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inej-ruination-ghafa · 2 years ago

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SUGAR: OUTBREAK DAY

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Warnings: blood, violence, guns, attempted sexual assault, mentions of sex, swearing, main character death

Summary: you had never expected the day to go lik it did, you were expecting a normal day but when the world broke out in infection, you had to figure out what to do

Wordcount: 9.2k

— and as the long long nights begin, I think of all that might have been, waiting here for evermore

September 26th 2003, the day that would one day become infamous. But when you woke up on that hot Texas apartment in your apartment, your best friend sleeping on the couch in the other room after a long day of work, you werent expecting anything bad to happen. In fact, this could have been one of the best days of your life if it had gone well.

You had woken Tommy up after you’d gotten dressed. He was still in his clothes from yesterday par the grey shirt he had been wearing which had been stained with grease from his job and you had subsequently thrown it into your washing basket.

Tommy Miller was your best friend and that was it. He was the light to your darkness, the yin to your yang but he was just your best friend despite your fleeting obsession with him. If you could tell Tommy how you felt for him, a weight would be lifted off your shoulders but instead you sit in the living room area of your loft, carrying the weight of your love like Atlas.

But you wouldnt have it any other way. As long as you had Tommy in your life, as long as you could see the smile on his face or hear his laugh over the telephone, you didnt care. Right now you were content with your unrequited love for the slightly older man, knowing hed never feel the same way.

He came out of your bathroom in a fresh pair of clothes - he always left a spare pair of clothes or two in your small loft, knowing that he was probably going to spend the night.

Tommy looked at you, his breath hitching in his throat as he watched you brush your hair in the mirror, a bobby pin stuck between your teeth as you tried to fashion your hair into something you’d seen in one of the magazines sprawled across your coffee table.

He didnt understand why he felt this way, why he looked at you and yearned to reach forward and kiss the delicate skin at the back of your neck, why he wanted to reach behind you, winding his arms around you, hands on your stomach which was exposed from your shirt riding up.

You were four years his junior but his best friend through thick and thin for the last 6 years and he wouldnt change you for anyone. Maybe that was the problem, maybe he loved you too much deep down, maybe there was too much love in his heart and without you hed explode.

Before he could think too much and worry himself like he always did, you turned around, that smile on your face forcing him to light up as well, “You ready to go?” He asked and you nodded, skipping over to where he stood. You threw him the keys, watching as he caught them with ease before opening the door, gesturing for you to go first.

You two drove to Joels house, laughing like normal as you carpooled. The sound of your No Doubt echoing through the car as you tried to convince him to sing along, watching a smile pull at his lips even when he sai that he didnt want to sing along.

In the next few months, Tommy would think about this day every single waking moment and wish he had done something else. He would wish that he had sung along with you one last time as the cassette played, wish that he had hugged Sarah one last time when he got through the door, wish he had actually bought his brother something to show how much he cared, wish he would’ve told you everything.

But as he parked up on Joels driveway, he didnt know what the future would hold and didnt know that he would wish hed done more on the last day of the world.

Tommy fumbled around in his pockets for the keys, finally pulling them out and unlocking the door and walking into tthe house.

You loved the Millers house, there was something about the warmth of it that you wished you’d have had as a child. You wished that you had thier life and maybe that’s why you always enjoyed it when they let you in, welcoming you as a family member.

Tommy walked through the kitchen, smacking his brother on his shoulder, “Hey, you still alive you old fucker,” he said, walking round the corner and opening the fridge.

Sarah chuckled, looking over at Joel, “Ah, he loves you,” she said sarcastically, a smile on her face.

Joel rolled his eyes, watching as his brother pulled a carton of orange juice out of the fridge, “He’s dependant on me, it’s not the same,” he said, narrowing his eyes at his brother.

Joel would never admit it but he still cared about his brother even if he was too dependent on him. He’d noticed that since you had come along, Tommy had been a better person, more involved in Sarahs life and he was grateful for that every day. He was grateful to have the brother back that he had before he went to war.

Tommy scoffed from where he was leaning against the counter, removing th carton of juice from his lips, “I’m not dependant, you asshole,” he said.

You shook your head as you listened to his bickering, “Be nice Tommy,” you reprimanded, looking over at him before pulling the small box from behind your back and placing it on the table, “happy birthday Joel,”

“Nice to see you kiddo,” he said before looking down at the little box, “You didnt have to get me anything,”

You shook your head, “Its just a little something, you’ve done so much for me, i thought you deserved something,” you explained. Joel had helped you through your tough times at college, giving you a job as a receptionist when he didnt have to, letting you crash at his and Tommys house when you left your boyfriend. He gave you so much and never asked for anything in return.

He looked at the box and you nodded, watching as he pulled the packaging open. He looked at it, a picture frame with a picture from Joels last birthday, his and Tommys arms wrapped around a laughing Sarah. He looked up at you, eyes wide, “This is lovely sugar,”

“This is how you treat someone on their birthday Tommy,” You said with a smile, jokingly.

He rolled his eyes, “Whatever, you want some orange juice sugar?” He asked, holding the carton out to you from where you stood.

