This is Not the Last of Us

Chapter 2

Joel and Ellie were both awkwardly seated across from the girl. She was carefully curled into herself and would occasionally go into a coughing fit. She turned away from them when she coughed, almost as if she was attempting to hide the fact that she was sick. It didn't take a genius to see the way she shuddered every time she coughed, or even the way she held herself as if to hold onto any warmth she could hold.

The three had been seated together for nearly an hour. She didn't request small talk from them, and they didn't expect it from her. Ellie played with her long sleeved shirt, staring at the heater.

"Are you two hungry?" She asked suddenly. Her voice was so quiet, almost as if she was afraid to startle them. It was a little coarse, most likely from the coughing, but her smile shined through it.

"Yes!" Ellie cheered in exasperation.

"No, we're fine." Joe cut her off. "Don't want to take what ain't ours."

The rain started a long time ago now; well over an hour. Joel had been right, it had barely taken 10 minutes after they got in for it to start pouring. But this also meant that whoever she was with had been out in the rain for over an hour, and Ellie and Joel were starting to have their doubts.

"So...," Ellie trailed off, deciding not to fight Joel over — most likely — some beans, "how long have your parents been out now?"

"They left shortly before you guys got here. They'll be back any time now." The other girl insisted quietly.

For a second, Ellie couldn't help but think that they had been dead for a while and this girl had just lost her marbles. But almost on cue, they heard a soft thud and then the sound of the window clicking shut, finally fully shutting out the sound of rain. There was the sound of rushed footsteps and the door was quickly ripped open by a young man, another one immediately behind him.

The two men stared at Ellie and Joel silently for a moment, but turned their attention to their daughter quickly.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" The one who had ripped open the door spoke. "Who are you... friends?"

"I'm alright. A bit lightheaded, but I'll be okay. This is Ellie and Joel, they're just passing through."

"That so?" The second man asked and studied Ellie and Joel. It didn't take long for them to see the Firefly dog tags hanging around his neck, but Ellie couldn't catch the name on them.

The first man, the shorter of the two, approached the girl and slid his backpack off. He smiled and felt her forehead. Even though he was soaked with rain and most likely freezing from it, his main point of concern was the girl in front of him. As he checked her for injuries or anything worth concern, it seemed as if nothing mattered to him.

"Wish we could have found a thermometer." He remarked softly, almost to himself. "You're still really warm... any chills?"

"Every once and a while, but I really am feeling better."

It didn't take a genius to see she was lying, but instead of calling her out, the young man smiled and shouldered off his backpack.

"That's good," her father said and opened a pill bottle, "I'm going to give you one of these, okay? It's a fever reducer. After this, we're gonna eat and then... why don't you rest for a while?"

"Okay." She smiled after taking the pill from him. She silently popped it into her mouth followed with a quick sip of water.

The other man was still standing by the door, his arms crossed. He was staring at the back of Ellie and Joel's heads so hard, they could practically feel the daggers, but neither of them commented on it. It wasn't hard to guess that he was carefully studying Joel and Ellie for any slip-ups. And Ellie had a feeling that a slip-up around him could possibly be fatal. Maybe he was waiting for a chance to kill them. An open window where his daughter wouldn't notice, and they would be too slow to react. Ellie couldn't help but feel suspicious of him, his behavior was definitely odd.