A/N: I don't own any of the characters, they're owned by Naughty Dog. Enjoy.
2038 - WINTER
The smell of the trees mixes with the musky scent of our horses as I gallop back to Jackson with Jesse, Dina, and Jeremy. We're going a little faster because it's almost dark. We're late because Jesse thought we could clear more houses even though I'd already warned him that we needed to leave. Unfortunately, we weren't having much luck in the earlier houses so Jesse wanted to keep going to make sure that we brought back enough stuff. Jesse's going to get his ass chewed out but whatever, it's not my problem. He's the leader.
I see the front gate in the distance but it's already dark. The four of us come to a stop at the front gate while we wait for the gate to open. I pull out my handgun and keep an eye around us since our galloping probably drew the attention of nearby infected.
"Open the gate." Jesse hollers up to the watchman.
A growl sounds in the nearby tree followed by the pattering of quick steps.
"No don't." I holler and the horses start to spook.
I jump down from my horse, not wanting to have to account for the unpredictable actions of a scared horse. I raise my handgun. A dozen infected leap out from the forest at various points. I fire off a few shots, taking down a runner. The other three take out a couple more stalkers and runners. I run up, sheathing my handgun and pulling out a shiv, and grab a lunging stalker before plunging the shiv into its brain. I pull the shiv out and it crumples to the ground, before I twist around slicing the throat of a runner. It staggers and deliver a finishing blow into its eye.
A heavy body tackles me to the ground. I push back. A clicker towers over me and I'm barely able to hold it off.
"Ellie!" I hear someone yell, Dina I think.
A shot rings out and the clicker collapses on top of me. I shove the dead weight off and another falls onto me. I force my shiv in through the bottom of his jaw all the way up into its brain. More shots sound to my right, as well as from the watchtower, and a couple more runners and a clicker fall to the ground. I pull a molotov cocktail from my bag and reach into my pocket for my lighter. As I get it out another runner lunges at me, causing me to drop it into the dark. It takes a bite out of my shoulder and grunt in pain. Grabbing my switchblade from my belt, I flip it open before plunging it into the fucker's temple. A familiar deep croaking noise echos out from only a few yards away.
"Bloater! Get your masks on now!" I holler, reaching for my flashlight to find where my lighter fell to.
I hear everyone nearby shuffling with their things. Then I hear a specialized alarm go off behind me in the compound. It should signal everyone inside to put their masks on as well. I sprint as far away from the gate and into the forest, as close as I dare to get near the beast.
"Hey dumb fuck! Over here!" I yell.
The beast lets out a new stream of menacing croaks as it pulls a spore bomb from its body and throws it toward me. I'm barely able to avoid it. I'm trying to figure out how I can light this damn molotov I'm carrying. Fire does the most damage against these things.
"Ellie! Catch!" Dina yells. What is she thinking? She'll draw its attention.
"No ugly you're still my bitch. This way!" I say.
Something glints in the spotlight, flying toward me. I reach up to catch it. A lighter. Thank fuck! I light the molotov cloth and throw it towards the bloater. Flames erupt all over its body and it groans loudly. Another spore bomb lands near me and I cough, pulling out another molotov. I light it and throw it as well, causing another explosion of flames. It moans angrily, taking a couple more steps before finally falling over. A couple more shots fire off and the familiar sounds of dropping bodies quickly follows.
My adrenaline is still pumping and my breath erratic as I scan the area for other infected. After a couple minutes of no other sounds I hear the loud buzz that signals the gate is opening. I turn and start walking back that way. My blood starts to boil and my breathing becomes short and heavy as I pick up my pace. I walk up behind Jesse and shove him forward which almost causes him to fall forward.
"What the fuck?" Jesse says, turning around.
"I fucking told you. I told you that we needed to leave. But did you listen? No. You never fucking listen. Because you're mister macho leader who never listens to anyone." I say.
"Everything we bring back helps to keep the whole place going. I made a decision." He says, being authoritative like Joel and making gestures to look important.
I step forward with my fist pulled back ready to punch him but someone grabs my retracted arm and opposite shoulder.
"Ellie, stop." I hear Dina's familiar voice in my ear.
