CYOA Page 74
Sep. 14th, 2013 06:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lumy12It feels like it's been a while since Joel said he was coming, but maybe it's only been like thirty more seconds? He'll be here. You can't risk hiding in the vault if there's a chance the door can't be opened once it's shut.
You sneak around the filing cabinets, confident that none of the infected in this large room know where you are, but unable to see shit yourself. And you hear Clickers... you've never been great at telling how far away they are based on the noises. Sometimes they sound like they're right fucking there, but really they're far enough away that you can easily avoid them. When you can't see, though...
You get your blade ready, just in case.
And no sooner do you switch it open (can they fucking hear that?!) than a Clicker lunges at you! You stab at it wildly but blindly... you don't kill it, but you do wound it -- seriously enough to loosen its grip and allow you to switch on your flashlight. You didn't want to do that yet, but the Clickers don't need light to find you, and you have to be able to see them. You bury your knife in the right spot on the Clicker's neck, and down it goes. Unfortunately, you've attracted a lot of attention from other infected. Shit!
You might be able to confuse them a bit playing hide-and-seek amongst the filing cabinets, but that works better with only one or two. You've got four hot on your trail -- you'll have to grab your ammo and reload while on the move. You've seen Joel reload in motion, but not actually fetch shit from his backpack without having to stop and--
You turn a corner and hurl yourself into the filing cabinet beside you, toppling it onto one of the infected. That was easier than you expected... if the cabinets are empty, they'll be lighter and not as effective, but also easier for you to manage. If you can at least delay them a little with an obstacle course... fuck, now there's seven of them?!
You hear a gunshot!
There are six of them -- one just dropped dead.
"Joel!" you scream. It HAS to be--
You hear more breaking glass, and all but three of the infected abruptly change course.
"Hang on, kiddo!"
The three remaining are, naturally, very fucking close to you. All Runners. You can't knife three at once, and you have no time to find your ammo. You can't make a run for it -- you've created an obstacle course for yourself, too, unfortunately -- and the only way you can go is backward, deeper into the room. Toward the...
-The vault! Maybe I can use it?
You're in front of the vault in two seconds, tugging the door just slightly more open. A Runner is about to lunge at you when you chuck your gun right at its head, stunning it -- stunning it enough that you can push it inside the vault! You retrieve your gun and do the same thing to the next one in line. Before you can get your gun again for the last one, though, the first one has recovered and it's practically on top of you! You jump on it -- normally a maneuver you would do from behind, but you don't have that luxury at the moment -- and bury your knife in its neck, both of you falling to the ground as you stab stab stab... then relax as it goes limp beneath you.
The second one you stunned is now descending on you -- you're not even on your feet yet when it's tugging on you, sinking its teeth into your fucking neck because you weren't able to resume a defensive stance -- ugh! It hurts like a motherfucker, but even so, the thought "AT LEAST IT'S NOT JOEL" crosses your mind. The bite itself is not a death sentence for you! And while the fucker begins to gnaw on your flesh, you manage to wriggle your knife into its neck -- dealing it a lethal blow. You're free!
Where's the third one?! You wheel around... and only then do you realize you're actually in the vault now. The third Runner is not with you.
There was a gunshot... yeah, I heard it while I was killing that one there...
The door is shut.
...The door is fucking SHUT, with you inside!
"Ellie?"
How did that happen?! You didn't shut it! You were going to, after the three of them were in there...
"Ellie! Where are you?"
You're suddenly so terrified you can't even answer Joel.
"Ellie! Oh my God... are you..."
You can barely hear him when he's not shouting. Or maybe because you're starting to freak the fuck out, and all you can hear is the blood pounding in your head. Your neck feels sore, but it's not very bloody. You don't give a fuck about the bite now.
"Answer me, Ellie! Are you all right?!"
You come to your senses enough to call back to him. "Yes! Joel, yes -- can you open the door?! I don't know what happened -- I didn't shut it! I didn't shut it, I swear!"
