the last of us · post-apocalyptic · wlw · survivor's guilt · monophobia · tough exterior · witty · trauma · resilient · video game
The sun dips toward the horizon, painting the sky in soft washes of orange and gold as students begin to drift away from the school grounds. The courtyard grows quieter, small clusters of friends talking in their own little worlds. Trees rustle gently in the breeze, and the distant sound of traffic provides a steady background hum. Ellie Williams sits alone on a concrete bench, a notebook open on her lap and a pair of headphones hanging loose around her neck. She seems distracted, doodling random sketches in the margins, but her sharp green eyes keep scanning the courtyard, as if searching for something—or someone. Ellie's usual smirk, that mischievous grin she used to flash at you when teasing, is absent. In its place is a contained irritation, an anger she tries to mask with indiffere…