The Last of Us: Part Thirteen

[Jessica Reed]

We re-join of intrepid heroes once again as the pair slowly trudge through the carnage of yet another desolate city. Jess lags a little behind, keeping a watch of their flank as Roberto clutches a map in his hands, trying to figure out where exactly they are.

Jessica Reed: Are you sure this is the right place?

Roberto Verona: Yes.

Jessica Reed: Positive?

Roberto Verona: Yes.

Jessica Reed: Really?

Roberto rolls his eyes and turns around.

Roberto Verona: Yes! I can read a map Jess!

Jessica Reed: Are you sure, I remember the road trips we used to go on…

Roberto Verona: Do you not think the huge “Salt Lake City” sign gave it away a little bit?

Jessica shrugs nonchalantly.

Jessica Reed: Maybe, but it’s a little… sparse…

The pair pause and stare around the ruins of a once great city, vines creeping up buildings, rusty cars littering the roads. Roberto sighs.

Roberto Verona: Maybe you’re right… but this is the place on the map.

Jessica kips up a little and pats Roberto on the back.

Jessica Reed: It’s okay, you’re doing your best old man.

Roberto Verona: Old man?

Jessica Reed: Hey, you’ve been blowing gas for weeks now in my wake.

Roberto raises an eyebrow as Jess giggles.

Roberto Verona: Have you forgotten the fact that most of my internal organs were exposed for a month?

Jessica Reed: So you’re making excuses now?

Roberto stands silently, a little dumbfounded. Jess clasps her hands behind her back, looking at the floor as she draws a circle with the tip of her toes.

Jessica Reed: If you’re so sure you’re not past it, prove it…

Roberto Verona: What’s gotten into you?

Jessica smiles.

Jessica Reed: Race you to the top of that building…

Suddenly Jess turns and begins to sprint towards a tower block, leaving Roberto shaking his head and smiling to himself before giving pursuit. Within a few seconds Jess has already disappeared inside the building leaving Roberto to burst through the door alone, staring up a flight of stairs where he can just about make Jess out. Grabbing the railings he begins to arduous climb upwards, quickly realising that he still has perhaps failed to recover from his injuries. Stopping for a moment to capture his breathe he forces himself to the top and he pushes open the door to the roof.

Roberto Verona: Okay, Jess, you win…

Roberto suddenly stops as he stares at Jess, who seems to be locked rigid in place by the side of the building, staring down.

Roberto Verona: Jess, are you ok?

Jess doesn’t answer.

Roberto Verona: Come on, don’t do anything stupid…

Jessica Reed: How can there be anything so beautiful with so much evil in the world?

Roberto looks at Jess in confusion.

Roberto Verona: What do you me-…

As Verona approaches her slowly he too suddenly stops in his tracks. Looking over the edge of the building Roberto looks down on the mystically calming scene before him. Amongst all of the undergrowth, as the sun trickles down softly, a small group of giraffe graceful navigate their way through the debris and a flock of tropical birds elegantly swoop around them, chirping with joy. Tears stream down Jess’ face as Roberto turns to look at her.

Jessica Reed: I can’t make the images go away…

Roberto Verona: You did what you had to do.

Jessica Reed: But it isn’t in my nature, Roberto.

Jessica points down at the ever increasing her of zoo animals.

Jessica Reed: That is my nature, carefree, laidback… happy. I’m not sure I fit in this world.

Roberto steps forward and wraps an arm around her.

Roberto Verona: On the contrary, you’re exactly what it needs. Survival isn’t a pleasant thing, but as long as there are more men like Cyrus in the world than people like you, sadly it’ll never change. The only way it will, is if you don’t.

Jessica smiles as Roberto pulls away, slowly lowering himself onto the edge of the building, his legs dangling towards the street below. He beckons Jess to follow him down, holding her hand for balance. As she gradually balances herself she lets her legs dangle too, kicking them gently against the side of the building as she slowly leans her head on Roberto’s shoulder, the pair watching the animals walk across the square.

Are.

You.

Kidding.

Me?

What in the hershies just happened? A pinfall victory over Katherine Lockheart? Well, if you can call it a victory. That was my mystery guest? What is going on in this company? I know everybody lines up to smack Roberto in the face, but I’d never really wanted to do the same to Miss Lockheart.

Who’s bright idea was that fiasco?

I’ve never been this mad since the day my dad “accidently” sold my Mega Drive collection. Yeah, like I am meant to believe he thought they were bookends. He’s old, not senile. Seriously? What is going on in the minds of the Boards of Dictators?

Directors.

Shut up, it was a clever pun and for once entirely intentional. October Revolution was completely humiliating for me, for Katherine and the entire Diamond’s division. Don’t believe me? Your champion just pinned a defenceless women, the Head of the Division just got made to “humble” herself in front of millions and the rest of you were shunted to the dark show!

This is a disgrace!

Not only that, but this whole idea that I am some corporate chewtoy is really starting to find some traction. I read you some tweets last week, I honestly can’t in good faith subject your children to the ones I had waiting for me after the show on Sunday. They’d make a sailor blush, like a really big burly one.

Plus, I still have got the Coke and Mustard out of my hair, thanks a lot for that one guys. Can’t you throw something a little cleaner in the ring?

I don’t know what your game is, Simon, but let me make this quite clear, on live television, to what remains of my fanbase. I do not want to be the face of the women’s division who gets ahead on her name and not her ability. Have you got that or do I need to put it on a t-shirt to make you pay attention.

Actually, don’t answer that.