I shrug out of her hold and walk toward him, until I was a couple inches from his face.
"Yeah? Well, your decision almost got the whole fucking compound killed." I say, before moving to the side, walking over to my horse, which is miraculously still here, and guiding him through the open gate.
I scratch and pat his cheek as we walk over to the stable. Guiding him into his individual stall, I leave him to go find a wheelbarrow. Once I return, I unload all of the stuff from his saddle compartments and drop my backpack on top. I take some supplies to the armory, some to clinic but most of my stuff goes to the pantry. I snag an apple before returning to the stable.
I return the wheelbarrow to the storage area and go back to my horse, his name is Kobyashi. I glance around before reaching into my bag for the stolen apple. I lift it up for Kobyashi, who happily accepts it.
"Did you steal another apple for Koby?" A voice says from the stable divider.
I move around to start taking off his saddle and hanging it onto the wall. I lean down and grab his brush.
"You know he doesn't like that nickname. He prefers Yashi for short." I say, reaching up to scratch his cheek. "Isn't that right, boy?"
Dina walks over to us, on the other side of Kobyashi. She scratches under his jaw on that side as I brush his side.
"I'm sorry, Yashi." She says. "Will you forgive me?"
I continue to brush him and hum a couple times, acting as if he's talking to me.
"He says he'll think about it." I say.
Dina chuckles.
I continue taking care of Kobyashi, doing a little more brushing, checking his hooves and then going to storage to grab a bag of horse feed. Kobyashi makes some soft noises which are the only sounds in the stable for some time.
"Are you all right, El?" Dina asks, after I return from putting the horse feed bag back.
"Yeah." I say, looking at the ground and putting my hands into my pockets.
"Come on. I've never seen you like that before. What happened?" Dina pushes.
I only lean over the pony door, not wanting to enter the stall with her. I'm not entirely sure why I got so worked up this time. I shrug noncommittally, continuing to not look at her. She walks out of the stall and closes the door behind her before leaning against it.
"Come over to my place." She says.
"What about Jesse? I'm sure he doesn't want you hanging out with me after I reamed him in front of all those people." I say.
"Well, if you want to know, he's not happy with me because I told him that he deserved you tearing him a new one. But, even though I agree with what you said doesn't mean I'm not still worried about you. Please come over." She explains.
I smile. She agreed with me.
"Does that smile mean you'll come?" She asks, holding out a hand.
I chuckle before walking over to her and wrapping my arm around her shoulder. She slips her arm around my waist and we walk to her place.
The room looks identical to the living room at my place. I walk over and fall onto the couch as I've done many times before. Dina walks over into the kitchen. I hear some rustling but don't turn around; she's probably just getting some water. She walks over and hands me a glass with an amber liquid in it. I look at her as she sits down and lifts her legs to lay over mine.
"What's this?" I ask, after she is settled.
"I found it in one of the houses today. Whiskey. It's called Crown Royal. Very nice looking bottle." Dina says, before taking a sip.
I hum, understanding, before taking a generous sip of my own. I've had whiskey before and have enjoyed it thus far. It's good. A better taste than some of the others I've had. I toss back the rest before setting the glass on the table. Dina gives me a look before getting up to go grab the bottle. She comes back and sets it on the table.
"Don't drink it all now." She teases.
I smirk before leaning forward and pouring myself a couple fingers. I take the glass but wince, my shoulder finally feeling the pain of the bite now that the adrenaline is finally starting to leave me.
"What's wrong?" Dina asks, taking her legs off my lap and leaning forward.
Her eyes fall to my shoulder, blood finally seeping into my shirt.
"Damn it, Ellie." She says, putting her glass on the table and leaning forward before pulling my shirt to the side to look at the bite. "We're taking you to the clinic."
"No. I don't need to go. It'll be fine." I say, not wanting to leave the comfort of Dina's couch.
She narrows her eyes at me and exhales in frustration.
"Fine. Take your shirt off." She says before getting up.
Groaning, I shrug out of my flannel carefully before, with more difficulty, taking off my t-shirt. I hear Dina rustling around in the kitchen for who knows what. Now that I've got my shirt off, I take as best a look at it as I can considering its located where my shoulder meets my neck. I touch it gingerly and it still stings.
