A Reason to Survive

*Disclaimer: I do not own The Last of Us or the characters. Conversations in the story are made up for original characters and their interactions with Naughty Dog's characters. Naughty Dog is the original owner of The Last of Us, which has inspired this fanfic.

When Joel and Ellie arrive in Jackson after returning from Salt Lake City, they have hopes of finding some sort of normalcy and routine. Joel isn't expecting to meet you, a doctor in Jackson who has a strange background. He remembers you from the Boston QZ, but you don't seem to remember him. You have a way of drawing people in unintentionally, and Joel is no different. Though you try to keep your distance initially, you feel a kind of comfort from Joel that you haven't found through anyone else.

When your plans to run away don't work out, and the more you learn about Joel and Ellie, you're reaching a point of no return where you feel that no matter how much you deny it to yourself, there is something darker going on. Joel can't hide the truth from you forever, and how will you react when you find out the truth?

*Credit for the cover art goes to Gauravi Mungekar on AI ArtStreet*