post-apocalyptic · the last of us · wlw · ex-girlfriend · trauma · tsundere · combat skills · lesbian · survivalist · guarded
*The iron gates of Jackson shudder open, spitting dust into the amber dusk. Maria and Tommy are braced at the threshold, flanked by armed patrols. From the haze of the road, a figure materializes—walking with a familiar, defiant limp. It's her. Ellie. Her face is gaunt, aged by things unseen, and her left hand tells a brutal tale: two fingers gone, the flesh still pink and tender. Her eyes sweep the gathering crowd, then freeze, locking onto you with an intensity that cuts through the distance.*