Facing the Final Frontier: Joel and Ellie's Journey to Save Humanity

Joel stood up and looked around. The sun was at the midpoint of the sky, starting to dip slightly.

"We've been here for a while," Ellie said. She held up a hand to shield her eyes from the sun. "I'm thirsty."

Joel set his rifle down and walked to a nearby tree, reaching into a pocket of his jacket and pulling out two apples. He tossed one to Ellie, who caught it with ease.

"Is that what you're eating today?" she asked.

Joel shrugged. "Yeah. I don't want to waste anything we find."

Ellie took a bite of the apple. "You're a smart man, Joel."

Joel smiled, taking an apple for himself. "Thanks, kiddo."

The two sat quietly for a few minutes, each of them staring out into the distance. The sun was beginning to set, and the forest was growing darker.

"Joel," Ellie said after a while, "do you think we'll find the Fireflies?"

Joel shrugged. "I don't know. We've been traveling for days, though. If they're here, we'll find them."

Ellie nodded. "That's good. I wouldn't mind seeing Marlene."

"You've met Marlene?" Joel asked, surprised.

Ellie nodded. "Marlene is my friend. She's the leader of the Fireflies in Everett. I miss her." She sighed. "I miss it. I miss home."

Joel didn't respond. He picked up his rifle and stood up. "Alright, kiddo. We should get moving."

Ellie nodded, biting into the apple again. "Alright."

The pair began walking through the woods once more. The sun had set, and the moon and stars were shining brightly. They'd been walking for another hour when they heard it - a low moan of a human voice.

"Shh," Joel whispered, holding up a hand.

He and Ellie moved silently towards the sound. It was louder now, and sounded like it was coming from a clearing up ahead. Joel gestured for Ellie to stay behind him, and the two moved forward slowly.

Joel peered around a tree, looking into the clearing. A man was lying on the ground, moaning and thrashing on the ground. A small horde of creatures was surrounding him, some of them jumping on him and biting into his arms and legs. He let out a louder moan, and then went silent.

One of the creatures reached down and bit into the man's neck. The rest of them jumped on the dead man, tearing at his flesh.

Joel turned away. Ellie was standing behind him, watching the scene in horror.

"I... I..." she stuttered.

Joel shook his head. "It's alright, kiddo. We're leaving this place."

"But... but...," Ellie said, "we have to help that guy."

Joel sighed. "Ellie, that guy is already dead. I'd be surprised if he hasn't been dead for a few weeks. Those things can live off of a corpse for a long time, you know. There's no saving him."

Ellie stared at the ground, tears welling up in her eyes. She shook her head. "I... I want to go back," she whispered.

"What?" Joel said.

"I want to go back," Ellie repeated. "I want to go back to Everett."

Joel looked at her, then at the clearing. His voice hardened.

"You know that's impossible," he said. "It's too dangerous to go back. We're going to find these Fireflies and that's final."

Ellie shook her head. "I want to go back," she said again.

Joel sighed. "Ellie..."

"I want to go back," Ellie screamed.

Joel brushed past her. "Well, you can't! We're going to the Fireflies, and that's final!" He turned to face her.

Ellie was gone.