Asthma (The Last Of Us)

Still breathing

(TJ's P.O.V.)
The infected steps into the room, twitching as it plods forwards. Its head completly enveloped with fungus. From the corner of my eye I see the silhouette of the clicker convulsing at the other side of the glass display that we are leaning against. I see dad put his finger to his lips again. My heart is thumping so much that I can feel it in my throat and my breathing becomes heavier with every stumbling step of the clicker. My fingers twitching around my flashlight in a nervous manner. The clicker stumbles around the display case. I see the fungus exploding out of the clickers face in layers of grey ruffled polyps with orange tips. I scrunch up my nose in disgust as I smell the decaying corpse. In front of me Ellie suddenly breathes loudly, getting to scared of how close the clicker was. Immediatly the creature flings itself around with loud screeching. Dad shoots as it grabs him. "run!" He loudly shouts putting his gun against the clicker to hold it off. Rapid footfalls make its way into the room as the the other infected comes barging in because of the loud noise. Tess aims and shoots but without use. Like a rabid animal the clicker storms further and Tess grabs Ellie by the wrist dragging her along, while giving me a push to run for it. As panicked prey the three of us bolt through neighbouring rooms. Passing an doorway I catch my father still struggling. Without hesitation I turn and break away from Tess and Ellie to help my father. Tess looks behind her in concern and fear to see where I was going and because of that, trips over a flagstand. I have to force myself not to go help them and to stay put as the clicker runs past me. I see Tess get up and run again, shooting a few bullets off, while Ellie crawls underneath a table. The clicker didn't notice Ellie thankfully and continues to run after Tess. I whip myself around to focus on my dad and the attacking clicker. From the corner of my eye, I spot a fire extinguisher. That should hit hard enough. Pulling it from its hook I sprint toward the two and swing my arms. I land a good hit and the clicker falls down due to the sudden inpact. I look at dad who gives me a look filled with questions and suprise. Although it quickly turns wide eyed and he grabs my jacket, pulling me with him as the clicker stands up again. We run as the screeching clicker gives chase. Entering another exhibit, I see dad shove a stand, with a historians head made out of stone on it, to the ground. I don't stay around to see why he did it and continue on. I only heard the shattering of glass. Peaking from behind a wall that lead to the following room, I see the clicker had stopped in the room where dad knocked over the stone head. It twitches sickly, the fungus covered head  moving around like a focused cat watching a laser. The clicker lingers around the room, continuing to make the guttural clicking sounds as it tries to listen for us. While I eye the monster, beside me dad pins his flashlight between his chin and shoulder. I take a brief look at him and see that he check the rounds in the chamber of his revolver. I grimace as he shakes the spend shells out of the chamber and into his hand, making the bullets softly cling against each other, before pocketing them. I begin to pant as the clicker begins to move into our direction. I turn and press my back against the wall, while dad reaches into his other pocket. Starting to load new bullets into his gun. I grab his arm, stilling his movement. Dad stops loading and grabs his flashlight and leans around me in a protective manner. I look on as he shimes the light at the clicker that stands slightly beside us. But another sound catches its attention and it moves away from us. Dad looks through the glass panel wall and I see his bodylanguage shift. I peer around him to see what he was looking at, it was Ellie. She was crouched behind a table in the next room. I stay put as dad quietly makes his way to her side. Hunching down beside Ellie. I see a slight nod from dad as he points his head in my direction. Ellie's eyes cast to mine and nods. Understanding what my father wants her to do. The clicker wanders closer, just a few feet away fromy father and Ellie. I continue to watch as they slowly crawl away from the infected. My breath hitched in the back of my throat as I hear the unmistaken sound of cracking glass underneath dad's boot. The clicker leaps over the table and lunges onto dad and Ellie. And they struggle holding it back, it's mouth gaping open, displaying its rotting teeth. I hurl myself towards dads gun, that he dropped when the clicker lunged itself onto them. Picking it up and aiming it, directly shooting it. The clicker, although not killed, falls onto its back. Dad and Ellie scoot back and hurry to their feet as the clicker rises again. I hols out the gun as the clicker charges again. One shot in the neck and the infected falls in front their feet. I pull the trigger for a second and third times, stopping once I realise the clicker lays motionless on the floor. The creaking of floorboard catches my attention and I spot another running clicker. Dad pushes me and Ellie behind him. When Tess comes to the rescue. Jumping into the room and swinging an axe at the infected's head. The axe stays lodged in the clickers head as its flings its arms around, clawing at the air. Dad spots his rifle on the ground and sprints over. Snagging it feom the floor, he aims and shoot one round. The clicker falls to the ground with a loud thud and I watch as blood pours from its head. Yet it remains motionless. Realising there arent any more infected. I hunch forward and put my hands on my knees, to regain my breath. Failing to do so I grab my still slightly broken, yet still functional, inhaler. And take a puff, almost immediatly my airway relax. "You all right?" Dad asked looking at Tess, "yeah, twisted ankle, but....yeah" Tess answered out of breath. With a small limls Tess moves forward to come closer to the rest of us "you all right?". "Well, I didn't shit my pants, so" Ellie replied and pulls up her sleeve, revealing another bite on her arm "you fucking kidding me?" She exclaims. "I mean, if it was gonna happen to one of us" she sighs pulling the sleeve back down. Covering the frssh bitemark. I take another puff from my inhaler as I couldn't really breath well. "And you?" Tess looks over at me with a raised eyebrow. I pocketed my inhaler "well, I'm still breathing so I must be doing good" I admit, "but would be better if we could get the fuck out of here". Tess chuckled and agrees with my statement of wanting to leave the museum.

Published: 3rd of February 2024

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