Eternal Mind | The Last Of Us

15

When the girls came back into the other room, Joel was bent down rummaging through a teal box. Ellie put her findings in her bag. Joel put the box and his gun into a hole that was in the flooring.

"What are you doing"?

"Not much ammo out there for this thing, makes it useless". This was her chance. If he was gonna discard the gun, maybe she could have it.

"Well since you're gonna leave it I think-". He quickly shot her idea down. "No". He picked up his bag and headed out. Ellie groaned. More walking, it's that great.

The group walked down the road for another hour or so. A large structure came into Ellie's view. "Holy shit"! Everyone stopped to look at the crashed plane that laid up on a hill. "You ever fly in one of those things"?

"A few times sure".

"So lucky". Despite all that has gone down, this journey has allowed her to discover so many new things.

Joel continued on. "Didn't feel like it at the time. Getting shoved into a middle seat, pay twelve bucks for a sandwich". Speaking of sandwiches, Prim could really chow down on one right now.

"Dude you got to go up in the sky"!

"Yeah well so did they".

"Grim", was Ellie's last words at the sight of the carnage. "How many more miles"?

"Lots".

Since the journey seemed never-ending. Ellie decided to do what does best. Ask questions. "So everything came crashing down one day"?

"Pretty much".

"How. I mean nobody was infected with cordyceps. Life is fine. Everyone's eating in restaurants, flying in planes".

Back at camp, they told them a bit of how the world was before but they never told them how everything went down. "How did it even start? If you have to get bit to get infected, who bit the first person"?

Ellie shared her theory. "Was it a monkey? I bet it was a monkey".

"It wasn't a monkey. I thought you went to school".

"Fedra school, they don't teach us how their shitty government failed to prevent a pandemic". The only thing they cared about was making soldiers to fight it. Joel did not want to dwell on the topic. It was hard for him to relive those days.

"No one knows for sure but, best guess is that cordyceps mutated and some of it go into the food supply. Probably a basic ingredient like flour or sugar. There were sorts of food that were sold everywhere, all across the country, all across the world. Bread, Cereal, pancake mix."

Prim became more engaged in the conversion with the mention of pancakes. "You eat enough of it, You'll get infected. So the tainted food all hits the store shelves at the same time, Thursday. People bought it. Ate it Thursday night or Friday morning. Day goes on, they get sick. Afternoon, evening it gets worse".

A hint of sadness filled his voice. "Then they started biting. Friday Night September Twenty-Sixth two thousand and three. By Monday everything was gone".

With how sad this was getting Ellie wanted to lighten the mood. "Makes more sense than monkeys". She looked at Joel. "Thanks".

"Sure", was all that he replied with. Suddenly he halted walking and put his arm out. "We're gonna cut across the woods here".

"Isn't the road easier"?

"Yeah well, it's stuff you there you girls shouldn't see".

Ellie playfully groaned. "Well, now I have to see it".

"I don't want you to". Joel's objections fell on deaf ears. Ellie persisted down with Prim right by her side.

"Seriously, Ellie, Prim".

"Can it hurt us? If it can, I'm sure Prim can handle it". 

Prim shook her hand to Ellies disregard for safety. "Onde você estaria sem mim"? Joel's pace hastened to keep up with them.

"No, it can't hurt you".

"You're too honest man. Should have said ax murder". Ellie looked around. Nothing but grass was present. "Well, whatever it was I think it's gone".

She was about to continue walking when she noticed Prim had stopped. She went over to where she was standing. The view left her speechless. Laying in a ditch were the remains of what could be hundreds of people.

Joel sighed. When you warn kids they always like to do the exact opposite. "About a week after the outbreak. Soldiers went through the countryside side, evacuated the small towns. Told you, you were going to a Qz and you were. If there was room. If there wasn't..".

"That's so fucked up". He nodded in agreement. "These people weren't sick"?

"No, probably not".

Ellie could not wrap her head around this. Although it wasn't the most far-fetched with what she'd seen at Fedra school. "Why kill them? Why not just leave them be".

"Dead people can't be infected".

__________________________________________________

Prim and Ellie walked side by side. They followed behind Joel who walked ahead of them. "How come you didn't speak English until after, you know". Ellie did not want to bring up such a tragedy again.

"I wanted to make sure I could trust you guys", Prim closed her eyes. "When I got captured I had no idea what the outcome would be". She emitted a deep breath. "But after that... I felt so guilty, I'm sorry". 

"You don't have to apologize. It wasn't your fault. It wasn't anyone's fault". Another long pause. "You kicked ass back in that museum, I mean that's the kind of stuff you only see in video games".

Prim smiled then suddenly she grabbed Ellie's arms, stopping her in her tracks. "We are special".

Ellie nodded. "Yeah thankfully, if I wasn't immune I'd be like rooting somewhere".

"We can leave, away from here". When Ellie did not respond or even seem to hold a hint of agreement she put her hands on her face. The sudden gesture caught her off guard.

Prim did not understand why she was not taking this seriously. The fireflies were a group of people who wanted to make a change in this messed-up world. At least that's what they tell themselves.

They failed for so many years to barely make a dent in the government rule. Now when two girls who are basically diamonds in a coal mine appeared in a time of need, they surely weren't going to let them go that effortlessly.

"Why would we, the fireflies need us".

Prims scuffed, "They need us for their own benefit, I don't want to save what's left of the world". The expression Ellie gave her was one she did not enjoy. She moved away from her, causing her hand to fall to her side.

"Well, I do". With that Ellie speed walked to where Joel was leaving Prim to stand.

This was her opportunity. She could run. Run and never look back. Run and forget about the past three days, but she didn't. Instead, she started walking up to Joel and Ellie. She couldn't deny the fact that she started to feel an attachment to them.

Her and Elle were special, that was true. For better or for worse there were people out there who knew what they were capable of. Prim didn't exactly know what the fireflies wanted them for. She didn't know where she would go if she did run away from all this.

What she was, one hundred percent sure of was that if anyone were to come from them intending harm. She'd kill them, no questions asked.