turn over, laying down with his back facing her. "Thanks Elizabeth, great advice."

Lizzie ran a hand through her hair, before grabbing onto the tie that was holding it together. She pulled it loose and let the long strands fall out. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at the roof of the tent. "I warned you not to go up against him. I told you it was a stupid idea, and that your plan was idiotic."

John pressed his index finger down into the dirt and started to grind it into the ground. "Yeah, well, it's better than sitting back and being his minion."

"Oh, you think I don't hate Edward Shaw, asshole?" Lizzie spat back at John, refusing to let him be as she grabbed onto his shoulder and turned him over onto his back again.

"Fuck you Liz" He said once his face was turned back to her own. "I asked you for your help and you told me to go to hell." He sat up, resting his hand against the ground as he turned his torso towards her. "It could have worked if you had just helped me."

"You don't think, Jack, you never do." She shook her head at him. "None of your plans ever work because you don't think them through. You almost let yourself get killed." Her eyes trailed off to the corner of the tent, not making eye contact. "Almost got me killed too."

"Why are you here?" John asked her as she scolded him.

"Because I have to be, because he'd look for me if I stayed away for more than a week." Elizabeth said as she crossed her arms as well. "You think you're the only one who's wanted to run away from home."

John looked at her with a scathing gaze. "This is not home…" he said sharply. "And I meant why are you in my tent?"

"I haven't seen you in a month, I can't just want to make sure you're okay?"

"You haven't 'just made sure that I was okay' in years. So, either get to the point or get lost so I can go back to sleep."

She scoffed and looked at his jaw "You're missing a goddamn tooth, not like your face was doing you any favors before." Elizabeth raised her hand back up to his face, he started to swat her hand away, but she quickly pulled away. "Just relax" the girl said with a now definitively concerned face.

John finally relented and allowed her to grab him by the chin, moving his face back and forth to make sure… well, he didn't know, but she was doing something seemingly important. Elizabeth's face formed in a grimace and finally let go of his chin after a careful examination.

"Oh Jackie…Does it still hurt?" She asked him.

"Sure doesn't feel good." He said as she sat back and laid her head down against the ground. John watched the hair in her ponytail sprawl itself across the grass and dirt. "You need a haircut." He told her. "Somebody's gonna be able to grab that easily."

"Not without losing a fucking hand they won't." she said with a small chuckle, which got a hearty laugh out of John as well. Elizabeth yawned hard before she closed her eyes slightly. "Jesus, I can't even remember the last time I actually let out just a small laugh." She said before pulling the extra blanket off of John and wrapping it around herself. He did nothing to stop her as she snuggled herself around the rough, old, musty blanket and turned around as if she was in a cocoon, her back to the tent's other occupant, still close enough to be touching if either of them shifted backwards a bit. A few minutes went by like that, a simple silence between the two of them as they both tried to drift off to sleep.

"Jack?" she said, breaking the silence with the soft tones of her voice.

"Yeah?"

She cleared her throat for a second before speaking again. "Louis told me you got a girlfriend." Lizzie turned over and looked over to her brother. "Is she nice?" Elizabeth smirked slightly.

"Just shut the fuck up and go to sleep."