Your face scrunched up in disgust and a part of him wanted to smile at how adorable the little scrunch in your nose looked, “After you drank it straight from the carton? I'll have to pass,” you stated.

Tommy chuckled, putting the carton back in the fridge before looking around the room, “I thought we were having pancakes?” He questioned.

Joel shook his head, watching as you walked over to the other side of the kitchen counter, “We’ll pick you up something,”

He watched as you stood next to him, also leaning against the kitchen counter as Tommy wrapped his arm around your shoulders. He had never seen his brother this happy, this comfortable around someone and he knew you were it for him.

“The framing men aren’t here yet,” Tommy stated and you recalled the call that he had received on the way to Joels house.

Joel rolled his eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh as he placed his knife and fork down, “But we cant start pouring until we have the framework,” he stated, annoyed.

“I know, that’s what I told them,” Tommy said, now sounding just as exasperated as his brother did, “We could bring another guy on maybe,”

“I barely want to share this job with you,” he said, shaking his head before looking down at his food and then back at Tommy, “You can work a double,”

Sarah rolled her eyes. This was her fathers birthday and she wanted to spend time with him, “Today? Dad,” she complained.

Whilst the two of them were planning a movie date, you and Tommy had decided to go out to some bar to celebrate the end of the summer before you were going to start your first teaching job.

Joel looked at his daughters annoyed face and he could feel the guilt catching up to him, “Ill pick you up a cake,” he promised.

Joel jumped up, looking at his wrist before he realised he didnt have a watch on and looked around to find a clock, deciding what time he was going to leave the house, especially now that they needed extra time to work on the build. Little did they know it was never going to finish.

“Finish up quick, we’ll drop you two ladies off,” he said, finishing his cup of coffee before placing it next to the sink.

Sarah groaned, looking up at him, “But I’m still eating my eggshells!” She exclaimed, acting annoyed even as she picked a piece of shell out from betwee her front teeth

“And i haven't even had any food,” you said, looking around the kitchen, arms folded across your chest.

“Whatever!” Joel yelled out as he started to walk through the door to go and get changed.

“Your shirts inside out dickhead,” you called out from where you stood, annoyed that he wasnt feeding you when you came over for breakfast.

Tommy laughed at your issue with Joel, “He’s losing it isn’t he,” he joked.

He smiled to himself as he saw your face turned down in a pout, frustrated about not having any breakfast. For a split second, he wanted to lean down and kiss that sad look on your face away but he ignored that urge, fighting the blush that rose to his cheeks.

“Yeah, and if you don’t get me food on the way to training today Mr Miller, I swear to God,” you said, stepping away from him and poking him in the chest.

He held his hands up in surrender, a mock look of fear on his face as he looked down at you, “Okay little lady, Jesus, you’re feisty for such a tiny girl,” he stated, managing to manoeuvre his way around you.

You rolled your eyes, “Shut up Tommy,”

“Yes ma’am,” he said with a smirk, watching you as you walked out of the door.

He fel his heart pounding in his chest as he looked at you and for the first time ever, he had the intense urge to let you know how he felt, how he wanted you to feel the same way.

He didnt even reason he had frozen there, watching you as you walked away until Sarah came by, laughing at him as she teased him about his obvious feelings for you.

The sound of your voice teasing him from outside brought him back to reality as he turned and sneered at Sarahs comment before rushing after you, a smile on his face as he playfully teased you.

You looked back at him, a wide smile on your face and he felt his heart stop in his chest at the sight. You were about to get into the car when you heard someone call out your name and turned to see Mr Adler and Nana sitting in their front garden.

"Morning Mr Adler," You said, Tommy following your sentiment.

He smiled, watching you two joke around, "Hey kid, you two up to your usual hijinks?" He questioned, a smile on his face.

"Yes, yes, we managed to bury a body and rob a bank before breakfast," Tommy teased, leaning up against the car door as he looked at him.

You shook off his comment, a smile on your face, "He's joking Mr Adler, I promise,"

"Either of you want a biscuit?" The man offered.

"Ooh, yes please," you said before watching him feed one to Nana Adler, spit dripping from her lips as she ate it and he watched your nose do that title scrunch before turning to Tommy, "on second thought, Tommys buying me breakfast so I shouldn't,"

"I am?" He questioned, looking down at you

"Yeah, you are, we should get in the car,"

You walked over, calling shotgun as you rushed around the front of the car, sitting in the passenger seat as you listened to Mr Adler greeting the two, offering Joel a biscuit too.

You assumed he had seen the same disgusting sight that you had because he made a funny noise before shaking his head, "I would, but sugar here has got me on a new diet so," you had not.

"That's a shame," he said, looking over at the girl, "Would you be able to come round tonight Sarah, I'm sure Mrs Adler would love it,"

"I really can-" she started to say but her father cut her off, nodding his head as he agreed for her, "Yeah, she'll be free right after school,"

Joel walked over to the front seat before reasoning you were in it, moving to sit in the back seat alongside Sarah.

"I’ll tell you how exciting it was to listen to that fucking conversation," Tommy said, pulling a cigarette from his pocket and putting it in his mouth.

