March 11, 2025 - 2:30 PM

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* This scene includes content that is considered non-canon!

## In the Truck, on the way to Pittsburgh

**Ledge [Narrator]**

[Although their relationship got off to a rocky start, after the deaths of Joel’s friend, Tess, and a meeting with Bill, Ellie and Joel had come to a sort of agreement. While there was still tension in the air, and it was clear that Joel hardly wanted anything to do with her, the two pressed on towards Pittsburgh as they headed towards entering the city, heading for Tommy’s place. Wherever that may be. During their journey, Ellie has consistently insisted that Joel let her use a weapon, but so far, he’s been adamant about her not having one. It was only a matter of time before she wears him down, though. At least, she hoped]

**Kentucky [Joel]**

https://youtu.be/4xKWisLWyaE

Joel was nodding off.

The first tolls of sleep had called to him with a few blinks that had gone for too long. He shuffled in his seat, readjusting his back until he was finally satisfied with comfort, and continued staring out the window. Ellie, the girl, was asleep in the passenger seat, having finally done so after a while. The radio still crooned, Joel laying a finger on his temple and resting his shoulder against the door. His right hand was still on the wheel, eyes staring straight ahead… straight ahead… straight… ahead… ahead…

The brakes squealed, as his brain became fully awake in awe of the mess before him. “Oh, no, no, no no no…”

A graveyard of cars rested before them, skeletons trapped in a perpetual traffic jam. Joel frowned, swallowing as his mind raced.

**Dot [Ellie]**

As the car slowed to a stop, and Joel’s voice filled the air, Ellie stirred from the sleep she’d been fighting off for a while. Her eyes opened as she let out a long yawn, taking a look around the car. The country road they’d been on before was now replaced by large buildings and trees running along the highway they’ve been driving down. She managed to make out what had Joel so worked up through half-open eyes, a traffic jam that blocked off the exit they presumably had to take. *Damn.*

“Now what?” She asked, turning towards Joel. With how things looked, they’d have to head deeper into the city, which would only slow them down. She wasn’t even sure if they had enough gas to get them around all of this shit. *Probably should’ve stole more gas and less comics... nah, those comics were cool.*

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel frowned, looking off into the road that led further into Pittsburgh. Bad stuff went on in the major cities; factions of bandits had taken control and pillaged and hassled (*and killed*) many a passerby. Joel supposed he knew what had happened because of... because of...

“Screw it.” He turned the wheel, speeding off onto the second road and towards inner Pittsburgh.

**Dot [Ellie]**

Ellie watched, with her elbow sat upon the windowsill and her had resting against her face, as buillding after building passed them by, the highway turning into a densely packed street. Delapidated cars lined the road, torn apart, abandoned, some even upside down, but they all shared one common theme. They squeezed the truck into a narrow path, almost too narrow to get through. Her eyes were constantly searching the windows of the buildings, searching for any sign of the infected. So far, nothing. As they passed an overturned armored truck, something came into view ahead, leading to Joel to bring the truck to a sudden stop.

Jerking forward, Ellie turned towards Joel, her tone one of annoyance. “*Easy*.” She followed his gaze, a man, probably no older than eighteen or nineteen judging by how he appeared, was in the middle of the road ahead, seemingly alone.

She returned her gaze to Joel briefly. The man appeared to be injured, and stumbled towards them.

**Gatsby [Ben]**

“Hey! Over here, I need some help!” Ben screamed, as he stumbled over to the car. He continued shuffling over to the two survivors, walking in an overly exaggerated limp and gripping his leg.

Ben kept covering his leg, hoping that they would believe he was injured and let down their guard.

Once he reached the car, Ben stepped up to the driver’s side window, and slightly bent down so that he and the older man were both at eye level.

“Thank God, I thought I was the only person alive in this city!” Ben exclaimed, showing fake joy at the sight of this unaware survivor.

Just as he was about to continue speaking, he looked behind the man, and saw a younger girl sitting next to him, staring directly at him. Ben, somewhat saddened at having to rob this man and who he could only assume was his daughter, let out a sigh.

“Listen, I’m sorry, man. I never wanted to do this. I just...if I don’t get any supplies, then my ass is gonna be on the line, and I can’t afford to die...” Ben weakly muttered, as he looked back at Simmons and signaled the older Savior to his location.

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel squinted, the silence of their car ride broken with the arrival of the teen in the road. The muscles in Joel’s hand tightened, the back of his head getting hot and his hairs standing up. Why? *Why?* Joel swallowed again, mouth sticky and warm with fright. His face showed no such thing; rather revealing clenched teeth behind old lips and wrinkles in his forehead straining.

“Ellie, put on your seatbelt. He ain’t even *hurt.*”

The boy approached, saying something. He was getting too close. Joel’s foot tipped onto the pedal, slamming down on the gas and speeding forward, just narrowly missing the boy.

**Dot [Narrator]**

[As Joel sent the truck barreling forward, Simmons cursed and came out of his hiding spot, firing off a couple shots with his pistol towards the truck. Neither connected, but one managed to find its way through the front windshield and out the back of the truck. As they sped down the road, swerving around cars, Simmons aimed for the wheels of the car, managing to send the car spiraling out of control and and plough through a metal sliding gate for what appeared to be some sort of mechanic shop. Ellie and Joel jerk in their seats as the truck crashed into the wall of the shop, bringing the car to a sudden stop. Simmons glared towards Ben before rushing towards the building, putting away his pistol in exchange for the rifle. These folks were obviously too defiant to be left alive, they had to be put down.]

**Dot [Ellie]**

Ellie took in a deep breath as she struggled against her seatbelt, looking towards the damage that their truck’s sustained. It’s totalled, completely. She let out a sigh of relief as she searched herself for any injuries, finding none. “I’m okay, I’m okay.” *Jesus, that was close.*

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel squirmed in his seat belt, finally unlatching it and taking in a breath. “Come, *on*!” He bit down on his tongue, a red bruise stained to his forehead. “We, we gotta get outta here Ellie.” He said, beginning to get out of the truck.

**Dot [Henry Simmons]**

Cursing under his breath, Simmons gestured for Ben to follow him. He couldn’t do this alone, not with the pair of them. One was just a girl, but that didn’t mean shit. These days, anyone was capable of anything. If he knew this kind of person well enough, the asshole driving is gonna try and hide, or escape, and would only try to kill them if confronted. This meant they had to take a different approach. *The one fucking time I bring Ben.* He returned his gaze towards Ben, letting out a slew of curses before finally addressing the boy. “Come on, kid. These assholes got the advantage on us here, we’re gonna have to wait ‘em out. Maybe they’ll leave their shit behind in the truck. For now, fuck ‘em. Ain’t risking our lives to confront ‘em.”