"Fucker." I say to myself.
Dina comes back and walks to stand in front of me, a med kit and hand cloths in her hands and a look of disapproval still on her face. I crinkle my brows at her. She sets them down on the couch's arm rest before straddling my lap. I've grown somewhat accustomed to Dina's affection but she doesn't do this often enough for me to be used to it. I look away, uncomfortable. She grabs onto the couch armrest and turns around, grabbing my glass of whiskey. She gives the whiskey to my good hand and I'm confused.
"This is going to hurt like a bitch so drink up while I get everything ready." She says.
I take the glass and sip a couple times, while she grabs supplies from the kit, before tossing back the whole glass once more. Yep. Starting to feel it now.
"Open your mouth." She says.
"What?" I ask, dazed from the alcohol setting in.
She opens her mouth in demonstration before smirking. I do as she asks and she shoves one of the hand cloths in my mouth. I struggle for a second before she gives me a look.
"Bite onto this while I do the next thing." She says, pointing to the cloth in my mouth.
I nod. She grabs another hand cloth and lays it on my chest, before grabbing a bottle of clear liquid and a third hand cloth. She shakes the bottle before twisting off the cap. It has a foul smell that seems to singe the hairs from my nose. She kind of wraps me in a hug as she brings the third hand cloth to my back and just presses it against my shoulder blade.
"Ready?" She asks.
I hum an affirmative noise and she pours the liquid over the bite. I groan and bite down on the cloth in my mouth. It feels like I'm being bitten all over again but worse. It fucking burns. I lean my forehead against her shoulder and breath deeply as she continues.
"I know." She says, soothing.
She brings the cloth from my shoulder blade up to cover over the bite, dabbing lightly. She blows lightly on it and that feels so fucking amazing that I don't have words for it. She leans back, forcing me to lift my head from her shoulder and she takes the cloth she laid on my chest, wiping up the liquid that ran down my chest. I lay my head onto the back of the couch and continue to breathe deeply through my nose. She pulls some gauze out next and covers the bite gently, before taping it down as best she could considering the location.
"You probably should keep your shirt off so that you don't work that muscle. It's in such an awkward spot." Dina says.
I hum in acceptance. She gets off me and takes everything back to wherever it came from before returning. She takes my glass from my left hand, which I'd forgotten about, and pours me some more before returning it to me.
"Feeling a little better?" She asks, sitting down and taking another sip.
"I'd feel better if I could put my shirt back on." I say.
She rolls her eyes before getting up once more. I don't know what she's doing. I'm afraid to turn my head to far one way or the other now that I'm bandaged up. She returns with a blanket and lays it over me.
"Happy?" She asks, smirking.
"Yeah." I say.
"So… what happened? Why'd you go off on him like that? Like I said, it was deserved but I've never seen you like that. Are you all right?" She asks, lifting her legs back to their previous position on my lap.
I sigh before staying silent for a few seconds.
"I'm not entirely sure why I got so mad. I was kind of stewing about it on the ride back. I had a bad feeling that I can't really explain. Maybe it's because I hadn't been outside the gate so late in a long time. Maybe it's because the horses were making a lot of noise. I don't know. I just can't explain it but I could feel it that something bad was going to happen when I saw where the sun was as we left the town." I say.
Dina only nods, waiting for me to continue.
"Tonight was a miracle. We haven't had a fuckup like that… like ever. And it put the whole compound in danger. I kept telling myself that it wasn't my fault but if someone had died I would've felt responsible because I couldn't get him to fucking listen." I say, before taking another sip.
We let the silence sit between us. I'm not really sure what else I could say.
"Honestly, if you weren't there, Ellie… tonight would've turned out very differently." Dina says. "Thank you. And I'm sorry that Jesse's decision made you feel responsible."
I nod, unsure of how to respond.
"So I was thinking…" Dina says, a mischievous look on her face.
"Yes?" I say, waiting for her to finish her sentence.
"It's been a while since you and I had a nice talk." Dina says.
"We talk all the time. What do you mean?" I say.
Her and I still hang out on my roof most nights. It's been a little cold over the last week but when it's cold we'll hang out in her living room like we are now.
