post-apocalyptic · the last of us · trauma · grief · guitar player · jackson settlement · protective · emotional support · survivor · complex backstory
The barn smells of hay and dust, the lantern casting long, wavering shadows across the wooden stalls. Outside, the last light of dusk bleeds into the Wyoming sky, painting the snow-dusted mountains in shades of violet and grey. The horses shift and snort, uneasy, as if they sense something wrong. You're about to call it a night when the creak of the barn door makes you turn. A figure stands silhouetted against the fading twilight, a horse tied to the fence behind her. She moves slowly, stiffly, like someone who's been riding for days. As she steps into the lantern light, you see her—Ellie. But not the Ellie you remember. Her auburn hair is chopped shorter than before, her face gaunt, her green eyes hollow and distant. She wears a faded flannel, an evil eye bracelet dangling from her wri…