**Dot [Ellie]**

Ellie struggled to remove her seatbelt, her hands shaking from the adrenaline running through her system. As she managed to unbuckle the seatbelt, she immediately opened her door, stumbling out into the shop they’ve found themselves in. Whoever was shooting at them hasn’t followed them in, yet, which meant there was a chance that they could escape. Her eyes followed Joel for a moment as she grabbed her backpack from the truck, slinging it over her shoulder quickly. Her eyes darted to where they ploughed into the building, the metal gate was bent inwards, in the shape of their truck. Taking a deep breath, she stepped around the truck to join Joel.

“Jesus, that was - that was intense.”

**Gatsby [Ben]**

Ben, still shocked from nearly being run over, barely registered what Simmons had said. However, he was able to clearly understand that Simmons wanted the both of them to get out of dodge, so he unholstered his pistol and sprinted to where the older Savior stood, looking out for any incoming threats.

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel didn’t say a word, just grabbing his bag from the car and wrapping it around his shoulders. His hands shook as he stumbled past the open truck door. He was too busy, too busy with his shaky breaths and his hands fumbling over his revolver. Checking it for ammo, taking note of the six bullets he had left in the cylinder of the gun. “God...god *damnit.*” He muttered, pulling his revolver up and pulling the hammer back.

**Dot [Ellie]**

As Joel checked his revolver for ammunition, Ellie searched around the store, looking for another exit. Going back the way they came wasn’t an option, and they had get out of here soon. Her eyes landed on a door on the other side of the room, quickly jogging towards it as she took one last look back towards the hole they made into the shop. She pushed on the door, but it remained in place. *Fuck!* She kept pushed, her ears picking up a faint noise on the other side, something was being moved out of the way as she pushed. They’ve blocked this entrance off.

“Joel, need some help here!” She called, continuing to push on the door with as much force as she could muster. This was their only way out, and they weren’t about to be trapped by some psycho with a gun and a teenager. “Joel, c’mon!”

**Kentucky [Joel]**

He glanced down at his hands, closing his eyes. His head throbbed with pain, pounding away at his psyche as best as it could, only making him angrier with each burst. He reopened his eyes, holstering the pistol and backing away from the truck. Hank Williams still lingered in the air, echoing off of the rotting walls in the store. Joel approached the door at a light jog, taking notice of Ellie’s poor attempts to open it. With any luck, the guys who had crashed them would likely descend upon the store in one minute. With no luck, it would be right now. He grunted, prepping his shoulder. “Watch out.” He told Ellie, taking the next moment to throw his shoulder against the door. Pain seared through his arm as the door shifted. He tried again, the door opening slightly more. Backing up about three feet, he threw his weight into the door one last time.

**Dot [Ellie]**

The door finally swung open as a shelf on the other side fell onto the ground, making a loud clattering sound as various objects were littered the floor. Ellie clenched her teeth, the sound so loud that she was sure the bandits outside and any infected in the nearby area could hear it loud and clear. Despite this, she squeezed through the half-open door, pulling her knife out, just in case someone had barricaded themselves in here and died. She found nothing inside, but found a broken window at the back of the room, overlooking another empty street, out of view of the bandits. *Hopefully.*

Wasting no time, she stepped around the fallen shelf and darted towards the window. “Looks like we’ve got a clearing here,” she called back towards Joel, taking a moment to knock a few glass shards off of the windowsill before climbing over it and landing on the grassy concrete beyond.

**Kentucky [Joel]**

After the door’s fall, Joel leaned against the wall, rubbing his shoulder. Now his arm AND his head hurt; truly an invigorating combo. He watched as Ellie cleaned out the window, to which he shook his head. “Don’t cut yourself!” He cried, before pulling back with a grunt of pain sizing him back down. His head was still sizzling, likely from the slap against the steering wheel. Joel hoped it wasn’t a concussion. He hoped desperately that it wasn’t a concussion. Then, Ellie had begun to climb through, to which he protested with great vigor. “Don’t do that!” He got off the wall, having taken his time resting. “Goddammit...” Joel muttered, before following suit. He dropped down, flaring stings nabbing at his ankles. His vision went blurry for a moment, before he returned, albeit a bit dizzy. “Wait for me next time, are you trying to get yourself killed?!” He pointed an accusing finger at her, before resting on his knees.

**Dot [Ellie]**

Ellie resisted the urge to sigh, putting a hand against her hip as she pocketed her knife. “It looked clear to me, I thought it was safe. *Jesus*, I’m sorry.” While Joel had a point, she didn’t want to admit it. She was more than capable of handling herself, and the infected can be dealt with. If there were other bandits around, they’d have shown themselves by now. Nevertheless, she let out a sigh, nodding her head, knowing that Joel wasn’t going to change his mind about this. “Fine. Next time, I’ll follow you, okay?” With those words out, she finally took a good look around her.

**Ledge [Narrator]**

[From the current location, their destination could be seen from a distance, the Bridge that led out of Pittsburgh]

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel looked down the road, nodding at Ellie. “Okay.” He muttered, eyes falling on the arches of the bridge. “Come on, let’s get going. I can see the bridge from here, we can try and get back on the road there.” He adjusted his backpack straps, feeling Bill’s shotgun implant itself in his back. “And stay close. I don’t know how many more of them their are.” His voice, gruff and Texan, fell through the air. Joel began his walk down the greenery endowed road, checking to make sure Ellie would follow.

**Dot [Ellie]**

The young girl followed closely behind Joel as they traversed the street, luckily devoid of any more bandits, or infected. The last thing she wanted to deal with was another situation like that. Her heart was still beating at a rapid rate, leading to her taking in several deep breaths to try and calm herself down. Things could’ve gone worse, they could’ve had more guys. They made it out alright. As they walked past a large truck overturned in the middle of the road, she glanced towards Joel, keeping her voice down, just in case those bandits were still nearby. So far, they haven’t shown their faces, either biding their time, or lost interesting in chasing them. Once they were a decent distance away from the crash site, she finally asked the question she’d been wondering since they tried to escape that situation.

“How’d you know? About it being an ambush? Y’know, before the guy straight up said that it was.”

