The Last Of Us: A Forsaken Son

Sewers - Part 1

     Trying to inhale felt like a blockage sat in the middle of his esophagus — stymied the air from traveling down to his lungs.

"That's it. Let all of it out"

     Henry lightly patted his back to aid him in clearing his water filled lungs.

     As soon as the water overcame his body, he was in the process of inhalation. Causing the water to slightly overflow his lungs. But thankfully, just as he was about to die from drowning, Henry and Sam had pulled him out.

"Henry! He's awake!"

Sam's voice called out to him from afar. He must've been talking about Joel. Caleb didn't see Ellie or Joel after his eyes raised. The only person he saw was Henry, who was helping him regain his breathing.

Henry stood from one knee and jogged towards Sam. Caleb kept coughing those bits of water droplets up from his lungs.

Just as his breathing was a little easier, he heard commotion. Slow to get to his feet, he managed to go over where the shouting was.

Henry down on the ground, Joel pointing a weapon down at him, and Sam and Ellie watching on with apprehensive eyes.

But then Joel's eyes landed on him. He saw his facial expression slightly change. That scowl slowly alternating into what looked like relief. Then swiftly returned back to his scowl.

Joel dropped the gun and turned away. Whatever had displayed here was defused as soon as Caleb arrived.

"Now that that's over" Henry grunted through his words as he raised to his feet. "The radio tower is on the other side of this cliff."

Everyone stared at him with their different gazes.

"Let's search the area, shall we? Come on Caleb"

As soon as Henry began to jog his way from the rest of them, Caleb was about to step forward to follow.

"This way, kid" Joel spoke with a sense of asperity. Making Caleb oblige easily to his words.

On the contrary, he felt more acquainted with Joel. So it made sense to stay near that familiarity.

"I thought we lost you for a sec." Ellie suddenly said to Caleb.

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't see them drag you out of the water. So I thought you were.. dead"

"Oh. Well, no, I'm still here"

"You better be"

The corners of his mouth slightly curved upwards into a small smile; her expression the same. Then Sam called out to them.

"Hey, guys! Over here!"

     Regrouping with Henry and Sam brought them outside of a tunnel closed off by a gate. The dirty metal bars the gate consisted of were covered in rust and grime.

     It wailed as Joel and Henry both opened it together. Caleb followed Sam and Ellie into the tunnel with Joel and Henry following after them.

     A foul pungency was prevalent to the atmosphere and filled each of their nostrils. Only confirming that they had stumbled onto a sewerage tunnel. The dim lighting incrementally making the scenery of this place even more somber.

     Their illuminating flashlights scanned the derelict walls of the tunnel. Caleb stood close by the nearest person as he hadn't attained a flashlight.

     Soon the sound of their footsteps abruptly morphed into sloshing puddles. An intersection of two different pathways also stood before them.

"Which way?" Henry asked