You looked over at him, trying not to find the look of him siting here, hair slicked back, a cigarette dangling from his lips too attractive but you did, hoping that he couldn’t see the blush rising on your cheeks.

"Sugar, pass the light,” he asked and you nodded, pulling a lighter out of your pocket and clicking it, watching as he leant forward , face close to yours as he lit it, the cigarette still between his lips.

Joel rolled his eyes, watching the conversation and seeing all the sexual tension between the two of you that he clearly didnt see, “What did I say? No smoking in the car,” he reprimanded.

“The windows are down though,” He said, looking at him before starting to drive off, his arm on the back of the chair as he stared to reverse and you shook your head, hoping he didnt see how attractive you thought it was.

You sat in the bar, turning your head as you heard the sound of police sirens, watching the lights flash by. You watched Tommy walk into the bathroom, watching him turn around and wave at you before he walked in.

It was just past midnight on Saturday and you had just ordered another drink, looking down at the bar as you waited for the drink to arrive and for Tommy to get back.

"You drink whiskey?" A slightly slurred voice asked and you turned your head to see a man pull up aa stool and sit next to you, a cocky smirk on his face.

There was something off about this man but you couldn’t quite put your finger on it so just assumed his strange demeanour was drunkness. He had this strange redness on his neck, almost like his veins were trying to break through the skin but you ignored it.

You turned to him, eyes narrowed, "How's that your business?" You questioned, trying not to cause an issue.

You just wanted one night where you didn't have to worry about all the things going on, about your job and your life and your unrequited love for your best friend.

He chuckled to himself, hand twitching slightly as he placed it on the bar, "It's not, I just admire a woman who can handle whiskey," he teased.

You turned away from him, taking a sip from the drink to try and ignore the man - technically it was Tommys drink but you’d face his wrath when he got back. There was something wrong but you couldn’t figure it out, instead opting to ignore your gut instinct.

The man was relentless, asking another question, "You come here often?" He asked, hand creeping up to rest on your shoulder.

"Occasionally," you stated, jolting your shoulder so that his hand fell off. There was a flash of anger that passed through his eyes and you shrunk back slightly, unsure what the hell was wrong with this guy.

"You alone? A pretty girl like you shouldn't be drinking alone," he asked, his tone turning from flirty to aggressive and you quickly looked around but Tommy was nowhere to be seen.

You placed the glass back down on the bar, thumb brushing the lipstick mark away almost subconsciously as you tried to figure out a way out of this situation. Before you even had a chance to answer, you felt a large hand wrap around your waist and you didnt even need to look back to know who’s it was, the warmth spreading and safety filling your body.

"She's not," the voice said and you looked up, eyes meeting Tommy and the second he saw the fear swimming in your eyes, he tensed up, eyes falling back on the man who was trying to hit on you.

The man scoffed as he eyes Tommy, eyes trailing from his pink shirt down to his dark blue jeans, “This your boyfriend?" He questioned, smirking as he stood up, looking Tommy in the eyes, "He's nothing special doll,”

"Why don't you shut up," he said, trying to calm the situation down as he ushered you up from the seat, arm still wrapped around your waist.

All you could do was watch, body frozen up in fear as you watched him argue with the man. You wanted to warn him and tell him there was something not quite right about this man but no words fell from your mouth.

"Why don't you back off?" The man said, squaring up to Tommy, head twitching slightly as he looked at him, brows furrowed, "She's not your girl,"

His hand reached out, grabbing onto your arm in a tight grip and you tried to squirm out of his grip, panic running through your veins.

"Let go of me," you exclaimed, trying to twist away from him but it was no use, his grip too strong. That was the thing that sent Tommy off, nobody was allowed to touch you like that. He gently let go of your waist, ready to do whatever he had to do to get the two of you out of the situation.

"Come on sugar, calm down," he said and the second that the nickname fell from his lips, he pushed the man. That was his thing, only he got to call her that and occasionally Joel. This disgusting, poor excuse of a man had no right and hat made the blood boil up in his veins.

The man scoffed as he was pushed back by Tommy, losing his grip on her and that’s the moment that Tommy gently pushed you behind him, not wanting you to get involved in the fight.

"She said let go douchebag," He said and you saw that flash of anger across that mans eyes again as he let out a primal scream and launched himself at Tommy.

He missed, stumbling to the side, and that’s when Tommy went in for a hit, punching the man square in the jaw and watching him stumble back again.

You werent sure what was wrong with this man, but he was clearly disturbed, some sort of froth appearing at the corner of his mouth as he went in for another hit. He missed again and this time, when Tommys fist collided with his nose, he fell to the ground, blood seeping from the wound.

He turned back to look at you, ignoring the man’s friends angered yells as he called the police, his focus was entirely on you and making sure you were okay. He couldn’t believe that he left you all alone at the bar, he thought you’d be okay, not factoring in the deranged psychopaths that clearly were hanging around at the bar as well.

He pulled you into a hug, your face buried in his chest. He pulled away, one hand coming up to rest on you cheek, brushing a stray tear away from your cheek that you hadnt even realised escaped.

Any other time, your heart would be fluttering at the closeness and the intimacy of the touch but right now, as you reached your hand up to grab his wrist, you just pushed it away.

