Episode 4 of The Last Of Us opens with a captivating scene of Ellie, alone in a bathroom, toying with the handgun she had stumbled upon. Curiously, she pulls the trigger, loads and unloads the weapon, her mind a maze of curiosity and nervousness. Eventually, she emerges and reunites with Joel, both of them stationed at an abandoned truck stop. Joel busies himself filling up the gas tank, preparing for their next move, while Ellie's antics and puns from the comic she found earlier in their journey add a touch of levity to the tense atmosphere.
Their dialogue is a blend of new conversations and snippets borrowed from the games, particularly those moments that were originally scripted for Bill's town. Ellie picks up a men's magazine and jests about the pages sticking together, eventually discarding it outside. As the day progresses, they decide to make camp in the heart of the forest, a serene yet potentially perilous location.
Joel cautions Ellie about the dangers of their secluded campsite, warning that unwanted visitors might stumble upon them. As night falls, they illuminate a large lamp for a while, casting a warm glow that slowly fades into the starlit sky. "No one's gonna find us," Joel assures her as they settle down for the night, but he remains vigilant, staying awake to keep watch over their safety.
The morning brings a new day and a new challenge as they approach Kansas City. The road ahead is blocked, forcing them to detour deeper into the city's heart. Ellie struggles to decipher the map, and their situation worsens when a man, feigning injury, emerges and attacks them without warning. They press onward, navigating over spikes on the road and getting trapped inside an abandoned shop.
Joel instructs Ellie to squeeze through a hole in the nearby wall and hide while he confronts their attackers. Three figures emerge and open fire, but Ellie is the unsung hero who saves Joel from a chokehold, shooting their assailant in the back. Joel urges her back through the hole before dispatching the man with a knife, ending his suffering.
Over at the Fedra department, Kathleen, a determined woman, was on a relentless hunt for a man named Henry. They were certain he was lurking somewhere in the city, and they were hell-bent on tracking him down. Kathleen pressed a gun against the temple of an elderly man, her doctor, demanding answers. But he remained silent, his lips sealed tight. Suddenly, a blaring horn pierced the air, drawing Kathleen's attention.
She emerged to find a crowd of curious bystanders gawking at a scene of chaos. Soldiers were bringing in two lifeless bodies, victims of a fierce firefight. Kathleen's eyes blazed with fury. She ordered the crowd to find the perpetrators and make them pay.
Kathleen discovered clues leading to Henry and Sam's hideout - an attic filled with drawings and a mound of empty cans. But what awaited her in the basement was far more sinister. The cracked ground began to rumble and shake, as if something monstrous was stirring beneath the surface. Kathleen made a snap decision, sealing off the building and concealing this menace from the unsuspecting crowd.
These people were neither Fedra soldiers nor Fireflies, but ordinary folk scraping by in this hostile world. Joel and Ellie, meanwhile, found refuge in a dimly lit bar, newspapers taped over the windows to block out the world. They watched silently as the search party combed through nearby apartments.
Inside the bar, Joel apologized to Ellie for forcing her to take a life, but she shrugged it off, admitting it wasn't her first time. He gently showed her how to hold the gun properly, and together they steeled themselves for the coming danger. "We'll get through this," Joel promised, as they prepared to make their move.
Joel and Ellie made their way to an apartment complex, creeping up the stairs with caution. They camped out for the night, and in the stillness of the dark, Joel couldn't help but chuckle at Ellie's puns. But when the sun rose and they awoke, the laughter was gone. Henry and Sam were there, guns trained on them, their escape cut short by the unwelcome intrusion.
