AN: ah yes… this chapter may be a little short compared to others but it's more intense and i don't wanna spoil things but i gotta low key got to sooo TRIGGER WARNING more descriptive passages about violence and fighting but this time, there is a character death by murder.

A power nap.

Yeah.

That's all Ellie needed.

After parting ways with Dina and Jesse, Ellie ended up dragging her feet over to a room Dina and her hadn't shared yet. She didn't want to be found so easily. She needed to be alone. Her mind was taking her places she didn't want. As she dropped her bag onto the floor, she hissed in pain before holding back a yelp. She then carefully sat down on this random long seat before sighing again. She thought back to what she saw.

How Dina reacted when she saw Jesse.

How she helped him take off his boots.

They were friends, of course, she would be happy to help. She would do the same and Dina would do that for anyone so why the fuck was she getting jealous over something so stupid? Why did she have to feel so insecure and anxious even though she knew that Dina was into her and that their feelings were mutual? Right…? She never really could shake off the guilt of stealing Jesse's girl. Ellie groaned quietly before rubbing her face. She then sucked in a long breath before struggling to take off her shoes.

"Fuck."

It took some time but she eventually slipped out her foot, freeing herself from that tight prison, before dropping the boot. It took her a second to catch her breath before rubbing her thigh. The horrible bruise on her leg was acting up again and she cursed to herself before taking off her other shoe. That took another minute or so to kick off before she sighed and began changing the bandage on her forearm with the spare ones in her bag.

Her body was just so damn heavy that it took ages to do.

By the time her useless arm was properly dressed, she sighed again before tossing the bandage roll aside. A new burn made her look down at her bicep and she stared at the new cut in her arm before closing her eyes.

"Fuck it."

She was too tired to do any more. Besides, it wasn't even bleeding that much. She carefully laid back on the seat before breathing out slowly through her nose. Once she was settled, the pain sunk in her pores, keeping her pinned on the cushion. She groaned again before rubbing her face again and draping her wrist over her eyes. Her head was aching and she didn't want to think about anything.

Everything went black after that.

By the time she twitched awake, she woke up in a cold sweat and felt more nauseous than before. She wasn't sure how much she slept but she was fairly certain that she probably didn't sleep more than thirty minutes. Her throat was burning as she held her mouth. Keeping her eyes shut, she sat there breathing trying to ease herself into reality. After a moment, she finally shifted and moved. She felt like a zombie as she reached for her water and once she managed to take a sip, she set it down before checking out the bag Jesse had brought along.

There was a decent first aid kit.

She cracked it open before unceremoniously cleaning her bicep with rubbing alcohol wipes. It hurt and burned more than her forearm but all her anger, self-loathing, and frustration kept her at bay. Her eyebrows were heavily creased and she sighed before throwing the bloody wipe onto the floor. After that, she fiddled around with the med kit before finding a needle and surgical wire. She then took her time threading the needle before poking her skin and sowing her gash shut. A quiet groan left her lips as she repeatedly weaved the needle back and forth.

At least until she heard Dina's voice.

"There you are, Jesse's passed out," she announced as she walked over to where Ellie was before coming inside. "Hey, let me do that."

Ellie breathed in deeply before showing Dina her arm. Dina was quick to get on her knees before taking the needle and thread from Ellie's hand. She spared her a glance, noting how deep Ellie's eyebrows were creased, before carefully suturing her arm. As Ellie watched Dina sow her arm, she took in a quiet breath before pointing out:

"Jesse's a good guy."

Blinking once, Dina mindlessly agreed. "Mm-hm."

Ellie just stared at her silently before asking, "Why didn't you tell him?"

Dina finally looked up into her eyes. "It wasn't the right time." Ellie could see some pain and fear hidden in those teary eyes before Dina finally finished the knot and leaned forward, biting off the thread before kissing her arm. "There you go."

"Thanks." She didn't mean to sound so weak but she couldn't muster any more strength. Her eyes naturally turned away from Dina and she sat there feeling awkward for the first time. The silence was loud and Dina must have felt it as well because she shifted around before gently speaking.

"We should probably get some rest."

A single "Yeah" was all that Ellie could manage. They ended up lying next to each other and the moment they were settled, Ellie was the first to close her eyes. She knew she wouldn't be able to fall asleep despite how exhausted she felt. Thankfully, pretending to do so was in her nature. At some point, Dina shifted slightly. She ended up gagging a little but settled down after a moment. After a moment, she reached up before brushing a strand of hair out of Ellie's face. Her touch sent chills down Ellie's spine and her jaw clenched.

