The Last of Us x Male Reader

Ch.2: Clickers

"This way." Signaled Tess as she took the lead, pointing at a highway sign which read 'Interstate 90 East.' "If we cut through downtown, we can hit the capitol building by sunrise." "We hope." Joel commented.

Thunder rumbled through the cloudy sky as the group traversed through the highway which was littered with abandoned cars and broken roads. "I wonder what it was like to ride one." Y/n said aloud to no one in particular. "Must've been nice." Said Ellie. "Feeling the wind running through your hair as you drove down the road." "Wasn't all bad. That is until you hit traffic." Commented Joel, reminiscing on the days before the infection.

"Holey moley." Gasped Ellie as the group climbed to a higher road. "I guess this what these buildings look like up close." Y/n's eyes turned to a skyscraper leaning against another, ready to fall at any moment. "They're so damn tall." "So what happened here?" Ellie asked Tess. "They bombed the hell out of the surrounding areas to the quarantine zones, hoping to kill as much of the infected as possible." "Guessing that didn't work out too well considering where we are." Y/n remarked sarcastically. "Clearly not.

A sudden screeched echoed throughout the city, causing Ellie to jump. "Uh, what the hell was that?" "Tess, you hear that?" Joel disregarded the question. "Yeah. Sounded pretty far away through." "Are we safe?" Ellie asked. "For now maybe. Best to keep our eyes open." Y/n warned as he pulled out his knife just in case. Ellie watched as the boy broke off from the group for a bit to scan their surroundings. "Don't stray to far." The girl said with slight worry for her friend's safety. "Of course." He gave her a reassuring nod.

"There's the capitol building." Said Joel, pointing at a building a few ways away. "Yeah. We need to get around this mess." Tess responded as she looked around for a new path. "This way." Y/n waved, having found a path through a collapsed building. "This was the downtown area?" Asked Ellie. Tess nodded. "It was. Now it's a giant wasteland."

Joel lead them through the path, eventually exiting near the entrance to another building. "Hey Tess!" Joel called as he found the corpse of a man. "Oh shit." Muttered Ellie. "He's been ripped apart." Tess examined. "Body's fresh." Said Y/n as he knelt near the body. "Maybe 10-20 minutes." "That bad?" Ellie asked. "Could be. We should keep moving."

Joel nodded as he lead the way once again. The group began to climb the stairs of the building, finding another corpse near the steps. "Another one. Shit." Said Tess. "Looks like these guys died waiting for backup." Joel said as he read a note he found near the body.

As they turned a corner, Joel gasped as he came across a Clicker stuck to a wall; the fungus having spread from it's body to the wall itself. "God damnit. Clicker." "Geez. What's wrong with it's face?" Asked Ellie as Joel began to pull the infected corpse off the wall. "That's what years of infection will do to you." Tess answered. "So, what are they blind?" Ellie refered to the infection lack of eyes due the fungus having spread across it's face, leaving it's mouth to be the only appendage recognizable. "Something like that." Began Y/n. "They're kind of like bats. Using echolocation to sense where they are and their surroundings." "Fuck." "If you hear clicking, you gotta hide. That's how they spot you." Tess added as Joel opened another door.

The building began to rumble loudly. "Shit." Ellie muttered. "The building sounds like it's about to fall apart." Said Joel. The building rumbled once more. "Everything's cool. Everything's totally cool." Ellie spoke to herself. Y/n slightly chuckled. "Hey, give me a hand with this." Joel asked Tess. "Allow me." Y/n said as he passed the woman. "How chivalrous." She remarked. Both Y/n and Joel began to push a door open.

The pair manged to push it, only for a Clicker to rush at the older man. "Joel!" Tess exclaimed as the man was tackled. Y/n, with knife in hand, struck the Clicker's neck, causing it to screech in pain. Tess used the opportunity to kick the infected off of Joel and shoot three rounds into its head, killing it. "Thanks." Said Joel as the trio gasped for air. Tess removed the knife from it's neck and handed it back to Y/n. "Good job kid." She complimented. "Not the first time I've dealt with one." Y/n began to place his brass knuckle onto his right hand, shifting his knife over to his left. "Certainly won't be the last." "Let's keep moving." Said Joel. Ellie sighed. "That was intense." "You said it." Added Tess.