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel approached the overturned freighter, blocking them from continuing on their path. He swore under his breath, before she had asked her question. He answered abruptly. “I’ve been on both sides.” Walking towards the monster of a truck, he glanced it up and down, unsure if he could lift Ellie up past it. Joel wasn’t sure about that; he wasn’t sure if his answer was sufficient either. Grimacing, he continued to size the truck up before looking at the concrete walls surrounding them. Vines stretched up them, pulling the walls down to crumbles before them all. It was a bittersweet sight, the verdant imagery abound in Joel’s life now. He almost missed the gray cities from before. Not almost, he supposed. He *did*.

**Dot [Ellie]**

As Joel sized up the truck, Ellie mulled over what he’d told her. *I’ve been on both sides.* “Oh,” she replied softly, her eyes on the large truck. “So, uh... you kill a lot of innocent people?” She wasn’t sure if that was the right question to ask, but it was the only thing that crossed her mind. The idea of Joel being the aggressor in a similar situation just didn’t *fit*, at least, not the way she imagined him.

He wasn’t the pinnacle of good, either, but he seemed alright. Not bad enough to do something like that. Maybe that’s just something this world made you do, and she was the one who was inexperienced. *Safe to say that’s true.*

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel listened intently to what she had to say. The older man followed it with a dismissful sigh, not bothering to look at her. He brought a hand to his forehead, dabbing at it with his fingers and returning to his eyes... no blood. That was good. His tongue ran along his upper row of teeth, attention brought back to the young girl behind him. “It doesn’t matter. Just, c’mere. I’m gonna try and hoist you up over the truck.” He backed up against the truck, crouching down and holding his hands together. He looked up at Ellie; she had been a thorn in his side ever since Boston. Ever since Tess died. Even before then. But she was a likable thorn in his side, even if he would never admit it to her face.

**Ledge [Narrator]**

[A gunshot rings through the air from the opposite end of the truck before Joel gets a chance to boost Ellie over, a flock of birds flies up into the air as footsteps could and voices could be heard coming from the opposite end of the truck.

“You missed, a whole flock of birds just sitting there and you still hit nothing” a man could be heard chuckling, followed by another voice.

“I’m about to hit you..” the man that had fired the shot replied, wearing a hoodie along with a torn jumper.

“Wow you’re really upset” the other man chuckled “Y’know if you want some lessons I’m more than willing to help you out.” he offered

“Yeah whatever..” he spoke as he brushed off the comment “Let’s just get up and over this truck..”

“Where the hell are the rest?.. they’re meant to be here” A third man spoke

“They split off.. One groups on the highway shift and the other went to go and search for those two tourists that fired at our guys.. this spot’s been a goldmine for tourists lately” the three men conversed as they slowly approached the truck from the other side.]

**Dot [Ellie]**

*Oh, fuck!* Ellie’s eyes darted towards Joel the moment the gunshot went off, instinctively flinching and ducking her head at the sound. It took a lot of effort to keep quiet as the two men on the other side of the truck conversed. In unison, they pushed away from the truck, heading for the nearest building they could that appeared to be open. The large metal gate had been left halfway up, allowing the two to duck under and take cover inside what appeared to be some sort of... food store? She wasn’t sure what the word was. Shelves that laid completely barren lined the store, along with what appeared to be shelves with glass in front of it along the far wall. If she could hazard a guess, they were meant to be used for keeping stuff cold.

Refridgerators, that’s the word.

As they quietly took cover inside the building, Ellie’s foot found a bottle lying in the darkness, which rolled across the room before clattering to a stop against a nearby shelf. The resulting clatter was loud enough to echo inside the small space, which made her heart jump into her throat. “*Shit!*” She hissed the word as she hastily hid behind one of the shelves towards of the store, next to Joel.

*I really fucking hope they didn’t hear that.*

**Ledge [Narrator]**

[One of the men that had been walking immediately stopped in his tracks as he heard a sound come from one of the buildings, an all too familiar sound of a bottle rolling “You hear that?”

“Hear what?” the second man responded, sighing and shrugging. “Could just be clickers, not worth spending our time on”

“No I heard it too..” the third man interrupted. “ OR it could be the tourists, go check it out” he spoke with authority as the three of them advanced with caution, casually strolling towards the direction of the noise.]

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel had rushed into the grocery upon hearing the gunshot, Ellie right beside of him as they took shelter in the store. The two men, obviously hunters, had clambered over the truck and to Ellie and Joel’s area of work. He frowned, sliding under the metal guard with the young girl and taking cover behind a shelf. He had heard her foot kicking into a bottle clumsily; sure to be their doom now. The 3 men lumbered towards the grocery now.

Joel reached around the shelf, grabbing the bottle Ellie had tripped over when they first entered. With that in his left hand, and his revolver in his right, he got next to Ellie and peered through a sharp crack in the shelf, waiting for one of them to get closer.

**Ledge [Narrator]**

[”Fan out… make sure we check every inch..remember.. orders are to preferably take in every tourist we see alive” a voice could be heard as the three men entered the building,

“Yeah.. but no one said anything about beating the fuck out of them first..” another spoke as they were noticeably raggedly dressed.. their boots crunched on pieces of broken glass on the ground, one man was armed with a rifle and the other one held a pipe in his hand, the third man held a machete with a tight grip as the three of them spread out, the man with the rifle unknowingly approaching Joel.]

**Dot [Ellie]**

Ellie stayed close behind Joel, clutching her knife tightly in her right hand. She struggled to maintain her breathing at a near-silent level. It was one thing when they were on the run from those military jackoffs back in Boston, but this... this is different. Worse. Ever since they’d entered Pittsburgh, it’d been one intense shitshow after another, in rapid succession. She had a feeling this place was *crawling* with these guys, based on the way they talked about the city, and ‘tourists’. They weren’t the first ones these fuckers have attacked, and the mention of another couple of survivors had her wondering just how many people were in this city, being hunted by these assholes.

Ellie waited for Joel to make the first move; there was no other way out but through them.

**Art [Narrator]**

[The three men spread out, each covering one side of the building in an effort to find the trespassers. With them moving so close, Joel and Ellie could easily get a glimpse of their faces and behavior. Two of the men seemed to be in their early to mid 40s, the first more stoic looking one carrying a rifle, perhaps due to his greater skill and position in his group’s hierarchy. The third one was a kid, barely out of his teens and carrying a large metal pipe, approaching by Ellie’s side. Despite his age and fairly frightened demeanour, he looked ready to bash whoever tried to stand in his way. The second man was much harder to place, lighting up a cigar while carrying a hatchet. He looked laid back in contrast to the other two, but his location far away from his group meant he had the larger field of view of the three.

