ENDURE 〈The Last Of Us〉

trouble

"Did you just flinch?"

She facepalmed when she noticed the enigmatic smile on Ellie's face. "Shut up." She mumbled as she took another step. "I don't like when I can't see the bottom." She then admitted, shrugging. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Check it out!" She called out, making her way towards the old reception.

The three adults watched as the young girl rang the old bell.

"Yes Daniella, I would like your finest suite, please." She mocked the voice of a grown-up and grinned at the group behind her. "Yes, ma'am. Would you want me to take your luggage?" She then mocked Daniella's voice before leaning against the desk.

"Funny." Daniella crossed her arms. "But I worked in a hotel bar, nice try." She then playfully splashed some water on the girl before taking another step toward the stairwell. "And I don't sound like that." She called out, an amused smile creeping on her lips.

But Ellie kept on playing and ignoring Daniella.

"You're a weird kid," Joel spoke up.

Ellie snorted, grabbing a luggage cart. "You're a weird kid." She repeated his sentence before cursing and jumping away from the cart, alarming the adults.

Four pairs of eyes stared at the skeleton that swam up when Ellie moved the cart before turning away. Joel helped the girl stand up before snatching his arm away from her, his fist clenched.

"Let's go." He muttered when he noticed Daniella's stare.

The woman stayed silent, unbothered but intrigued by the man's actions. She bit her lower lip as she followed the others upstairs.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad," Ellie said when they finally reached the tenth floor, which left the adults breathing heavily.

Tess, who was still working on catching her breath frowned at Ellie. "You try climbing ten fuckin' floors with our knees." She grunted, leaning against one of the walls.

"God, I miss elevators." Daniella sighed, leaning forward and resting her hands on her knees. "What the fuck?" She swore when she saw the collapsed ceiling in the middle of the hallway.

Joel and Tess started trying to open the doors to the rooms, unsuccessfully.

"Okay, well." Tess shrugged, her eyes glued to the hole in the ceiling. "Maybe I could climb up there, work my way around and open it from the inside?"

Ellie followed Tess' gaze. "I'm the smallest, so it'd be easier for me to get through."

Daniella let out a snort. "You're funny." She playfully clapped her shoulder. "No way we're letting you go up there alone."

"If you die we get nothing." Tess nodded, agreeing with the woman next to her. "I'll go, give me a hand?" She turned to Joel who went to help her without saying anything.

They were good partners, Joel and Tess. Both of them did what they had to in order to survive, but neither of them showed their emotions, not to themselves, not to the others.

Daniella admired that and maybe even envied that. She never had the ability to hide her feelings, sure she was able to conceal them in front of other people or when she was in danger, but she always had to let it all out when she was alone. She had no idea how Tess and Joel managed to do it.

"Are you going to sit down?"

The woman blinked, seeing Joel and Ellie sitting down on the carpet covered in dust and mold. She hummed, sliding down the wall and letting her ass touch it as well. She wouldn't even touch the carpet decades ago, her fear of germs was huge back then, but she managed to get over it. She had no choice.