This was going to be a long night.

Ellie didn't sleep.

She just lay there in pain until she heard Dina's breathing level out. Once she was certain that her girlfriend had fallen asleep, she opened her eyes and watched Dina sleep. As much as she didn't want to admit it, it brought peace to her despite their newly formed tension. Time was slipping through her fingers and eventually, her internal clock told her it was time. Ellie pulled away before getting up. She hissed in pain the moment she stood up before almost falling over.

Fuck.

It took all of her effort to leave the room without making noise. Once she was in the clear, she let out a heavy pant before grunting in pain. She held on to her sides, trying to brace the bruised and pained body, before looking for Jesse. Thankfully, it wasn't hard and she spotted him sitting there with his hands clamped together. He had this heavy face, seemingly in deep thought, that Ellie had to announce her presence.

"Hey."

Jesse looked up before his eyes widened. "You look like shit. Are you okay?"

Ellie just shrugged. "Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'm fine, just tired." Now that was the understatement of the century.

He sighed in disappointment with the 'big brother' huff of his.

She swallowed back her nausea before asking, "So, how fucked are we?"

He blinked before looking at her. "Don't worry, Joel and Tommy are on their way. The last time I saw him, he was about to throw hands at Maria for not letting him go out in this weather."

Snorting at that, Ellie chuckled. "Sounds about right."

They stayed in their respective spots in silence, staring out at the shitty weather from the ceiling window, before Jesse finally broke it and started: "Say… Can I ask you something?"

She had an inkling feeling about what he was referring to but didn't want to admit it. "I'm not telling you about our sex life."

"What?" Jesse shot her a confused face. "Oh god, no. That's disgusting." He looked horrified.

Ellie immediately started laughing before teasing him even further. "It's amazing by the way." She wiggled her eyebrows to innuendo a fun time they had despite her heavy chest.

"Oh, shut up." He rolled his eyes before starting in a more serious voice. "Dina." His tone made Ellie freeze. "Is she… pregnant?"

Ellie's breath hitched as her eyes widened.

"She was acting strange and could barely stomach water…"

God, why was he so damned observant and smart? Most men wouldn't notice shit so why did Jesse notice? She knew why though. He was just that type of good guy that any gal would be lucky to have. The tension alone was enough to crush her but even then, the thought of lying to him wasn't something she could do. She ended up picking at her fingers before facing Jesse. Her mouth parted for a second before she finally answered in fear. "Yeah…"

Jesse took in a sharp yet quiet breath. Silence hung for a moment before he shook his head and sighed. "We got to get her back. She needs medical attention."

"I know." Ellie finally tore her face away from Jesse. For some reason, she couldn't look him in the eyes any longer. If she did, she'd probably cry.

"And you too dumb dumb. You look like you're about to fall over any second."

Hah… Ironically enough, she had thought about it. It would probably make her life easier if she just gave in to that sweet release and faint. But, she was the one who put them in this situation so she had to see it through. "I feel like shit but I'm fine. I promise."

Why was this lie so easy?

Jesse sighed again before shaking his head. "Just don't make that face when Dina is around you hear?"

Ellie froze.

What face was she making?

What did he mean by—

A loud clang echoed in the planetarium as Jesse pulled her out of her thoughts. "What was that noise?"

The two of them looked at each other before Jesse took the lead. They then made their way toward the source of the noise which was close to the entrance. Once they had eyes on the door, Ellie's face fell. There was some large and bulky guy standing there. A stranger. Her gaze immediately lowered to the pipe on the floor and her jaw dropped in shock.

She fucking forgot to lock the doors.

"Who the hell is that?" Jesse asked as he grew more alert. "He doesn't look like someone from Jackson. You recognize him?"

Ellie took a good look at him before shaking her head. "No. Not that I know of."

Humming at that comment, Jesse faced him before speaking up. "Hey, who are you? Where did you come from?"

The stranger didn't respond and the guy just took a heavy step forward.

That made Jesse frown with an annoyed face. "HEY." He shouted in a loud voice. "Back. Off. What do you want? Where did you come from?"

The strange man didn't respond to those questions either as he stood there awkwardly, staring at the two of them and making Ellie's stomach churn. Something was wrong. The hair on her neck was standing and she had a gut feeling she shouldn't let him find Dina. Her foot naturally took a step forward before Jesse stopped her.