Taking out the man with the rifle first would require confidence in Ellie’s capability to defend herself from the boy with a pipe, as well as Joel’s ability to fight the most dangerous of the three men on his own. Taking out the boy with the pipe first would be a simple effort for Joel, however, leaving the man with the rifle unattended could prove to be dangerous if he’s not taken care of with haste. Alternatively, Joel and Ellie could move from their hiding spot and attempt to take out the man with the hatchet first, ensuring a stealthier approach if done successfully.]

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel’s mind raced, the man with the hunting rifle getting ever so closer, and the boy with the pipe circling around, headed for Ellie. He looked out, seeing the man with the rifle looking to the side for a second; all he needed. Joel clenched his teeth, grabbing Ellie’s back and leading her along with him to the next shelf. His eyes gleamed with fear and anger, hoping to successfully sneak around the man with the hatchet. The possibilities were endless; the man could see them, catching Joel’s throat with the hatchet. Ellie’s face could get bashed in with the pipe. Joel’s heart pierced by the hunting rifle, Ellie suffocated, these men would do *anything* to survive, anything to kill all of them. Joel couldn’t let that happen; of *course* he couldn’t let that happen.

**Art [Narrator]**

[The man with the rifle stopped dead in his tracks upon spotting two shadows moving across the building’s interior, smiling ever so slightly before signaling the kid with the pipe to move onward. “What’s up, Johnny?” The kid asked in a hushed tone, clueless. The man with the rifle let out a soft sigh, pointing his two fingers towards the counter near the fridges, and thus the boy nodded back.

“I got you, you son of a bitch…” The man with the rifle said before raising his gun above his head and hitting Joel with the butt of his rifle, dragging him out of his hiding spot. The kid with the pipe followed his steps, grabbing Ellie’s left arm and yanking her towards him. Taking advantage of Joel’s stunned state, the man with the rifle continued to drag him by the neck, throwing him against one of the refrigerators and smashing his face on the glass. “You two the tourists who fired at our guy? Huh!?” He shouted furiously, pulling Joel’s head back and struggling to keep him still. Amidst their scuffle, the boy with the pipe dragged Ellie away with the help of the man with the hatchet, who had since spat out his cigarette in favor of focusing on the task at hand.

“Let’s make it quick, knock’em out!” The man with the hatchet cried out, hoping the guy, Joel, wouldn’t put up much of a fight.]

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel nearly screamed as the man with the rifle hit him then grabbed him with meaty hands. His head continued throbbing, Joel screaming and trying his best to push the man off of him, but it was no use. He smashed his face through the glass, shards of glass poking into Joel’s fleshy cheeks. The man was screaming at him, blood trickling down Joel’s face and onto a broken shard of glass sticking out. Joel continued struggling against the man’s weight, before one final Hail Mary blow against him. He threw his elbow at his stomach, attempting to grab the man and throw his neck into the glass knife gleaming on the fridge’s edge.

**Ledge [Narrator]**

[The man sees the elbow coming, but as he tries to come back he is caught in the chin by the elbow, stunning him for a moment, before he knows it, he is thrown against the glass, he lets out a gurgle as a shad sticking out from the broken window pierces his neck, he falls to the floor, choking on his own blood.

The two other men could be seen as couple of metres away attempting to drag Ellie away as she struggles against them. “Stay still you little bitch!” a man screams. “Grab her other arm!” the second man yells out as they both try to restrain her.]

**Kentucky [Joel]**

The man with the hunting rifle was dying. His blood, joining Joel’s in the significant pool on the floor. Joel wiped glass dustings from his eyelids, before opening them again to reveal two splotchy red eyes. Anger. *Fury.* They were on Ellie, tossing her around as if she were a ragdoll to their whims. Joel brushed past the bleeding old man, sprinting forward blind. Blind. He couldn’t see, he couldn’t see anything, but he knew he was headed for the older one. He slammed into the man, grabbing his waist in an attempt to throw him against the counter and bash his skull in against the hard metal.

**Dot [Ellie]**

“Agh, let go of me, you little chickenshit!” Ellie screamed as she tried desperately to get away from the two assholes, but they were too strong for her. She watched helplessly as Joel was sent headfirst into the refridgerator, glass covering the floor. As Joel killed the man with the rifle, and headed towards the bigger guy holding her back, Ellie tried the last thing she could, biting the guy with the pipe on the arm, hard. He screamed in pain, cursing as he tried to get her off, but she wouldn’t let go, not until he let go of her. She was worried about Joel and the beefier guy, but she knew that he’d be able to take care of himself. She hoped, anyway.

**Ledge [Narrator]**

[The third man felt a piercing pain in his forearm as he realised the kid was biting down on his arm, he let out a loud scream as he tried to wrestle his arm out of her mouth...when he realised his two companions were down he began to panic, pure fury keeping him going, he raised his other hand and delivered a swift backhand to the girl’s face, knocking her off his arm, once she was down, he turned around. “Jerry!” he yelled out as it was too late, the elder man had already smashed his head in, he charged at Joel.

“Motherfucker!” the man yelled as he grabbed a piece of debris from the ground as he charged, smashing Joel across the face with it as he grabbed his throat, wrestling him to the ground as he got on top of him, the man then edged Joel’s face inside of a puddle on the ground, attempting to slowly drown him as he pushed his head deeper into the puddle, holding it there. The revolver that Joel had dropped in the skirmish glistened on the ground a few metres away from Ellie’s feet.]

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel felt the (*satisfying it was satisfying say it say it Joel*) crunch of the man’s head against the counter, his skull fracturing, shards piercing his brain and drowning his eyeballs in blood. “Jerry” had been killed instantly. Joel’s eyes were still red, and he turned to face the boy who had slapped Ellie; before being tossed to the ground himself. The boy was tougher than Joel had realized; he had been caught off guard, his head now under the water as his hand fumbled out for the gun. He emerged for a second, punching the boy in the shoulder, but then he flipped around and got pushed face first in. Life was fading, life was fading so fast... if only he could reach his revolver...

**Dot [Ellie]**

Ellie let out a pained yelp as the fucker with the pipe managed to knock her off of him, and backhanded her into the ground. With Joel dealing with his buddy, the bandit focused his efforts on him. She took in several deep breaths, the air in her lungs having rushed out due to the blow, before trying to pull herself back onto her feet using the register counter. Before she was even halfway up, the bandit had Joel’s head underwater in a puddle, leading to Ellie’s heart leaping into her throat. She charged towards the man, grabbing the revolver Joel had dropped and aimed it towards the man.

