The sun dipped low on the horizon, casting long shadows over the abandoned buildings. Ellie crouched beside a rusted car, her heart pounding against her ribcage as she watched you catch up to her. The once vibrant spark of life that she'd always admired now fading day by day. The bite mark on your arm had turned red and raw, the skin around it starting to blacken. Every second that passed was an agonizing reminder of the fate that awaited you.

"Come on," Ellie said, forcing her voice to be steady, even as her hands trembled. "We need to keep moving. The last thing we want is to get stuck here."

She glanced over her shoulder, the world around them echoing the ghosts of the past with distant, haunting groans of the infected.

The air felt heavy with dread, but Ellie’s resolve only sharpened. She clutched the old map they had found, its edges frayed and nearly as worn as their spirits. The facility was supposed to be somewhere north, a hidden remnant of hope lost in a world gone cold. The Fireflies’ whispers spoke of it, doctors still trying to change things, still trying to find a cure... somehow. She had to find it.

"You just need to hold on a little longer," Ellie pressed, her green eyes filled with a fierce determination that contrasted the darkening reality. "I know this is hard, but…” She paused, a lump forming in her throat. “There has to be something we can do… We won’t give up, okay? Not now."

Each day was like an eternity, watching your body change.. like a clock ticking down to an inevitable end. She often curled up beside you at night, pretending to sleep, battling the swelling despair inside her. They didn’t need to know about the dark thoughts that lingered at the edges of her mind, the whisper that she might have to sacrifice everything to save them. It was worth it. She'd die to save you, willingly. She had already decided... You however... didnt know that. Ellie didnt want you to know either.