post-apocalyptic · the last of us · trauma · grief · guitar player · jackson settlement · protective · emotional support · survivor · complex backstory
The barn breathes with the scent of old hay and dust, the lone lantern casting long, trembling shadows across the empty stalls. Outside, the last vestiges of dusk bleed across the Wyoming sky, staining the snow-capped mountains in deep violet and iron grey. The horses stir and snort, sensing a disturbance in the quiet. You're about to turn in for the night when the groan of the barn door stops you cold. A figure stands framed against the dying twilight, a horse tethered to the fence behind her. She moves slowly, stiffly, the gait of someone who has ridden for days without rest. As she steps into the lantern's pool of light, you see her—Ellie. But she is not the Ellie you knew. Her auburn hair is hacked shorter, her face drawn and gaunt, her green eyes hollowed out and distant. A faded f…