The Last of Us (Male!Ellie x Female!Reader)

Chapter 4: I Will Not Turn Into One Of Those Things

"There we go. Home stretch, Tess." Joel said as we cross a hurdle and move to a swampy street nearby. "Um...just so it's out there. I can't swim." Elliot informed the adults as we approached a swamp. "Look, it looks like it's shallow on the right side. Follow me." Tess said as we slowly cross the swamp.

"I'm glad Marlene hired you guys." I said. "What do you mean?" Tess asked me. "We know you guys are getting paid for this -- but I'm trying to say thanks." I replied. "Yeah, sure thing." Tess said as we get to the steps of the Captiol. We enter the capitol building, only to find the Fireflies, that were supposed to take Elliot and I, were dead.

"No. No, no." Tess mutters, frantically, as she runs over to their bodies. "What happens now?" Elliot asked and I shurg as Tess frantically searches a corpse's pockets. "What are you doing, Tess?" Joel asked her, annoyed. "Oh, God. Maybe they, ah, maybe they had a map or something to tell us where they were going." Tess replied, frantically.

"How far are we gonna take this?" Joel asked her. "As far as it needs to go." She exclaims, tearfully. Then she turns to us  "Where was this lab of theirs?" She asked us. "She never said." Elliot replied. "Yeah...She only mentioned it was someplace out west." I replied, shrugging. 

"What are we doing here? This is not us." Joel said to Tess. "What do you know about us? About me?" Tess asked him, angrily, as she stands up to him. "I know that you are smarter than this." Joel said to her. "Really? Guess what, we're shitty people, Joel. It's been that way for a long time." Tess shouts.

"No, we are survivors!" He yelled at her. "This is our chance--" she starts to beg. "It is over, Tess!" Joel yelled at her, angrily, and she looks at him in shock. "Now we tried. Let's just go home." He said to her, calmly. "I'm not...I'm not going anywhere. This is my last stop." She replied, her voice full of tears. "What?" Joel asked her, confused. "Our luck had to run out sooner or later." She said as she shrugs. "What are you going on about--" Joel said as he starts to reach out to her but she jumps back. "No don't-- Don't touch me." She exclaims.

"Holy shit." Elliot whispered and I look over at him and noticed he had a shocked look on his face. "She's infected." Elliot said in shock and my jaw dropped as Joel looks over at her then he steps back as he look over at Tess, who looked on the verge of tears. "Joel..." she whispered.

"Let me see it." Joel said to her.

"I didn't mean for this--"

"Show it to me." Joel said, angrily and firmly, to her. She glares at him then pulls back her collar to reveal a fresh bite wound. "Oh God!" Joel exclaims. "Oops, right?" She said, annoyed, as she let's go of her collar. Then she looks over at Elliot and walks up to him. "Give me your arm." She said as she rolls up Elliot's sleeve, where his bite mark is. "This was three weeks. I was bitten an hour ago and it's already worse." She growls in tears and anger at Joel. She let's go of Elliot's arm and walks in front of Joel. "This is fucking real, Joel. You've got to get these kids to Tommy's. He used to run with this crew. He'll know where to go." 

"No, no, no, that was your crusade. I am not doin' that." Joel said, firmly. "Yes you are." Tess said as she steps closer to him, giving him a pleading look. "Look, there's enough here that you guys have to feel some sort of obligation to me. So both of you get her to Tommy's." She whispered.

At that moment, I heard a rumble of an engine and I look out the window and see a van coming up. "Shit." I mutter and Tess looks out the windows to see a military van driving up. "They're here." Tess said. "Dammit." Joel said. "I can buy you some time, but you have to run." said Tess and Elliot and I look at her as she pulls out her gun. "What? You want us to just leave you here?" I asked her. "Yes." Tess replied.