The Last Of Us

Episode 7
"Debtor"

Ellie just broke down, as she found a corner she just couldn't hold back being hurt by Rylan's words, even saying his name or even hearing about it made the hot tears form in her eyes and fall down her dirt rubbed face. She never felt this hurt before, normally she knew how to deal with assholes like Rylan but he hit her in ways she never thought was possible for a girl like her. She tried to hate him back, but she couldn't no matter how hard she tried, she cared. Ellie began wiping her face off as soon as her and Rylan's name's were being called, she kept her face down most of the walks down the streets of the abandoned ghost town of Lincoln. Rylan stayed silent the entire time which was no surprise by him, Joel didn't like how things were looking between the kids but he didn't want to get in the middle but Ellie just decided to make a little small talk with Joel, like how evacuating the town must have been hard on people, a certain video game she been wanting to play and other obvious things she could talk about trying to get a certain boy off of her mind.

"This place is very quaint." Ellie said. Joel scoffed by Ellie's surprisingly abnormal vocabulary.

"Quaint?" Joel replied raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I don't know... how would you describe it?"

"Empty."

"Yeah. That would be another way." She nodded.

Ellie and Joel searched that old record store, Rylan sat down on an old bench just across the street watching Ellie through the window. She was going through the old selection of untouched music, cracking a smile at the corner of her mouth from time to time at some titles she heard about. The only kind of music Rylan was able to listen to was from his sister's old I-Pod, which he safely kept In zipped plastic bag to keep it from getting wet when they were swimming in the subway. Rylan was tired, he couldn't even remember the last time he slept or shaven as he felt a light peach fuzz across his face. Rylan stared down at the ground letting his slicked back hair fall right down over his face, his mind clouded with unwanted mixed emotions.

"Rylan!" Joel's voice said in a quiet shout. He looked up and brushed away strands of his ashy blonde hair from his eyes this time not combing his hair back he let it hang freely down going past his ears, he got up and went with Ellie and Joel pressing on through the town. Joel led them into the alley, it was all fine until a clicker stumbled in at the other end then suddenly... Boom. All three of them jumped at the sound of a bomb going off and the Clicker was...everywhere.

"Jesus!" Joel gasped.

"Whoa Nelly! Wha-? What the hell was that?" Ellie stammered from behind Joel.

"That... would be one of Bill's traps."

"A bit paranoid, much?" Rylan asked.

"Now that's putting it lightly."

"What's the big deal with this guy?" Ellie asked.

"Well, he helped us smuggle stuff into the city. He's... He knows how to find things." Joel explained pulling some arrows out of a dead runner.

"Well let's hope that we don't blow up trying to find him." Rylan smirked at Ellie's joke but kept a stoic expression.

"Just watch your step." Rylan said. There was no way around but up through the rooftops, Joel came across a bow which he gave to Rylan since he was the only one who knew how to use it, or not.

"Let me use that, I'm a pretty good shot with that thing." Ellie said.

"How about you leave this kind of stuff to us." Joel stepped in before Rylan told her off, he merely stood back and pulled the bow string sensing it's mint condition.

"Well, we all could be armed. Cover each other." She whined. Rylan grinned in victory.

"I don't think so." Joel said climbing up onto the roof. Ellie's grumpy expression faded, as she saw Rylan.

"Well what do you know, he can smile. Surprised he actually has teeth." She breathed. Rylan turned into a glare,

"Very funny." He scoffed. Rylan got to use the bow a couple of times to nail a couple of infected silently from a distance, although arrows weren't really durable that much. Joel started to give a little warning about Bill, Rylan didn't know much about him other than pretty nuts but damn good when it comes to surviving. But then again both genius and madness are two sides of the same coin, the coin being Bill. But Joel didn't describe Bill as a total psycho but "Ain't the most stable of individuals." as Joel simply put it and doesn't take too kindly to strangers.

"Bill's a good guy, he just definitely needs some warming up to you two that's all." Joel said. Ellie and Rylan acknowledged in union as they dropped off the roof back down to the ground. "Alright you two c'mon." Joel muttered as he opened the door to an old warehouse, as soon as it was opened Joel heard a loud clanging sound and felt something tighten around his leg

"Oh Shit!" Joel shouted as he was hoisted up and left suspended in the air.

"Joel!" The kids cried at the same time, running to him. Ellie stopped Joel from swinging, "I got you!" Se said.

"Goddamnit Bill!" Joel growled.

"What just happened!?" Rylan asked.

"It's another one of Bill's stupid traps!" Joel paused for a minute catching his breath, "Ok that fridge looks like that's a counterweight." Rylan and Ellie sprinted towards it and Rylan boosted her up, Ellie drew her knife and began to cut away at the rope. "Cut that rope and it'll bring me down."

"Already on it!" Rylan snapped.

*Roagah!*

"Rylan?" Ellie cried. Rylan looked off to the distance to see a couple of packs of infected coming towards them.

"Oh shit," Rylan breathed. "Keep cutting!" He yelled to Ellie, who was frozen at the sight of infected, all lot of them. "Joel!" Rylan shouted.

"I see them!" Joel replied pulling out his revolver, Rylan did the same drawing his Silver Ghost and the two began to open fire on the abominations. Shots rang out, shell casings hit the floor the sweet smell of gunpowder entered the nostrils of Rylan's nose followed by the stench of blood giving Rylan the 'onion' effect as tears threaten to break free, he needed to keep Joel and Ellie alive by staying alive to help them.