She clenched her eyes shut for a fraction of a second, bracing herself for what was to come, and the resulting jolt that’d travel through her arm. She pulled the trigger, yelping ever so slightly as the bullet burrowed its way into the man’s head. As he fell to the ground with a thud, releasing Joel from underneath the water, Ellie lowered the gun, a small puff of smoke escaping the barrel. *Jesus...*

“I - I, *shit*, I shot the hell out of that guy, huh?” She was at a loss for words, the fact that she’d just murdered somebody starting to weigh her down. Her arms were shaking, and she tried to control it as she stepped towards Joel, trying to help him up. *Oh, fuck. This... this whole thing’s just... so fucked.*

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel was still going. His vision blurred, the murky water turning red with streaks of blood piercing through it. He grew weaker, his mouth still clamped tight to prevent...

*BAM!*

He was freed, rising from the puddle with so much force he threw the boy’s body off of him. Emerging from the pool of now red liquid, Joel sucked in a deep breath and coughed, before leaning up and onto his knees. Shaky gasps for air still echoed through the store, as he turned to look at Ellie approaching him. “Yeah, you sure did.”

He stood up uneasily, before snatching the revolver from her hands and putting it in his pocket as a makeshift holster. “I told you not to touch any of these guns.” He spoke, firm and abrupt anger flowing through his self. Joel took a few steps back, sitting down on the counter where he had burst the Hunter’s skull just moments before, ringing in his ears.

**Dot [Ellie]**

“‘Oh, and thanks Ellie.’ It’s not like I had a choice,” Ellie replied, annoyed. She knew that he was just trying to make sure she didn’t end up shooting herself on accident or something - or just didn’t trust her to use a gun, which was probably more likely - but it was either that or try to stab the guy. At least shooting him meant that there wasn’t any risk, the threat was over... for now. Sighing, she looked towards Joel as he sat down on the counter. Clearing her throat, she spoke up once more. “We should... probably get moving. Before more show up. Right?” *He probably just needs a minute to catch his breath. I don’t blame him.*

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel stared at his feet, rubbing a hand over his eyes and then through his hair. The stress was compounding on him; he was sure the girl had her own layer of it coalescing on her brain by now, and he wasn’t sure if he had done the right thing. Pride was a nasty thing, and it was sure to not let Joel out of its clutches anytime soon. “Yeah, let’s get going.” Joel said, grabbing the hatchet and the hunting rifle from the floor. He slung the rifle over his back, and stuck the hatchet through one of his belt loops, trapped by his belt now. He began to make way back towards the freighter, where he waited to hoist Ellie up again.

**Dot [Ellie]**

Ellie followed Joel over to the overturned truck, her eyes examining the large vehicle with awe. She couldn’t see much of the truck itself from this side, except for the wheels and the underbelly of the vehicle, but it seemed *huge*. She wondered what they were even used for. Was there that much stuff needed to be hauled around that they needed behemoths like this? The thought baffled her.

As Joel positioned himself in the middle of the truck, Ellie approached him, the older man hoisting her up until she could reach the ledge. Once she’d gotten her hands on the ledge, she pulled herself up, grunting from the exertion. As she got to her feet, she took a cautious glance over to the other side, her breath hitching.

*Holy shit.*

In a large pile in the middle of the street laid about a couple dozen bodies were mangled together, charred black and still smoking ever so slightly. The smell washed over her like a wave, causing her to gag uncontrollably. She forced herself to look away, and look for something to help Joel climb the truck. Her eyes found a ladder leaning against the other side of the truck, presumably for the bandits to use to climb over.

“Uh, Joel, there’s some... pretty fucking gnarly stuff over here,” she called back to the man, forcing her eyes to look away from the pile as they had once again drifted towards it, before pulling the ladder up onto the side of the overturned truck.

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel waited. Tapping his foot impatiently, he heard Ellie’s call and the muscles in his face tensed. “Just get me a ladder!” He called back, just as said ladder drooled over the side of the freighter and down to him. He clambered up, pulling the ladder up with him in an attempt to deter anybody who would so follow. He grunted, eyes struck with a brief moment of awe and fear, before returning to their confrontational state. He said nothing for a moment, looking at the ash pile, steamy smoke rising from the ashes. Recent.

As the smell of fire wafted through his nostrils, he jumped down off of the freighter. “It doesn’t matter. Let’s keep moving.”

**Dot [Ellie]**

As they hopped down from the truck, Ellie’s gaze lingered on the smoldering pile for a bit longer than she would’ve liked, only looking away as they passed by it. Ahead of them, the street seemed to slowly sink underneath water, the rest of the street beyond resembling a river or a canal more than a side street. *Is everything out here flooded?* She thought, annoyance rising inside her. She was embarrassed when she first admitted to Joel about not being able to swim. She hated having to rely on him to get her through these situations. Luckily for them, several cars lined the road, each with a plank across them, making the street a relative ease to follow along. *Bandits must hate getting their feet wet.*

As they approached the first car, which was half submerged in the water, and climbed atop it, Ellie spoke up once more. She could still smell that putrid stench the burnt bodies put off, as if it’d never go away.

“Are things like this... *normal*... out here?” Her guess was ‘yes’, based on everything she’d seen so far. It wasn’t out of the equation that people burned the bodies of those they’ve killed. She wasn’t sure *why*, but she wasn’t exactly a bandit either, so their logic - or lack thereof - eluded her.

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel led Ellie out onto the submerged car, the vehicle bobbing along with their footsteps as they reached the next rotting, yet study plank. “Yeah. It’s a lot like this everywhere. Bandits took over most of the major cities.” His mouth contorted into a regretful frown, sudden remembrance of his hunting days hitting him like a sack of bricks. The burning bodies; bodies he at some point may have set alight; mixed in with the rancid water, fish and moss and rot all combining into one potluck of air. Joel’s feet brought him over the next plank, the wood creaking and groaning under his weight.

“The sooner we get to that bridge the better.” He turned, then, as an afterthought, added “Be careful on that plank. It seems a little weak.”

**Dot [Ellie]**

“Okay,” Ellie replied, her eyes instinctively going to the plank in question as she slowly crossed it. *Please don’t break, please don’t break, please don’t break...*

She let out a sigh of relief as she made it to the other side, the plank having withstood her weight. The last thing she wanted was to fall into the water; at this point, it seemed deep enough that she’d be beneath the surface at her height. They continued in silence, moving from car to car. The only sounds she could hear around her were the sounds of their feet on the metal roofs of the cars and the *thumps* on the wooden planks, along with the slight buzzing of a mosquito near her ear. She tried swatting it away, to no avail.

