Left Forsaken: A The Last Of Us Story

Go Big Horns

The tents were a sign of life. Or death if the bloodied stretchers weren't exactly from ten years ago... We decided to investigate the camps, see if we could find anything useful. The place was pretty much picked clean. All that was left were loose screws, debris, and thrash.

"Don't move," we heard the voice of a man order from behind us. Working by reflex, we all turned around in a heartbeat, pulling out our guns to neutralize the threat. And just as fast as the gun was equipped, it was swatted away.

I was pulled by my forearm, a strong kick to my ankles made me hit the asphalt with a hard thud. My cheek started to throb, a fresh new bruise on my already beaten up face. My arms were being locked behind me, I felt the weight on me, the man's free hand patting me away, stripping off my defenses. Wiggling wildly, I was able to rip an arm free. Without a second to waste, I swung my elbow and hit my attacker's face, I quickly started to crawl to my nearest weapon. He grunted in pain, then a growl erupted from his chest, quickly recovering. He dragged me away from the gun I was about to grasp, and he strongly grab hold of my arms and pinned me beneath him again.  "I love it when they play rough."

"Let's see what we have here," the voice of a woman said, the sound of her boots on gravel growing closer as she moved through the group. I watched as she looked at us rendered defenseless, pinned to the floor. Dark curls tied back into a low ponytail, cargo pants and tank top, she was definitely not a soldier.

"Is this how you treat your fellows, Marlene?" I heard Smith grunt.

"Well, I'll be damned." She smirked. "At ease, men. They are with us."

I felt the grip on my wrists diminish and the weight on me lifted. The man held out his hand for me, but I swatted his hand away. "We got ourselves a hellcat." He smirked. Dickhead. I patted the dust off of me and picked up my effects.

"You made it this far?" The dark skinned woman, Marlene said.

"Most of us. The roads are still safe. The only damn problem were the damn infected." Smith said.

"The usual shit," she smirked.

"This here is Marlene." Smith introduced her and she gave a subtle wave acknowledging us.

"Sorry about the hostility..." she waved her hand around gesturing her appearance. "We didn't know who you were. We've been getting attacked ever so often here and there. Looters, infected, they are all foes..." She sighed. "You guys must be hungry." And as if it was a roll call my stomach growled, letting everyone know it is definitely present. I've been surviving on nothing but chicken broth and water. "We should be heading back."

. . .

The men cradling their rifles on the rooftops of the Campus drew me back to Dayton, QZ. They stood tall on their all-seeing positions and guns at ready. I didn't know if safety or apprehension was the feeling crawling up my back.

The University was surrounded with dividers topped with barb wire. The campus slowly took a prison hue with each safety measure. "College students would have laughed at the irony," I heard Albert say to himself while stifling a chuckle.

The main gate of the campus creaked open as two fireflies opened the gate for us. The huge chain and lock clanking loudly against the metal bars: the ending of a long journey, the beginning of a new one.

We continued to follow Marlene across the yard. The trees already naked of their crimson leaves that now adorned the concrete floor. Winter was coming at a quick pace... We finally entered the building. A group of fireflies sat in the middle of the lobby surrounding a flaming thrash can. They chatted lightly and stopped once they spotted us. Their eyes discretely acknowledging our presence.

We went up a flight of stairs up until the 2nd floor. Marlene guided us down another door and down a hallway then we entered the University's cafeteria. The smell of roasted beef hitting me full force as I crossed the double doors. My stomach growled like a wolf defending its territory.

The circular white tables of the cafeteria unlike the many tables we passed were free of any speck of dust. Only scratches, stains of dry ketchup, stray trays decorated its surface.

A thick, short woman, her hair tied back into a bun walked out of the kitchen, her warm smile and her cooking oil stained apron gave me the impression she was the cook. "Are these the new recruits, Marlene? Dios mio, they look hungry!" Her tongue twisted the words with her spanish accent. "From where did you come?"

"Ohio," Smith replied.

"That's a long way," she said with amazement. "Much longer with an empty stomach..." She doesn't know how accurate her words were... "I am Isabela, by the way." She smiled as we introduced ourselves to her. "Well, the food will be done shortly. You might want to go wash up a bit."

We left the cafeteria. I was disappointed, my stomach would not be satisfied yet... "We don't exactly have showers, but we got clean water." Marlene said as we followed her down a large hall. "The  bathrooms are at the end to the right. You guys can wash up there, we'll meet at the cafeteria once you are done."

Deborah nodded, "Thank you, Marlene." Marlene nodded and went back down the hall.

I nearly broke into a sprint towards the bathroom, I couldn't stand my own smell much longer. If I went hunting with this smell, I'd have a successful hunt. Animals near me would just drop dead. I entered the bathroom, it was no different from the many abandoned bathrooms we have seen: the walls dripping with water, the moss, the paint peeling from the ceiling... The difference was there were no rotting skeletons hiding in the stalls. Some buckets filled with water were lined  before the showers, and only one bar of soap and a single bottle of shampoo. 

"I haven't smelled soap in weeks..." Tina sighed as she grabbed the bar of soap and held it up to her nose. 

"Smells like civilization." Deborah smirked. Deborah picked up a bucket and headed to one of the shower stalls. "Can't wait to wash all this grime I have gathered in this hellish hike." Nobody can, Deborah. 

. . .

The cafeteria was crowded with fireflies, their chatter echoed through the greasy walls and resonated in my ears. I am glad none were voices of dissatisfaction unlike in Dayton QZ, where anywhere there was a complaint to be heard... Here we heard light laughter, and smelled good food. Isabela is famous for her creative cooking. I could tell once I took a spoonful of what tasted like a bean soup and munched on smoked meat.

  "So what have you done, Marlene?" Smith asked between mouthfuls.   

"We are studying the infected closely: their behavior, their phases, the fungal growth on the brain."

"Sounds like you have't gotten far..." Charles commented.

"You'd think, but we've actually got very important information... You can see our compilations tomorrow."

A/N

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