This is Not the Last of Us

Chapter 26

"Ellie?" Ellie heard her girlfriend's voice through the walkie-talkie speaker.

"I'm here!" Ellie called nervously into the speaker. They were looking for a way into the building. Somewhere to catch up to her. "Are you okay? Where are you?"

"I managed to get the three of us in a cabin. It's east of Baldwin. There's a light in the leftmost window, but I won't leave it on for long."

"I know where she is," Jesse announced and pointed, "This way."

Ellie had never rode a horse this furiously in her life. How much further? How hurt were the three of them? It didn't sound good.

When they arrived, the two horses were standing right outside. She hadn't even bothered to put their reigns on the deck. That wasn't like her.

The three hurried onto the deck after leashing their horses and they ripped the doors open. At the same time, a gun was whipped at them, pointed directly at their faces.

"Woah, what the fuck!" Ellie shouted.

Her girlfriend realized it was her and sobbed in relief, "Oh, Ellie."

Ellie stared at the sight before her more properly. She'd left her flashlight on dim to prevent people from really noticing her. The side of her head was bleeding something nasty, her left arm was limp. It looked almost as if it was bent the wrong way.

She was hunched over Joel, his leg was... not salvageable, to say the least. He was unconscious, and she had a tourniquet above the wound. Tommy was laid on his side, a set of bandages wrapped carefully around his forehead.

"Oh, oh my god." Dina whispered and covered her mouth.

Ellie went to immediate action. She didn't know what her girlfriend needed, but she knew that she needed help.

"Tell me what to do." Ellie asked and locked eyes with her girlfriend.

"My shoulder's out of socket... Give me a hand, Ellie." She sniffled and nodded wearily, "And my backpack. Help me take it off. I've got an emergency surgery kit in there."

Ellie kneeled next to her girlfriend and gingerly slid the backpack off of her. Her left arm was definitely limp, Ellie could feel the pain of it from the way her girlfriend's body shook in resistance. With a ginger push Ellie knocked her shoulder back into place with a violent thud. Her girlfriend let out a stifled cry, her voice cracked and she swallowed bitterly.

Ellie then quickly dug through the bag and produced a fair sized baggie that held everything you'd ever want for an emergency surgery. Ellie opened it and started to lay the things out on a sheet for her girlfriend. She watched her girlfriend's hands shake as she tried to bring herself back together.

Ellie reached to her waist and held out the walkie-talkie to Dina and Jesse, "Call Ace. Let him know what's going on and where we are. One of you, watch the door. Make sure no one sneaks up on us."

Jesse took watch as Dina furiously talked over the walkie-talkie. They were all stressed and scared, but Ellie felt the worst for her girlfriend. No one else knew how to perform surgery. She had to be in pain, and she didn't have very many options.

Ellie watched as she sliced through the broken bone and blood vessels. She went to work at cauterizing the vessels, and removing any bits of bone. Ellie couldn't believe that the bonesaw she had always insisted on carrying was actually being used. She held out a needle and some sutures to Ellie, fully aware that she couldn't be the one to tie it herself. She chipped away at the bone, and would occasionally feel it, as if to make sure it was smooth enough. Then she slowly cut away at Joel's muscle, making sure it was smooth and round.