Claire's Point of View

Ellie and I came across what seemed like a hotel. Garden Suites the grand set of double doors read.

"We'll cut through here into the hospital," Ellie explained.

We pushed open the door with all of our might since the other side had a barricade. It wasn't a good barricade by any means, so we were able to power through it.

"Alright," Ellie said as the door slammed behind us.

"I hope there's no infected," I said in response to the loud thud from the door.

"Either way, we'll be fine," Ellie reassured me as we moved through the space.

Ellie shattered a vending machine's glass cover, handing me the bar inside, "Here."

"Are you sure?" I asked her, hesitant to take it.

"I wouldn't offer if I wasn't," She said as she handed it to me.

"Thanks," I responded and she loosened her grip on the granola bar allowing me to take hold of it.

I opened my backpack, placing it inside. As I zipped it back up and looked up at her, she was smiling. She quickly turned her head, her smiling fading.

"What?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" She questioned.

"Nothing never mind," I shrugged assumed I was reading too deep into things.

The first room we came across was nice and clean. However it did seem abandoned unlike the apartment from earlier.

"Come," Ellie said as we entered a bathroom. She turned on the faucet, "Running water," She said.

"Yeah most of Seattle still has it," I explained. "Because there's still so many people here."

Ellie washed her face and her arms. I followed her actions, doing the same. It felt good after being drenched in the water from earlier.

"Nice and clean," Ellie smiled.

We raided the rooms. Eventually making our way to the last one. I followed as Ellie picked up a playing card, Doppelganger, the card read.

"What's that?" I asked Ellie.

"Oh nothing," She shook her head but her smile was wide. "Just these little playing cards. It's stupid I know."

"It's not stupid," I smiled. "They look nice. Do you like them?"

"Yeah," She smiled as she slid it into her backpack. I spotted a few more in the small compartment she shoved it in.

"Let's go," I said as we climbed through a window and onto a fire escape. "Oh the deja vu."

"Except we won't fall into dirty Seattle sewer water," Joked Ellie.

"I'm glad we got to clean up," I admitted.

"Me too," Ellie nodded with wide eyes.

As we walked up the fire escape, we entered a room through a window.

"Hey I'm sorry about earlier," Ellie said. "For not believing you back at the apartment. I should've listened to your warnings."

I was shocked by her sudden confession of guilt, "It's fine," I said. "We're okay now. Right?"

"Right," She said in agreement.

Ellie and I found a corpse with a note. Ellie and I read the note in astonishment, the man tried getting medication for his pregnant lover only to wound up dead.

"Sorry," Ellie whispered to the corpse as she picked up his medicine. "I need these more than you do now."

Ellie and I left the apartment, saddened by the man's note. It ruined the good mood between us both. But that's what happens nowadays, you can never be happy for more than a few moments. Because then, reality kicks in.

Ellie and I dropped off of the fire escape and onto the brick pathway. A banner with arrows read Disaster Recovery Center. "That must be for them hospital," I said.

"Finally," Ellie breathed out.

I smiled with a small laugh and followed her lead. We squished ourselves between a truck and a wall of a building. We squeezed through the tight space, throwing us into yet another wooded area. Which was also, infected by scars.

"No!" A WLF soldier could be heard in the distance. "Please! Don't do this!"

The red and orange amber glow from their torches can be seen from how close we were.

"Damn it!" Ellie called. "I just want to get to that goddamn hospital already."

"Isaac's planning something," The WLF confessed out of desperation. "I'll tell you about it. Just- Just let me- Listen-"

Instead, the scar ignored the WLF's pleas and began his cult speech, "They are nested with sin." Ellie looked back at me with big eyes. I nodded her snd gave her my I-told-you-so face. Ellie and I turned back to the scene to listen to the commotion.

"I didn't want this!" The WLF desperately sobbed.

"Free them.." The scar trailed off.

The WLFS cries grew louder as the scar continued his speech.