"Ellie!" Rylan shouted.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" She argued. The fridge suddenly landed on it's side throwing Ellie off it and toppling onto Rylan and hit the ground at the same time. "Fuck!" She grunted. As she shook from her daze her face was close to Rylan's, her hand's on his chest, they stared into each other's eyes before realizing what's happening.

"Oh shit!" Rylan growled as he rolled them both over to get a clear shot at two infected. Ellie's arms were wrapped around his neck as he lied onto of her killing the infected. He got up pulling her up with him, "This is taking too long!" he mumbled as he unsheathed his knife and with one slash at the rope caused Joel to fall to the ground. He turned to Ellie and saw an infected ready to lunge at her, but he moved quick and pulled her close and into a roundhouse kick to the chest of the runner causing it to fly back tumbling over. Rylan's arm was around Ellie's waist from saving her from being the runner's next meal,

"Oh my god... There are too many of them!" Ellie breathed still clinging to her savior. The two turned to see a bulkier man helping Joel to his feet and they all followed him out the shutter door which slammed down behind them. Rylan held Ellie's hand the entire way, after running through a maze of stacked cars, infected crawling out from everywhere. They all ran into the old laundry building where they managed to take a couple of breaths, Ellie felt the light squeeze from Rylan's hand and she interlocked their fingers.

"Don't slow down this place ain't secure." The masked man breathed. Rylan let go of Ellie's hand to reload his silver ghost and joined Joel and the masked man in shooting down the invading infected. Rylan suddenly ran out of ammo, and a runner grabbed a hold of him before he was able to react and was pinned against a washer. Ellie ran over with her switchblade in hand and stabbed the back of the runner and pulled it away.

"Get away from him!" Ellie growled. Rylan finished it off with a pipe to the head of the runner, he then subconsciously grabbed her hand and they followed the masked man out of the laundry mat and into another building where he locked the door. "Man... that was close." She panted beside Rylan. "Uh... thanks for the heroics and all." She said to the masked man, who pulled it off to take a deep breath of fresh air. He had longish brown hair and scraggly facial hair, Ellie offered to shake his hand, but he grabbed it and pulled out a pair of handcuffs and cuffed her to a pipe on the wall. "Hey what are you-?! Joel?! Rylan?!"

"Bill!" Joel snapped as Rylan ran at him gripping his arm but Bill punched him away and Rylan fell to the ground. Bill pulled out his gun and pointed it at Joel,

"Turn around and get on your knees!" He said,

"Just calm down a second." Joel pleaded.

"Turn around and get on your knees!" Bill grabbed Joel and forced him down. "Got any bites? Any thing sprouting?"

"No, goddamnit I'm clean!" Joel spat. Ellie managed to pull off the pipe out of the wall and smack Bill's arm with it.

"Ow! Son-Of-A-Bitch!" Bill cried, Rylan ran over and pulled the pipe away before tossing it to the ground, holding Ellie's wrist.

"Stop!" Rylan whispered. Joel began glaring at Bill

"You done?" Joel asked.

"AM I done..? You come into my house you set off all my traps, you damn near break my shootin' arm. Who the fuck is this punk and what's she..." Bill trailed off when he saw a clear look at Rylan's face, "Ain't that Tess' kid?"

"We are none of your goddamn business, and we're here because you owe Joel some favours. And you can start by taking these off." Ellie argued waving the cuffs around, as Rylan held her back.

"I owe Joel some favours, is this some kind of joke?"

"I'll cut to the chase. I need a car." Joel said walking up to Bill who finally calmed down.

"Well it is a joke, Joel needs a car. Well if I had one that works which I sure as hell don't, what makes you think that I'd just give it to you?" Bill said bitterly, "Yeah sure Joel, go ahead, take my car. Take all my food too."

"By the looks of it, you could lose some of that food." Ellie added.

"Ellie! Not helping!" Rylan hissed. Her eyes widened at him saying her name again. Bill pulled his machete on her,

"Look here you little shit-"

"No fuck you, you handcuffed me!" He jerked forward but Rylan pulled Ellie behind him, Ellie was panting gripping Rylan's arm with both her hands.

"I need the both of you to shut up!" Joel growled as he continued their conversation, Ellie was still glaring daggers at the stubborn Bill.

"But after this, I owe you nothin'." Bill said slamming the cuff keys down on the table, Joel tossed them to Rylan. "They datin'?" he suddenly asked.

Rylan turned and glared at him, "The fuck you say?!" Bill looked down to see the two were gripping each other's hands, Ellie's face shot up bright red, Rylan ripped his away, taking a few steps back.

"Hey you gotta un-cuff me!" She said, Rylan walked back over and unlocked the cuffs and tossed them aside.

"This whole town's booby trapped, best stay right on my ass." As he walled passed Ellie sighed.

"Can't miss it." She said, Rylan cleared his throat to hide the chuckle, he leaned in.

"Good one." He said and followed Bill, Ellie giggled

"Knock it off," Joel growled. Rylan was looking into a mirror combing back his hair, Ellie crossed her arms as she watched him and smiled.


Oh man how about that? Will Rylan and Ellie finally become friends? Find out next time and don't forget to hit that review button LET me know how it's going!