The Crash of Worlds - The Last Of Us

Part II - Nursed Back to Health

How did I get here? Why did Ron bring me here? I'm naked..? I keep looking around to find something but I cannot. It's just a cabin. An empty cabin I'm stuck in with nothing but this journal and pencil.

The pencil isn't wooden. It's rubber, which makes me terrified to think why they wouldn't allow me a wooden pencil. Is something so terrible going to happen to me that I'd kill someone with a writing utensil?

Why did I ever trust Ron? Should've left the second he put his hands on me, perverted old fuck. And now he's gone and dragged me to some sort of cult. That's the only thing I can think of that would explain this.

My wrist, there was a bandage on it. I took it off to find a cut, but it was less of an injury and more of a... carving. It's a line stretching down the length of my wrist. But halfway down the cut, there's a sort of triangle sticking out one side of the carving. Almost like a thorn. A line with a point.

It hurt horribly, but to my luck, it's on my left arm and not my right.

This isn't right. I can hear somethi

...

James had woken up in an unfamiliar home, however upon trying to move everything came back to him as a searing pain shot up his arm. He groaned to himself as he laid flat, going limp to try and avoid the pain of moving.

He recalled getting shot, and then Joel. Of which wasn't anywhere visible. Chances are the guy left while James was asleep, the blonde isn't upset by that idea. He would've done the same. Joel doesn't know him. He doesn't have some sort of responsibility for him.
"Joel?" The boy shouted, wouldn't hurt to just check. To his surprise he heard rummaging upstairs, he was lying in the living room of this home. A giant hole in the wall nearby let in a breeze and foliage that had grown all around inside.

Looking over James watched Joel appear from upstairs, he was wearing something different. James could've sworn he met him wearing a flannel, but now he's wearing a grey button-up. A tan coat too.

James himself was layered with various pieces of clothing he'd acquired mostly through looting. He had his boots. Dark brown and laced, reaching halfway up his shin. They were tall enough for puddles and mud not to get into them. A common problem with the rain around here.

He had always worn slacks instead of jeans. He didn't like the material Jeans were made of. The feeling weirded him out. His slacks as of now were black, mud stains on the knees.

The shirts are what he changed the most, pants are more specific to size than shirts. As of now, he's wearing a loose white button-up and a dark brown vest he'd found that contained many pockets. It's purely up to luck that his clothing matched at all.

And on top of that was his coat, dark green and linen. Well "coat" isn't actually true. It was a green button-up in an XL, so it made good use as an outer layer.

He was well covered yet wasn't constricted, the green allowed for him to better blend into the environment as well. He didn't have much in material possessions, he's not attached to any of his clothing.

"How you feelin'?" Joel asked, sitting down on an armchair that James had just only now noticed,
"Sore." James was honestly shocked Joel was still here, and to be even more honest Joel was shocked he was there too. "Where are my glasses?" James remembered, hands reaching up to grab the frame only to find them gone.

Joel materialized the pair from some sort of pocket, they had been cleaned. James noticed this but didn't say anything, instead opting to just put them on. Now the familiar line was stretched across his left eye from a crack that had formed years ago.

Joel sighed, thinking briefly about his situation. He'd just lost Ellie a week or so ago and he runs into and accidentally shoots some random guy. He should be looking for Ellie, but he's here babysitting or something for this James guy. In fact, before James called on him, Joel was seriously considering leaving. But something in him made him feel guilty for doing that. After all, he did shoot this guy accidentally. He might as well help him get back on his feet.

"You said you were looking for a girl right?" James asked, sitting up just barely.
"Yeah?"
"I'm pretty good at finding people, just gotta wait for this to heal."

- Two Weeks Later -

James's arm had healed well enough, good enough that he could move without worrying about ripping his stitches. However it was still pretty sore, and to the touch, it hurt terribly. A dull ache throughout his upper arm and shoulder.

In all honesty, he probably should've waited another week before getting a move on. But Joel wasn't willing to wait any longer to look for Ellie, although the nearest hospital or anything of that matter was a long way away. And lord knows if it takes them weeks to travel it'll take Ellie the same. If not longer.

She's a smart enough kid for Joel not to worry too much. He was still tense and wrapped up with constant what-ifs and morbid thoughts of what could have happened but nothing had. Ellie may be young but she's smart enough, she's immune so there's no threat from the infected. If you ain't afraid of getting infected the bastards are easy to kill. Well... most of them anyway. The bigger ones pose a bigger challenge.

"You ain't gotta help me y'know?" Joel insisted, standing in the doorway to the home they'd taken refuge in. James slipped on his "coat",
"I want to help," James began tying the lace to one of his brown boots, "Besides, I'm kind of interested in this."

Joel scoffed, stepping outside as James finished gathering his things. He made sure to place his hunting knife in its sheath that hung off his belt. A revolver in a holster on the other side of his hip, always there just in case the knife doesn't work. However, the knife rarely doesn't do the trick, one jab to the neck and it's over.

He stuffed the countless little weapons into their spots, a second knife placed in his boot. A small dagger he was able to throw well, tucked under his belt along with a can of pepper spray. He's tried tasers, they work well enough but the spray does much more harm. Tasers only make someone back up, pepper spray makes them flail around and howl in pain as they desperately paw at their eyes to instinctively clean the substance.

All of his clothing had stains, dirt, and blood. His elbows and knees were brown from the dirt. Blood splattered about from various altercations and spats.

"Where you reckon we should start?" Joel asked, James slipped on his black finger-less gloves. He'd found full-cover gloves keep your hands warm but really restrict the ability to hold things.
"When was the last place you saw her?"
"A lab. We'll head there" Joel said, answering his question and the one he hadn't yet asked.

James stood up, nodding as he followed Joel outside. The blonde's eyes wandered a bit, the man was still attractive despite him shooting him. His mustache was the most distinctive feature of the man and James wondered what it felt like.

The two men wandered out towards a lab Joel hadn't specified. Wherever it is they were walking through Salt Lake City. Cautiously. James didn't like the city, he much preferred the forest. Nature. The city is tall and sad, seemingly falling apart like they were made of glass.

Buildings crumbled, creaked, and threatened to fall every time he walked through.
"So how far is this lab?" James asked,
"About two days away. By foot that is." Joel sighed, walking forward faster.

This was gonna be an exhausting trip.