The Last of Us

Chapter LXII

Ellie's POV

The car we were in broke down, and Joel was trying to fix it. I was sitting in the drivers seat, thinking. Was what he said true? If not, what happened? Why didn't he let them use me as the cure? I look at my bite, running my fingertips over the nasty, bumpy scar.

"Well," Joel says, walking to me. I quickly pull down the sleeve of my red and black checkered flannel jacket. "Looks like we're walking." I hop out of the car and shut the door. "Should be a straight shot through here."

"Alright." I answer.

"Actually kinda pretty, ain't it?" Joel asks, holding the wires of a fence wide for me to fit through.

"Yeah." I say, ducking through the hole and holding it open for him when I get to the other side. He goes under, grunting.

"Oh... feelin' my age now." I only let out a soft laugh.

I follow him through the woods. The bright sun shining, the lavender blooming, and the trees standing tall and proud.

"Don't think I ever told you but Sarah and I used to take hikes like this." Joel brings up. "I think ah... I think the two do you would've been good friends." I continue following Joel up a small hill. "Think you really woulda liked her. I know she woulda liked you."

"I bet I would've." I answer, going over a rock and then a patch of grass. We're on the top of the hill and you can see Tommy's plant.

"Wow. Look down there." I follow him down a hill. "Just a little bit further now." Joel jumps on a tree stump, and lifts himself onto a high rock, but the tree falls and I can't get up. "Oh, shit."

I climb onto the trunk and he bends down, extending his hand.

"Here. I got you." He tells me and I grab his hand, and he pulls me up with my help. "Alright, come on." He turns and starts to walk again but I stop him.

"Hey, wait." I play with my ring finger and pinky. He turns to me. I sigh and roll my head, but look at him. "Back in Boston - Back when I was bitten. I wasn't alone. My best friend was there. And she got bit too." I shake my head. "We didn't know what to do." My eyes look at the ground. "So... She says 'let's just wait it out. Y'know, we can be all poetic and just lose our minds together.' I'm still waiting for my turn."

"Ellie-" Joel starts but I cut him off.

"Her name was Riley and she was the first to die. And then it was Tess." I pause. "And then Sam."

"None of that is on you."

"No, you don't understand." He folds his arms over his chest.

"I struggled for a long time with survivin'. And you- no matter what, you keep finding something to fight for."

I scoff quietly and rolls my eyes and look at the ground. "Now, I know that's not what you want to hear right now, but it's-" He starts.

"Swear to me." I cut him off, he just looks at me confused. "Swear to me that everything that you said about the Fireflies is true."

He hesitates for a second, but then says. "I swear." I look at him and nod.

"Okay."

THE LAST OF US