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Ellie Williams, the main character in theLast of Usseries, was birthed into a vicious world of unspeakable horrors and suffered losses that wouldemotionally hindereven the most steadfast human. Before Ellie became avengeful anti-herofueled by intense grief and scorn afterJoel Miller’smurder inThe Last of Us Part II, Ellie was a talented and reliable girl who never got a decent shot at a normal life.
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Ellie’s story is not only about loss and trying to survive in a hostile world but also about findingher own path forwardafter losing most of the people she cared about along the way. This is the origin story of one of the most iconic characters in video games, Ellie from The Last of Us.
Apocalyptic Birth
Ellie was born during the early stages of theCordyceps outbreak,which would ultimately lead to the apocalypse, leaving humanity in disarray without law and infrastructure.Trillions perishedin one fell swoop as a fungal infection passed on to humans through crops in South America.
Not much was known about the mysterious brain infection that was rapidly spreading throughout the world, ultimately becoming humanity’s greatest threat.
Cordyceps, avicious brain-altering fungal infection, is contracted either via the inhalation ofairborne fungal sporesor through coming in contact with an infected host bite. In under one year, the Cordyceps brain infection, also referred to as CBI, was responsible forwiping out 60% of the human race.
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Those who became infected with CBI hada chance of rising againunder the control of the parasite in the host’s brain. Hosts under parasitic control becameseverely disfigured, more powerful,and hunted the last remaining humans. Neither dead nor alive, these creatures are remarkably resilient, extremely dangerous, and can exist for years without food or water.
From Orphan To FireFly
Ellie’s mother, Anna, died theday she gave birth to Ellie. Before dying, Anna made her friendMarlenepromise to always look after and protect Ellie,no matter the cost.Throughout the course of the series, you could say that Marlene kept her promise to her friend,for better or for worse.
Ellie was sent to a boarding school for her safety at the instruction ofMarlene, the now head of an organization called theFireflies,where she eventually escaped with her friend Riley.
The Fireflies are a radical militia group that once was at war withFEDRA,the government-led organization created tostop the spread of the virus and find a cure. The Fireflies,being no match for FEDRA, operate secretly and separate from whatever is left of the US government, seeking their own means of post-apocalyptic survival as well as looking for a cure for Cordyceps.
Riley Able
Riley Ableand Ellie met within the quarantine zone after Riley helped save Ellie from a pack of bullies. Riley and Ellie became immediate friends, and both had hopes of one day joining Marlene asmembers of the Fireflies. Remembering the promise she made to Ellie’s mother on her deathbed, Marlene put a hard stop to this.
Both Riley and Ellie were captured by the Fireflies and sent back to their boarding school. The Fireflies were adangerous organizationthat suffered many casualties during their war with FEDRA. Marlene felt she couldn’t knowingly put Anna’s daughter in certain danger by allowing her to join.
Not content with having to stay at the boarding school,Riley made up her mind to leaveand find a way to contact the Fireflies directly. After some time back at the boarding school, Riley visits Ellie during the night to tell her that she is leaving, and during their conversation, Ellie begs her to stay and reveals thatshe is in love with Riley. It is at this moment that the two are attacked by a horde of infected, and despite narrowly escaping, both Ellie and Riley get bitten. Ellie and Riley share their final moments together beforeRiley succumbs to the fungal infection and dies, but Ellie does not.
Humanity’s Hope
When Marlene andThe Fireflies learn about Ellie’s immunity, they are immediately motivated to relocate to Salt Lake City, where they hope a surgeon can use Ellie’s blood to develop a vaccination and cure for the Cordyceps virus. Marlene sought the aid of smugglersJoel and Tessto get Ellie to Salt Lake City as soon as possible. This is where Ellie and Joel’s journey begins, and The Last Of Us game starts.
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