The Last of Us

Here’s what I know: Six months ago, life as I knew it changed.

At least I was guessing it was 6 months ago. After a while days and nights seem to just blend together.

It all started with a couple of weird news stories and then everything went to shit. The dead doesn’t stay dead anymore, not entirely. They rise up and eat and infect the living. I wish I was kidding, but I wasn’t. Our lives became a zombie movie. Everyone I knew was dead, at least I think they were. I was away at college in North Carolina when this… apocalypse hit. My family had been back in California.

Cell phones and the internet were donezo as well as tv and all other forms of communication, I think. I haven’t seen any signs of the military in months. In fact I hadn’t seen another living human in weeks, and even that was when the guy Brady, who I was trying to survive with, was eaten alive by a group of walkers.

I wasn’t sure if this was happening around the whole world, but if it wasn’t wouldn’t we have been rescued by now? Unless… this whole continent was quarantined, which scared me even more. That means there really was no way of living through this…

I tried not to think about that, and at least try and stay somewhat optimistic. I was alone now, optimism is all I had but it was hard to keep it. I hadn’t eaten or really slept in days. I hardly stopped walking, because stopping meant death, at least that’s what it meant now.

The good thing about being in a southern state when this happened; weapons. It was easy to find guns and ammo when it was legal to carry such things around everywhere. So when Brody and I raided houses, that’s what we looked for; ammo and guns, food and water. I’d taken a semester or archery in college and at the time it seemed pointless, but now I was eternally grateful. I somehow found a crossbow in my travels, and it was reusable ammo. Once you shot, and hopefully killed a walker (I refused to call them zombies) you could run over and pull the arrow back out. I also had a handgun on me, but I rarely used it. Mainly because the noise attracted the dead and ammo was scarce.

Brady and I had been on our way to New York when he was taken down. Rumor was there was a safe place for the living there. But I knew nothing was promised and not to get my hopes up anymore. There had been talks of other safe camps too, but by the time we got to one, it was already overrun with walkers.

But now I was alone, and had no other choice but to keep heading north to New York. I needed to find food and clean water soon too. I hadn’t come across any clean streams for a few miles and my water bottle was running empty. I tried to stay out of suburban areas as much as possible because that’s where most of the dead hung around, so I stuck to the outskirts and forest areas as much as I could.

At the last house I was at, where Brady died, I’d managed to find some boots that were more or less my size, and jeans that fit too. I’d grabbed an extra pair of jeans and socks and shirts, which are what took up most of the space in my pack. I tried to carry as light as possible, but I wasn’t sure when I’d see clean clothes again.

I was walking through woods when I came across a farm. Instinct told me to keep walking, but the thought of water and food was too strong of a pull. I sat out in the woods for a long time, trying to watch for walkers or any other life before I even thought about moving in. Aside from the dead, I also had to watch out for other people. These days, most people killed first, asked questions later. The last thing you wanted was someone taking what you were living off of.

Dusk was approaching when I finally decided to descend to the farm house. I hadn’t seen a walker or otherwise for over an hour since I sat myself in the brush. I needed good shelter to sleep too, my body was running on empty of everything and if I wasn’t careful it would give out on me when I needed it most.

I had my crossbow ready as I approached the house slowly. I kept looking at the fields around me, it would be easy for a walker to blend in and not be seen in it so I was trying to stay on my guard. But it was quiet, and I hadn’t seen a walker for a few miles, thank god.

“Drop your weapon!” a British accent yelled out. Or at least, that what it sounded like. A guy with a mop of curly hair stomped out of the house pointing a shotgun right at me, “I said drop your weapon.”

Fuck. I held up my hands in surrender and slowly put my bow down. When I stood up I felt a gun at my back and someone was grabbing the handgun out of my waistband. “Don’t move,” the one behind me said. Of all the ways to die in this new world, I was going to be taken out by two British douche bags. I kept my gaze of the one in front of me with the shotgun. It was nagging at me why he looked so familiar until it hit me who he was, but I wasn’t about to say anything. “Walk,” the gun nudged my back to make me walk forward. I wonder which one of these dicks is behind me. I couldn’t place his voice to his face but I knew it had to be one of the other five.

Seriously, what are the fucking odds?

“Who else is with you,” The one in front of me, who was obviously Harry fucking Styles, asked me.

“No one.”

He glared at me, “You think I believe that you’re by yourself?”

