The Last of Us

Chapter XXXII

Joel's POV.

Ellie.

"Man... I shot the hell outta that guy, huh?" She says and I lift myself up.

"Yeah, you sure did." She sits on a crate.

"Agh... I feel sick." She bends over slightly and I take the gun from her hands.

"Why didn't you just hang back like I told you to?"

"Well, you're glad I didn't, right?" I sit down also.

"I'm glad I didn't get my head blown off by a goddamn kid."

"You know what? No." She gets up and walks to me. "How about, hey Ellie, I know it wasn't easy but it was either him or me, thanks for saving my ass." I sit up and looks at her. "You got anything like that for me Joel?"

I hesitate a little but speak. "We gotta get going." I walk away.

"Lead the way."

I walk up the ladder. I walk around and walk down some stairs and jump down.

"We need to get back out, find that bridge." I remind Ellie.

"Just tell me where to go." I can tell she's pissed at me by the tone in her voice.

"I hate this crap." I mumble. I walk around more and loot some things. I walk around and go through a set of doors that leads to what seems like a ballroom. I walk onto stage and I see a piano.

"Might be able to get through with this." I say and start pushing on it. "Alright..." I push the piano and it starts to slowly move. "Goddamn, this is heavier than I thought." I cross my arms on top of the piano and look at Ellie. "Hey, how 'bout a hand?" She walks to me.

"You sure you can trust me with that?"

"Ellie..."

We start to push on the piano.

"Push." I tell her.

"I am."

"Push harder!" We push it and it hits a wall.

"There. How's that?"

"Let's go." I lift myself onto the piano and then up onto a balcony. I walk along it and into a room, then out a door that leads outside. I hoist myself over something and I see a rifle in the hand of a dead guy. I see some Hunters and hear them talking.

"Oh, shit." I get down behind a wall and peek over slightly. Ellie hops over the same thing I did. "Come here. Keep your head down." She crouches next to me and looks over the wall. "Alright now... I'm gonna jump down there and I'm gonna clear us a path."

"What about me?" I look at her.

"You stay here."

"This is so stupid. We'd have more of a fucking chance if you'd let me help."

"I am." She looks at me, wife eyed. I grab the rifle in my hand. "Now you seem to know your way around a gun. You reckon you can handle that?" I motion to the rifle. Ellie looks at it.

"Well, uh. I sorta shot a rifle before." She takes the rifle from me. "But it was at rats."

"Rats?"

"With BB's."

I sigh. "Well, it's the same basic concept." I motion my hand up. "Lift it up." She lifts it. "Alright now. You're gonna want to lean right in that stalk. 'Cause it is gonna kick a hell of a lot more than any BB rifle."

"Okay."

"Go ahead and pull the bolt back." I motion with my hands where to pull it. "Grab it right there." I point. "Just tug it." She does and a bullet comes out. "There you go. Now as soon as you fire you're gonna want to get another round in there quick." Ellie nods and we look at each other. "Listen to me - if I get into trouble down there.... You make every shot count. Yeah?"