borderline - the last of us.

32. louise.

TW: this chapter contains themes of sexual assault. please continue with caution!

'FUCK!' Ellie yelled, banging her fist against the door ahead of her. Frantically, she rattled the handle again, before remembering the key she had plucked from his belt earlier, the one that unlocked the cage. She fumbled for it in her pocket, and raised it to the lock with a shaky hand, but nothing happened just as she had suspected. Out of the corner of her eye, she spied another door, one she hadn't been through before, and she left with the mumbled instruction for Lou to stay there.

Lou complied, watching her friend sprint for the room to the side, and jumped in fear when she heard a gunshot in the room they had just left, where David and James were. She guessed that all of his begging hadn't landed James in David's favour, especially not the part about David forcing him to participate.

Ellie returned with a burning log at the same time the door at the far end of the room slammed open and footsteps were heading in Lou's direction. She caught Ellie by her arm and shoved her forward, landing her on her knees behind the bar and out of sight as David walked closer and closer, peering around every gap for sight of the two girls.

He was a few steps away from the edge of the counter when Ellie rose to her feet in an instant and lobbed the burning stick at his head before waving at Lou to follow her. They headed towards the back of the restaurant and spread out, with Ellie behind a booth and Lou behind a table.

'There's no way out, you two.' David called out, his voice distant as Lou tightened her grip on the knife in her hands and held her breath. There was the sound of fire somewhere far away as well, as well as the room beginning to rise in temperature, and she found herself wondering just how far this crazy bastard was willing to go to prove a point or get some weird power trip. 'The doors are locked and only I had the key... James had a key too, but, now... I mean, I just... I really wished you two hadn't made me kill James. He's a good kid, just doing his job..'

'Ellie?' He sang rather cheerfully. He sounded awfully unbothered for a guy hunting down two little girls in a burning building for God knew what reason. If anything, it sounded like he was acting sad about James, putting on a charade of remorse. 'Louise? ...Ah, Lousie. You know, I kind of thought we were friends, you and I.'

Lou was amazed he had the audacity to think that, after he had dragged her all the way out into the middle of nowhere against her will and plopped her into some weird bungalow with strange paintings on the walls.

'I fed you.' David continued, his voice getting closer and closer. 'I gave you water, I took care of you. I did all of that 'cause you're a good soul, Louise. You're special!'

Footsteps got closer and closer, coming up behind her. They weren't rushed, he hadn't spotted her yet, and they stopped directly in front of the table she was hiding behind, his waist and downwards fully in view.

'Girls, I've got news for you.' David was holding his pistol with his right hand, the one pointed towards Lou. 'I've changed my mind. None of us are dying today. I've decided that you two do need a father. So, I'm gonna keep you, and I'm gonna teach you.'

Lou tightened her grip on the handle, staring straight ahead of her at David, totally unsuspecting and chill. She shifted forward and pushed onto her knees for a better angle.

She brought her arms back, hiking the thing over her shoulders, remembering all of the times Ralph had tried to teach her how to play baseball in the apartment when she was little.

They never got very far without a vase breaking or a picture frame shattering or the ball thumping against the wall too many times and causing Paul next door to bang down their door and scream at them. Every time she would get annoyed and sit down on the couch in frustration, he would follow after her and hug her and make sure she was alright. She always took those hugs for granted, but she really wished she could have one right now.