"Stay back," Jesse said firmly while shielding Ellie with his arm. "I'll check him out."

Her eyebrows creased, "But—"

"You're hurt." He pointed out with a hardened look, "More than me."

Her jaw clenched. She glared him in the eyes before sighing in defeat. "Fine."

He just smiled. "Thanks." He then stood up tall before walking over to the strange man's side. His hand was hovering around the gun she knew he had hidden behind his back so at least that was somewhat comforting.

"Look, if you're just looking out for a place to sit out the weather, we're okay with that. We just need to know who you are and where you came from." Jesse reasoned as he walked slowly closer and closer. "We got help coming as well so we can all be rational here."

Ellie found herself suddenly controlling her breathing. Why was this making her so lightheaded? Was it really because she was sick? If that was the case, even more so she couldn't allow herself to fall. If they couldn't protect Dina, who would? That's when Ellie noticed something.

His leg.

There was a… bite mark.

Just like the one on her arm…

Her arm.

Ellie's eyes shot down at the bloody holes in her hoodie before she snapped back up to look at his leg. "Oh no…" She quickly squinted at his mouth, narrowly seeing the white foam at the corner of his lips. He had been covered in snow so it was hard to tell but Ellie wouldn't mistake their situation. Not with all the shit she has been through.

He was infected.

The hairs on her entire body shot up and her body tensed. Panic swept over her face the instant Ellie noticed him move abruptly before shouting at the top of her lungs. "JESSE WATCH OUT!"

Jesse barely even reacted because everything happened in a flash.

Out of nowhere, the crazed man pulled a knife from god knows where and stabbed him right in the gut. Ellie felt as if the wind got violently knocked out of her. She couldn't breathe. Jesse grunted in pain before trying to reach for the gun in his pants but it was a messy affair. The man quickly pulled out his knife before repeatedly stabbing Jesse.

There was no way Jesse was…

She snapped out of her paralysis the moment he stabbed Jesse's neck, leaving it logged there and causing blood to gush out onto the cold pavement. Her jaw clenched as she saw red. In seconds, she was in front of this fucking giant before shouting at the top of her lungs. "YOU MOTHER FUCKER!" Her voice cracked at the disgust and rage she felt.

Before she knew it, she was tackling this rabid man. The moment they hit the ground, he started trying to fight back, attacking Ellie and throwing punches at her. She took a few hits before raising her fist and punching his jaw. She quickly squared up before pummeling his face with a barrage of angered fists.

"FUCKING BASTARD! HOW DARE YOU—" Her voice was hoarse from all the raw rage. "HOW FUCKING DARE—" She went flying when she got clipped in the jaw.

The crazed man immediately got on top of her before pinning her down with his weight and choking her out. Ellie gasped sharply before grabbing his ridiculously large arms. She flailed about, trying to get him off, before choking on her own breath. She couldn't breathe. She choked in pain as she clawed at his arms, trying to break free. Her legs flailed about as her eyes rolled back since everything began turning black.

That was when she heard a strained cry.

Out of nowhere, Dina ran over and stabbed the bastard in the arm with her hunting knife. He grunted in pain and released Ellie who immediately coughed before inhaling a sharp gasp. Tears spilled out of her eyes as she wheezed and watched Dina tussling with the burly guy. Their fight was equally sloppy as hers had been. He was almost twice their size and it was clear who was at the disadvantage. As Ellie tried focusing her disorientated vision, she somewhat registered Dina's knife flying somewhere on the floor. She forced herself to get on all fours. She needed to help. She needed to help Dina.

That's when the guy grabbed Dina by her neck before slamming her against the floor. She crashed onto the cold foundation with a pained grunt but Ellie still couldn't get her body to work. Dina was fumbling about, fighting back the best she could and Ellie wheezed before pulling out her hunting knife and sliding it over.

"Dina!"

Gritting her teeth, Dina wiggled around before reaching out to grab the knife but right when she was about to stab the guy in the neck, he stopped her. He somehow managed to take the knife from Dina's hand before driving it into her shoulder. Dina immediately shouted in pain and something inside Ellie snapped.

Ellie cried at the top of her lungs. "DINAAAA!"

