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All rights to The last of us totally belongs to Naughty Dog and Sony games. Cover image by Cyberaeon on Deviant art.
I'm just a fan trying to live my fantasies through fiction. Please review, follow and favourite if you like it :)
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SUMMER
CHAPTER ONE
Compromise
'There's still some left at Gerry's place, I heard.'
'Shut up Johnny. You hear all kinds of shit and none of it is ever true.'
'Yeah, last week you told us there was a bloater on the cliff. There was nothing, so stop.'
'It's not my fault! It was gone by the time you guys came along . .'
'Yeah right, fucker.'
The boys hopped over a mossy rock and trudged along their way, looking around anxiously for anything they could find. Sunlight dappled through the leaves and formed starry patterns on the ground, a sparrow chirped on a twig nearby.
'These look okay,' the smaller of the boys remarked, picking up a fallen branch. 'This is firewood, ain't it?'
'Yeah, I guess so,' the other examined it. 'Lets get more of these. Maybe if we get Earl extra he'll pay us more.'
Johnny scoffed, shaking his head. 'Like that's ever happening.'
A faint splash echoed in the distance, and the elder of the boys looked in it's direction. The woods were thick, with wide tree trunks blocking his line of sight, and the rocks and creepers aiding in the same. He caught a moving figure close by, and his paranoia grew. Slowly pulling out his Swiss knife, he tip toed in the direction of the rustling, gesturing his mates to remain quiet.
A lizard crawled about next to his feet, the feeble voice of a stream reached his ears. A palpable tension lingered in the humid summer air. The others watched warily, drawing out their own weapons.
He went forward, and caught the figure once again. All his senses were alerted, fearing that it was a clicker that had stumbled along into the woods somehow. He squinted, halted and listened.
It moved again, but this time, he caught something else. A mass of straight, brick coloured hair rounded up in a bun, pale skin occasionally falling under streaks of sunlight. He breathed out in relief and relaxed, holstering his weapon, smiling back at his mates.
'It's that red head from Boston,' He said to them, and they smiled. 'She's looking for something again.' He snickered, 'let's go check it out.'
Ellie could hear them clearly, but she gave no reaction, simply washed her feet in the stream. Her bow rested on a rock by her side, along with her blue backpack. A pair of dead squirrels were tied to it, and their empty eyes glared at the boys as they approached.
'Hey Ellie,' The elder one called, but she paid no attention. 'What you got over there?'
Ellie pulled her legs out of the water and slung her backpack over her shoulder, picking up her bow. She walked past the first boy, but the other three blocked her way, grinning down at her mischievously.
'Whoa what's the rush, Ellie?' One of them said, and looking at the squirrels, added, 'Hunting again huh? What are you, a savage?'
'We just wanna be friends, ya know,' Johnny said. Ellie looked at him indifferently, and tried to walk past only to be blocked again.
'Say what,' The elder one continued, resting one leg on a rock, looking at her with a glint in his eyes. 'Forgive my buddies, will you? Forget about them. Why don't you come out with me today?' He smiled at her confidently as she glanced back at him. Her face was gaunt, her fingers wrapped around her bow loosely. 'I can show you how to hunt flying birds, midway. Clean single shot.' The other boys guffawed, and one of them remarked, 'Yeah right Dom! Where did you get that from?'
'Maybe some other time, huh?' Ellie snapped, trying to make her way through the two boys, just to be hindered again. She stepped back and sighed, visibly annoyed. Her grip tightened around her bow. This was nothing new to her, being called out, being teased. Usually she would have broken their teeth by now, beaten them up black and blue. Today, she was tired. All she wanted was to get back home and have a bath, read a book.
'Don't be like that,' Dom drawled. 'I been to military schools too, ya know. I know how girls are there, but you ain't like those other girls. You're tough, aren't you? I bet you want to break my jaw right about now,' he taunted, stepping towards her, catching her emerald glower. 'Let's see how you deal with people like me, huh?'
'Trust me, you don't want to,' She said, and pushed her way across, walking in long, adamant strides. 'Go fuck yourselves!' She yelled, and heard them snickering.
'Going back to daddy huh?' She heard one of them. Ember turned to a flame, coursing through every vein in her body, and she paused in her way, looking down at the green moss. She clenched her grip around the bow, almost like she could crush it.
'Old man musta taught you some nice manners after last time,' he continued, hands in pockets, earning encouraging howls from his friends. 'You scared now huh!'
Her head went white, but her her cheeks and fingertips were red. Fuck it, she thought, pulling out an arrow from her backpack, turning around and aiming it at the four boys, pulling the string as taut as she could. A grin spread across her face when she saw their smiles fading, their backs straightening.
The thwack echoed in the woods, sending the sparrows into a frenzied flight.
Joel pulled the reins of the black stallion, sending it into a slow canter. As it reached the base of the metal watch tower, he descended, rifle in hand.
Damon grabbed the reins, tying them to a pole nearby. 'Another day done,' He smiled at Joel, patting the horse's neck.
'See you tomorrow,' Joel uttered out of force of habit, slinging his rifle across his shoulders. He walked across the yard and climbed the steps to the engine room, where Tommy was discussing some issues with the night guards. The sunlight filtered in through the meshed windows, casting light on the central table and five figures around it, everything else engulfed in darkness.