"No, I mean a 'nice' talk." She stresses nice oddly.
I look at her confused for a few more seconds before realization hits me.
"Wait? Do you want to do that question thing we did in Boise again?" I say, chuckling before taking another sip of my drink.
"Yes, I do. I didn't think you'd figure it out at the rate you were going." She says.
"How do you still have more questions?" I ask.
"Of course I have more questions. I'm naturally inquisitive, at least when it comes to you." She says.
"Don't you know everything about me by now?" I ask, smirking.
"Never." She says.
"All right, well, let's get on with it." I say, tossing back the rest of my whiskey.
"No more whiskey for you." She says, taking my glass and setting it on the table. "Otherwise I won't know if it's you or it talking."
"Fine." I say, laying my head against the back of the couch and shifting a little so I can see her better without having to turn my head.
"Tell me something you like about me as I am now." She says.
"This just seems like an ego booster." I say.
"I wanted to start off easy. Come on." She says, smirking.
"Ok… um, I like how free spirited you are. Despite everything that you've been through, you don't let it dampen your light for long." I say.
"That was really sweet, Ellie." She says, blushing a little.
"That's me." I deadpan. Dina scoffs at me.
"I like how fiercely you protect what you care about." She says.
I nod, with a little smile.
"Next question, what's an embarrassing moment from your life?" She asks.
My brows furrow. I think for a minute but come up empty.
"I don't really have one. Sure there are times when I feel uncomfortable but being embarrassed seems like a luxury. Life is what it is, there's no use in dwelling on things." I say.
"Yeah you're such a badass, there's no way you've ever embarrassed yourself." Dina says, smirking.
I only roll my eyes.
"Well, as for me, I guess the only time I felt embarrassed was back when the chicken coop was first built I went in there to clean up and came out covered in chicken poop and feathers. Of course, Jesse walked by at the same moment and we had only started dating like a week prior to that incident." She says.
I nod, slowly, kind of unsure how to respond.
"All right. Complete this sentence, I wish I had something with whom I could share…" She states, before taking a sip of whiskey.
I debate internally for a few seconds before going with my initial thought.
"Kisses." I say.
Dina almost spits out the sip she'd taken but doesn't. Instead she looks at me, silently asking to elaborate.
"What? Riley is gone. I wish I had someone like that." I say, unwilling to say more.
She stares hard at me for a few seconds before turning to look at the coffee table.
"My nightmares." She says.
"Are you still having nightmares?" I ask. "Why didn't you say anything? Why not talk to Jesse?"
"Jesse has realized that he can't help me and kind of checks out if I ever have a nightmare around him and I know you have your own demons, Ellie. I don't want to burden you." She says.
"Besides Joel's and my own, your demons are the only ones that I do care about. Fuck everyone else. You're my best friend. It's your job to burden me and mine to burden you." I say.
"Ok. I'll keep that in mind from now on." She says, simply.
I nod.
"When did you last cry in front of another person? By yourself?" She asks.
"Fuck. Going hardcore tonight, huh?" I say, she chuckles. "Well, by myself is more easy to remember. About six months ago, I had a nightmare about Riley. But in front of someone is more tricky."
I think for a little while trying to remember something more recent but can only remember one time in 'recent' memory.
"Five years ago. Winter of '33. The cannibals. I'd just hacked David to pieces in a fit of blind rage and Joel dragged me off his lifeless corpse. After I'd realized it was Joel, I just broke down a cried as he held me. He had to carry me out of there because I just couldn't move." I say.
"It's been that long. I know that's a bad night for you but you haven't cried in front of anyone, not even Joel since then?" She asks.
"No." I say, solemnly.
Dina only hums in response before staying silent for a minute.
"Last time in front of someone was Jesse, back when we lost Sarah. By myself… two weeks ago. Nightmare about Mom." She says.
I set my glass on the couch and lay my hand on her calf.
She smiles before reaching forward for my glass and moving it to the table.
"What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?" She asks.
"That's a strange question." I say, eyes focused on her.
She only shrugs as a response.
"Well, I guess, the deaths of those we've lost."
"Agreed." Dina says, simply.
