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pedroacrossthestreet · 3 months ago

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The Last of Us - Series 1, Episode 5

Endure and Survive

Trauma of episode 3 wasn't enough for ya? Well buckle up...

FEDRA has been overthrown and lawlessness has taken hold. Henry tries to protect Sam by telling him to look at him rather than the chaos that surrounds him, much like how Joel tried to protect Sarah in the first episode.

Henry gives Sam a mask to wear to hide behind, hoping that it helps to lessen some of his worries. This reflects the way in which Henry put on a brave face for Sam earlier, how Joel masks his feelings behind a tough exterior.

When approaching danger, Henry opts to give Sam a gun, differing from Joel in his reluctance to arm his ward. He does, however, ensure that Sam is holding the weapon correctly in a similar way to how Joel had taught Ellie in the previous episode.

Those core muscles are all Pedro's when he sits up, poor Joel would not be able to do that.

Henry is the opposite of Joel. He's non violent, but he has got where he is by using a facade of violence. He uses his own mask to appear stronger than he is.

Joel once again places himself at the front of the group, holding Sam back even though he only met the child a few hours ago. He shows such disdain for helping others and yet he can't help but take on the role of father figure.

Ellie and Sam are allowed to be children for a while and Joel begins to soften towards Henry now that he has begun to reconsider the reasons Henry might've had for being a collaborator. The concept of Good and Bad people is discussed. There is no black and white answer, it seems, although Henry has already declared himself as Bad in the same way that Joel and Tess believed themselves not to be Good. The audience is reminded that there are no absolutes in life.

Suddenly, Joel stops before he shoots the old man. He offers him a way out, but doesn't hesitate to kill him when he doesn't surrender. Previously, Joel wouldn't have hesitated to kill the threat, but it appears that Henry has influenced his decision making.

Joel and Henry make peace with each other, bonding over the pressure of being protectors. Joel decides to let them in, an offer that would entail him taking on yet more responsibility and introduce two more people to rely on him. Once again, Joel lets his guard down and tragedy happens almost instantaneously.

Ellie says "do I not look scared?" whereas Henry asked Sam "do I look scared?" in the beginning of the episode. Ellie assumes that Sam can tell that she's frightened and proceeds to reassure him that he's not the only one whereas Henry tried to fake his courage to inspire Sam to feel the same.

The first person Henry hurts is his brother, the epitome of vulnerability.

Joel feels responsible to bury Sam and Henry. Did he do it for Ellie's benefit, or because his own humanity is returning?

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penvisions · 2 years ago

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return the favor {chapter 14}

Pairing: Joel Miller x Reader

Summay: Kansas City keeps throwing curveballs at your group, but the city limits are thinning and it looks like you'll all make it out.

Word Count: 2.6k

Warnings: canon typical violence, canon compliant deaths, gore, description of injuries (not explicit)

A/N: this is a bit of a smaller chapter, to help me get back into the motions with this fic. i think i psyched myself out with this fic due to how serious i set up the story line and how to the book i'm keeping it (for the most part), so to speak. but also like, the hoard scene is just really beautifully done in the show and i didn't want to mess it up but rushing through it, i really wanted to display that reader an Ellie are capable of taking care of themselves under pressure.

please let me know what y'all think! and thank you for taking the time to read!

ao3 link || series masterlist || main masterlist

There was a large creaking of metal filling the night air before the truck that had crashed began to teeter in its spot as if it was on the cusp of a cliff. The quake of earth giving way caused you to stumble, your foot coming off of Perry’s neck as everyone turned their attention to the source of the sound. The truck swayed where it was half crashed into the house it had served into, the sound of metal grating on metal making your head throb. Before it could even fully tip forward you took a step to distance yourself further from it. Kathleen didn’t seem to notice as she was completely focused on the movement of the truck. It disappeared with a crumble of earth into the ground completely, a sink hole having opened up in the house as a result of the crash or had already been forming over time and had given way from the weight of the vehicle.

A feeling of cold dread shot down your spine at the quiet rumbling of that sounded from the dilapidated structure when silence would’ve been the natural progression once the vehicle settled below the ground. Whispers of snarling ignited goosebumps along the entirety of your body and you were stepping back further the more intensely they grew.

You were quickly leaning down and helping Perry up from where he was still pinned beneath your weight. He didn’t tear his eyes away from the rumbling and now alarmingly low roar of voices that was beginning to flood the air, though his hands grasped at your good one as he stood. He continued to face the house, as did everyone, the sound could only mean one thing….

Your motions were quick to retrieve your guns from the ground, placing them back in their respective holds and you had only managed two or three steps toward where you had been hiding and where your machete was abandoned on the ground when a crowd of rotted bodies all but exploded out of the sinkhole opening. Your heart caught in your throat and your nerves felt like they were buzzing, but you didn’t let the fear halt you. You let it fuel you. You broke out into a run, scooping up the machete from the ground and shouted for Ellie as loud as you could, hurting your already hoarse throat.