'Hey Joel,' the guards greeted him as he walked to the table, and took a seat opposite to Tommy. He flashed a tired smile and slumped into the back of the chair, taking a deep breath.
'Here,' Tommy offered him his canteen. 'Anything on the perimeter check?' he asked, watching him as he drank the water, visibly quenched.
Joel put it down, and shook his head. 'No infected. No bandits. Just found a dead couple a few metres north of the east road.'
'How old?' Hunter asked, leaning in.
'Two, three weeks. My guess is they died of thirst. No bullet holes or knife wounds.'
'That's good,' Hunter nodded.
Tommy got up, and patted Joel on the shoulder once on his way to the exit. Joel followed him out, grabbing his rifle along.
'Did you talk to Ellie about it, the last time?' Tommy asked, walking down the stairs, towards the exit gates.
'Yeah,' He finally answered, walking alongside Tommy.
'And what did she say?' Tommy asked, looking at him curiously.
'Nothin',' Joel replied, his eyes fixed on the gates ahead.
'Look, I love Ellie, and you know that,' Tommy began, slowing down midway, halting Joel by his shoulder as he tried to avoid the eye-to-eye. Joel sighed in frustration and waited for him to continue. 'She nearly shot an arrow at Ramone's son today afternoon,' he said.
Joel shrugged, like it wasn't a big deal. 'Anybody dead?' he asked.
Tommy shook his head. 'Thankfully not. But the point is-'
'Those boys need to learn some manners, Tommy,' Joel interrupted him. 'You know Ellie would never do somethin' like that until provoked. They must've said some nasty stuff to trigger her off like that.'
'I know,' Tommy nodded, understandingly. 'But this isn't the first time Joel. I talked to those boys too. To tell you the truth, I'm with Ellie. She's family, Joel.' He eyed him sharply. 'But I don't control this town. I can't keep explainin' to people why she keeps gettin' into fights with the neighbourhood. Now some of these parents are jackasses, I know . . But I can't control them if they get pissed.' Tommy looked at him, eyebrows raised.t me?' he concluded.
Joel gave a nod. 'I . . I'll talk to her today.'
Tommy nodded. 'See you around,' He said, and turned and left.
Joel opened the wooden door, mentally preparing himself for the talk he was supposed to give Ellie. A persistent fear sat in his stomach, one all too familiar. The fear of asking her to compromise, to make peace, to do what they expected. It was like expecting warmth from ice.
He looked around the living room, and found Ellie laying across the torn maroon couch, watching something on the 8 inch pocket TV he had given her a month ago. Her eyes didn't move from the screen, and her face was sullen. She wore her sleeveless red top and denim shorts, her jacket sprawled under her head.
'Hey kiddo,' he grunted as he sat back in the couch.
'Hey,' Ellie mumbled, eyes on the screen.
He looked at her, and realised that she wasn't really interested in the movie. He could see the concern in her eyes, the look she had on whenever she put a facade.
'Ellie,' Joel gently brushed a stray strand of brown hair behind her ear.
She looked at him now, waiting for him continue, and he collected himself, clearing his throat.
'Look,' Joel began, sitting forward, eyes on the ground, searching for words. 'Tommy told me, about those boys today.'
Ellie sighed and grunted impatiently. He could see the pain that crept into her eyes, that she tried to mask with frustration. 'It wasn't my fault,' she simply said, her eyes drifting away from him, stuck on the window.
'I know . .' Joel mumbled, shifting in his position nervously.
'I just shot an arrow above the fucker's head as a warning, that's all. He kept taunting me.'
Joel sighed, stroking her hair. 'Tell you the truth, Ellie,' he said, 'I'm glad you did that. I'm sure they deserved it.' He bent down and gently kissed her forehead. She wrapped her arm around his waist, and they sat that way for a while, his cheek resting on her head.
'Is this how you lived before the Cordyceps?' Her voice was barely audible, muffled in his flannel.
He felt a pang of hurt in his chest, his fear taking form right in front of him. Fear of disappointing her, of giving her false hopes and promises about what life would be like in this town. That it would be easy to fit in, easy to pretend like the rotten outside world didn't exist.
The truth was miles away from that. It hurt Joel to think that he couldn't remember how to fit in anymore.
He could only imagine what Ellie must be going through. He could tell that for her, it was harder than killing infected. It was a different kind of challenge, a personal kind. He saw that every time he found her looking into the mirror, apprehensively doing her hair, tying her ponytail with that distant look in her eyes. He saw it in her lowered gaze when kids of her age passed by. Every time she went out 'to get fresh air', he knew she meant hunting or horse-riding, activities that kept her away from people.
'Give it time,' was all he said.
'I don't know what to do here,' Ellie said. 'Can I come with you to work tomorrow?'
'Of course you can,' he mumbled into her hair.
Even now, he couldn't sleep peacefully at night unless he was confident that Ellie was comfortably snoring in her bed. Only then would he turn off all the lights and retire to his room. Sometimes, he would see Ellie sneaking in and getting into the bed with him, burying her face in his chest as she slept, probably after having a nightmare.
There was nobody else for him now, nobody worth lying so much for.
Nobody.
He stroked her hair lovingly, the dial of his broken watch shining in the streak of sunlight.