The Last Of Us: Part I - Darker Days (Male Reader)

Chapter 29 - If I Ever Were to Lose You

A/N: Hope you all enjoy this one, and let me know what you think of the ending, hahaha.

Ellie couldn't breathe.

Cold and desperate hands wrapped around her windpipe, blocking off her attempt to gulp for air. They were leathery, sick with sweat and blood, digging into her flesh with a vengeful hunger, she could almost feel the red imprint it was going to leave.

She found herself on her back, pressed into the fine carpet of the restaurant as beady eyes full of anger and abhorrent lust stared down at her. The eyes, she remembered them the most, and the feeling it brought, a fear that washed down her body like a great wave.

It threatened to undo her, and so she fought back, her hand reaching out for the machete again, as David continued his attack. Struggling, Ellie finally got a hold of the blade, and wrenched it from its place, and swung.

David fell over, blade sunken into his arm before it was pulled free, and swung again, and again. As each swing sliced into his face, throwing up blood and brain matter everywhere, a part of her was slowly regaining her breath, air filling her lungs, as David's horrent screams pierced her ears.

"Ellie."

She wasn't going to stop, not now, not ever.

"Ellie."

She had to stop him, she couldn't let him...

"Ellie!"

Even if she had to kill him over and over again—

"You're fading out..."

Ellie blinked and found herself back in reality, her eyes gazing at the mural of a deer on a ruined concrete wall. Vines and moss covered every inch of it, but she could still make out the animal in all its glory.

Turning to her right, Ellie furrowed her brows at Y/N, "Huh?"

Chewing at his bottom lip, Y/N sighed and gestured with his head, "C'mon, hospital is this way."

"Right..." Ellie ducked her head as Y/N turned away.

She didn't notice Joel watching her with concerned eyes...

The three of them had been travelling for a couple months, ahead of schedule. They had been pushing to get to Salt Lake City, ever since their ordeal with the cannibals. And now that they were here, so close to the end of their mission.

Well, they were all feeling anxious.

Ellie the most, it was her immunity that the Fireflies wanted after all...

"Let's go, kiddos." Joel gestured to them to follow.

They were on a highway of sorts, heading into the main part of the city. Wrecked vehicles, signs of overgrowth and greenery, nothing they hadn't seen before, here nature was reclaiming what was hers.

"Right behind you, Joel." Y/N said as he hefted his bag up behind his shoulder, groaning as he did. His hand had slowly healed since then, and yet it was still tender. A splint was wrapped around his index and was binded to his middle finger, locked in place together. "Damn it..."

"You okay?" Joel asked him, throwing a glance at his grimacing face, "Hand still giving you trouble?"

Y/N huffed, tightening his grip on his bag with his good hand, "Yeah," He had managed to treat it himself, he had experience in that area, Rachel had been a nurse after all. "Couple more days and it'll be back to normal."

"That's good to hear." Joel was relieved, very so. "You stay off that rifle till then, at least till it's healed fully. Don't need you going and hurting yourself further."