I shrugged, hands still in the air, “I don’t really care what you think, it’s the truth.” I was being forced up the stairs of the porch now. “Look, I’m sorry I trespassed on your area, just let me go and I’ll be on my way.”

Then someone else was walking through the screen door, a petite brown haired girl, “Harry, Louis what the hell are you doing? This isn’t how you treat people!”

“Things are different now El!” The guy behind me snapped. Still wasn’t sure who he was, or who the girl was either.

“I was just coming to see if the house had any water or food, I didn’t think anyone was here, I’m sorry. Just, please let me go.” I hated that I had to plead to them. But I had no other options if I wanted to live to see another day.

My shoulders sagged, I was getting tired of holding my arms up. I was getting tired of walking, I didn’t need them wasting the last of my energy.

“Harry,” The girl (El?) said in a warning tone. “Look at her, she’s exhausted. She’s not a threat.” Harry didn’t even bat an eyelash let alone move the gun. She then turned her glare at the one behind me, “Louis, I swear to god put the fucking gun down.”

The pressure of the gun at my back lessened, “Lou,” Harry said in a warning tone. His gaze turned back to me, “Have you been bit? Scratched?” I shook my head. Would I be walking around if I was infected? Yeah right.

“Haz,” Louis said, “I think El’s right, I don’t think she’s a threat. She’s alone and she surrendered quite fast.”

Harry’s shoulders relaxed a little, the gun lowering only slightly, “Fine. But you leave your weapons.”

“What?” I squeaked. “That’s pretty much ensuring my death.”

No one said anything. There I stood with two guns pointed at me, front to back, between two boy band members and some chick and night was approaching fast.

“You guys are fucking twats,” El said before pushing Harry and his gun out of the way and was standing in front of me. She grabbed my hand, “Come on,” she said before grabbing my hand and pulling me into the house.

“Eleanor!” Harry barked, “You can’t just invite complete strangers in!”

“Oh sod off Haz!” She pulled me into the living room, the house was really nice inside surprisingly. I hadn’t seen a nice, clean house, since before this all started, “Sit,” she said gesturing to the house.
I obeyed. Simply because I had no other choice, the gun toting boy band was storming into the room. I eyed my crossbow that was now in Harry’s hands. “Eleanor,” Louis hissed, “What are you doing?”
She sighed dramatically looking at the boys in front of us. I noticed they all looked very clean and well shaven for being in the situation we’re in. “Louis, look at her! She was hardly standing on her feet outside! She’s alone, the least we could do is offer her some food and a shower.”

“You have running water?!”

“The house is hooked up to a well,” Harry said, his jaw clenched. He turned back to Eleanor and Louis, “We’re not sharing any of the food.”

“We’re on a farm. You said it the other day, we have enough resources to last us a good amount of time. What’s one more mouth?”

“Harry, she’s got a point,” Louis interjected.

“Are you serious right now? We don’t’ know this girl! She could kill us in our sleep and steal everything we’ve got.”

“Whoa, slow down there One Direction, I’m not down to kill anyone except walkers.”

Everyone in the room turned to me then, “You know who we are?” Eleanor asked.

I shrugged, “I know who these two are, not you, but I’m guessing by your accent you’ve been with them before this all happened.”

“I’m Louis’ bird,” she said.

Harry eyed me suspiciously, “You’re not some crazed fan are you?”

I scoffed and rolled my eyes, “No, not even close. I don’t think there was anyone on the planet that didn’t know who you were. And even if I was a crazed fan, I think you know, trying to survive this insanity would out rule meeting 2/3rds of One Direction.” I sat back against the couch, it was really comfortable compared to the crowned I’d been resting on these days, “If I were too choose, I would have loved running into The Wanted. Where’s the rest of you anyway?”

They all winced, “We got separated about a month ago,” Louis said. “A massive group of those zombies showed up and we all got pushed in other directions.”

Harry sighed dramatically before throwing himself down in the rocking chair in front of me, “Look, since you seem to be staying,” he glared over at his two friends, “Let me at least check your bag.”

I rolled my eyes and pushed to towards him, “Go for it.”

“And,” he continued, “I’d feel better if you’d let me keep your weapons. At least for the night.”

I glared at him, “Are you nuts? You want me to, not only trust you, but give up my only means of defending myself if a walker comes in here?”

“If it makes you feel any better,” Louis said, “We haven’t seen any walkers since we got here.”

“Which was over a week ago,” Eleanor offered. “By the way, I’m Eleanor,” she officially introduced.

“What is your name?” Harry asked. He was going through my bag now, carelessly throwing the clothes, I had neatly folded, aside.

