The Last Of Us: Don't Forget to Breathe

The roar of the shot faded, and the Clickers turned and started towards the window. Tommy and Ellie sprung their weapons and shot one after the other, mowing them down almost instantly, until there was utter silence. Ellie turned and stared at Joel for a moment, before exploding in anger.

"What the fuck was that?!" Ellie screamed, pushing Joel, hitting him repeatedly in the chest, her anger getting more and more fierce with every punch.

Joel didn't react, and instead looked at her calmly, his expression almost unreadable. Tommy stared at Joel momentarily, then back to Ellie, who was obviously upset. He then gave a simple nod to Joel and with that climbed through the nearby window, leaving them to talk alone. He didn't want to be involved in this, it wasn't his mess to fix.

"Well!?" cried Ellie in anguish. "What the fuck was that Joel!? Why would you shoot him!? I thought the fireflies were the hope to finding a cure! Why the fuck would you just shoot them!?"

But no matter how hard Ellie pressed into the issue, Joel stayed silent. Ellie let out a sigh and fell backwards, landing on the ground in a crumple. She just held her hands to her face and let out an angry sob.

Joel let out a sigh too, and stared at Ellie, this time his expression was much more readable. It was almost as if his 'tough guy facade' had fallen, at least for a moment. Tears were visible in his eyes, and he knelt down so he was at the same level as Ellie.

"Ellie." he spoke softly, in a tone so unlike his own. Ellie moved her hands away from her face and looked up at him, looking right into his eyes. "I haven't been entirely honest with you... But... Baby girl... I.." He couldn't even finish his sentence, his emotions getting the better of him.

It was that moment, that split second, that Ellie's heart sunk. She looked at him in disbelief. Urging him to speak, to continue what he was saying, but instead all she got was another sigh.

Joel stood up, composing himself. He then looked out of the window, attempting to gain a glimpse of the long abandoned town for a sign of where Tommy went off to.

"Come on, we best get going, no idea where Tommy went." said Joel, back to his usual tone.

Ellie looked at him in disbelief. Was he really just expecting her to walk off with him, after this? She stood up however, and walked up and pushed him as hard as she could.
"Fucking talk to me Joel! Tell me the truth! What are you keeping from me!?" she bellowed furiously.

Joel stayed calm however and abruptly pulled her into a forced hug, Ellie struggled for a minute, before calming down, relaxing into the hug.
"I'll tell you everything, okay. Just not here, wait until we get back to Tommy's, and I'll explain everything! I promise. Just keep calm, let's find Tommy, and get home. Once there I'll tell you everything baby girl." whispered Joel, letting go of Ellie as he did so.

"You promise?" asked Ellie, not knowing whether to believe him.
"On Sarah's grave." replied Joel.

That's all it took, Ellie knew she'd get her answers sooner rather than later. With their argument over and done with, at least for now. Joel's worry once again spread to his little brother. Jumping through the same window, Joel stepped out into the street, and pushed into a nearby building.

Joel's heart stopped when he spotted blood on the floor, spreading down the hallway and into what appeared to be another room, the door was closed. Joel's blood ran cold, the red liquid staining the floor seemed ever so fresh.

"Tommy?" he shouted, his voice echoing throughout the house. "Tommy if you're in here answer me."

Nothing. Not a single voice, or sound escaped. It was silent. That was until Joel heard the unexpected click of a gun next to his head.

"Drop the weapon. And back away from the child." came an unseen voice of a female. It was unfamiliar to Joel, this wasn't someone he'd met before. He went to move his head, just to catch a glimpse of said person, but within seconds his vision faded, the gun hitting him in the head, and his body falling to the ground. Joel was out cold.

Ellie stood still, looking at the lifeless body of Joel as it smashed to the ground. Hands then came from either side, grabbing hold of her, pulling her up. She struggled of course, but it did little to help. Her gun was on the floor too. A blindfold was placed over her eyes, and she was forced into a small enclosure.

"Hope you're comfortable back there Ellie. You should enjoy your last few days in comfort. Ha!" came that wicked voice again, the smugness of her voice sending shivers down Ellie's spine.

Her mind was simply on Joel. What had they done to him, where was Tommy? What was going on? Was she going to die?

These questions were the only thoughts Ellie had as the rumble from the engine of the vehicle she was in roared into the night.

Short Chapter but wanted to get this up, and get the ball rolling! Please Review if you're enjoying this and I'll try get a new chapter up everyday until it's completed! :D