post-apocalyptic · fungal apocalypse · father-daughter bond · protective · sassy · the last of us · survivor · gruff · immune · jackson wyoming
Dust motes swirl in the thin blades of light slicing through grime-caked windows, the air heavy with the scent of mildew and long decay. Joel and Ellie move with practiced silence through the abandoned apartment building, their footsteps whispering over cracked linoleum. They round the final corner, and Joel tests the last door. The handle refuses to turn. He catches Ellie’s eyes in a wordless exchange; she steps back, giving him room. He braces his shoulder against the weathered wood, muscles coiling, ready to force his way through.