I glared at the mess he was making of my things, “Payton,” I sneered.

“Oh, like One Tree Hill!” Louis beamed.

I smirked, not expecting that, “Yeah I guess.”

“Can we focus?” Harry snapped. “Look, you can stay with us, but you’re going to have to earn the trust. So for now, we’re keeping your weapons.”

I stared at him and the other two as I took in his words and calculated the probability of survival with them. They hadn’t seen any walkers since they’d been there. They had food and water. Shower! Plus there was strength in numbers, and a group of 4 was a good number. Really, I’d be stupid to pass up this offer. “Okay,” I sighed, “Fine. I’ll earn your trust. But I wear if a walker comes-”

“You can have your bow back,” Harry cut me off.

“Now that that’s settled, I’ll show you where you can take a shower,” Eleanor said beckoning for me to follow her. I glanced at the boys before I did.

“We don’t use hot water,” she was saying as she led me up stairs, “it saves energy.”

“How do you have energy?” I asked as she walked into the master bedroom.

“This place has a generator,” she explained. “There’s towels under the sink. They’re clean, I washed them. Take your time, I can imagine you haven’t showered in a while, no offence.”

I shrugged, “Not really much options out there.”

She nodded, “I’ll bring the clothes that were in your bag up for you. We’ll eat once you’re out.”

She went to leave before I touched her arm lightly, “Eleanor?” She looked at me expectantly, “Thanks.”

She smiled, “No problem. Now please, shower,” she smirked.

*****

This place was made to run on its own. It had a working well for the water source, a generator, it had a nice can food stockpile in the cellar and an abundance of vegetables growing on the land.
It wasn’t a very big house, just a kitchen, cellar, living room and two rooms upstairs.

Once I was showered, Louis and Eleanor gave me a tour of the place and explained all this to me. Harry stayed outside, keeping watch apparently.

For dinner, which was a baked potato, canned green beans and peaches, we all sat at the little table in the kitchen. “Where were you guys when this whole thing happened?”

“New York. We made a stop there for a gig, and a few days off when it happened,” Louis explained.
“We got separated from everyone and it was just us and Liam, Niall and Zayn until a month ago when we told you were we separated,” Harry said. He was still on edge with me, I could tell.

El nodded, “We’re trying to get to California now. We heard there was a city for the living there. A safe place.”

“Are you sure it’s real?”

“Are you sure it isn’t?” Harry snapped.

“Well no,” I said tentatively, “I just know that the few ‘safe cities’ I’ve come across had been overrun by the dead.”

“Well that’s all the hope we got,” Louis said, “We have no other choice.”

“We were on our way when we found this place,” El said as she finished her potato. “We stopped here to rest and get our barrings. We just didn’t know it was so well stocked.”

“You were headed to California from New York?”

“I know it’s a far trek,” Harry butted in, “But we have no other options.”

I nodded, “Know I get that, it’s just… you’re headed in the wrong direction.”

They all looked at me confused, “What? How do you know?” Harry asked.

I sighed, “What state do you think you’re in right now?”

“We were hoping Illinois,” El said.

I shook my head, “No, you’re in Virginia.”

“Are you sure?” Louis asked.

“I’m positive. I passed the welcome sign a few days ago when I was still walking the highways.” I ate a green bean, “You’re heading south, you should be heading east.”

“And how do you know which direction is which?” Harry asked.

“Well you could just pay attention of where the sun rises and sets. Or you know,” I reached into my pocket, “You could use a compass,” I passed it to the moody boy in front of me.

“See, this is why we need her,” Louis smiled. Harry glared.

“I also have a map,” I threw in. Mostly to piss off Harry.

“You can read a map?” Eleanor explained. Wow were they unprepared.

I shrugged, “This guy I was with taught me.”

“What happened to him?”

I looked across the table at Harry. Surprisingly, he was without a glare and just had genuine curiosity. “He died,” I shrugged, “It happens, obviously. Almost everyone is.”

“You shouldn’t think like that,” He said looking me dead in the eyes. “Where’s the hope and will to live if you don’t think anyone’s alive?”

I shrugged, “Do you think this is happening everywhere?”

“I think so,” Louis winced. “There were weird happenings in London before all this too.” Shit/
I shook my head, “I don’t understand why or how this is all happening.”

“Some insane disease,” El commented.

“But how’d it start?” I argued.

“When Hell is full,” Harry said getting all our attention, “The dead will walk the earth.”