“How much farther? To the bridge?” Her voice was quiet, the ever tightening street starting to make her feel both claustrophobic and paranoid. It seemed that the road was starting to converge from four lanes into two, leaving less room to work with, and less room to escape if bandits showed up. “It didn’t seem that far away when we were by that truck.”

**Ledge [Narrator]**

[The quaint silence of the landscape was interrupted.. the sound of the birds chirping and the rustling of leaves from the overgrown buildings was drowned out by an approaching engine. As to which the duo would have some time to take cover.

Two people flailing and screaming turned the corner of a building down the streets, pleading and begging as they ran, following behind them a large vehicle mounted with some sort of military turret followed as it sped along, the sound of heavy gunfire filled the air as the large calibre bullets tore the screaming man and woman.

The car stopped next to the bodies as two men emerged.. realising that the woman was still alive but bleeding out. “Please.. I..” she spoke as she lifted a solitary hand to the man, he stared at her with a blank expression before pointing a shotgun to her head and firing as her head splattered, they then began to search the two bodies that they had gunned down.

“Been a busy day huh?” Raymond asked, as he watched the other man search the corpse. “Got an ID?”

Derrick scoffed as he shook his head. “Nah, this ain’t them.. pair of old shoes, shitty clothes.. they got nothing.. let’s go..” banged the car twice with his palm to signal the driver as they both got into the car, driving off as the sound of the engine faded as they turned the corner, leaving the bodies in the middle of the street.]

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel sucked in a breath as the engine rumbled down the street, shaking the ground as it crossed a bridge up ahead. Joel laid down on top of the car, pulling Ellie down with him and resting a hand on her back. It was over in under a minute; they were dead and the truck was gone. When it had finally left, Joel rose from his spot on the ground and shook his head. “Nothing we could’ve done.” The flooded streets appeared to end just up ahead, around where the truck had killed the pair of poor souls on the bridge. “It’s not too far now.” Joel began to walk towards the dry land, where he would surely find his feet.

**Dot [Ellie]**

“*Jesus*, what the hell’s wrong with these guys?” The question was rhetorical, the sight of that massive truck gunning down those survivors imprinted in her memory. She’d seen some stuff while they’ve been out here, including that burned pile of bodies, but seeing them so mercilessly kill people was... they *really* needed to get out of this city. As they approached the unsubmerged section of the street, not too far away from where that truck had gone down, Ellie dropped to the ground. At least they weren’t on some precarious planks anymore, but now they’ve got murder trucks on the loose.

She scanned the streets nearby from where they stood, trying to make out the bridge through the buildings and trees. She could just barely make it out on their left - which, regretfully, was the same direction the truck had gone. *It better not come back.* Nearby, the sidewalk lowered into what appeared to be some sort of lowered passageway. Doors lined the passage, presumably leading into what might’ve been basements, but it would at least get them off the street.

Turning back towards Joel, she indicated the stairs leading into the passage way. “Might be able to hide down here, just in case they come back.”

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel stared forward at the doors that Ellie had pointed out, a sloppy and careless entrance to what was likely an ever worse safehouse. “They’re desperate. They’ve spent too much time out here, and figured out that this is the best way they could survive. It just becomes another day in the life; a *job*.” He replied to her first question, then listened intently to her second proposition. He looked down the street, seeing the corpses of the two, bloody and covered in gore. He turned back to Ellie. “Alright. I’ll go first, stick close behind me. If things go south in there, run as fast as you can, got it?” He pulled the hunting rifle out, his shotgun long spent. He decided he’d ditch it; tossing the shotgun to the ground. He was pretty sure it broke in the accident earlier; a bullet had pierced the barrel of the gun. Joel walked down to the doors, eyes gleaming with anxiety. *Just open the door Joel. It will be fine.* He was sure it would be; and so, he pushed the door open with one thrust, pulling the rifle up to aim at anybody who dared face him.

**Ledge [Narrator]**

[As Joel kicks open the door, a familiar thick musk in the air is present within the depths of the underground area, a deceased clicker could be seen attached slumped against the wall as it had passed away, vile growths and fungus had spread from the body and had covered the walls of the hallway, the fungus like bacteria protruded out of the corpse’s skin, and had evidently released SPORES into the air, the whole basement was covered with a thick yellow haze, and would infect anyone that should enter without proper equipment, the clicker had not been able to reach stage 4 of the infection, which was a 50/50 chance, instead it had become a sprouter, spreading more of the fungus into its surroundings after it had passed away, the underground route could serve as a passageway to navigate under the streets, but would prove to be potentially dangerous]

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel leapt back, the spores nearly throwing themselves down his throat. “Dammit.” He muttered, before reaching to his back pack and pulling his gas mask off of it. Throwing it over his face, he looked back at Ellie. “We got spores. Keep an eye out for infected down here, things could get dangerous.” He slung his rifle over his back, now trading it for the hatchet he had stolen from the hunter earlier. “Alright, let’s go.” He led Ellie into the depths of the basement, past the corpse. “You see a way out of here?” He asked, flicking his flashlight on.

**Dot [Ellie]**

Ellie let out a cough as the spores entered her system. They weren’t a threat to her, thankfully, but it always smelled so *horrible*. Like a musty room that hadn’t been touched in decades. In some cases, that was probably true. Once she had gotten a hold of herself, she followed Joel, looking around the basement area. The room seemed to lead off towards another stairwell, leading deeper underground. *Well, at least it gets us off the streets?* She doubted those bandits would come down here, it already appeared to have been untouched for a while.

“Looks like it goes deeper,” she called back towards Joel. “Smells like shit in here, maybe it’s the sewer?” *Oh god, please don’t be. It smells bad enough as it is.*

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel nodded at her, his hand firmly gripped on the hatchet’s handle. Sweat caked his palms, and he looked at the stairwell. It was either there, or the truck... he’d rather face the infected than the hunters any day. “Could be. If it is, at least we won’t have to deal with that truck.” If it was the sewers, it should lead them to the run off, towards the coast. They would be out of Pittsburgh in no time. Joel quietly hoped they would be able to get out of this city soon enough; this damned accursed city. He couldn’t bare to stay here any longer, the threat was too high, and it was only growing higher.