“You okay?” He asked, words breathy as if he was finally catching his breath.

You nodded and his hand came down to brush against the going redness on your arm from where had grabbed you, “Son of a bitch,” he muttered under his breath before looking back into your eyes.

“He’s called the police Tommy,” you stated, voice still quiet and timid.

He shrugged his shoulders, “Let him, I did what I had to do to protect you. I’d do it all over again,” he said and you nodded, heart speeding up at his words.

You felt like that little giddy girl again, seeing him or the first time in his fathers backyard at the barbecue, a wide smile on his face, “You really are my hero Tommy Miller,” you joked, “How many people is it that you’ve beaten up for me? Two?”

He chuckled at your teasing tone, leaning down to rest his forehead against yours, “I’d beat up as many as I had to,” he said.

The tension between the two of you was building and if you moved your head slightly, you’d be kissing him and maybe he felt the same.

What you didn’t know was that if the rest of the night hadnt happened, if the outbreak hadn’t occurred, he would’ve. He’d have rushed into your arms after you got him out of the police station and kissed you until the sun came up.

But the world had other ideas.

He opened his eyes and you watched them flicker between your lips and his eyes but before he had even a chance to act upon all the urges in his mind, all the voices in his head telling him to kiss you already, he heard the police car pulling up outside.

“Officer, my friend, hes been beaten up by this feral man,” the other man exclaimed, pointing at you and Tommy.

He pulled away, hand coming away from your waist as he looked at the police officer, “Listen, officer, this is a misunderstanding,” he tried to explain, eyes narrowed at the friend of the man.

The officer shrugged his shoulders, clearly annoyed that he was dealing with this at 1am, “I’m sorry, if he's charging you for assault, I’m going to have to take you down to the station,” he explained.

You reached down, your hand grasping his as you thought about what this meant.

Tommy scoffed, “And that sleazy son of a bitch is going to get away with what he did?” He questioned and you squeezed his hand, trying to calm him down.

The officer looked between him and your hands clasped together, shaking his head, “I’m sorry sir, I’ve got to take you down,” he said and Tommy stepped forward, your hand falling out of his.

"He did nothing wrong," you begged desperately as the man placed handcuffs on your best friend.

As he lead him out of the bar, you followed, eyes never leaving Tommy. You couldn’t care less what anyone else in the bar thought of you two, their eyes following you as you left, desperately begging. All that mattered is that he was okay.

"I'm sorry ma'am, you can Bail him out later," he said, opening the door to the car.

“I’m going to call Joel okay, we’re going to get you out of there,” you promised, his eyes landing on yours as he sat in the car, the window rolled up.

He opened his mouth to say something but the car was driving off before he could. Even then though, he wasnt sure what he was going to say. He wanted to proclaim that he loved you more than anything else and that if he had to, he would do it all over again for you. He wanted to tell you that you meant everything to him and hed be lost without you, that he should have kissed you tonight.

He was never going to get a chance to say any of those things though and as he drove off, he felt his chance drifting away.

You stood there, eyes watching him drive away like you did the first time you met, always watching him walk away, aand that sinking feeling you had then was back, dragging you to the ground.

It was a feeling that you couldn’t understand, a mix of yearning for a man that the world kept pushing away from you and the feeling that something big was about to happen, that the world was going to change completley for you soon.

You took a deep breath in, looking around at the streets of Austin Texas, watching some man chase a woman down the street, a loud noise coming from his mouth, something between a yell and a high pitched screech and you wondered what was happening to the world.

The only thing you knew is that you didnt feel safe on this street alone at nearly one am on a Friday night so you sat down on the steps, Tommys jacket wrapped around your shoulders as you called Joel.

The phone rang for a few seconds and you let out a relieved sigh, "Joel, I need you to pick me up," you said, sobering up quickly.

You could almost imagine the worry on the other end of the line, hearing him rustle around and the silence was worrying you, "Where's Tommy? Are you okay? I'm heading out right now," he said, words spilling out of his mouth.

You knew Joel saw you as family, and that man would do anything for family, "He got arrested. I'm stuck at the bar, they wouldn't let me come with him," you explained, the burning feeling of tears pricking at the back of your eyes.

You heard him let out an annoyed sigh, "Jesus Christ, I'll be down now," he said and you could hear him grabbing his coat and the jumble of the keys unlocking the doors.

"We have to bail him out," you begged. A part of you wondered if you had done that to yourself, that you’d attracted that man and that if you hadnt entertained his conversation then Tommy would never have gottten into that fight. That same part of you knew that if Tommy heard you saying that about yourself, that it was your fault, hed be mad.

"The idiot did it to himself, I'm sure some time in the slammer will do him good," Joel said with a scoff. He was bored of having to constantly save his grown-ass brother from situations like this.

"He'll be stuck there all weekend Joel, he was only protecting me," you pleaded with him, breath hitching in your throat at the idea of him being stuck there, "If you don't come i'll hitch a ride with someone to the station,"

You heard the familiar lull of Tommys truck turning on and smiled to yourself, "Like hell sugar, i'll be down in twenty," he said.

