The Last of Us Part 3 (fan fiction) Prologue

      He's always there, anymore.

      She doesn't dream; she relives the moments. So many bad ones, but one...That one. Snapping back into focus and she pulls the arrows out of the target. It's hard to keep from spacing out in total silence. No records played, no self-talk, no guitar. Just the void Dina left.

      Then there's him. He never leaves. Staring from the treeline. Sometimes his voice comes as a whisper. Sometimes he's, like that... The routine only reinforces the stubbornness of the memory. Snapping back, again, she looses an arrow. It misses completely. Groaning with frustration, she takes another shot of brandy. "Fuck."

      She hears some crows laughing off in the distance. "Ellie..." She jumps at the sharpness of his voice and turns around, to see nothing there. "You've got to find her. Now." She hears it again. "Where the fuck are you?!", she screams into the woods. "Answer me!", she screams again, only to hear the echoes.

      "Where are you?!"
      "I need you."

      She takes a final shot of brandy, wipes away her tears and heads back to the house. Three weeks since she left. Give or take. Days bleed together when you don't sleep. Slightly defeated but still not ready to give up, she picks up her guitar, and then sets it back down. Decides someone else's music is needed tonight. Something violent sounding. But fun.
      
      "Tomorrow." Trying to encourage herself, "Tomorrow, I'll go. I can't do this anymore. I can't just go crazy and one day say fuck it." Changing her mind again, she takes her guitar in her hand and slowly picks out the notes to his song.  Goosebumps raise up the hair on her neck. Then she hears it, there's a door slamming from the barn. Putting the guitar down she runs outside to see what's going on, grabbing her knife and shotgun along the way. Approaching the barn, she sees a light flashing around from inside. She reaches the barn doors and takes aim. Darkness.
      
      "Now!!" She spins and fires out of terror, stumbling backwards. Standing there is Joel, looking right at her. There's no blood, so he can't be real. "Go, now, Ellie!" He says with frustration. She gets up, begins to yell but stops mid-sentence; he's gone again. "God damnit!", she yells at the night sky.

      Storming through the front door, she grabs her bag and fills it with supplies. Grabs her weapons. Takes a couple shots, vodka this time. And heads out, looking back one more time. She may never be back, but who knows. Locking the gate she turns to face the distance. Takes a deep breath. And steps out.

      Back out, into the insanity. Back into the pain.