I'm Coming Home

By SpartanEra

Summary: To be honest, I don't know how I am still alive. When the outbreak first came through, there was panic in the streets. Panic that got people killed, or worse. Now I am just trying to find my way back, afraid to be... The Last of Us. Inspired by beba. santos .56 (without spaces), "Still Human."

I do not own The Last of Us. All rights belong to Naughty Dog.

Updated: 4/7/14

Oh and before I forget, I would appreciate any ideas for names of our lovely woman of the story. Thank you! I was going to go with a default name (Jane) but I still dont know.


"Hello?" The question echoed through the hallways of the old abandoned high school.

I know someone is here. The infected have been going all crazy outside. The only logical reason would be hunters… or survivors.

People. I know the movements and language of the infected enough to understand. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing. My life has survived solely on luck and support with many years of experience with this apocalyptic earth to know what it takes for a human to become...inhuman.

To be honest, I don't know how I am still alive. When the outbreak first came through, there was panic in the streets; chaos, the kind that got people killed, or worse. It's been two years since I got separated from my group. We were in a jam, with nowhere else to go. I made them leave, I made him leave, forced them to leave me behind. By luck alone, I survived that encounter, but not unscathed. I got by with a few scrapes and bruises, and what I think is a... Mushroom?

A bite. A human-teeth-shaped bite.

Yes. I'm infected. Not denying it. I guess I should be lucky; I didn't turn into one of those... Things. Lucky. What I got was a plant growing out of the bite in my leg. It gets itchy sometimes, an annoyance among other things. I still look human, a praise. At least the last time I checked.

Every once in a while, my mind would wonder back to how it was before. The place where I could do the things I had planned for, and have a great future with my family. But I can't change the past. I have to have to keep moving; keep surviving. That's what they would want me to do. What he would want me to do.

No. They would want you to live. So why can't you live?

I can't. It's not possible with the world like this. Not anymore, I reasoned.

Nothing is impossible. I blocked it out. It's nothing I haven't heard before. But...

Why can't I live?

Why can't I be normal?

Why do I always question myself with this?

My mind is barley holding on as it is. Even without addition of the infection, the thoughts always resurfaced. Before I was always the lone wolf of a group; never the social type. There was only one person that I could work with. My mission was to find him.

I watched day by day, year by year as he changed. The man I once knew was covered by another. For a while we were three, later we became two. By two, we conquered those without any strength, and those without any remorse. We never truly lived, we just survived. In the end, it wasn't hard to adapt in a world of monsters and traitors. Friend against each other for survival.

Heh. Yeah. Survival.

That word has changed so many times throughout the years that I don't think anyone knows the real meaning anymore. Along with many of the past necessities of life; things we took for granted.

The sudden noise of someone banging on a door disrupted me from my thoughts; the clicker's noises started to escalate. What's gotten into these guys?

Curiosity killed the cat, they said.

"They've broken through!" Male. Adult. Familiar. Curious my brain said. Turning into the room ahead, I could hear more cries of the infected racing down the hallways and banging on the doors to reach their prey. I slowly made my into a classroom near the commotion, the distinct sound of a metal hitting flesh, Knife, made me stop. Multiple cries of the infected warned the others of their presence.

I heard another voice; I couldn't make out what the words. But lost hope filled my chest. "Down the hall. I bet we can cut through those classrooms." The man continued, as though unaware of the previous voice.

An infected runner bumped into from behind causing me to stumble forward, out of my cover. The only thing this infection in me that I am thankful for is that any infected individual does not and cannot see me as a threat. The infected man looked back at me, screeched, and then continued his limp walk down the hallway. I blinked, surprised by the sudden outburst, the echoing footfalls of the infected moved along.

"Goddammit, kid." The man from before swore. I could see a faint memory of this man.

"What the fuck do you think I was supposed to do? Lie down and play dead? He was coming straight at me." A young girl responded. Strange. The usual hunters or scavengers don't have little girls with them; it's mostly groups of men.

"Leave her alone, Bill. We need to get out of here." Another male. Different from the last one, deeper. Familiar.


He smiles at her beaming with pride. "Come on!" I say to them, waving my hand ahead "Let's get a picture of our champ!" My face hurts from smiling for so long.

A young blond girl walks up with a big smile on her face, tugging a man by the arm, "Come on, dad! Be in the picture with me!"

"Alright. Alright, fine." The father reluctantly agrees, "Aren't you goin' to be joining us?" his thick southern accent filtering thorough, asking as he turns to me.

