If you get bitten, you get shot. Those are the rules in the world of The Last of Us. After all, it is better to die with your human brain intact than to yield it to the Cordyceps fungus and become a mushroom-infected zombie. At least, that’s the idea. Naturally, not everyone agrees.
On her 19th birthday, protagonist Joel takes his sort-of-adopted daughter Ellie on her first patrol outside of the safe town of Jackson, Wyoming. Riding horses, scouting for zombies, you know, the usual. Suddenly, a distress call comes in over their radio: Another patrol was attacked. When they get to the scene, the local therapist’s husband, Eugene, is the lone survivor—but even he got more than scratched.
Not looking to take any chances, Joel is about to whip out his gun, but eventually, Ellie stops him. Eugene’s still got his brains about him, and he’d really like to say farewell to his wife. Joel agrees to escort him back to the town but eventually changes his mind. He asks Eugene to take a right instead of a left and oh, lo and behold, the two are standing right on the edge of an empty plateau.
Just as Eugene remarks on the beauty of the panorama, it dawns on him that this is the last thing he will see. “No! Joel! You can’t do this to me!” Joel offers to pass along any last words Eugene might have for his wife, but for Eugene, that’s not enough. “I’m dying! I’m terrified! I don’t need a view. I need Gail. To see her face. Please. Please let that be the last thing I see.”
Knowing he cannot fulfill the dying man’s wish, Joel tries to offer the next-best thing: “If you love someone, you can always see their face,” he says. Thinking of Ellie and her safety right that moment, he would know.
It takes Eugene a good minute. He seems to just stare into space. But eventually, we can see his eyes shining. “I see her.” The gun trigger clicks and…
Even when it’s not the last time—and may it not be for a long time—it’s always sad to see your loved ones go. Alas, duty calls all of us now and again. We must go where we’re needed.
A few weeks ago, my fiancée went to Malaysia for 10 days on a whim. Her dad is 80. He has Parkinson’s. It was a good time to see about him. And while I was sad to be alone for a bit, I could still see her face.
For one, that was thanks to modern technology. Photos flew halfway across the world in the blink of an eye through our phones. For another, her beautiful countenance is literally all over our living room wall—which I plastered with photos of us for our engagement. But remove all of that, and my visual recollection of her still doesn’t fade. Anytime I close my eyes, I can see her if I choose to.
May you never need this lesson the way Eugene had to learn it, but remember: “If you love someone, you can always see their face.”