I nod, accepting it as her answer.
"Of all the people close to you, whose death would you find the most disturbing? Why?" She asks.
"You. Probably just because you're my age. Sure I'd be devastated by Joel but you… I would be disturbed." I say.
"Same. And for the same reason but also because you just seem so invincible a lot of times." She says.
I chuckle a little at that, remembering plenty of times when I did not feel invincible by any sense of the word.
"Your house catches on fire. After saving loved ones, you have time to save any one item. What would you save? Why?" She asks.
I hum in thought.
"Well, it'd be between my switchblade and Riley's dog tags if we're assuming that I'm like naked too. I have those on me except when I'm sleeping so I'm guessing it's that kind of scenario, right?" I say, thinking out loud.
"Yes. You don't have to be naked but let's say, sports bra and boxers. Nothing else." She says, winking.
"All right." I say, chuckling. "I'd probably pick the switchblade because I'd probably be thinking about functionality as well."
Dina laughs lightly.
"You would think about that." She says. "I'd probably take my dad's old pocket watch. It has a picture of him and my mom in it. It doesn't work anymore but it's the only thing that really matters to me."
"I've never seen it before. You don't carry it with you?" I ask.
"No, I haven't for a while. I used to but after I started to feel at home here I figured it'd be best to leave it here. I'd hate for it to get stolen." She says. "I'll show it to you in the morning. I don't want to get up again."
I chuckle at that, nodding.
"If we were to become close friends, what would be important for me to know?" She asks.
I look at her quizzically for a second.
"We're not close friends?" I ask.
"Hmm…" She starts, tapping her finger to her mouth in thought.
"Dick." I say, smiling.
She returns a smile.
"I guess the question means more like, is there anything you've never told anyone else that you'd want your best friend, me, to know." She says, smirking toward the end.
I smile at her antics before thinking on the new information a minute.
"I've told you a lot of things that I've never told anyone else, including my thoughts about returning to the Fireflies, if Joel ever died. I'm not really sure what else I could say. Honestly I'm closer with you than I have ever been with anyone else. Riley. Joel. Doesn't matter." I say.
A silence falls between us and I'm worried I was too forward with her.
"Thank you for being so candid." She says, finally.
"Sure." I say.
Dina is quiet for another minute before speaking again.
"I'm kind of terrified that I'll end up with Jesse even though I know he's not for me. I'm worried I'll settle because I don't want to be alone." Dina says.
"I understand. But just so you know… you'll never be 'alone' alone. You'll always have me. I'm invincible, remember?" I say.
She laughs with full spirit. Something I haven't seen her do in a while. I'm glad I could make her happy like that.
"Ok last question, if you were to die tonight without talking to anyone, what would you regret not having told someone? Why haven't you told them yet?" She asks.
"I wouldn't have regrets for things I haven't told someone. I have very specific reasons when I decide not to tell someone something." I say.
"That's kind of a cryptic answer." She says, after realizing I was done talking.
"Yeah, well, you've given me a couple cryptic responses before. I think I can give one." I say, smirking.
"Oh, fine. Keep your secrets." She says, chuckling.
"I will." I say.
"I would regret not telling you where my home was located. If I died, I'd want you to go visit it for me. I haven't told you because I'd prefer we go together." She says, simply. I feel like there should be more to her answer but I leave it.
I hum.
Dina settles more into the couch and readjusts her legs. I pull the blanket covering me off, which causes Dina to look at me, but then I lay it back down over both of us.
"So you're content now?" I ask, pointedly.
"Meaning?" She asks.
"You know everything you want to know about me?" I say.
"For now." She says, smirking before leaning her head back and closing her eyes. "Night, Ellie."
"G'night, Dina." I say, settling into the couch myself.
A/N: A couple points.
Bloaters spore bombs don't infect people in the game but I can't imagine that their spore bombs wouldn't actually infect people in a real world setting so that's why Ellie shouted for everyone to put on their masks.
Crown Royal is a whiskey. I'm not endorsing it, I just searched some of the popular whiskey brands which I figured would be more likely to be findable.
Review if you desire. Have a lovely day. I leave you with a quote.
"Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you." - Carl Sandburg