Surviving The Last of Us

"What the hell are a couple of little girls doing here? This place is crawling with infected!" Stroud shouted as they ran through the flooded corridors of the mall, their boots splashing through stagnant water with every step.

"Oh, sure! And what the hell are the fascists doing here?" Ellie shot back venomously, throwing a scathing glare at Stroud. "Playing heroes now?"

Elliot didn't have time for arguments. He drew his pistol and fired three quick shots at the infected that appeared in front of them, dropping it before it could get closer. "Shut up, both of you, and keep running!" he growled as he reloaded on the move, the metallic clink of the bolt echoing in the narrow corridor.

Riley, just behind them, raised her pistol with trembling hands, firing at an infected emerging from the shadows. The shot hit its shoulder, slowing it just enough for Elliot to finish it off with a clean headshot.

Stroud, leading the group, grabbed her radio with a swift motion and pressed the transmit button as they continued running. "Mama Bear to Greenhouse!"

The familiar voice responded almost instantly, static crackling in the background. "Greenhouse here. Go ahead, Mama Bear."

"We're in the abandoned mall. Hostile contact with multiple infected and at least two minors in the area. Requesting immediate backup. Repeat, immediate backup. Position: second level, east sector, near the maintenance area."

Riley's face tensed at Stroud's words. "Shit! She's calling in more FEDRA! I can't stay here, Ellie. If they catch us, we're screwed."

"Calm down!" Ellie replied, her voice labored from the effort of running. "Just keep going, they won't catch us!"

The roar of a clicker echoed behind them, followed by the unmistakable sounds of several runners closing in fast.

"Pick up the pace!" Elliot shouted, briefly turning to fire a burst from his SPR rifle into the moving shadows behind them. Two runners fell, but others kept coming.

Stroud stopped at the end of the hallway, turning to cover them as the group reached a large set of double doors. "Here! Move it!" she yelled, taking out a clicker lunging at them with a precise headshot.

Elliot reached the doors first, slamming into them with his shoulder. "They're blocked from the other side!"

"Step aside!" Stroud barked, pulling a grenade from her belt. She yanked the pin with her teeth and hurled the explosive at the base of the door. "Cover your damn heads!"

The group hit the floor as the explosion shook the mall, the blast echoing through the structure. Debris flew everywhere, and the doors were blown apart, creating a new path to the other side of the building.

"Move, now!" Stroud ordered, pushing the girls forward as the infected grew dangerously close.

Ellie and Riley ran through first, followed by Elliot and Stroud, who briefly turned to fire at the infected chasing them. Their bullets took down several, but the horde was still too large.

As they passed through the shattered doors, they entered a more open area, dimly lit by natural light filtering through the broken ceiling. The echoes of growls and clicks still pursued them, but they had gained some time.

Stroud looked at Elliot with a mix of frustration and determination. "We need to make sure those two don't end up as infected chow, but I can't promise FEDRA won't catch them if reinforcements arrive."

Elliot nodded, his gaze fixed on the two girls, who were now nervously scanning every corner, clearly terrified. "First, we get them out alive. Then we figure out the rest."

Stroud pressed her lips together, raising her radio again. "Greenhouse, Mama Bear. Moving to the north sector. Backup requested at the main level. Multiple hostile contacts. Be ready."

"Copy that, Mama Bear. Reinforcements en route. ETA ten minutes. Greenhouse out."

As the girls eyed Stroud with distrust, Elliot stepped closer, speaking calmly. "Listen, I know you don't trust us, but out here, there's no room for playing lone heroes. If you want to get out alive, follow our orders. Got it?"

Ellie crossed her arms, pressing her lips together, but finally nodded. Riley, beside her, cast a nervous glance down the hallway they had just escaped from.

"Good," Stroud said, adjusting her pistol in its holster. "Let's move. This place is still a shit nest, and I don't like staying too long in a spot where the enemy can come from anywhere."