You smiled to yourself, "You're the best Joel," you said before hanging up on him.

You didnt know how long you’d been waiting outside of the bar for but the cold was starting to creep into the Texas evening and you were starting to regret wearing the short blue dress. You just wrapped Tommys jacket around you, the smell of him enveloping your senses as you waited, trying not to worry about him too much.

That’s when you heard two men laughing as they stumbled out of the bar. You didnt notice the man Tommy had punched, twitching slightly, a small gurgling noise escaping his lips but it would be something that you’d think about for weeks to come.

He walked over, a laugh escaping his lips, "Your little boyfriends not here to protect you now," he stated and you wanted to freeze at his words but you didnt.

You didnt even entertain him, "Just leave me alone, my friends going to be here any minute," you said.

"Oh, are they?” He questioned, a sickening sound to his voice, “I only need a minute,"

You looked up at him, standing up like you would be able to outrun him. That’s when you saw Tommys truck pull up in front of the building, Joel sticking his head out of the open window to look at you.

He could see the stress in your eyes and the second that he did, he opened the door and stepped out, walking over to you, "Hey, step away from her," he said.

Joel and Tommy had now protected you tonight and whilst that solidified the fact that you were an integral member of their family, it also made you feel weak and like you weren't able to do anything.

The man rolled his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Jesus Christ, why is everyone playing hero tonight?" He questioned, more to himself and his friend than to anyone else.

"Unless you want another Miller to break your nose, you better step back," Joel said, stepping forward slightly towards the man and you didn't even question how he knew that it was Tommy.

The man stepped back, "Your family is crazy," he stated, looking at you and in any other scenario, you would’ve smiled at the imagery of being in their family but this guy just made you sick.

Joel rolled his eyes, placing a hand on your shoulder, "Lets go sugar," he said, ushering you into the passenger seat of the car.

As he sat in the front seat, driving away, you looked over at him, "Thanks Joel," you said and he smiled at you, reaching a hand over and gently patting your knee. He didnt need a thank you.

What you didnt know as you drove away, was that nearly as soon as you left, the infection finally took over that man. If you’d have stayed a minute or two longer, he could have attacked you and you wouldnt have made it through the night like so many other people.

It was silent as you sat there, neither of you knowing what to say. You heard what you thought was the sound of glass shattering, head peeking out of the window but you didnt see anything. You didnt know what was going on with the world but there was something wrong, "How did you know that Tommy broke his nose?"

"The only reason he'd get sent to jail is for protecting you," Joel explained and you nodded your head. It made sense, and then he smirked, looking over at you, "He also called me,"

Your eyes went wide as you looked at him, "Did he sound okay?" You asked and he smiled to himself, focusing on the road.

Joel knew how much the two cared about each other and was always waiting for his brother to admit how he felt. He knew from that barbecue in 1996 that there was something special between the two of you but neither of you were able to any anything - maybe this would be what pushed you to tell him how you felt.

He could sense the worry and tension and he nodded, “He sounded fine kid, don't get too worked up," he promised.

You nodded, watching as he parked outside of the police station. When you placed your head in your hands, he wondered what was wrong, a hand coming down to your back, "You okay?"

You looked up at him, "Yeah, God, I was just so scared as I sat at the bar that something was going to happen," you explained, the memories flashing in front of your eyes, "I was scared for only a split second because as soon as that fear set in, he saved me,"

That was basically your admission for your love to him, your version of shakespeares sonnet, your version of a Jane Austen book, your way of telling Joel that Tommy meant everything to you and he knew it.

He knew you’d been in love since the second that your troubled souls had met. You were the light that filled his darkness, that filled the void that the war left in you and he was the light that filled your darkness, that filled the doubt in your mind about yourself.

"God, I'm too drunk for this," you groaned and he placed a bottle of water in your hands from the backseat.

"You drink your water sweetheart, ill go get him," he said, rubbing one more hand over your back before walking out, closing the door behind him.

They werent in thee for long, although you were sure that Joel was swearing at Tommy for fighting someone and Tommy was defending you, but when they came back out, you jumped out the car.

Tommy pulled you into his arms instantly but before you had time to relish in the hug, he pulled away, hands cradling your face as he examined you for any serious injuries after he found out what had happened.

"Why are we rushing?" You asked, unsure why there was such a panic between the boys to get out of the police station.

"Somrthings happened doll," Tommy said, reaching down and pressing a kiss to your cheek, "We have to go home,"

If he had the time and the world wasnt about to end, he would have kissed you there until you couldn’t breathe, until the world faded away and it was only you two. He would’ve done it now as he knew the world could end but he was too scared, scared that they wouldn’t make it back to Sarah in time.

He ushered you into the the backseat of the car and you looked at him confused. The news hadnt set in yet and the shock was sill in your system.

Tommy sat in the drivers seat, the two brothers not even squabbling about who got to drive. That’s was one of the things that sent that worry back in you, the urgency of it. Joel turned on the radio, looking at his younger brother as they listened to the news blaring though the car.

You listened to the radio, heart pounding in your chest as you listened to it, "With the recent violent outbreaks across the city and the country, all citizens are advised to go home and lock their doors as soon as possible," it explained. As you kept listening to it, you felt the worry bubble up in your chest.

