This is Not the Last of Us

Chapter 6

The next few hours were spent listening to Seth scold the two girls. He was absolutely relentless, reaming into them almost the entire first ride. Calling them reckless and irresponsible, reminding them that they have people who care and worry about them, and what would have happened if one of them had died? And if both of them had?

Ace decided to keep his mouth shut about the bandits because if he didn't — Seth could go for another day at worst. He was certain that no one wanted that. The girls looked at Seth guiltily and shifted their weight on the horse.

When the sun was too close to the ground for comfort, Seth decided to stop. They found a place for all of them to rest and Seth tied up the horses, an intense frown on his face. Ace had never seen him so upset, his eyebrows furrowed coldly and he muttered to himself in a rage. But at the same time Ace could understand it, their daughter had never done something so reckless and impulsive. After the building had been fully cleared and they were certain it was safe, the girls finally approached Seth and Ace.

"Dad...," (Y/N) began and looked up at him, "I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry. I know I should have gone to you and it was very reckless and I was very irresponsible."

"Yeah," Ellie began, "I didn't think you guys would worry that much, but I wasn't really thinking. I'm sorry too."

Seth stared at the two of them. For a moment, there was anger on his face, but it slowly passed before he spoke again, "I forgive you two. Just don't let something like this happen again, are we clear? You have a problem with one of us, you come to another one of us. Clear?"

"Yes, sir," Ellie said firmly.

"I promise," his daughter assured him.

"Good." Seth leaned forward and gave both of them a firm squeeze and exhaled, "I'm honestly just so glad you two are okay. I was worried sick. You're my babies. Both of you."

It took almost two weeks to get to the University. The closer they got, the more Joel wanted to tell them about the rules of football.

This was when everyone learned that they indeed, did not, like football. The rules felt convoluted and stupid, and Seth was a doctor.

"So, there's this thing called the fourth down, and if you screw up during it you give up the ball?" Seth asked.

"Right, that's called a turnover."

"And if you clear the ten yards, then you're back at... what the fuck was it... first down?" Ace chimed in.

"That's right," Joel assured him.

"That's confusing," Ellie piped up, "Sounds complicated."

"You just gotta play it a couple of times. It'll all make sense then," Joel said decidedly.

"It sounds like it could lead to a lot of injuries," Seth murmured, "I feel like I remember hearing about a lot of concussions from it."

"Yeah," Joel said, "They used to go pretty hard, especially in the bigger leagues."

When they actually got to the college there was a moment of awe. Both because of how beautiful the building was, and how quiet it was now that Joel wasn't talking about football. There were brick fences that seemed to stretch for miles, and there was a sign arched over the gap. From what they could tell from the rusted sign and missing letters, it seemed to be advertising the entrance to the college. The way the sun caught it in the early morning light was somehow comforting and simultaneously welcoming. It was almost like it was trying to tell them to come on in.

"So, where would the doctor's be?" Joel questioned, turning his head towards Seth.

"I've never been here," Seth said, "but I imagine if we hit the central grounds, we'll be able to see it."