You don't hear anything for a few moments; you imagine that Joel is either figuring out how to open the door, or he too is freaking the fuck out. Please please PLEASE let it be the first one! "Joel? I didn't come in here! I didn't-- I didn't close the door! I swear to God! I was just -- I was killing these -- two Runners -- I didn't come in here on purpose! And I didn't shut it! ...Joel?! I didn't do it!" (...Apparently, it's very important to you that he know this.)
Joel answers you, but you can't hear him because he's not shouting. "What? Joel, I can't hear you!"
"...I think it was me! I blew that last one away an' it-- I think it fell back against the door!"
The third Runner! Oh my God... is this really happening?! "You can get me out, right? ...RIGHT?!"
"I'm tryin'! Gimme a minute!"
You feel panic wash over you... like you're having a nightmare, and it's time for you to wake up. Wake up and crawl into Joel's arms to make it go away. But this is real... FUCK I have to get outta here...
You turn around and survey your surroundings for the first time. Four corpses... the two you just created, and two others that look like they've been here a very long time. Empty metal shelves line the walls. On the floor, there's like... rags, some plastic junky-looking things, some empty cans of... whatever... nothing that might help you -- like some kind of very powerful bomb that can blast you out of here. Wouldn't that be nice!
"Do you have any bombs? Can you make some?" you ask Joel hopefully.
"Those little nail bombs ain't gonna do shit against these walls!"
"What about Molotovs? I have one!"
"Flame-proof!"
Yeah, you knew it wouldn't be that easy.
"...Your guns? What about the real powerful ones?" You know a couple of them can pierce armor...
"Not good enough!"
Oh my GOD I'm so fucked... this can't be happening... this can't be... it's a nightmare, that's all! The worst one you've ever hard. You're finding it very hard to breathe now. "Joel -- Joel, I think I'm-- suffocating!"
"No you ain't -- you're just panickin'! Ellie, listen to me -- I know you're scared -- you have to try to stay calm, all right? You have enough air to last for a while but you have to conserve it -- you have to stay calm!"
You nod. As if he can see it. Stay calm... You don't feel calm at all. It doesn't sound like Joel expects to get you out any time soon! You've been in here only a few minutes and already the walls are closing in on you...
"Okay, Ellie?"
You start to cry. You fucking hate crying, but you're crying. "Joel, get me out of here! I can't stay in here! Please! Please help me!"
"I'm gonna get you out! Hang in there, all right?"
"You promise?!"
"I promise!"
He promised. He promised! Joel wouldn't break a promise to me... he's going to get me out, he HAS to... he WILL...
"I'm gonna check things out from the outside! I'll be right back!"
"What? No, don't leave!"
"I'll be right back!" he repeats.
You keep telling yourself he's going to get you out. He promised, which means he'll fucking do it. It might take time, but he'll do it. You take a closer look at your new home, searching for anything that might be of use... feeling along the steel walls, looking for faults... weaknesses... a fucking magic panel that opens outward... a trap door, maybe?! An air duct? A hole in the fucking ceiling?! And you keep returning to the front to check for Joel. In case you can't hear him when you're away from the door.
It's all in vain. On the other side of that steel is concrete. The walls, the floor... you're not going to find a way through that shit by luck. You pound on the walls anyway. On the door. You hit so hard that your fists are stinging.
Finally, Joel returns! ...but without any kind of miraculous rescue plan.
"Can you pick the lock?" you suggest desperately.
"I wish it were that easy!"
"What about... the combination! It's a combo lock on there, right? At least I thought I saw--"
"There's thousands of different combinations... an' I think it needs power besides that..."
Naturally. Fuck fuck fuuuuuuuuuuuck-- "What are we going to do?" you wail.
"I'm gonna go get help!"
"What? No no no -- you can help me! You'll get me out! Don't leave me!"
"I'll come back -- we need a... drill or somethin' -- I can't do it with anythin' that we have here!"
"A drill?" You're imagining the handheld one that he uses in Jackson. It's so small...
"The military will have somethin' that'll work!"
"The MILITARY?! Joel--"
"I know -- it's a long way -- the sooner I go, the sooner I'll be back, all right?! I won't rest until you're out of there!"
"No! No, Joel -- don't leave me, please -- I can't be in here by myself! I'll die!" you sob.
"Ellie, listen to me! I need you to be strong, okay? Can you be strong for me!"
"NO!" No use trying not to freak out, right? "I can't! I can't do it -- I'm scared! Joel, don't leave me alone!"
"...I know, baby girl -- I'm sorry! Believe me, there's nothin' I'd like better than to hold you in my arms right now -- but I can't -- if I want to get you out, I have to go get help!"
"What if-- what if they -- w-won't help you?!"
"I'll MAKE them help me -- I'll steal what I need if I have to -- don't give up, all right? I'm gonna get you out, I swear!"
You're crying too hard to do much more than blubber at him... and thinking that you don't want him to remember you this way only makes you more upset.
"Your job is to stay alive -- do you have your backpack? ... you have water?"
"Y-yes!" Backpack, yes. Only your half-full canteen, for water. You have a little bit of food, too. Most of the food is with the horses, but you have a little.
"Ration it! An' stay calm -- you use less air that way! You understand?"
Oh, you understand... you understand that you're fucked... that the odds of Joel making it back here in time--
"Ellie?"
"I under-s-stand! J-Joel -- I love you! I'm s-sorry -- I'm so sorry!"
"You're gonna be fine! I'll be back as soon as I can!"
"I love you!" you repeat, because he didn't say--
"I love you, too! Pretend I'm in there with you -- tellin' you... that you're gonna be all right... that you can do this!"
"Okay!"
He doesn't answer... doesn't say goodbye. Maybe he's still there? "Joel! ... ...Joel?!"
...Nope. You're alone.
Don't freak out, Ellie. Freaking out wastes AIR. And you're NOT alone... you have four people in here with you. They're dead, but they're people. ...and you have Joel! He's here... he loves you...
You shrug out of your backpack and position it so your flashlight is shining up at the ceiling, then slump down in the corner (a front one, close to the door... because Joel will be back). If everyone's money was in the wires or whatever, why did banks even need to HAVE vaults like this? you wonder bitterly.
You dance your fingers over the bite mark on your neck and think about how you're going to have to wear nothing but turtlenecks from now on to hide the scar. ...Or, maybe you won't have to worry about it all, because--
NO. Joel will get you out! He just told you he's not going to rest until he does. It will take him less time to get back home than it did to get here. If he's even going to Jackson... maybe he can go right to that military base to the north of town? Does he know how to get there from here?
What if Joel makes it back here... somehow drills inside... only to find you dead? Your heart lurches -- no, it fucking breaks -- at the thought. My poor Joel... I can't do that to you... I have to survive. He could get himself killed out there, trying to help you! Or... oh God... what if he does make it back with something that he thinks can blow this thing, or drill inside, whatever... and it doesn't work?! He'd have to give up then, wouldn't he? Would he stay with you when he can't actually be with you, or say goodbye and leave you because he won't even be able to tell when you do finally die? Maybe you'll be laying there, too weak to call out to him loud enough for him to hear, but still alive, and he'll assume you're already gone... leaving you to die alone.
But... you can't do a fucking thing about it, now, can you? All you can do is what he said: stay alive. ...on half of a small canteen of water? How long can I make that last? I'm going to die... I'M GOING TO DIE!
-No. Even if you are, you can't fucking think about it now. You hug your knees to your chest. Joel's with me... holding me... I hear his voice... yes, he's here... right here... he'll get us out... ... ...it's night time, and we're looking up at the sky... it's gray... too cloudy to see the stars tonight... just moonlight... a bright, bright moon... he likes to nibble on my neck -- "Ow, Joel, that hurts!" -- oops... he didn't mean to... another bite to cover up... man, making out makes me thirsty... no, I can hold off, don't wanna leave your arms... look how bright the moon is!
Maybe you'll go mad in here. You hope so: your last hours might be less miserable if you can actually believe the bullshit you're feeding yourself.
If you'd like to start another adventure, return to page 1.
Carlos
Date: 2021-06-09 12:23 pm (UTC)RE: Carlos
Date: 2021-06-09 12:42 pm (UTC)