borderline - the last of us.

10. i know.

'SO, EVERYTHING CAME CRASHING DOWN IN ONE DAY?' Ellie asked as the four of them shuffled down an identical dirt path from the one earlier. This one had fewer trees and more open fields, though.

'Pretty much.' Joel shrugged.

'How? I mean, no one was infected with Cordyceps, everybody's fine, eating in restaurants and flying in planes. And, then, all at once? How did it even start? If you have to get bit to be infected, who bit the first person?'

'It was Lou.' Ralph joked, wiggling her by the head.

'I'll bite you next.' She threatened as she stumbled, clamping her teeth close to his hand and making him draw back.

'I thought you went to school?' Joel ignored them, looking at Ellie.

'Yeah, FEDRA school. They don't teach us how their shitty government failed to prevent a pandemic.' Ellie huffed.

'Schools don't teach kids most things.' Ralph sighed. 'Nobody knows the actual reason, but a lot of people think that the Cordyceps mutated. Some of it got into the food supply, some really basic ingredient like flour or sugar. There were brands of food that got sold everywhere, all across the world. You eat enough of it, it'll get you infected. Then, the infected food hits the stores, and people buy, people eat, people get sick, people turn into monsters.'

'...Makes more sense than Lou biting people.' Ellie mumbled to herself, smiling when the girl in question shoved her.

'I don't bite people!' She insisted.

'You bit me all the time when you were a baby.' Ralph countered, a grin coming to his face when he remembered such a thing. 'Mandy down the hall used to call you a demon baby.'

'Pretty sure you bit me once or twice.' Joel commented with a look of fondness on his face. His expression faltered for a bit as he considered what he was going to say next, but he decided that there would be no harm in mentioning the woman if it was for the sake of a happy moment. 'There was one time you got Tess good. Right on the side of the neck like a goddamn vampire.'

'Am I the only one here who hasn't been bitten by Lou?' Ellie found this topic hilarious judging by the laugh she was fighting back.

'Don't act so smug. You're the next one on my list.' Lou taunted, even though she was still a little bit pissed about the remembrance of her embarrassing baby stories.

Joel stopped in his tracks, reached out, and stopped Ralph too. He pointed towards the trees on the right of them, leading away from the road ahead. 'We'll cut across the woods here.'

'Isn't the road easier?' Ellie questioned.

'Yeah, it's just— There's stuff up there you girls shouldn't be seeing.' He replied gruffly.

'Well, now we haaave to see!' Lou insisted, starting to walk again and dragging Ellie behind her by the sleeve.

'I don't want you to. Serious, Lou! Ellie!' Joel rolled his eyes when neither of them let up, and that was when Ralph stepped in.

'Girls, come on, listen to Joel.' He said, sounding fed up even though they weren't doing anything bad. Lou turned around to look at him, slowing down. Ellie did too. 'He's looking out for you guys.'

'Yes, I am! Thank you, Ralph.' He sighed in relief.

'Can it hurt us?' Ellie asked, crossing her arms and looking at Joel.

'...No.'

The teenagers started walking again, this time faster so they wouldn't be stopped once more.