It felt like you were underwater and drowning, a heavy weight on your chest at the news that the world could end. You shook your head, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to prick at your eyes, "Tommy? Joel? What's going on?"

Tommy looked back at you and normally you would scold him for not paying enough attention to the road but right now, you just wanted him to tell you what’s

"I was in the fell and this dude tried to grab my leg and just as he did, I was let out on bail," he explained, the story not making any sense to you and you werent sure if it was because you were worried or if you were too drunk.

"And?" You questioned, not understand where he was going.

Tommy sucked in a sharp breath as he remembered what had just happened, his heart still going at a million miles a minute, "And, when I left, he started biting at this other guy in the cell, like chewing his face off," he explained, looking back at you in the backseat.

You felt the bile rising up in your throat at the idea, "Chewing his face off?" You questioned, trying to figure out what it meant.

You barely even heard the sound of Joel starting up the car and starting to drive back to Sarah because you kept thinking it over and over again. You head was swimming with the ideas of what was happening and you could feel your heart speeding up at the thought.

"Apparently there's some violent virus going around," Joel explained.

Your eyes never left Tommy as Joel answered your question, "You don't have it, do you Tommy?" The words fell from your lips before you could even think about the reprousions of it. But even then, with the threat of him being infected with something, you didn't move away from him.

"No, I feel fine sugar," he said, a hand reaching out to grab yours and even at this awkward angle, his thumb still brushed across your knuckles soothingly, something he always did when he was worried, "How are you? That man didn't bother you anymore did he?"

Although you were worried about the state of the world, you felt your heart skip a beat at his words of worry, at the idea that the world was falling apart but his only priority was you and your safety.

"No Tommy, I'm fine," you said, squeezing his hand before letting it go, watch as his arm retreated back round, "I'm just glad you're okay, I don't know what I'd do ithout you,"

Joel spoke up for the first time in a while, "We have to go get Sarah and the we have to get out of here,"

Thats whe the realisation of the whole thing hit you. If it was starting in the cities then it could have easily been you and Tommy, you were both lucky enough to have survived. Thats when you thought about your family, gasping suddenly, "My God. My whole family is in Austin, what if Somethings happened to them,"

The brothers looked at one another, sharing a look that mean that they knew that there was a high chance your family wasn’t going to make it. Joel noticed the look in Tommys eyes that conveyed that he was going to make sure she made it no matter the cost.

He turned back with a half hearted smile on his face, trying to give you a sliver of hope even though he didnt think there was any, "They'll be fine doll, okay? But right now, I have to protect you and we need to go get Sarah,"

You nodded, pursing your lips together as you tried to hold in your tears, trying not to think about your family getting infected by whatever this is, "Okay, I can do this," you said and he nodded.

"We'll make it out, all of us, I promise," He said and you hoped he was right.

You had spent the entire fifteen minute drive trying to wrap your head around everything and as you pulled into the street, the car jostling you around in the back, you had manage to compose yourself. You were going to protect Sarah no matter what you had to do and you had to be strong for her, not worrying about your own issues.

It had been silence the entire drive and you could feel the tension in the air as everyone wondered if Sarah was okay, theoretically she should be asleep but they didnt know what could have happened.

The car jolted as Joel stopped suddenly in front of his house, the sight of Sarah running across the front lawn back to their house.

You pulled the door open as soon as the car came to a stop and watched Joel jump out as well, a wrench in his hand. He was ready to do anything he had to do to help Sarah and if you were thinking clearly and the adrenaline wasnt rushing through your veins, you would have wondered where he had gotten the wrench from.

You watched as Tommy stepped out, a shotgun in his hands and you questioned where he got it from. Then you remembered he had left the police station with it and thats when the gravitas of he situtuaion hit you. This was worse than you thought.

You stood at the door, watching as Sarahs head whipped around to see her dad as he called out to her, “Sarah! Get over here now!” You had never heard his voice sound so harsh before but you could also hear the fear in his voice too.

There was nothing you could do but watch as the elderly neighbour started to crawl across the patio, making a gurgling noise as she rushed over to where Sarah was, running faster than she'd ever seen before.

Tommy could feel the fear building up in his chest, adrenaline pumping though his veins as he thought about what he was going to do to protect his family, to protect all that he had.

“What are we doing Joel?” Tommy asked, the shotgun steady in his hand and you thought about his time in the war, wondering what he was like back then. You assumed he had the same focus in his eyes but you also assumed there wasnt that much worry in his eyes when he was about to kill someone.

Joel didnt even think about it for a second, didnt hesitate as he wound the wrench up, whacking the old woman round the head. It killed her instantly, the blood pooling down her body as she crumpled to the floor.

Tommys eyes instantly darted to you to see your reaction to the murder and any other time you’d be flattered that he focused on you first but right now, you were standing in shock, eyes trained on the dead body on the floor. Only yesterday morning you had seen he happy, food being stuffed into her mouth and now she was dead.

You werent too worried, you had seen a lot of things in your life, had an issue with violent people in the past but you’d never seen a dead body before.

