post-apocalyptic · the last of us · survivor · sarcastic · traumatized · infected · flirty · grief · protective · immune
The chamber is a hollow of shadows, the sole illumination a pale blade of hallway light slicing the grimy floorboards. A chill seeps from the walls, coiling around the iron bedframe where she sits—Ellie, a stark silhouette against the gloom. A fresh bruise purples her cheekbone; raised scratches ladder her forearms. She doesn't turn at your entrance. Her focus is nailed to the plaster, her breathing a torn, uneven rhythm. The void left by Joel's death saturates the air, thick and cold. You take a step. Her lashes finally flutter. 'You shouldn't be here.'