"Oh no. I am fine right here. Away from the muddy little kid." I smile. They're really happy. He's really happy.

"Hey!" the girl's pout betrayed by the slight curve of her lips, "I'm right here."

"I know. That's why I said it." My smile only grows as she inspects her muddy soccer uniform. "Come on. Picture." I say waving the camera in front of me.

"Come here, baby girl." The father says as he raps an arm around her shoulders, giving her a one armed hug. The girl quickly moves her arms up in the air, one arm holding up her trophy high above her head and the other has her hands forming into a peace sign.

"Say Cheese!" I say as my finger slowly presses down on the button. Carefree smiles planted on their faces as they look into the camera.


The memory fades, as rush of emotion takes over. I know him. I know him. I know him. I repeat in my head. I try to rack my brain for a name, but it provides none.

"Looks like there's a path down this hallway." The named Bill called out. It's relatively quiet as I go out again, keeping low to the ground. My mind still clouded from the memory. Find his name! My brain persists.

"Help me open this." My mystery man says. I can hear them perfectly; they're right around the corner.

"Alright. Ready?" Bill responds. Bill. Bill. Bill. Oh, Bill. A relatively big guy that has been having problems with the mind, or so we think. He is very paranoid, which would also explain the many traps that I have found and heard go off around town.

Soon after, both men push their weight into the door, willing it to open. "It's not budging." I risk a peak from behind my corner and get a quick look at the survivors. I see the little girl, couldn't be more than fourteen, and two men with an aura around them that speaks experience. I couldn't see their faces, but looking at them I feel like I could trust them. I risk it.

…Killed the Cat.

"Hey." I catch their attention, walking out from behind my cover. Both men turn to me, hands holding or drawing their weapons toward me; clear surprise written on their faces. I see it know. I see their faces as names start to appear. The man with medium long hair with a large amount of size to their body weight, I recognize as Bill. Next I see a little girl with bright green eyes, that speak tragedy, and brown hair put up into a pony tail, but I have no recollection. Finally, I move my eyes over to the man in the back, finally seeing his face. My breath catches. "Joel?" I breathe, and the memories sprung forth.


He looks at me with appreciation as we are finally able to put Sarah to bed.

I watch him and Sarah chase each other in the back ground until suddenly I am participating as well.

He sings for Sarah's 10th birthday party, having to play his guitar as well at my successful persuasion.

I feel joy as she calls me "Mom" after a big incident at school. The look on his face when he hears it is the dictionary definition of pride and affection.

I watch in horror as the light dims from her eyes, all life receding from the body in his arms.

He cries for hours begging for his baby girl, and me helplessly watching, feeling empty, with no knowledge of how to comfort us both.

We look at each other and see the same tragedy in our eyes as realization dawns on us that she's not coming back.

I watch him harden more and more as each year passes.

I begged Tommy to stay with us, to not leave his brother at a time like this. He says he's sorry and like that he leaves.

I see him kill. I see him do things that would have scared me off, if I wasn't already used to it. I saw appreciation as I stuck by him through it all.

We became a team, trusting each other through the depressed and drunken nights and the days with barely enough ammunition to share between the both of us.

We befriend a strong and capable woman that helps with the day to day jobs.

I see the deep sadness and anger in his face as he is forced to leave me behind. I had sustained far too many injuries to make it back. He refuses, but I forced him too. He doesn't say goodbye as we fight back tears, but he lets me know it all when he steals one last kiss.


I pushed myself out of the memories. Focusing on his face, I saw those brown eyes that have seen the deepest tragedies, and I saw the dark rugged hair from the top of his head to the bottom of his chin; speckled with a few white hairs. He looks almost the same. Almost. A light that was once so bright had dimmed when he watched his only daughter die in his arms and a light so dark had winked out when he had to leave me behind. I blinked my eyes to clear the tears that had formed; I attempted to speak through the lump that had formed in my throat.

Curiosity did kill the cat, but Satisfaction brought her back. With interest.

Finally I spoke, "Need Help?"


A/N: ok. i revised this. much more happier. JK. anyways, everyone that has R&R'ed i thank you! if you havent reviewed already, feel free to give your opinion and comments of this story. i have the second chapter written out already, it just needs some major revising. I had updated this because thats what happens when i decided to work on it late. the whole doccument sounded like chopped english to my ears. Thank you all again for reading!