The group moved quickly toward the north side of the mall, leaving the echoing infected behind—for now.

The group moved swiftly through the mall, but the growls and clicks of the infected intensified with every step. The music that had drawn the horde finally stopped, but the damage was done. It seemed every runner and clicker in the area had converged on them.

"Hold formation!" Stroud ordered, her voice firm as she fired a precise shot at a runner lunging from the side. "Torres, cover me!"

Elliot nodded, raising his rifle and taking down two infected closing in from the front. The girls ran just behind them, with Ellie helping Riley reload the pistol shaking in her hands.

"I can't do this, Ellie!" Riley gasped, stumbling over a piece of debris.

"Yes, you can!" Ellie shouted, grabbing her arm and pulling her forward.

Stroud's radio crackled with a new transmission. "This is Greenhouse. Reinforcements en route. ETA three minutes. Current position, please."

"Mama Bear here," Stroud replied, shooting at a clicker. "Main level, moving toward the north exit sector. Hurry the hell up, we're surrounded!"

"Understood. Hold position as best you can. Greenhouse out."

The pressure mounted as infected continued pouring out of the shadows. Elliot fired his rifle's last round, taking down a runner about to leap onto Ellie. "I'm dry!" he shouted, tossing the rifle aside and drawing his knife.

"Cover me, Torres!" Stroud barked as she swapped the magazine in her pistol, turning just in time to shoot an infected charging from the left.

Elliot didn't answer. He lunged toward a clicker that had cornered him against a collapsed counter. The creature advanced with outstretched arms, its teeth clicking wildly as it tried to grab him.

With a grunt of effort, Elliot dodged the attack and plunged his knife into the side of the infected's skull. The clicker thrashed violently before collapsing, but another runner was already rushing at him.

Elliot rolled to the ground, grabbing a rusted pipe from the debris to block the runner's attack. With a desperate shove, he pushed it back and drove his knife into its neck, finishing it with a violent twist.

"Torres, behind you!" Stroud shouted.

Elliot turned just in time to see another clicker lunging toward him. With no room to dodge, he raised the pipe and shoved it into the infected's mouth, pushing it back with all his strength. Stroud appeared beside him, landing a clean headshot.

"Don't die on me yet, Torres!" she growled, helping him to his feet.

In the chaos, Ellie tripped and fell to the ground just as a runner leaped onto her. "Ellie!" Riley screamed, firing in desperation, but her shots missed.

Ellie raised an arm to protect herself as the infected sank its teeth furiously into her forearm. Before it could bite again, Elliot arrived, killing it with a swift knife strike.

"Get up!" Elliot barked, pulling Ellie to her feet, unaware of the bite. "Don't fall behind!"

Finally, they reached a secure maintenance room, barricading the door with everything they could find—broken shelves, boxes, and an old table. The infected pounded from the other side, but the barrier held, for now.

As everyone caught their breath, Stroud turned to Riley. Her gaze hardened when she noticed the metallic gleam of a necklace around Riley's neck.

"What the hell is that?" Stroud demanded, pointing her pistol at her.

Riley raised her hands, panic in her eyes. "It's just a necklace!"

"Don't take me for a fool," Stroud growled, stepping closer with her pistol at the ready. "That's a Firefly symbol. What the hell are you doing with that?"

"It's none of your business!" Riley shouted, backing up toward Ellie. "Put the gun down!"

"Stroud, stop!" Elliot intervened, stepping between them.

"I can't trust her, Torres!" Stroud shouted, her finger tightening on the trigger. "If she's with the Fireflies, she could get us all killed. Talk, girl!"

Before Riley could respond, Ellie stepped between them, raising her arm with the infected bite clearly visible.

"STOP!" Ellie yelled, her voice echoing in the small room.

Everyone froze, staring at the bite mark on her forearm.

Elliot was the first to speak, his voice low and filled with disbelief. "Shit... Ellie?"

