For The Last Of Us

《Patrol: A New Danger》

Ellie sat at her workbench, fiddling with her rifle when there was a knock at the door. She looked up at the clock. Seven O'clock.
"Shit." She said, as she hurriedly rushed to the door and opened it. It was Adrian.
"Adrian, what are you doing here?" Ellie asked, surprised to see the new kid at her front door.
"Tommy sent me up." Adrian mumbled, shyly.
"Sorry I'm late I forgot. Let me fix up my rifle and I'll get ready." She opened the door wider and headed back to the workbench.
"Come inside! I don't bite."

Adrian stepped into the house, surprised of the decorative style and warmth of it. He followed Ellie to her workbench and leaned on the doorframe.
"You don't have to rush. I'll just tell Tommy we got caught up with some infected." He said.
"Thanks, what guns did Tommy give you?"
"A revolver and a pistol." Ellie turned round, furrowed her brows and said, "God Tommy is so protective."
Adrian chuckled, "Tell me about it.", as he nervously picked at his fingers. "Says I'm too immature."
"Psh, he's got that right." Ellie looked up at him and smirked.
"Bitch." Adrian muttered.
Ellie, offended, scoffed and stood up.
Squinting, she asks, "You know how to handle a rifle big man?"
"Of course." Adrian replies, "I'm not a baby."
"Good, wait outside, I'll be there in a sec."
Adrian left the workbench after a, "Yes, ma'am" and a salute as Ellie grabbed her backpack and rifle and jogged upstairs to bid farewell to Dina.
"Dina, honey." She shouted as she walked slowly across the hall. "I'm leaving for patrol."
Ellie opened the door to JJ's room, Dina helping him change into his cute little dungarees.
"Mom! Hey!" He said, smiling and running up to Ellie, hugging her tight.
"Hey Kiddo." Ellie replied, ruffling his jet black hair.
Dina patted him on the back, "JJ go get your breakfast for mommy. I'll be down in a sec to take you to patrol school." Dina's eyes met Ellies as they hugged and Ellie tightened her grip, "I'm sorry about last night. I'll be back soon."
"I know, Ellie. Just...don't die."
"I'll try not to...for you two." Ellie turned back around and went downstairs.
"JJ I'm leaving now! See you soon, then we can tend to the sheep! Enjoy school, Buddy!"
"Okay Mommy!" JJ's light-hearted and bright, with a keen eye to follow in Ellies footsteps.
Ellie stepped outside and close the rickety door behind her, uncertain towards the times ahead, hoping she'd be back before noon so JJ can be with her.

Patrols are precarious. Runners, Clickers, Bloaters and Shamblers have only been the beginning of troubles since the presence of the infected became ubiquitous. First it was just the USA but with the major ferry departure a few months ago that carried thousands of infected, the world has been decimated. So Ellie knew what she was walking into, to an extent.

With ambivalence, Ellie departed from the farmhouse and joined Adrian by the horses.
"All right, where we going?" Ellie asked.
"I don't know, Tommy said some place out west."
"What? We never go that route, it hasn't been cleared."
"Didn't he tell you? This is a clearing job."
"Oh fuck. Really?" She pictured JJ in her mind. "How bad?"
Adrian glanced at her, "Shopping mall, we are gonna raid it afterwards."
"Guess that's okay, more supplies then."
"Yep."
The horses clipped on the roadside as the pair caught sight of herd of runners, groaning in unison.
Ellie halted her horse as Adrian did the same and both retreated into the forest.
"This place is full of infected, be careful. You have any idea where we are supposed to go?" Ellie asked, brushing the leaves and branches out of her face.
"Music store on 16th Avenue, by Betty's Diner."
"So East?"
"I don't know Ellie, this is my second time on patrol. I don't know this territory." Adrian began to get impatient. He hasn't been able to contribute to patrols and clearings the past 2 years due to him being ill with cancer which was unlucky since the medication is damn hard to find. Adrian relapsed 1 year after his 1st patrol in 2044 and townspeople like Maria and Dalia, Jesse's sister, volunteered to go out and search for the supplies needed to keep Adrian alive. Now, it seems Adrian thinks it's time to repay that debt because he blames himself for the death of 3 volunteers. But he's trained enough to handle a gun and he knows about the infected so...Ellie isn't to worried that they've been paired up.
"How's the family?" Ellie asked as they came into a clearing, an abandoned town.
"Mom's still trying to get me to stay home, thinks i am still sick. And Tristan, he's still getting his head around dad's death. I am aswell. He died because of me." Adrian said, looking down at his scars on his arm.
"Hey, is that the store Tommy is in?" Ellie pointed over to a tall, wrecked building with a giant vinyl sign that bears the name of the store: