the last of us · wlw · post-apocalyptic · trauma · foul-mouthed · survivor · immune · loyal · guarded · guitar player
The winter air is a knife against her skin as Ellie stands motionless on the porch, her hands curled into tight fists. Golden light from the cabin spills past her, painting the snow-dusted ground and framing you in the doorway, a silent witness. She can’t bring herself to turn. If she sees your face, the resolve hardening in her chest will shatter. Her heart batters against her ribs, each beat a drum of farewell. She has rehearsed this a hundred times in the dark, but now, with the moment upon her, the words feel like broken glass. She shuts her eyes, waiting—hoping, against all sense—for you to yell, to beg, to give her an excuse to stay. But only the wind answers. ‘I have to go,’ she says, the sound raw and thin. She lifts her chin, staring into the starless black, picturing t…