Stroud slowly lowered her weapon, her eyes fixed on the wound. "No... it can't be."

Riley, tears streaming down her face, stepped closer to Ellie, grabbing her arm. "Ellie..."

"I'm fine," Ellie said, though her voice trembled. "It's nothing... I'm fine. Nothing's going to happen to me."

Silence fell over the group, broken only by the pounding of the infected against the door.

Elliot stared at Ellie. The bite on her arm was obvious, the teeth marks embedded in her skin. Though he was relieved Riley hadn't been bitten as she had in the canon he remembered, he knew everything was about to get even more complicated.

Stroud still had her pistol in hand, her eyes locked on Ellie, torn between anger and disbelief. "I can't let them go. You know what that bite means," she said finally, her voice low, almost a growl. "If FEDRA finds them, they're dead, and we'll go down with them for covering it up."

Elliot took a deep breath, his mind racing as the pounding on the door grew louder. The echo of gunfire rang out in the distance; reinforcements had arrived and were clearing the area.

"Listen," Elliot said, placing a hand on Stroud's pistol and firmly pushing it down. "They're already screwed, okay? There's nothing you can do to make this worse. Making things harder for them won't fix anything."

"Make it worse?!" Stroud exploded, her face hardening. "Do you have any idea what FEDRA will do if they find out we let them go? This isn't a goddamn game, Torres!"

"I know!" Elliot shot back, his voice just as intense. "But look at them. They're not insurgents. They're not Fireflies here to kill us. They're just two kids trapped in a world of shit. They've already been through enough."

Riley stepped forward, her body trembling with both anger and fear. "We don't need your permission to leave! We can handle ourselves!"

"Shut up, kid!" Stroud barked, turning toward her.

"Anya!" Elliot interrupted, using her first name, his voice calm but firm. "This isn't about what FEDRA would do or what happens if they find out. This is about doing the right thing. Let them go."

Stroud glared at him, her jaw tight as the internal conflict played out in her eyes. Finally, she let out a frustrated sigh and lowered her pistol completely. "If we die because of this, Torres, it's on you."

Elliot gave a small nod and began searching for an exit. He scanned the walls and ceiling until he found a small opening in the back of the room—a ventilation duct large enough for the girls to crawl through.

"Over here," he said, motioning to the duct as he cleared the debris blocking it.

Ellie and Riley exchanged nervous glances. "What about you?" Ellie asked, her voice shaky.

"We'll handle things here," Elliot replied, helping Riley climb into the duct. "Just keep moving and don't look back. There's an exit at the end that leads to an alley. Run as fast as you can and don't stop."

Ellie hesitated for a moment, her gaze locked on Elliot. Finally, she nodded and climbed in after Riley, disappearing into the duct.

Elliot and Stroud returned to the center of the room just as the barricaded door began to give way under the pounding. The gunfire outside had intensified, and the shouts of FEDRA soldiers mixed with the growls of the infected.

Finally, the door burst open, and a group of armed soldiers stormed in, weapons raised and scanning the room. "Everything okay here?" the squad leader asked, lowering his rifle as he looked at Stroud.

The lieutenant, her face still tense, gave a curt nod. "Everything's under control. The kids are dead."

The leader frowned, glancing at the debris and blood trail on the floor. "Where are the bodies?"

Stroud shot him a glare. "The infected dragged them off before we could recover them. Any other brilliant questions?"

The soldier stiffened but eventually backed off. "No, ma'am. Just checking."

"Good," Stroud snapped. "Finish clearing this area and secure the perimeter. Torres and I have done our part."

The soldiers nodded and moved out to join the others, leaving Stroud and Elliot alone in the room.

"This better be worth it," Stroud muttered, not looking at Elliot.

"It will be," he replied, though he wasn't entirely sure of his own words.

The echo of gunfire continued as they headed toward the exit, knowing the girls had at least a chance to survive.

End of Chapter 14.