He was punching the living lights out of Dina and Ellie's body finally jump-started and obeyed her commands. She lunged forward, almost slamming into the ground from her abrupt launch, before sprinting over and jumping onto his back. She immediately wrapped her legs around his torso, locking him in, as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She quickly locked her arms, holding him in a choke hold, before using all her might and strength to pull back.

Thankfully, he released Dina, dropping her to the floor before falling back on top of Ellie. Swallowing back the blood in her mouth, Ellie ignored the fact that she was being crushed by his heavy weight as she tightened her hold. She sucked in whatever strength she could and forced her body to tighten. She ignored her body's protest and the burning pain shooting throughout her worn-out limbs as she refused to let go.

The more he shifted, the more Ellie chased after him, holding her grip. She could practically taste the blood in her mouth grow stronger and stronger as her jaw clenched to the point her teeth clattered as they ground together. Her body flexed and tightened whenever he bucked and groaned in pain but she didn't care. He wiggled and she chased after him. They remained in this deadlock for god knows how long until eventually, he stopped moving.

But Ellie didn't care.

She needed to be sure. She couldn't stop until it was over because if she did, she knew she wouldn't have the strength to fight back. She didn't let up on the pressure for one second at all as she strangled him alive. It wasn't until his neck grew cold and purple that Ellie finally gasped in pain. Her body bucked and her arms practically snapped out of place as she released him. Once she managed to untangle herself from him, she grunted in pain as she kicked him aside. When he was finally off of Ellie's body, she rolled over before gasping for air. Her lungs were on fire and she couldn't breathe. Her heart was racing a thousand miles per second and she could hardly focus her eyes.

That's when she looked up and saw Dina's body.

Dina. "Oh god," Ellie gasped as she hyperventilated. "No… no no no." Her gasps grew louder and louder as she weakly crawled over to her body. "B-Babe." She fell short, collapsing onto the floor before coughing violently. "D-Dina—" She inhaled deeply before trying to throw her limbs forward. "Dina!"

Tears were dripping down her face as Ellie weakly crawled to her until she finally reached her cold body. Her breathing had grown worse and more sporadic and it was as if she had forgotten how to breathe the moment she swung her body on top of Dina's, protecting her the best she could. "No… no… no no— Dina!" She gasped before crying her name over and over again. "Dina— i-it's okay! I-I'm right…here!" She hugged her closely, desperately holding onto her. "I'm… right… here."

The knife was still stuck in her shoulder and the only thing Elie could do was weakly brace it to control the bleeding.

"Oh god… please— no! No no no…"

Her hands were trembling terribly and they were covered in Dina's blood.

There was just so much blood.

"Dina…" She choked on her breath and sobs as tears spilled down her cheeks. "Please… be okay…"

Ellie wasn't sure how long she lay there exhausted with a tear-stained face, cradling Dina's unconscious body in her arms as her body shook violently from the cold. The only warmth she felt was from her girlfriend's body but even then, it felt as if it was all spilling out of her shoulder. Her consciousness was slipping away with every second but after what felt like an eternity, a familiar voice spoke up in the distance.

"What in name's…"

Her eyes immediately widened upon recognition before she croaked out. "J-Joel—"

"Ellie!"

"J-Joel—" Ellie desperately begged as she wheezed with her breath hitching. "D-Dina! H-Help— please! Dina's—"

"Hey!" Joel quickly ran over to the two girls before pulling them in, cradling and checking on them. "Hey hey hey, it's okay Ellie, I'm right here." He touched both their foreheads, checking their temperatures, before pulling them into an embrace hug. "It's okay, breathe baby girl, breathe." He then glanced past them and saw the presumed dead man.

Ellie's ugly cries grew worse and couldn't stop choking sobs. "I-I— he—" She shook horribly before forcing out, "J-Jesse— Jesse's—"

Joel looked further past them, seeing a mangled body in the distance before cursing under his breath. "Fuck."

Tommy's voice finally made it to Ellie's ears. "I finally calmed Shimmer and Japan dow— what the hell happened?"

"Tommy," Joel started as he turned to face his brother, "Help me get the girls. They need medical assistance and…"

Ellie's heart finally must have given out. Joel's voice was growing more distant by the second and she found her vision fading away, growing darker by the second. The last thing she remembered was feeling weightless when Joel picked off the pavement as Tommy carefully scooped up Dina in his arms. The last sight she saw was Dina's unconscious body as her arm fell to her side before passing out.

She couldn't breathe.

AN: I'm sorry Jesse ? I needed to kill someone off but that wasn't going to be Joel ?