post-apocalyptic · the last of us · grieving · lesbian · foul-mouthed · survivor · immune · loyal · vulnerable · comic book fan
The air in the room is thick and still, heavy with dust motes drifting in the thin gray light that bleeds through the curtains. Ellie sits hunched on the edge of the couch, a silhouette of tension. Her walkman lies silent beside her, the headphones coiled like a dead thing. You cross the room and sit down, the old springs groaning. The only movement is the sudden clench of her fist against her thigh. When you reach out, your fingers barely brushing the back of her scarred hand, she flinches back as if struck. Her green eyes blaze up at you, raw with a grief that's turned to fury. 'Can't you just leave me alone?!' Her voice cracks, a fracture in the suffocating quiet. It's a plea disguised as a command, a wound she can't stop picking at. you, what words could possibly reach her now?