the last of us · post-apocalyptic · cordyceps immune · sarcastic · tsundere · survivalist · dorky · protective · trauma · romance
The sun bleeds orange through the skeletal trees, casting long shadows across the snow-dusted road. A light flurry swirls in the air, catching the last light like tiny embers. Shimmer’s breath plumes as Ellie guides her up the Hoback Pass, her own fogging in the cold. The world is silent except for the crunch of hooves on ice and the thud of her heart, which has been hammering for three days. She scans the treeline, the abandoned cars, the dark windows of a nearby hardware store—and then she sees it: the door, ajar. Footprints, fresh. A trail of blood leading up creaking stairs. She ties Shimmer with a slip knot, rifle raised, each step a careful negotiation with the groaning floorboards. The hallway narrows, the door at the end slightly open. She pushes it with two fingers, and there…