The Last of Us

Chapter XV

Joel's POV

I walk forward and I use my flashlight. I see a sign that says exit. I walk towards it. The clicking and screeching of the Clickers seem louder. Fuck fuck fuck.

"This way." I whisper.

"We're almost out of this, C'mon." Tess whispers back. I look forward and there are Clickers blocking the only way out. Well, shit. I back into a corner. Just wait for them to pass me. I move slowly and quietly towards the exit. I turn around and see a Clicker far in front of me.

I pick up a brick, throw it, and he goes after it. Oh thank god. I hide next to Tess behind a bike rack. The Clickers walk to the brick and I walk to a ledge so I can give Tess a boost.

"Alright, C'mon. Quickly." I whisper. I crouch down and lift her up and she makes a ladder come down. Sure like that didn't make any fucking noise! Tess and Ellie climb up it and I follow them. We make it up and go through a hole in the wall and jump down.

"Holy shit, we actually made it." I hear Ellie say out of breath and I follow Tess.

"Everyone okay?" I question.

"Yes. Let's move." Tess says and we walk up a hill of broken highway pieces.

"You guys are pretty good at this stuff." Ellie compliments. I pull myself up.

"It's called luck, and it is gonna run out." I answer and lift myself up again.

"So where to now Tess?" I question.

"Uhh... Capitol building is in this direction." We walk and come to some abandoned buildings.

"How do we get up over this truck?" Ellie asks.

"Let's see what we can find." Tess responds sighing. I walk into a building and a bunch of Runners attack me. Shit. I punch and slash at them. I sprint and escape them. I pull out my gun. Tess punches at some of them and I shoot one. I reload my gun and shoot two more of them. Another one charges at me as I reload my gun, and I take out the pipe and whack the Runner in the head making her fall to the ground.

"Alright..." I say out of breath and walk to the building again.

"They're recently infected. Those soldiers must've just turned." Warns Tess.

"Which means there's more in the area. We gotta go." I answer and take hold of a small chest, for the truck. I pull it out if the building and push it to the truck.

"Alright..." I say as I let go of it. I lift myself onto it and then onto the truck.

"Come on up." I remind them and they both get up. I jump down from the truck and they follow suit. I walk down an alley way and see another one of those garages with a chain. I walk to it and pull the chain.

"Sshh- sshh." Tess says motioning me to be quiet.

"What? I don't hear anything." I answer listening intently.

"Okay. Double-time."

"Oh, shit...." I pull the chain faster.

"Oh - they're coming." Ellie warns and I pull faster.

"I know." I answer still pulling the chain.

"Okay, that's good, that's good. Go." Tess frantically says.

"Okay." Ellie says ducking under the garage. Tess holds up the door and I let the chain go and I turn around and an infected is right there reaching for me.

"Okay. Joel -" Tess says and I make it under the door in record time. "Drop it!" Yells Tess making the door land on the infected hand. I back up and I hear banging on the door.

"Oh... You got something on your shoe." I hear Ellie assure me out of breath. I look down and it's a hand, I kick it off.

"Gross." Ellie says. I walk around.

"Okay. How do we get out of this place?" I question.

"Let's find out." Tess answers and I walk around some more. We're in a garage. I walk up a ramp and see a work bench and I hear Tess having a conversation with Ellie.

"So Marlene thinks you're immune?" She asks.

"Well, that's what she believes." Answers Ellie.

"Well how were you bitten? I mean, it must've been somewhere you couldn't find infected in the zone."

"Yeah... I- I'd sneak out. I was in this military boarding school."

"You'd sneak out?"

"Yeah. You know, explore the city." I work on upgrading my pistol listening to their conversation.

"I was in the mall when I ran into infected." Ellie continues.

"That place is completely off limits. How the hell did you get in there?"

"I.... Had my ways. Anyways, one of those- what you call, Runners, bit me. And that was that."

"I see." I finish upgrading it and walk around some.

The conversation continues, me still listening.

"Were you with Marlene when you were bitten?" Tess questions.

"No. I went to her for help afterwards." Ellie answers.

"Knowing her, I'm surprised she didn't shoot you." I walk around more.

"She almost did. Hope she's alright." I walk to a door and open it.

"I told you. She's gonna be fine." I walk into a room and pick up some ammo and then open another door. Then another one after looking in a drawer for supplies. I walk into a room and walk around a little and up some planks of wood and then I lift myself up. I wait upstairs and I hear some glass shatter.

"Ow. Shit." Ellie says. "Sorry. Sorry. That's was me."

"Tess." I snap.

"Sorry." Ellie apologizes again.

"C'mon stay close to me." They walk up the planks of wood and lift themselves up. I walk after them.

"What is this place?" Asks Ellie.

"It's an old museum. Some of these things are hundreds of years old." Tess asks. I walk through a door and the room is just full of debris.

"Really? Wow." I walk through what used to be a door and the room has fallen wood and debris all over. I walk to some wood that is blocking the door.

"Alright, watch your head." I warn lifting the wood. "Hurry. Go, go, go. Shit...sonofa-" And I drop the plank and it falls. The noise is super loud. I'm screwed if there's clickers in here.

"Joel. Joel!" I hear Tess on the other side say when I block my face.