You swung as hard as you could at the two runners closing in on you, Ellie’s back to you as she tried to help guide you away from them in a relatively safe path through the utter chaos that had exploded. A shot rang out close and took out one of advancing figures. You lunged and landed the blade of your machete in the side of the second one’s head, the squelching sound bringing a wave of nausea over you that you pushed down.

You turned around and ushered Ellie toward a vehicle, silently telling her to hide in the confines as more figured descended on you. Two of them fell to the ground, shots smoking at the apex of their foreheads telling you how they were downed. As you looked up, your eyes connected with Perry across a small distance. His rifle was raised, and it was obvious he had helped you. You nodded at him, an understanding blooming between you. It was all circumstantial, if he had encountered you out beyond the walls or even within them and Kathleen hadn’t painted you as a threat, he would’ve tried to help you. Just as you would’ve tried to help him.

Ellie fell to the ground when one of the figures you were fighting turned and set its sights on her, grasping for her. You cursed under your breath as you felt a sting on your own arm, one of the clickers in front of you getting a good deal closer than you were comfortable with as your attention had been focused on her. You shouted over your shoulder at her to crawl, to crawl and keep low, keep vigilant and get to the damn vehicle and lock the doors. There was a shot that rained down and took the clicker crawling after her out, allowing you a short lived moment of relief as you tried to thin the hoard.

Precise shots rained down on any threat that got too close to you or Ellie. You knew Joel was trying to help in any way, the guilt of not being able to do so down on the ground in the trenches of the chaotic scene was probably eating away at him. It was better for him to be up in that house, away from all of this.

It was terrifying.

Time seemed to be moving in slow motion, everything seemed to draw out in long seconds. But it was also moving at an alarming speed, making your head spin as you focused on the task of getting Ellie to safety. She was running from the vehicle you had shoved her toward nearly careening into you in her haste, frantic. Bodies dropped as she made her way toward you. You saw a glimpse of the small Infected figure now trapped as it clawed desperately at the glass of the windows. The sound of its nails and fingers breaking against the glass were focused in your ears and it made you shudder. You ushered her close to your side, guiding her hand to grip a strap on your pack.

You weren’t near the crowd that had tried to ambush you. They had dispersed quickly, instincts taking over revenge. Haphazard shouts of orders barely registered

Shrieking hit your ears harshly and you spun around to see both Henry and Sam being pulled from underneath a car by a small form of Infected. You and Ellie both rushed over, your machete swinging wildly as you tried to clear a path. The revving of an engine was loud as a car came out of nowhere an you pushed Ellie away from you toward the boys, throwing yourself to the ground just in time to avoid the speeding vehicle. Inside the driver was being torn apart, blood splattering against the inside of the windows in a gory display.

You scrambled up and reached for the legs of one of the figures clawing after Sam, pulling it toward you and setting your blade into the back of its head. Ellie managed to stab the one that had done the same to Henry, dragging the man from underneath the truck and had been about to sink its teeth into his back.

“Let’s go, now! Kids in front. Run!” Once they were freed, though they were injured much the same as you and Ellie, you ushered everyone ahead of you. You all moved down the street, off to the main path of asphalt to avoid being easy targets. “Run as far as you can and do not look back! Joel will meet you if we can’t!”

They were about to break into the line of trees surrounding the neighborhood when a figure appeared behind you, yelling at you to stop. You turned on your heel, the gun in your body holster in your hands and the machete being secured to your pack in a breath. Kathleen stood before you, the scene of what she caused playing out behind her in a sicky ironic way. She had fought so hard for revenge, to find justice that she had damned the very people who had been looking to her for guidance and were willing to help her achieve her goal.

She was closest to you, the kids and Henry further back but sill too close to her for your comfort.

“I can’t let you go, you took everything from me.”

“I didn’t take shit from you, Kathleen. You got greedy and damned yourself.” You held your gun with its last few shots just as adamantly as she was holding hers to you. Mirroring each other in a bubble of intense silence as chaos continued to reign all around. You felt the presence of your group behind you, and you silently urged them to step back with a short nudge of your head, not daring to take your eyes off the dangerous woman in front of you. If they could just breech the tree line, they would be that much safer.

Your eyes caught movement over her shoulder the same moment Ellie let out a quiet gasp.

Behind her, the same small Infected that had stalked Ellie was climbing over an abandoned vehicle, its head inclined toward Kathleen.

You had the passing thought to fire on her in a moment of sympathy, to save her from the intense and panicked death that she was sure to have. You even went as far as to lift up your gun higher, just as the small form lunged at her but her words of children deserving to die rang through your mind and you lowered it. Joel was behind you suddenly, having made sure everyone had begun to move before he approached you where you were rooted in your spot. The violence of Kathleen being torn apart and her screams holding you still.