"Ellie we have to do something," I urged to her as I stood up.

She grabbed my arm instantly pulling me back down, "Are you fucking crazy?"

"What?" I whisper-yelled in return.

"Just wait it the fuck out," She muttered angrily.

"Ellie that's a whole person!" I shot back at her.

"It's too late, there nothing we can do. We'll just put ourselves in danger. Why do you have to be so adamant?" Ellie ushered.

I took a deep breath, giving in to her argument as I looked away from the gory scene. I couldn't just watch if I wasn't going to help.

"Now he is free," The scar said in a calm tone once it got quiet.

"Now he is free," Another confirmed.

"Now search for stragglers," The initial scar ordered.

I rolled my eyes knowing this meant we were going to have to fight them.

"May she guide us."

"Did you hear what Lily did?" A scar asked another.

"I did. Shameful. But not all that surprising," The other responded.

Who's Lily?

"Her sister, though.. I was shocked," The other scar replied.

Ellie and I were shuffling through the grass as we heard their conversation.

"Their poor mother," The scar friend replied. "She should have sensed that something was off, though."

Ellie and I were shuffling when a scar yelled in our face, "Straggler!"

"Shit," I called as I stood up and used my knife to stab them.

The whistles became urgent as they began blasting their arrows at Ellie and I. One perforated my thigh.

"Good fucking aim big guy!" I yelled back as I pulled the arrow out of my thigh and used it to the shoot the tall man in the head.

"Looks like we're doing this aggressive," Ellie smirked to me.

"Yup."

I was running head on into them, dodging as many arrows humanly possible. I grabbed a machete off a corpse and used it to slaughter several more.

After cutting through the woods, we stumbled upon a half-collapsed building. It was also infected with scars. This time, we stealthily took them out. We counted our luck on our first attack, and didn't want to risk it this time.

"These people are nuts," Ellie said we made our way out.

"Very," I agreed.

***

Ellie and I entered a store named Merci as we made our way to the hospital.

"Might have some good stuff," Ellie said.

"You think everywhere might have some good stuff," I played around with her.

"Yeah and I'm always right," She said.

"Shut up," I rolled my eyes.

"You can admit it. Don't be afraid."

Ellie and I approached a red door, getting ready to leave after scavenging around for a bit. But the door was nearly ripped off the hinges by a big brute scar.

Ellie and I were flown backwards by the rather large man. Ellie and I lied limp against the counter. The man stomped over to us and lifted Ellie up by her neck.

I had a sudden surge of energy seeing the man life Ellie. I jumped and grabbed my machete, slicing the man's abdomen as Ellie struggled to breathe. The man launched Ellie over the counter, she landed on the ground with a thud.

"You motherfucker!" Yelled Ellie as she stood on her feet.

He whistled, alerting his people that we were intruding.

"Fuck you!" I yelled as I swung my machete once again to stop him from going after Ellie.

He carried a large pickaxe, he turned around and swung it. I ducked below it, cutting close. Ellie ran across the store, shooting him with her rifle from afar.

I ducked and turned, now facing his back I used the machete to slice behind his kneecaps. His legs gave in but he was able to grab me by my neck and slam me onto the ground with a swift choke slam.

I was struggling to breathe as I gasped for air. His grip tightened and I reached my hands and wrapped them around his wrist. Ellie came up from behind him and used her pump shotgun to blast the back of his head in. "Got you, you motherfucker.." Ellie growled.

He fell forwards onto me, his blood leaking. I was soaked in his blood as Ellie moved him off of me. "Are you okay Claire?"

I was at a lost for words, "I- I- yeah.."

"Come on, we have to go," She said.

We moved into the room the red door led to, "I'll take them," Ellie said as she killed all the scars, clearing a path for me, still drenched in blood.

Ellie and I left the area and spotted a body of water. "Let's get you cleaned up," She said.

We walked over to the water. She grabbed a rag, lightly dampening it as she cleaned my face. Her face looked at mine as she concentrated on cleaning the blood, dirt, and grime off of my skin's surface.

