The Last of Us Part II (A Complete Rewrite)

15. Underneath the City

As Greg led the three out of the room, they had their first look at what Amir was seeking to protect. The maintenance rooms connecting the tunnels had been converted into living quarters for an entire community. It wasn't large by any standards, but it certainly wasn't insignificant either. While the word 'filthy' didn't come to mind, it didn't feel particularly homely.

Walking down the corridor, they went past several rooms. One of them housed a makeshift kitchen, and another, a dormitory. The walls were still a dull grey, though there were numerous drawings on them to liven up the atmosphere down there. Shades of red, green and blue were spread out all over.

Ellie felt uncomfortable with all the eyes on them. It was night time, so not many people were awake, yet there were at least four or five of them. None of them spoke up, but she could make out the discomfort in their faces. Most of them had dropped whatever they were doing and were standing completely still.

"You girls okay?" Tommy asked from behind them. They passed a room with an open door, noticing a few children asleep inside.

"I'm okay. Ellie?" Dina turned to her.

"Yeah, I'm okay, too."

Before they could ask any more questions, Greg stopped in front of a door. He held it open for them.

"We're not going in there," Tommy declared firmly. "We don't know who you are, and you're not lockin' us up in there."

"I'm not going to lock you in. If Joseph really knew this one," he jerked his head at Ellie, "And gave her the medicines to bring back here, then you're not a harm to us. You're the only ones who can tell us what happened to him."

Tommy was about to argue, but Dina patted his arm.

"It's alright," she said. "We'll wait in there."

Greg let them through, softly shutting the door behind them. They could hear voices gather outside, talking to him.

They were in, what appeared to be, a study. The cracks in the walls showed its aging, a discolored greenish hue tainting it that didn't inspire any hope. A table and some chairs sat in the room. A cabinet adorned one wall, while a mattress and blanket lay parallel to another.

"So, that's the Amir that man, Joseph, told you about," Tommy said.

"Looks like it. You do have the medicines, right?" Dina asked Ellie.

She nodded. "Don't worry, they're safe in my bag." Her mind kept replaying Nancy's reaction, the horror on her face as she realized her father was truly not coming back. She couldn't help but think about Joel.

"We can use that to bargain for our safety," Tommy proposed. "You two still have some weapons on you? Knives, pistols, whatever. We might need them."

"I do," Ellie replied, pushing away the vile thoughts floating around in her head. "I think Dina does too. They only took whatever we were holding. But I don't think we'll need them."

"Might not, but keep them ready, in case we do. No harm in being prepared." He extracted his pistol from his bag, making sure it was loaded. He studied the room. "What the hell are they doing down here? Right under the Fireflies' nose."

"They don't seem to like the Fireflies," Dina observed. "I don't blame them, honestly."

"Wonder what happened," Tommy said.

The door swung open once again, and Amir entered the room. In the little time that they had seen him, he had begun to look raddled.

"What happened to Joseph?" he asked softly.