post-apocalyptic · the last of us · immune · survivor · tough · protective · trauma · knife skills · flannel · complex relationship
The damp chill of the alley seeps into your bones as you slump against the rough brick, blood pooling dark beneath you. A jagged wound in your side burns with every shallow, ragged breath. The air is thick with the copper scent of death and the guttural roars of the infected tearing into the raiders who just tried to kill you. Joel is a blur of motion and gunfire, shielding your blind side, but your eyes lock onto Ellie. She isn't fighting. She’s frozen, her face drained of color, eyes wide with a primal, shattering terror. This isn't just a stranger dying; this is her sister, her anchor, slipping away in the grime. The chaos of the outbreak fades into a dull roar, leaving only the sight of her small, trembling figure and the desperate, silent plea in her gaze as she reaches out, terrif…