The Last of Us Shrinking

A New Beginning

Ellie stared at the estranged face of the man standing idly in front of her. “I swear,” he said. His words loomed in the tense air between them for what felt like an eternity. The unapologetic confidence with which the man she had so much admiration for had just lied to her face again! Ellie’s eyes welled with tears she refused to let fall. If he was going to go back to being hard and callous, then so could she. “Okay...” was the only word that made it out of her mouth. She wanted to say so much more, to scream at him that she knew he was lying, to demand that he tell her the truth or else. But nothing came up, and Ellie was left hanging as Joel turned to walk down the hill.

The vast city of Jackson sprawled out in front of the pair; a large clearing had been cut around its border with a massive wooden fence surrounding the city. The sight was intimidating for them both; Tommy’s endless bragging back at the plant hadn’t done this place justice. Ellie quickened her pace, feeling a familiar sense of attachment and clinginess to Joel as they got closer to the main gate. She paused before reaching the comfort of his arm and retreated just a few paces behind him. She couldn’t let up her display of independence, not now at least. A guardsman atop the gate aimed his rifle at the pair of survivors and ordered them to put their hands up. Ellie and Joel complied, awaiting the news of their arrival to reach Tommy and Maria. Right on cue, Tommy’s footsteps could be heard running up the stairs of the gate. Joel’s brother snatched the rifle out of the guard’s hands, and after chewing the poor man out, Tommy’s attention turned towards his brother. “Holy hell, it is good to see you two! Shit, I thought y’all might’ve been dead! Gimme a minute; I’ll be right down.” Tommy’s footsteps ran back down the metal stairs, and before long, the heavy wooden gate creaked open, welcoming its two new guests to their new lives.

Ellie watched as the two brothers embraced one another tightly. Their bond seemed so strong despite not having seen one another in such a long time. A sneaking sense of jealousy grew inside her as she stood awkwardly behind them and exchanged welcoming smiles with Maria, who came running from a nearby shop.
Once inside the walls, Jackson was a peaceful town with a wealth of small shops, bakeries, and bars. Lining the streets adjacent to them were townhouses in better condition than anything back in Boston. There were stables, grazing grounds for the horses, and fields of various crops chosen to be harvested year-round. Ellie remained silent as Joel spoke about their adventures at the university, how he had taken on two bloaters at once and survived. She surveyed the local shops they passed by instead. One sold large racks of jerky and fresh meat hanging on racks, while another sold refurbished clothing and shoes.

Her brain was torn in two. On the one hand, she couldn't help but feel prideful in Joel’s stories, how he bragged endlessly about how brave she was and the trouble she went through to keep him alive. On the other hand, she was still fuming with anger, not just because he lied, but because here he was strolling around like nothing had happened. This debate circled endlessly in her head as the group rounded a corner and walked up a narrow street to Tommy and Maria’s house. It was much larger than the others around it and had a cute garden greeting them as they walked up to the porch.
Still lost in her thoughts as they sat down for dinner, she failed to notice the hand being placed on her shoulder nor the words that followed. “You alright, kiddo?” Ellie looked up, dumbfounded, into Joel’s worried eyes. The absolute nerve of him to ask her if she was okay after all he had done! Ellie gripped the edge of her seat firmly and through gritted teeth slowly replied, “I’m fine, Joel.”

The rest of the evening went pleasantly. Ellie listened to the adults make small talk and discuss the way the town worked, all the while chowing down on the greatest beef stew she had ever tasted. The complex flavors washed over her awaiting tongue, each bite better than the last. Ellie gulped down her last spoonful of stew and felt a comforting sense of tiredness overcome her eyes. They had been traveling nonstop for almost a year now, and this would be the first time she wouldn’t have to worry about raiders or wake up at the crack of dawn.

“Alright, you two, time to see where we’ve got you for the night,” Tommy’s voice broke through the silence. “I’m going to stay back and work on dishes. See everyone tomorrow!” Maria shouted from the kitchen as her husband made his way to the door. “Thanks for the meal!” Ellie hollered back into the house as she followed the brothers back out to the street. Joel’s house was first. Its size was slightly smaller than his brother’s but was coated in fresh paint and had one of those large porch swings next to the doorway.

Ellie and Joel exchanged glances, and finally, Joel acknowledged the obvious. “You sure you’ll be alright living on your own?” He asked, looking down at the girl whom he loved more than anything but admitting so would be the death of him. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Ellie’s voice unintentionally mimicked her flippant tone from before. Either way, her words had a strong effect on the older man, and he nodded and made his way inside.

Following Tommy further down the street, Ellie still felt bad for leaving Joel hanging like that, but it wasn’t like she couldn’t come visit him every so often. They finally came to a stop at a less flattering house than the one before if you could even call it that. It had been a garage renovated into a functional home sometime in the past and seemed to fit her needs and small stature snugly. Saying goodnight, Ellie walked through her door and explored her new home. The interior was a little dusty and contained relatively simple furniture. She had a large bed in the corner with a small nightstand and dresser, a simple desk attached to an array of cabinets over what looked to be a functional stove. The middle of the room was split into a smaller bathroom area with no door and a comfy-looking sofa facing a TV and coffee table. Ellie plopped her backpack on the sofa, collapsed onto her bed, and fell asleep before her head reached the pillow.