The Last of Us (8)

Tap, tap, tap. The sound of wrestling boots coming closer to them. The figure in the distance was now getting bigger and much more visible.

“Quick, take out that screwdriver!” Conor snapped at his brother. And although Tyler wasn’t scared, he did pull it out from his pocket.

The figure wasn’t walking though. Rather, he was limping.

Gage Blackwood was in full sight.

Tyler stopped in his tracks, in part because Conor tugged at him with everything he had.

“Hiya.” Gage said in a deep and monotone voice. He instantly looked down at what Tyler was holding. “Aye. You found one of Chris Ross’ screwdrivers. That bloke probably dropped it when he hit me last week. Could spot that thing from a mile away.”

Conor looked at his brother as if to say he didn’t understand what the Scot was saying. While Blackwood’s accent was thick, it wasn’t impossible to decipher. Rather, he spoke so softly he was just hard to pick up.

Tyler pushed his brother to the side. “Hi there. My name is Tyler, Tyler Fuse. And this is my brother Conor. Conor Fuse. We’ve signed on with DEFIANCE.”

Blackwood nodded slightly, first staring at Tyler and then moving his eyes slowly to look at Conor. It was like Gage was trying to decide if he liked these guys, or didn’t.

“Aye. Nice to meet you.” Blackwood said while rubbing his hair around. There was a long, awkward pause. No one knew what to say at first.

“So, you two signed with DEFIANCE?” Gage asked.

“Yes, that’s correct.” Tyler said. “Looking forward to helping.”

Gage simply agreed via an “aye”.

Then Conor quipped up. “I’ve been watching the game. Watching you. You’re good. Fast. Fearless. Reckless. Reckless in a good way, of course.”

Gage seemed thankful for the compliment even though he didn’t agree with it. “I’m new(er) here, too.” He added. “Plenty of others that will be more grateful for the help. Though, if you’ve been watching, I guess you’ve seen the beatings I’ve taken.”

Tyler was reluctant to agree because it was the polite thing to do, but Conor started to nod his head, feeling much less afraid.

“Yes sir, seen those beatings. Nasty. Yep. Nasty.”

Another uncomfortable silence until Tyler broke it.

“What my brother is trying to say is, if you need our help, we’d be happy to. That Chris Ross has such an unfair advantage, you know, carrying around this screwdriver and all.” Tyler held the screwdriver up and tossed it to the side of the hall.

It’s clear Blackwood was never offended by what Conor said. He’s just a little too awkward to make the conversation flow any further. He stands at 6’0”, 210 pounds but is thick and full of muscle. Much more physically imposing than either of The Fuse Bros., that’s for sure.

Blackwood politely moved towards both of them. “Nice meeting you and thank you for the offer. Taking care of Chris Ross is something I have to do myself, but I’m sure our paths will cross again.”

“You got it.” Tyler said. Gage limped off into the distance.

“That’s Gage Blackwood. That’s Gage Blackwood.” Conor whispered to his brother as the Scot went out of sight.

“I know, moron.”

“Hey, when do you think we’ll get to meet Cayle Murray? He’s like, THE playable character?”

“Gotta work our way up.” Tyler replied. “One level at a time. One level at a time.”

They continued down the hall, as Tyler tried to navigate.

“Oh, okay. Cool.” Conor followed up.

YOU MET GAGE BLACKWOOD.

ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED.

GO TO #24

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