“This way now! Move!” You heard his orders but they were muffled as if you were underwater, your gaze locked on the sight in front of you.

Joel reached out and placed a hand tight on your right shoulder gently, calling your name softly but no less urgently.

“We gotta go. Don’t wanna get mixed in this anymore than we already have.” His voice held a weird timbre, as if he was barely able to get the words out, they sounded forced from his chest. He needed to get everyone to safety, he needed to get you to safety.

Your eyes snapped back into focus, and you turned to look up at his worried face. He reached up and wiped away the tears you didn’t know you had been crying.

“C’mon, we gotta go.” You followed him, hands clasped tight together as you both ran to catch up with the rest of your group.

The tears wouldn’t stop flowing, the pain in your arm was too much, your vision was blurring and going black at the edges, your eyes refusing to focus. Your tears had quickly waned from those of horror and sadness of the city’s downfall to that of your own personal pain.

“I gotta stop, I think I’m doing more damage to it the longer I don’t do something about it.” Your voice was hoarse from your frantic cries when the injury had happened.

“I don’t know how to help.” Joel’s voice was rough, panicked beneath the crumbling resolve of trying to remain calm for you, for everyone as you tried to get as far away from the hoard as possible. His hands hurt where he clenched a gun, the metal hot with the heat of his stress and anxiety. His other one still holding tight to your good one.

You all had managed to put some distance between the absolute horror show of what had just happened and were all crowded in front of what used to be an apartment complex or a motel, it was hard to discern. The only thing that everyone knew for sure was that you were on the outskirts of the city limits, there were more highway junctions and open fields than condensed buildings and neighborhood streets.

“We just need to find somewhere safe, let’s clear this building and just…hunker down for the night.” You tried not to noticeably sway on your feet, but you think you failed as you felt Ellie’s small hands grasp at you. She was wrapping her arms around your sides, body offering support on your right side, careful to not knock your left shoulder or arm at all, your broken arm still held close to your chest. You couldn’t feel anything below your elbow and anything above that was throbbing.

“I’ll help anyway I can, but that really doesn’t fucking look good.” Ellie’s face was worried, eyes wide with panic. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the white of the bone sticking up through your skin despite it making her slightly nauseous. Joel snapped his fingers, the sound breaking her focus on the sight of your injury. She looked to him, trying to school her expression but she didn’t think she succeeded. His frown was a touch too loose to be intimidating.

“I know a little from helping the doc, but not much.”

“I think…” You let out a shaky breath, not sure if the hysterical laughter bubbling through the air you heard was your own or one of your companions. It was unnerving, regardless of who was making the weird sound.

“You can’t even stand up straight, you think you can patch it up?” Joel’s voice loud in your ear, you weren’t sure when he had moved so close, but his body was a hard line against yours. His own replacing Ellie as she now stood slightly off to the side, close to Henry, the two holding hands as they tried to keep their heads in such a situation. He was genuinely asking, not trying to make you feel lesser for being so out of touch now that adrenaline was fading from everyone.

“I have some stuff in my pack.” Your words were slurred, black spots popping up and making it hard to focus. You felt yourself sway again, his chest coming to support your back, arms secure around you as you felt the adrenaline drain from your body completely. Your head lulled back, knocking into his shoulder with a thud as it was suddenly hard to keep it level.

“But can you concentrate? I don’t think any of us know enough to help.” Joel’s voice was wrecked though he was still trying to school in his emotions, he didn’t like this, he really had no idea how to fix a bone that was broken through flesh. Surgery would be his first guess, but they were twenty years too late for that to be an option. You shoved off from him, feet scuffling as you tried to keep your balance as a flash of energy rushed through you at the sound of his voice.

“I can take care of it, just give me a damn minute!” You shouted, bringing up your good hand to rake through your loose hair. You could tell you were shaking with how spent your body was, ready to just pass out and be done feeling anything for a moment. You felt hot tears spill over your lashes in another wave, hand firm on your forehead as you tried to collect your thoughts. Ellie called out your name, making you open your eyes and look over to her.

“We just want to help. We just don’t know how and you’re shaking.” Her brow was furrowed, eyes wide as she tried to keep her arms to herself. She hoped her pleading eyes would be enough to convince you to let everyone help, you were so quick to do so for them. “I know you’re not trying to, but you’re scaring me.”

“She’s goin’ into shock.” Henry’s voice was quiet, him not wanting to impose on the already emotional situation.

You opened your mouth to retort but a particularly sharp, hot pain reverberated from where the bone was ripped through your skin, your words drowned out by a stuttering breath before your vision faded completely and you felt yourself begin to crumble where you stood.

“Shit!”

“Don’t let her land on her arm!”

“Joel, catch her!”

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