“You still got that joke book? With the puns?” He asked, a mumble as he began his descent, free hand guiding him along the guardrail.

**Dot [Ellie]**

She let out a disappointed sigh as they began their descent, reminiscing over the puns she’d read in that book. “There wasn’t a lot of good ones left, so...” she trailed off for a moment, before a small smile twisted her lips. “...I came up with some of my own. Oh oh, here’s one I came up with on the drive here. ‘How did the clicker know when it had a good idea?’” She paused, for dramatic effect, before continuing, a hint of glee in her voice. “It *clicked*. Get it, because it’s a clicker?” She had to stifle her laughter, not wanting to make too much noise in the confined space, which only grew darker as they descended the stairs.

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel smiled lightly under his mask. “Awful.” It was truly a terrible pun. One of the worst puns he’d heard in perhaps his entire life. But it gave him some sort of sense of nostalgia, some vague light in the darkness. “That was absolutely awful. I hope the other ones you made were better than that one.” He said, a chuckle struggling to form as he spoke. With each step, it kept growing darker, colder, but the spores were a constant. Thick and musty, always there, always, *always* there.

**Dot [Ellie]**

“I guess you’ll just have to find out,” Ellie replied through a smirk. She knew that was going to be Joel’s response, hell, she’d nearly groaned herself when she’d thought of it. Nevertheless, as the stairs opened up to what appeared to be some sort of sewer system, she thought better than to continue giving more of them out. Who knew what might be down there, besides the obvious. Shit and clickers. *Fantastic combo.*

Her nose wrinkled at the smell; it’d been so long since the beginning, she was surprised that it would still smell this bad, but maybe time just compounded the smell into something worse. The infected don’t help, either.

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Down into the depths they went, spiraling ever so closer into danger and more danger. He couldn’t smell the shit, thank God. Ellie probably could, having no protection on her face. He couldn’t hear any infected down there; Ellie wasn’t tugging at his shirt to try and get his attention, so he assumed she didn’t hear anything. That was well enough; it could have just been a dead infected having sprouted and spread its spores across the sewer, and Joel was content with that. Once they got Ellie to Salt Lake City, nobody would even have to worry about the spores anymore. Everything would be fine then.

He stepped over a discarded baseball bat, dried blood covering the handle. Poor bastard must have died clutching his slugger, or rather, was turned into one of those things out there. Joel looked back at Ellie, sniffling. “Tell me if you see *anything.* And I mean *anything.*” He whispered to her, then faced forward again. Trudging through the shit and piss in the sewers was about as wonderful as one would expect.

**Ledge [Narrator]**

[As the duo made their way down the sewers, the yellow haze would only get thicker as the fungal growths attached on the wall like a bad disease, feeding off of the moisture of the sewers to grow, more growths and fungal spores were evident the deeper they went into the sewers.

As the duo made their way down the hallway, out of nowhere a grotesque figure jumps out at Joel, flailing in an attempt to stun him as fungal growths are evident on its head, it screeches and croaks, as soon as it spots the second figure that was Ellie, it retreats before a gun can be drawn on it, running back down the hallway and disappearing around the corner to hide, emitting a horrible croaking sound]

**Dot [Ellie]**

Ellie had stumbled backwards, only barely catching herself against the sewer wall as the infected disappeared from sight. It felt as if her heart had jumped into her throat, and her breathing had become rapid, only fueling the sickening feeling in her stomach due to the spores. For a split second, she wondered why it didn’t attack them, but quickly lost that train of thought. Right now, her mind needed to focus on *getting the fuck out of here*.

“I - I saw something,” Ellie finally manages to get out, letting her knife slip back into her pocket, her hand having instinctively gone for it.

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel’s throat croaked with fear as he stepped back, hatchet at the ready. “Stalkers. Watch out.” He should have guessed they would be down here, hiding away in these decrepit sewers. “Stay aggressive and they should back off. If one gets too close I can take it.” He kept himself in a defensive stance, looking back and forth. “Check behind us, they’re sneaky. They set up ambushes; probably are setting one up right now.” Joel swallowed his spit, trying to steady his breaths so he didn’t use up his gas mask too fast. The sharp edge of his hatchet poked through the spores, Joel’s eyes firmly implanted forward still.

**Dot [Ellie]**

“Right, yeah... stay aggressive... got it,” Ellie spoke in a hushed voice, the sudden sense of fear that’d jolted through her system moments ago still coursing through her veins. She turned to glance down the sewer behind them, squinting to make out anything in the darkness. So far, she couldn’t make out anything. Which was good... right? Or was that bad? She was too scared to ask which. *C’mon, you can do this. They’re just skittish, like a cat. Cats are like that, right?* She’d only ever read about cats, although she’d wished to see one show up on occasion, back when she was living at the school. Would’ve made living there a bit more *hospitable*.

She pulled out the knife again, nervously flicking it open and closed as they continued through the sewers, her eyes darting back and forth, looking for that *stalker* from earlier. So far, nothing.

**Dot [Narrator]**

[The croaking of the stalker continued to echo through the sewer tunnel, as if taunting them. Ten minutes passed with no incident, although it was starting to sound like they were being followed, the sound of the stalker continuing to be constant. Ahead, their side of the sewer ended abruptly, a plank was set out in between their side and the other. In between the two sides, the sewer floor was covered in about four feet of sludge, filthy and vile. If it got on their clothes, it’d be a bitch to get back out. There was only about a foot and a half of distance between where the board laid and where the sludge began. Whether or not the board was still structurally sound remained to be seen. Up ahead, the sewer tunnel forks off, taking an abrupt right turn. Trace amounts of light seemed to flow from the tunnel, indicating a potential exit.]

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel looked down at the board, the stalker still croaking and crooning behind them. Goose bumps rippled across his arms, hairs standing on edge as he stared down at the board. “We can’t turn back now. Come on.” He put one foot on the board. Sturdy so far, able to keep one dainty foot pressing against it. If it could support his weight however; that was a different story. He slung his pack over the gap first, hoping to keep the weight down a bit. The plank wouldn’t snap in two, there was no way it would snap in two...

**Dot [Narrator]**

[Surprisingly enough, the plank remains stable, making it easy for Joel to quickly cross the gap. Ellie followed shortly behind, before knocking the plank into the sludge with her foot. She looked up towards Joel.]

