So Close

"So Close" is the third chapter of The Last of Us: Left Behind. It picks up after Ellie spotted the military helicopter and follows her attempts to reach it to secure a suturing kit for Joel.
== Plot ==
=== The Crash Site ===
Ellie gazes at the crashed military helicopter on the upper level of the mall. From down below, she sees that the helicopter belonged to the military's aeromedical services. Searching the area, she encounters the disturbing sight of an amputated arm, with a note nearby explaining that a soldier was bitten when encountering infected so their commanding officer amputated their arm in an attempt to save them. Leaving the scene, she arrives at a door that leads to the upper level, but it's locked and needs power to be operated. Ellie follows the electrical wires down a maintenance hallway to a flooded shipping room. While proceeding inside, she is startled by a cat, jokingly asking if it is trying to kill her. She finds the main door jammed on the other side, so she carries on to find the side door.
Ellie finds a generator, but it's out of gas. She spots an empty gas can nearby and proceeds to siphon gas from one of the trucks in the room, unintentionally splattering her face with some as she does so. However, several stalkers suddenly appear and pursue her. Ellie manages to kill them before activating the generator. Shortly after doing so, a cable bursts from the ceiling and falls into the water, electrocuting two more stalkers in the process. Clarifying that the water is dangerous, Ellie climbs her way to the ceiling and walks along the top of the ventilation shafts.
Ellie makes her way down to a safe area and enters a pet store, but is met with several infected. She gets by them, reaching the front exit of the store. Ellie lifts the gate to exit the location, and is back to where she initially began. She runs into a pair of clickers, but manages to dispose of them.
Finally, Ellie opens the powered door and climbs the escalators to the upper level. She treads slowly along a broken glass contraption and leaps into the opening of the helicopter, only to almost slide off when it tilts slightly, holding tight to a chair to prevent her fall. Once it becomes stable again, she spots a first aid kit and opens it. Noticing that all of the needed medical supplies are in the kit, she holds it tightly to her chest and softly repeats "I'm not letting you go", relieved she has finally found what she desired.
== Transcript ==
== Trivia ==
* This chapter marks the first time stalkers are encountered as a solo enemy in The Last of Us franchise and the only time as such in the franchise before their prominence rose in The Last of Us Part II.
* Unique to this chapter, there are special death animations for Ellie if she falls or jumps into the electrified water.
Category:The Last of Us: Left Behind chapters