"You're okay, right?" She asked as she ran her hand over my neck.

His hand's laceration marks were red and deep on my neck. I could feel as her fingertips ran over them.

"I think so," I nodded.

"Okay good," She said.

She pulled her hand away and leaned into my face a bit.

"What?" I asked, my face puzzled with confusion.

"Nothing," She shook her head and leaned back into herself. "Let's go."

***

We were now swimming in a lake between cut roads. The water was littered with lily pads that cling to the edges.

"Did you find her yet?" Asked a female WLF to another.

Who's her? The hospital was now in full view. The familiar Red Cross that Ellie had scribbled in her journal earlier was close to our faces. I'm sure Ellie was excited, but we were also both nervous. I hope everything went smoothly.

"She escaped while no one was looking," Explained the WLF's male friend. "We're searching the area.. just in case she's still around."

"Isaac's not happy about it," The WLF girl said.

"Escape? Who the fuck are they talking about?" Asked Ellie. "Do you know?"

"Isaac is the leader of the WLF," i explained. "I don't know who they're talking about though."

Ellie swam under the water as I followed. We poked our head up out of the water, revealing us being in what seemed like some sort of garage or workshop. I couldn't tell since it was halfway sunken beneath the water.

We continued swimming through the water eventually coming up behind a girl. Ellie looked over to me, she pulled her finger to her lips signaling me to stay quiet and to stay put. I slowly nodded my head.

Ellie climbed out of the water, switching open her switchblade with her right hand which she put to the girl's neck. Ellie's other hand ripped out her headphones, "Don't make a fucking sound," Warned Ellie. "Hands up."

I watched as the girl obeyed, her arms going up on either side of her, surrendering to Ellie.

"Easy.. Easy.." The girl tried calming Ellie down.

"You know a girl named Nora?" Asked Ellie getting straight to the point.

"Sure, yeah," The WLF cooperated.

"Where is she?" Interrogated Ellie.

"In the hospital," The girl whispered.

"Where in the hospital?" Ellie's responses were quick.

"They're c-clearing out the upper floors," Explained the girl. "She's somewhere in there."

Ellie began to lift her knife as she thought, letting her guard down, "Watch out El!" I warned as the WLF turned around grabbing her own knife and pointing it at Ellie.

I jumped out of the water in an attempt to help but Ellie didn't even need it. Ellie used to switchblade to stab the girl in her throat. The girls hands wrapped around Ellie's knife and I instantly had flashbacks of the brute choking me out and my hands around his neck. I dropped to the floor, placing my hands around my own neck as Ellie finished off the girl.

Ellie bent down to me and held me, "Hey Claire, you're okay. You're okay Claire, he's not here, you're okay."

My arms were around my neck as I struggled to breathe.

"Claire you're okay, you can breathe," She assured me. "Take a deep breathe."

I did as told and took a deep breath, shutting my eyes as I did.

"You're okay, come on, let's go," She said helping me up.

As I stood up I fell over, my balance was unsteady as she held me in place, her arms enveloping around me.

"We're almost at the finish line," She said looking over towards the exit doors. "We're almost there. You made it so far, we can do this."

I looked up at Ellie and nodded my head. She kept her arms wrapped around me as I nuzzled my head in her neck. She ran her fingers through my hair, "I'm sorry for everything Claire. For you're dog.. for taking you out of Hillcrest and almost killing you.. but I'm glad you came with me," She pulled away and looked down at me. "You're so strong."

I sniffed and nodded my head.

***

okay okay next chapter will be nora i'm so sorry if u think the journey is dragging i'm really just trying to build character development all while moving at a similar pace as the game.

also during the part where the scars are talking in the woods, i never realized they were talking about lev and yara. lev being lily. i realized because i follow jacksepticeye's play through and omg i love him so much

one more thing: please vote!! it helps out a lot

-bella<3

word count: 2403
EDITED