This is Not the Last of Us

Chapter 29

The closer they got to the courthouse, the closer they were to a group of infected. They could hear them screaming in the building, some of them crying out in misery. If they could, they would have just ditched and left it for someone else to handle, but going through the courthouse was pretty much their only option at the minute. Ellie led the way towards the building and tried the first window they reached.

Sometimes Ellie thought she was disturbingly lucky. Other times she remembered how many times she had gotten screwed over by her 'luck'. Either way, she attempted to heft the window open with the help of her girlfriend. She had wanted to do it alone initially, but it was much too heavy for just her. The two girls worked in tandem to force the window up and open. Her girlfriend held the window open so Ellie could go in first, and when Ellie was certain it was clear, she held the window up so her girlfriend could head in as well.

The two girls worked together to close the window as quietly and quickly as possible. When the window clicked shut, the two girls shared a nervous look. While they had been opening the window they could hear the infected crying throughout the building. The two of them crouched behind some benches and shared a look. Ellie made sure her gun had enough bullets, reloading just in case. Her girlfriend kept her eyes peeled, using the top and sides of the bench to look out for infected.

There were quite a few more clickers than they had originally anticipated. They were going their usual slow and steady pace until Ellie slipped up. There were glass shards on the ground, and when Ellie stepped on it, everyone in the building could hear the sickening crunch.

She locked eyes with her girlfriend, and shared a look of abject horror. Her girlfriend didn't look so good, almost nauseous.

The room filled with screams of infected and the girls had no choice but to lay waste to them the much more dangerous way. By the end, Ellie was out of shotgun shells and incredibly low on bullets.

As soon as the coast was clear, her girlfriend threw up. Both of them seemed startled by it, and her girlfriend started gasping. She clutched her throat and wheezed desperately.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" Ellie demanded, kneeling next to her girlfriend.

"I– I... oh my god... the glass." Her voice cracked.

Ellie paused, "The glass?"

"Can you... can you just– just hold me for a few minutes. I– I can't breathe."

Ellie scanned the area and then fully sat down, clutching her girlfriend in her arms. "I've got you, okay? You're safe. In and out, okay?"

The next ten minutes were spent listening to her girlfriend sob and wheeze. She was shaking violently in Ellie's grip, and every once in a while she'd whisper something Ellie couldn't make out.

When the shaking and crying finally subsided, the two girls locked eyes.

"I'm sorry," her girlfriend said wearily, "I... I just. The sound of the glass reminded me of David."

Ellie paused, she hadn't thought of that name in a very long time. But the sound of his name brought the memories back. The glass being broken under their feet as they tried to slip around him, the glass the girls had used to mortally wound him.

The sound of his skull as the machete smashed into him again and again.

Ellie held her a little closer.

"Are you feeling better? Can you walk? Do you want me to get Shimmer? You can just go rest, I can–."

"– I'm okay, Ellie. I just... think about that day sometimes, I guess. Thanks, for staying with me."