Left Forsaken: A The Last Of Us Story

Miles from Home

We were far into the city, each step we took drawing us further away from safety. We knew the mess we were going into the second we saw the mass of dead soldiers on a building we were crossing.

"Ripped to pieces," Charles said as he leaned over the soldier's decaying corpse. Its skin, though deformed and scratched, was tight against his face so his cheekbone painfully stood out on the side of his face and his mouth hung open as if he was letting out a silent painstaking wail. I grimaced at the smell, and tried to keep a safe distance from the putrid scent. All signs said this soldier has been gone for quite some time. Charles patted the corpse's pants and found a couple of bullets for his revolver, he tugged them into his pocket and stood up. "Clickers, most likely."

"You know what this means," Smith said eyeing each of us. I stood there staring at the corpse, its flesh slowly withering with each passing day. I wondered if his family knew, if his friends knew, if anyone knew... Did his comrades shoot him like they had done to my father?

"Lillian," Albert placed his hand on my shoulder. I blinked to clear away the tears forming in my eyes, and looked at him, "Let's go." I followed him without a word.

After a while of walking our way to the other side of the building, Charles found a way out, yet it was filled with spores, I saw Smith strapping on his gas masks, and I knew there was no other choice.

We all vaulted through the window only to hear the distant clicking and groaning of infected echoing through the small room. The sound a grotesquely dangerous orchestra invading my ears and quickening my heart. I held my breath, fearing it might be heard by the unwanted.

I saw a lone clicker, its face concealed by the fungus and inableling it of any vision. It walked a few feet right in front of us with uneasy steps and angry clicking. Once it continued its way, I heard Albert and Charles whispering to one another about glass bottles and bricks. They were too many.

"We need to be quick about it," Smith added.

"We need to take the runners out, or they'll spot us."

"The runners will go directly to the sound too."

"Alright, there seems to be less infected on the right side. We throw the bottle left so the infected on the right leave." We nodded, fear wrapping its cold fingers around my restless heart with a tight grip.

We slowly moved forward readying ourselves for the shattering sound of the bottle. I saw Charles lift the bottle and throw it to the far left. The sound of the bottle echoed through the room and the infected wailed, then stopped immediately what they were doing to take off to the origin of the sound. Staying low, we advanced to the right, where no infected was seen, allowing us to sneak right past this hell of a room. I could hear the clickers on the other side of the room lurking around. I crouched behind a bench awaiting the next step. I was frightened by the sight of a corpse, the cordyceps that sprouted on its head grew and sticked to the wall, connecting it to the concrete barrier. I feared it may come to life and grab me by the shoulders and pierce my neck with its rotten teeth. I glanced over to it often making sure it wouldn't and stayed stiff behind the bench.

Another glass bottle shattered accompanied by more wails of infected. Finding the opening, I continued to follow the group, leaving that withering, infected corpse behind. Smith boosted Tina up a wagon that blocked the way, while Charles and Albert stayed watch. I placed my foot into Smith's hands and climbed onto the wagon. Then it was Charles, then Albert; the both of them helped Smith climb up onto the wagon after. Tina jumped off onto the rail. We were at an underground railroad - a subway, I guessed. The place was still considerably dark, and if it weren't for my gas mask the smell of oxidated metal would have strucked my nose. I could still hear the infected on the otherside of the wagon still searching for the culprit of the shattering glass.