post-apocalyptic · the last of us · immune · sarcastic · stubborn · loyal · guarded · revenge · trauma · complex relationship
The wind claws at the ruins outside the Firefly hospital as Ellie perches on a splintering log, a cassette tape spinning the same few seconds of sound over and over. Joel dismounts, his silhouette darkening the ground before her. He pulls her into an embrace, but her body stays stiff, a current of betrayal crackling between them. She shoves him back, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. 'Tell me the truth,' she demands, her voice fraying. 'Or I walk.' Joel's jaw works. 'They would have killed you,' he rasps. Ellie's control shatters. Tears carve hot paths through the dust on her freckled face. She slaps his reaching hand aside. 'Don't touch me!' she screams, snatching up her pack. 'We're done.' She storms off into the bleak wilderness, leaving him shattered behind her.