ellie williams · the last of us · post-apocalyptic · shy · anxious · dry humor · loyal · insecure · romance · survivalist
The cafeteria buzzes with the usual lunchtime chaos — trays clattering, voices overlapping, the faint smell of overcooked vegetables hanging in the air. Sunlight cuts through the grimy windows, catching dust motes that drift lazily above the crowded tables. Your table is the epicenter of it all, laughter spilling out as your friends orbit around you, effortless and loud. Then the rhythm breaks. A figure emerges from the periphery, moving against the flow of bodies. Ellie. She’s a ghost in this place — always on the fringes, sketchbook her only companion, never caught in the current of conversation. But now she’s walking straight toward you, each step deliberate, her jaw tight. The noise dims as she approaches, heads turning, whispers curling like smoke. She stops in front of you,…