Sarah stood there, a similar shocked look on her face as she looked at the body, her eyes glossed over. She looked up at her father when he walked over, his hands coming to cup her cheeks, “You killed her,” her voice was meek and you could tell that she was totally in shock.

His face softened as he looked at her, “Its not just the Adlers babygirl, but we’re gonna be brave,” he promised and she nodded.

You walked over, arm wrapping around the girls shoulder as you walked her to the car, ushering her into the backseat as you walked round the side to get in that side behind Tommy.

You settled in and as soon as you looked up and through the windshield, you saw the two other Adlers coming through, their faces and bodies contorted into the same weird angles as Nana Adlers as they stormed down the road towards the car.

“Get your seatbelt on!” Joel exclaimed and as soon as you and Sarah strapped in, Tommy had put his foot on the pedal and had driven over the two, crushing them as they drove into the exit of the cul-de-sac.

Sarah had been sitting there quiet and whilst everyone in the car was silent, everyone outside was loud, car horns beeping and sirens blaring. Suddenly, she broke the silence, “What’s going on?” She asked, her voice just as timid as it was when she had seen Nana Adlers body be mutilated by her father.

Joel looked back, his arm on the chair as he looked back at her, “They said its a virus, some sort of parasite,” he explained.

“Are we sick?” She asked, eyes wide as she looked at you.

You reached over, hand on her shoulder as you rubbed it soothingly, “Course not,” you promised, trying to calm her down.

You could never imagine how she was feeling at this moment, her entire life having been turned upside down and she knew nothing about it. She was only twelve and didnt deserve to be suffereing like this.

“How do you know? How do you know we’re not sick?” she asked, her voice breaking a bit at the end.

Joel looked at his brother and then back at his daughter, “They’re saying its people in the city, that’s why they’ve got the highway blocked off,” he explained.

“The Adlers would take Nana to the city,” Sarah said almost vanacntly, her eye strained on the front windshield as they derived through the streets.

“That’s probably it hun, well be fine,” you said taking the girls hand into yours, rubbing your thumb over her knuckles and feeling her calm down a bit.

They drove through the streets and you narrowed your eyes in the distance ass you saw some farm on fire, “God, that’s Jimmys place,” Tommy stated and you remembered him having worked on the farm about two years ago.

As Tommy stared at the field, teh car driving past, it was like all time slowed down. For the first time sine he was nearly attacked in that cell and had stolen a shotgun from the police, he thought about what had happened and the consequences of what had happened.

He looked at you in the front view mirror, watching as you put on a smile to try and comfort Sarah. There was something about him that loved you even more in this moment as he thought about the potentiality of losing you, something that made his stomach turn into knots at the idea.

They drove through the dirt back roads and onto the main highway and Tommy slammed his hadn on the wheel in annoyance, swearing out loud, “Everyone had the same fucking idea!”

You reached a hand over the seat, coming to rest on his shoulder. You squeezed it gently, feeling the tension in his shoulders melt away slightly at the touch of your hand. He reached a hand back, one still on the wheel, to touch your hand over his, finger swiping over your knuckles before going back to the wheel.

“If we take the field, we can pick up the highway on the west side,” you suggested and he nodded.

He harshly turned the wheel, the car jerking to the side as they drove across the field. You didnt care how bumpy it was, how dangerous what he was doing was but you needed to save your family that you had built with them. There wasnt anything you wouldn’t do to protect them and to make sure that they were all okay.

Tommy turned another corner on the field, stopping when he saw the army lined up in an attempt to stop the spread from reaching the small towns, “The fucking army,” he exclaimed.

“Language Tom,” you reprimanded, more by instinct then anything else and he just ignored your comment.

“Keep moving. Head north,” Joel demanded and Tommy hesitated, Joel shaking his head in horror, “Tommy, come on,”

Sarah looked at you, speaking up for the first time in a while, “Where are we gonna go?” She asked.

“We go as far as we have to, Mexico if we have to,” Joel said, “Go to the river, get across. Pick up the highway and then we’re out,”

“Maybe it’s everywhere, maybe there’s nowhere to go,” Sarah stated, fear evident in her voice and once again you were reminded she was only twelve and being forced to suffer all of this.

“We’ll be fine kid,” you promised her but you werent sure how far it would go.

You watched as Tommy turned the corner into the two you were so familiar with. There was people running around everywhere and you looked at the town you once knew. You remembered walking around with Tommy on a hot summers day, ice cream in your hands and you remembered that one winter where it snowed and he took you out to make snow angels in the park.

Now there were crowds everywhere, some of them eating each other’s faces off and you were hit by the reality of it all, of the ways that the world had changed in the last few hours and everything that you had lost.

The crowds were taking up the street in front of them and Tommy slowed down, trying not to hit them and Joel yelled at his brother, mad that he was prioritising these other people over their safeties. Tommy just looked over at him, shocked that Joel wanted to run these people down, “I cant drive through them”

“Keep going!” He exclaimed and Tommy did, putting his foot down on the pedal.

People start rushing forwards in the direction of he car and thats when they realsied that something must be going on in the distance if a larger crowd was coming in their direction.

