ELLIE'S SOFT GROANS could be heard in the backseat of the truck. She slowly started waking up, slightly opening her eyes and sitting up.
"W—What?"
Joel was driving the car with Y/N sitting in the passenger's seat. The smuggler looked at the girl through the rearview mirror.
"It's all right. You're with us." He reassured her. "Take it slow. The drugs are still wearin' off."
Knowing the men were still with her brought her a sense of relief amidst her initial confusion. She let out a breath and laid back down.
"I was with the Fireflies and then..." Ellie began. "What drugs?"
Joel looked ahead at the road they were driving down. Y/N was quiet, simply staring out of the window on his side. The older man explained.
"They were runnin' some tests on you...and some others. Turns out there's a whole lot more like you...people that are immune. Dozens of 'em. And the doctors, they couldn't make any of it work. They've actually..."
Joel paused for a moment. His son continued sitting in silence, not reacting to the lie his father had come up with. Strangely, he tried to force his mind into believing it...just to make everything more justified.
Joel finished. "They've stopped lookin' for a cure."
Ellie laid there, quiet. They could tell that she was disappointed to hear that the Fireflies gave up their pursuit of the cure. Everything they worked for...everything she endured...felt like it was for nothing.
"Where are my clothes?" She asked.
"Raiders attacked the hospital. We barely got ya outta there." Joel replied. "We'll find you some new ones on the way."
Ellie looked in Joel's direction. "Were people hurt?"
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
After a pause, Joel responded. "Yes."
The girl looked toward Y/N. She couldn't see his face because his seat was blocking her and he was facing the window.
She thought of the people the young man once knew and would often talk about, like Brent and Mike. It was terrible hearing that they were likely hurt too. The thought of it made her remember someone she knew as well.
"Is Marlene okay?"
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