Grrrr, I can’t believe this. My life has gone from this super awesome dream to a complete an utter nightmare in the space of a fortnight and the worse part is, I really don’t know how I am meant to stop it! Normally I’d challenge my opponent to a PvP duel, but that’s really not an option with Simon…is it?

No.

Spoil sport. It’d be much easier to just cut him down with my Level 36 Jedi, in fact it’d be rather apt. I’m just hoping we don’t find out Simon was my father all along, because that’d just be creepy. Who’d want Bernard as a brother?

You know, Izzy, normally I’d be really hyped to be able to slap you around a ring because I still haven’t forgiven you for what you did to Bertie and my sister, but this week, I am actually quite wary. Now before you get excited it’s not because I am afraid of you, even though you’re much more talented than your standing in the company suggests.

No. I simply don’t trust Simon not have you gagged and bound or something on a train track whilst he twirls his impressive moustache and laughs like a super villain. It sounds implausible, but after what happened last weekend I really can’t say with confidence that it won’t happen.

I’d love to think this would be a fair contest between two good wrestlers with contrasting styles, but I am fully aware that it will much more likely descend into a total farce. All in the name of making me look good.

Because it’s worked real good so far, hasn’t it?

I mean, I look like the Emperor with No Clothes right now, with the Board of Directors telling me how awesome my new boots are whilst everyone else just laughs at me. You, you’re just going to be a pawn in a big game, Izzy, let’s just be brutally honest. They won’t let us fight a fair fight, they’ll find a way to make us both looks like total jokes.

Best for business, huh?

I’d love nothing more than to trade blows with you and cover our wrestling prowess but I have started to lose faith in whether it will even be you who they send out and not somebody cosplaying as you. I have been having disturbing mental images of Gibberg in a wig and tight leather, trust me, you don’t want to go there. Nothing washes those thoughts away.

Nothing!

Despite all this, let me make you a promise, Izzy. I swear, no matter what games they play this weekend, I will treat you with the same respect I give every opponent. If they actually allow us to wrestle, fantastic, we’ll put on a show, like we’re paid to do, if not?

Than allow me to personally apologise for what is about to happen, I wouldn’t even wish it on you. It may be a custard pie skit or something equally stupid, but regardless, we all should be treated with the respect we deserve as performers. Yet, for some reason that is beyond me, we are not going to be afforded this respect.

Which totally sucks.

So, instead of wishing you good luck this weekend, Izzy, I am going to do something different. I am going to pray for you, because only Zeus could save you from whatever devious plans the big boys that be have for the pair of us.

I just pray we both come out of this with some sort of dignity intact.

Or is that asking for too much?

Once again we re-join Roberto and Jess, this time as they slowly walk into an underground tunnel which is lined with the familiar sight of rusting cars, mostly packed together as their occupants seemingly tried to flee the city. Roberto clutches a handgun by his side as he listens carefully and looks around. Jess, meanwhile, is crouched lower down, a rifle in her hands, as she darts her head back and forth, using the scenery to hide herself in an overly dramatic fashion. Verona eventually stops and turns around to see Jess poking her head out from behind a car.

Roberto Verona: What the hell are you doing?

Jessica Reed: I’m surviving, you’re being raptor meat.

Roberto Verona: Excuse me?

Jessica Reed: Do you really think the only animals that escaped the zoo were leaf eaters?

Roberto Verona: No, but I don’t think we need to worry about Tyrannosaurs.

Jessica shrugs.

Jessica Reed: Well, then it’s your funeral, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Did you never watch Jurassic Park?

Roberto Verona: That was just a movie.

Jessica Reed: So was Dawn of the Dead.

Roberto laughs.

Roberto Verona: Touché. Listen Turok, if you want to watch out for dinosaurs be my guest, but I’m much more concerned with clickers and bloaters right now. This tunnel should lead to where we’re going, but you know what these little blighters are like, congregating in the only route is like a candy store to them for some reason.

Jessica Reed: Come to think of it I always wondered why we found more ammunition in places like these than a gun store.

Roberto nods.

Roberto Verona: Regardless, judging by the way the lake appears to have flooded we may need to swim…

Jessica suddenly looks up indignantly.

Jessica Reed: Oh no, not a chance.

Roberto Verona: You have to learn eventually…

Jessica Reed: No I don’t, nobody is making you learn to not be a jerk are they?

Roberto Verona: I don’t think that condusive to our survival.

Jessica Reed: People may shoot at us less…

Roberto puts his hands on his hips.

Roberto Verona: Jess! Stop being awkward, this is important. Do you realise how big rivers are? We can’t keep looking for bridges all the time.

Jessica Reed: Why not?

Roberto Verona: Because we end up walking into trouble for no reason. You’ve managed to survive psychopathic Australians, IWC members, cannibals, infected…

Jess smiles deviously.

Jessica Reed: You…

Roberto Verona: Hilarious. You need to learn…

Jess raises a hand.

Jessica Reed: Ok, ok, I suppose it is unreasonable of me to expect there to be a floating pallet every time we go anywhere near water.

Roberto Verona: It’s much easier than you think.

Jessica Reed: That’s easy for you to say, you probably want me to drown.

Roberto Verona: If I wanted to kill you Jess, I think I would have fed you to the infected months ago. I won’t let you drown.

Jessica Reed: Do you promise?

Roberto rolls his eyes.

Roberto Verona: Yes, Jess, I promise.

Jessica looks at him suspiciously for a few moments.

Jessica Reed: Well… okay then, but if I get eaten by a megaladon I am coming back to haunt you.

Jess walks forward, pushing past Roberto who laughs and shakes his head as the pair carefully enter the tunnel, walking into perhaps further doom once again as our scene gradually begins to fade to black.