“Back!” Joel yelled out, the safety of his family more important than these people, “Tommy, go faster, mow the fuck over them,”

Tommy put his arm on the shoulder of the chair, looking back at the people and like normal, you would’ve freaked out on how undeniably sexy the action was, but right now you were just worried about what was going to happen.

“Dad!” Sarah exclaimed and you looked through the windshield and saw the plane coming down towards them, the fire erupting in the distance.

The plane crashed down and you blacked out immediately, the force of your head smashing into the car seat. Tommys vision went black for a second as he sat in the front seat but when he opened his eyes, the first thing he did was look behind at you.

When he noticed that you hadnt moved since the crash, he clawed his way out of the car door on his knees, jerking the door open as he pulled you out, your head resting in his lap.

Every single thought in his head was gone at the moment and for a second, all he could think about was you. As he looked down at you, tears pricking in the back of his eyes as he thought about what his life would be like without you and he shook his head, knowing that there was no future without you.

“Is everything okay over there?” Joel asked after he pulled Sarah out, the girls ankle injured from the crash.

His breath hitched in his throat, “She’s not waking up, shit, wake up please,” he begged, one hand coming up to brush the singular tear that had escaped his eye away, “What do I do Joel?”

Joel had never heard his brother be that worried before but the sight of him cradling your body made his heart hurt at the idea of his brother losing you.

“Come on babygirl, wake up for me,” Tommy begged, his finger interlocking with yours and when he felt you squeeze his hand, he looked down.

Your eyes fluttered open and you felt your head pounding at the accident and when you looked up at him, all your worries went away because you had Tommy.

He let out a relieved sigh, taking a deep steady breath, “She’s okay,” he exclaimed, calling out to Joel who was trapped on the other side of the car.

You sat up, Tommys hand supporting your back, his other hand resting on your stomach, “Is everyone okay?” You asked, blinking back the bleariness in your eyes as you fought off a concussion.

“We’re fine,” Sarah called out.

Tommy helped you up, one hand wrapped securely around your waist and the other around your shoulders. He looked down at you, brushing a stray hair away from your face as he checked that you were okay again.

Joel was about to walk around to check on you, Sarah holding onto him due to her injury, and when he did, another car crashed into theirs, blocking the exit.

“Head to the river, we’ll find a way,” Tommy called out.

Sarah looked at her father as they started to walk away, “We cant leave her and Tommy,” she exclaimed.

Joel looked back over his shoulder, watching Tommy looking at you, his hands cradling your face and he smiled to himself, “They’ll be fine,”

You and Tommy somehow managed to make it all the way to the field and you werent feeling the effects of the concussion too heavily, although your head was spinning and you felt slightly sick, you also attributed it to the whole end of the world thing.

As you thought back to the crash and when you had been knocked out, you remembered what woke you up. When you felt like you were drowning in the darkness, the sound of Tommys voice brought you back into the light.

You felt your knees buckle as you crossed through the field and the only thing that was holding you up was Tommys hand secured on your waist. You felt the panic in his voice as he looked down at you, “Come on baby, come on,” he begged and you nodded, standing on shaky legs as you continued to head to the rendezvous point.

Tommy felt the adrenaline from earlier melt away and instead panic overtook him and for the first time in his life, he was absolutely terrified. He couldn’t even imagine losing you in such a way and it was the last straw in proving that he was completley and utterly in love with you.

You thought you saw the river but before you did, you saw two people in front of the river, another man standing there with a gun and that’s when you noticed that the little girl was Sarah but you were too late, a gun firing and the two people falling to the ground.

“Can you stand sugar?” He asked, clearly having noticed that the two people were his brother and his niece and you nodded, “Stay here,”

He let go of you and you stood on your own, watching as he rushed towards the scene and you tried to rush over but with your head pounding from the accident, you felt like you couldn’t stand right.

You heard another gunshot aand your breath hitched in your throat at the image of Tommy dying but he didnt fall, the army man falling instead. You rushed over as fast as you could, a sudden boost of adrenaline hitting you as you fell into his arms, his body supporting your weight.

You gasped when you saw Sarah lying there, blood seeping from her body. It was like seeing your entire life flash before your eyes as you saw the twelve year old girl dying.

The moment flashed fast and you didnt even realise it was happening as you heard Joel yelling out for help, for them to save his daughter but they couldn’t do anything as she died in his arms.

You watched him cry as he cradled her in his arms just like Tommy had been to you earlier and you were reminded of how lucky you were to have lived. It was the start of your life in this new world and you werent ready for it at all.

Outbreak day had started and now you had to fight.

A/N thank you so much for everyone for wanting to read this and I hope you've enjoyed it so far. If you want to read more you can check the mastrerlist. Also if you want to be added to the taglist, just send me an ask or comment and I'll add you :)

Taglist: @eternallyvenus

#tommy miller x reader #tommy miller angst #tommy miller x you #tommy miller x female reader #tommy miller x y/n #tommy miller #tommy miller fanfic #tommy miller fanfiction #the last of us season 1 #the last of us series #the last of us fanfiction #the last of us fandom #the last of us #gabriel luna #sugar; tommy miller

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