Even When the World Comes Down (Sequel to Always & Forever)

Epilogue - Ellie

After being on the road for what seemed like forever, we had finally reached the outskirts of the plant. Our third form of transportation since the hospital had finally died on us and Joel was trying his best to get it working again. I sat in the back seat with the door opened and looked at my bite. I ran my fingers over the bumps that had formed after so much time. I tried so hard to remember what happened. Truth was I couldn't. The last thing I remember was going into the water when I was trying to help Beth out of the bus. Everything after that was a blur. It was hard for me to believe that after all this time, the Fireflies had given up looking for a cure. That's what they were all about. Bringing civilization back to what it once was. I had no idea what civilization was like before all this but I'd like to think that it was simpler than what it was now. At least that's what I gathered with what little Joel and Beth told me. Joel had said that there were others like me. If they ran tests on all those like me and didn't find anything, maybe there wasn't a cure. Maybe the Fireflies were chasing some dream that was never meant to be. Either way, I was still here and so were the infected. Whatever it took to survive was how we were gonna be living until the day we died. There was no changing that. And since that was the case, it was safe to say that the Fireflies no longer existed. The hood of the car closed and Joel and Beth made their way over to me.

"Well, looks like we're walking," Joel said.

"Should be a straight shot through here. We'll be there in no time," Beth said.

"Alright," I said, getting up and closing the door.

We made our way into the trees.

"Actually kinda pretty ain't it?" Joel asked once we were over the fence.

"Sure is," I said.

"Don't think we ever told you but Sarah, Beth and I used to take hikes like this. I think ah...I think the two of you would've been good friends," he said.

"I think you would have really liked her. I know she would have liked you," Beth said.

"I bet I would have. I wish I could have met her," I said.

"So do I, Ellie. So do I," he said.

We climbed a few rocks to get to the top of a cliff that we needed to get over. Once on top, we could see the plant. We were almost there.

"Look at that," Beth said.

"Just a little bit further now," Joel said.

We crossed a little stream and climbed up another rock. Joel helped Beth and me up. Once over it, there was something that I needed to get off my chest.

"Alright, come on," Joel said.

"Hey, wait," I said.

They both stopped and turned to me. I sighed and took in a breath.

"Back in Boston...back when I was bitten. I wasn't alone. My best friend was there. And she got bit too. We didn't know what to do. So...she says, 'Let's just wait it out. Y'know, we can be all poetic and just lose our minds together'. I'm still waiting for my turn," I started.

"Ellie," Joel started.

"Her name was Riley and she was the first to die. And then it was Tess. And then Sam," I interrupted.

"Ellie, sweetheart. None of that is on you," Beth said.

"No, you guys don't understand," I said.

"I struggled for a long time with survivin'. We both have. And you...no matter what, you keep finding something to fight for. Now, I know that's not what you want to hear right now but it's something that you need to hear," Joel said.

"Swear to me. Swear to me that everything you guys said about the Fireflies is true," I said, not giving either of them the chance to say anything else.

They both seemed to be taken aback by that statement but quickly changed their expression.

"I swear," Joel said.

I looked to Beth.

"I swear," she said.

I don't know what it was but there was something that I couldn't shake. I don't think that they told me everything or the reason why they wanted to keep things from me. But I was with them and no matter what, I felt safe. They needed me and I needed them. So whatever it was that they may or may not have been hiding, I was gonna have to ask about it later. We would be together. The topic would come up again eventually.

"Okay," I said.

They turned around and I followed them to Tommy's.

The End

A/N: Well, part 2 has finally come to an end. It's hard to believe myself. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing Beth into this story. What started out has an idea I had after playing the game for like the 10th time, turned into something so much more. I am so thankful to every single reader who takes the time out of their day to read one of my stories. This one in particular will always have a special place in my heart. It was the first to reach over 2K reads! I still can't believe that the number keeps going up. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! Love you guys so much. I'm sort of bummed that this story has come to an end cause like I said before, I loved writing it. Maybe I'll revisit this trio again once I've played The Last of Us: Part 2 (still eagerly awaiting a release date announcement. Hopefully it's real soon!!! 🤞). But until then, this is it for Ellie, Joel and Beth. More stories are in the works. Please continue reading them. It truly warms my heart. Love you guys!!! Until next time, ✌.