The Last of Us: Independence
(Authors Note): Okay so I'm just going to start off by saying this is my first fan fiction story, ever. I want to be a writer, specifically for video games. I thought that maybe this would be a good outlet to test my skills and grow as a writer. I am extremely open to suggestions and constructive criticism. For this story, I will not be making this purely for people who want a love story or something that is not The Last of Us. I will try as hard as I can to keep the characters as true to the game as I can. This story will be based on what I perceive as the story as soon as the game ends. There will likely be no time skip, no "two years later" kind of thing. This will be the kind of story that I would love to see Naughty Dog make again. A story that made me cry, laugh, yell in anger, and fear. Honestly, I would love if people accepted this and loved the story, but for all intents and purposes, this story is really for me. Like I said, I love The Last of Us and have played through the main campaign many times. No story has touched me in such a way as this. Naughty Dog truly made a masterpiece that will be my favorite game and story for years to come. So with that, let's begin.
She stared at me. I couldn't determine her feelings at the moment. The way she looked at me broke my heart. She knew I was lying to her, I could tell, which made it that much harder not to just come out and say that I damned the human race because of selfish reasons. Over the past year I had grown to love Ellie as my own daughter. I had traveled across the entire country, fought hunters, runners, clickers, and bloaters to get her to the fireflies.
I took on this task as an obligation, at first, because of Tess. She and I had a complicated work relationship and I felt I owed it to her to carry this little girl across the country, to potentially save people from meeting the same fate as Tess. But as we continued on our "adventure," my reasoning became something of a far cry from what it originally was. I grew to really care about this little girl. Hell, I grew to love this girl as my own daughter. I didn't see her as replacing Sarah. No one could ever replace her. But Ellie brought something completely new into my life that had been absent since I lost Sarah. A reason to live. Something to fight for.
"Swear to me… Swear to me that everything you said about the Fireflies is true."
When she spoke those words to me, everything went quiet. The forest was no longer bustling with wildlife. The sound of the small waterfall faded into nothingness. She stared at me, waiting for my answer.
"… I swear."
She looked at me, obviously gathering her thoughts.
"Okay."
I knew she didn't believe me because she restrained herself from squeezing more information out of me. It was very unlike her. It was unsettling.
"Thank you, Joel."
My eyes widened slightly, "For what, Ellie?"
"For everything," she responded, and started walking past me down the hill to Tommy's. "Come on, Joel! It's past lunch and I'm starving!" I jogged up beside her and looked down at her. I was unsure if my lie would change how our relationship would remain and grow. She saw me looking and smiled up at me. That simple gesture, that tiny display of emotion let me know that she understood why I did what I did, at least a little bit. While she would have undoubtedly given her life for this shithole of a world, she would have done the same for me.
My thoughts drifted as we walked, getting closer and closer to Tommy's. I didn't regret anything I did for that little girl. The only thing I regret was not getting to her in time before she was forced to kill that animal she called David. It visibly left her emotionally scarred from that experience, and I wince every time I think about what could have happened if she hadn't grabbed that machete, or if I hadn't been close by. That experience changed her, and I hate myself for not getting to her sooner.
"Stop right there or I'll put a bullet right between your eyes!" yelled a young man, maybe only a few years older than Ellie, in one of the many guard towers surrounding the town.
"Listen son, I'm a friend of Tommy's. If you could tell him we've come back, I'd really appreciate it."
"I'm not doing shit! How do I know you're not a hunter or-"
"Will, put the gun down. He's a friend," spoke a familiar voice from behind the opening gates. "I was starting to think you'd never come back." He patted me on the shoulder. "You look like you've gained a few years in the last few months."
I chuckled, "Yeah, well, there's a reason for that, little brother. A topic of conversation for another time, I'm afraid. He looked at me for a moment and then turned to greet Ellie. They did their little exchange with Tommy making a joke and Ellie coming back with a little jab. "You still got room for us in this town of yours?" I asked.
"I think we can find a hole for you to crawl in."
Okay so I know it wasn't very long but I just kind of wanted to set up the theme, I guess, for this story. I will dive into more emotional waters in the next chapter and address some of the reasons why Joel did what he did to save Ellie. Again, I appreciate any constructive criticisms anyone might have for me. I want this to be a gripping story so readers input is appreciated. I'll have another, longer chapter up in about two days most likely so stay tuned!