**Dot [Ellie]**

“That way it can’t follow us,” she replied, explaining herself. She figured it’d be the best option, after all, that sludgy shit looked deep. Maybe it’d just get stuck trying to get to them. Unless it could jump, but even then, it could potentially not make it. *Hopefully.*

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel nodded to Ellie, his expression under the mask grin. “That’s a good idea.” He approved of her idea; after all, it was a good one. She was smarter than she looked, smarter than Joel had originally given her credit for. Was he sorry about this? He supposed so, but he wouldn’t tell her that. “I think we’re almost out of this tunnel.” He took the lead, walking further down.

**Dot [Narrator]**

[The two made their way towards the turn in the tunnel, the light they’d seen before getting brighter as they continued. It seemed that the spores were slowly dissipating too, although still too much for Joel to remove his gas mask. As they continued down the new tunnel, the source of the light came into view, a half opened pothole. As they examined it, they could see the side of a brick building towering over the street above. They’d gone a while, now, so they should hopefully be out of the line of fire of the truck from earlier. All they had to do was head up and get their bearings.]

**Dot [Ellie]**

“Oh, thank you,” Ellie sighed, looking up at the pothole opening with what could be described as relief. If she ever had to go into another sewer again, it’d be too soon. They’d been lucky, for the most part, too. Ellie awaited Joel’s instruction, knowing that he’d only yell at her if she did something without asking him first, like back at the mechanic shop. With how things have gone since they got here, she’d rather just do what she was told anyway, as much as it pained her to think it. Joel, at least, knew what he was doing, and *hopefully* wouldn’t get them killed.

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel looked up at the pothole, eyes glowing behind the gas mask. “Alright. Ellie, I’m gonna have to hoist you up again, alright?” He looked at her, rubbing at his chin, before reaching into his pack, pulling out his old pistol. The one that he had gotten from Tess. It would be dangerous up there, up above. The hunters could be there, and without anything to defend herself other than a switchblade...

Joel extended the pistol out towards her. “Back there at the grocery store, just so we’re clear... it *was* either him or me.” He kneeled down with the pistol, pointing at parts of it. “This is the safety. Keep it on whenever it’s in your pocket or whenever you’re not using it. Even if the safety’s on, never point it at something unless you intend to shoot it. And always keep your finger off of the trigger, unless you have to fire your gun. Remember, this pistol’s only for emergencies, got it?”

**Dot [Ellie]**

Ellie’s eyes focused on the weapon being handed to her for one long second, taken aback that Joel was giving it to her, especially at how adamant he’d been about her not using one, and his outburst back at the convenience store. Gulping, she merely nodded, taking the weapon from him before pocketing it. “Okay.”

She looked up towards the pothole, looked like there was some sort of ladder built into the wall, but the bottom section of it was retracted. If Joel lifted her up, she might be able to just pull it down as she’s climbing up. Finally, she returned her gaze to Joel. “Okay, okay...” She let out a long breath. “Let’s do this.”

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel placed his hands together, and then they were under her foot and shooting Ellie up towards the pothole, ladder hopefully just in reach to pull down for him. With a heavy grunt, he lifted her up as far as she could go.

**Dot [Ellie]**

As Joel lifted her up, she reached out for the bottom rung, just barely managing to wrap her fingers around it. Grunting from the exertion, she used her feet to propel herself upward, managing to get a bit further up the ladder, before unlatching it from where it’d been locked. The ladder slowly fell to the floor with a faint metallic creak, before making a soft *clink* on the ground. Knowing that Joel would be following her up, Ellie continued to climb, pushing the pothole cover out of the way. She clenched her eyes shut as the sunlight blinded her, pulling herself over the lip of the hole and onto solid ground. The smell of old standing water filled the air, and she noticed another flooded street down the road. It might’ve been the same one as before, she wasn’t sure.

Once Joel joined her on the street, she took in their surroundings. In the distance, the bridge loomed larger than ever. They were close. A sign was in the distance, barely hanging onto the metal poles it’d been fastened to. Among a few city names was presumably the name of the bridge. *Fort Duquesne Bridge*.

“Looks like we’re almost there,” she said victoriously, a smile on her face. They were almost out of this hellhole. Just a hop and a skip away.

**Dot [Narrator]**

[Before Joel could respond to the Ellie’s comment, the sound of a truck filled the air, coming from a side street not ten feet up the road. The truck from earlier came into view, before stopping in the intersection ahead. They only had a few seconds before the men in the truck would see them.

Nearby, several dumpsters lined the street, providing the perfect place to take cover. Behind the dumpsters was what appeared to be a dilapidated coffee shop, the name half-faded away. If one squinted at it, they could read the words ‘Starbucks’. Joel would have to choose whether to hide behind the dumpsters, and seek shelter, or hide behind a car in the street, and hope to that the truck passed them by.]

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel’s eyes widened as the truck emerged into view, and he turned to look at the dumpsters lining the rotting coffee shop. He crouched down, leading Ellie towards the dumpsters and towards the building. “Goddammit.” He groaned, looking up at the store. “C’mon, we can wait there while the truck passes.” He walked to the back, looking for a door that would lead inside the now ancient building. Bricks hung from the wall, vines stretching up it as if they were trying to drag it down into the Earth. Finally, Joel uncovered the back door. Grabbing the handle, he twisted, pulling it open and letting Ellie in first before he himself joined her.

**Dot [Narrator]**

[Inside, Joel would find that the back entrance had been blocked off with tables and chairs, leaving the inside door completely unopenable without applying a lot of force, which would generate a lot of noise. The only area that was accessible from this side was a small restroom near the back exit. For now, it seemed that they were cut off from the inside, but would be able to hide from the truck until they drove away.]

**Dot [Ellie]**

As Joel tried to get the door open, Ellie watched the back entrance, hoping those bandits wouldn’t hear the noise and follow them here. Her hand hovered the pistol in her pocket, while she held the knife in her left hand. *‘For emergencies only.’* With how things might go, she was willing to bet an emergency was going to crop up at any moment, but she’d rather make sure it was the right time. Last thing she wanted was for Joel to have to take it back because she chose a poor moment. She’d only just gotten it, after all.

Finally, the door made a cracking sound, along with the sound of something scraping against the floorboards on the other side of the door, before it swung open. Ellie turned around to face Joel, preparing herself to enter.

**Kentucky [Joel]**

Joel moved past Ellie, nodding to her. “Alright. Stay down, they might be able to see us through the windows.” He pulled the hammer of his revolver back, eyes glaring forward as he walked through the store. *What waited for them in there?* He frowned, glancing back and forth, back and forth, continuing his walkthrough. He pushed into the kitchen now, past a weighty door and past ruined coffee machines.

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