The Last Of Us... 10 years later.

The fungus grows while the host is still alive, with hosts undergoing four stages of infection. Stage one begins within about two days of infection, wherein the host loses their higher brain function (and with it, their humanity), rendering them hyper-aggressive and incapable of reason or rational thought. Within two weeks, the host enters stage two of the infection, wherein the fungus begins altering their sight as a result of progressing fungal growth over the head and corruption of their visual cortex. After a year of infection, the infection enters stage three; scarring their face and blinding them, resulting in them developing a primitive form of echolocation to compensate. In very rare cases, if the host survives for over a decade, they reach stage four. They develop hardened fungal plates over most of their body. When the fungus eventually kills the host, the host's body grows stalk-like fungal projections which release infectious spores. The infection can also be spread through bites from living hosts. Hosts can only be infected while alive, as the fungus is unable to infect dead bodies due to its parasitic nature, though dead infected can release spores regardless of stage. To protect themselves from airborne spores, survivors wear gas masks; Joel has one strapped to his hip as does Tess. Those who are immune do not need them, namely Ellie. The infection seems unable to spread in open air areas, such as the countryside, although some of these areas possess a high population of infected. The infection mostly thrives in underground or enclosed areas commonly avoided by people, especially sewers,subway tunnel, and some buildings. The fungus could also infect animals, notably monkeys. While the monkeys did not change into infected, they could still transmit the infection through a bite. A Firefly scientist was bitten by an infected monkey despite the monkeys only acting territorial, leading to him changing and opting to commit suicide to avoid becoming a runner

However, that doesn't mean to say the other patrolmen are reliant on Joel and Tommy. Notably, Eugene, Jesse, Dina, Bonnie, Greg, Astrid and Mike have all patrolled numerous times and have fought and killed their fair share of infected. Ellie, while not patrolling much, was also capable, killing several runners and clickers with Dina and Joel on two separate patrols.[7] The reliance on the Miller brothers is more so demonstrated in how whenever the likes of Rebecca, William, Fred, Tony, Chad, or Willy went on patrol they encountered practically no infected and, for those that did, they avoided fighting and instead left a report in the logbooks that Joel and Tommy picked up and dealt with later. There was also an occasion where Joel also had to save Ellie from certain death against a bloater.[3]

Despite these personal differences in skill and eagerness to fight infected and hostile survivors, it is generally true that the patrolmen have fared well over the years.[7] Since 2034, they have successfully defended themselves against attacks from infected and hunters and ensured the surrounding walls of Jackson are kept clear from potential threats through daily patrols and watches during the night. Their skill was so strong that Tommy Miller was confident the patrolmen could successfully attack the Washington Liberation Front in Seattle, though understood Maria's reluctance to allow this given launching an invasion on the WLF would leave the untrained civilians in Jackson exposed to hunter raids or infected horde attacks in the patrolmen's absence.[3]

By 2039 though, the Jackson patrolmen have suffered significant losses in their numbers. With Joel, Eugene and Jesse dead and Dina and Tommy retired from patrolling, it is fair to say that Jackson has lost its most reliable, competent patrolmen all within a year. This is evidenced in the logbooks and events of the game, which revealed these five people patrolled the most and displayed the most success in combating infected.

The community in Jackson are a powerful group. For years, they have survived encounters with both infected and hostile survivors. Unlike many groups, the community possesses a reliable source of electricity and an assortment of guns, vehicles and horses which makes transportation and combating enemy forces easier. Further, they have fortified their entire town to keep enemies out and patrol their walls regularly to ensure there are no infected or hunters sneaking up on them. In the fall of 2033, Tommy and Maria's group of workers were able to successfully fend off attacks from bandits in the area, even when said bandits ambushed them at the power plant.[1]

Jackson patrolmen The community possesses their own elite formation of armed patrolmen. Formed in 2034 to combat growing hordes of infected and attacks from hunters, the group is led by Maria Miller. By 2038, there are at least 30 known active patrolmen in the group.[1][3] To become a patrolman, one must first volunteer to go on patrol and receive specialist patrol training. Candidates must be at least 16 years old to qualify for the training.[11]

All patrolmen in Jackson are armed with a sidearm, hunting rifle, or shotgun, and a melee weapon such as a machete or switchblade, whenever on patrol. Some also carry Molotov cocktails. The patrolmen also tend to ride horses to allow for quick movement between positions.[3][7]

Judging from the information provided in the logbooks, the patrolmen differ in their competency when facing infected. For instance, between September 2034 and March 2038, Joel and Tommy were Jackson's most successful patrolmen. They are the only pair to patrol more than 20 times and also combat infected and rescued survivors more than any other pairing.[7] They are typically called in when other patrolmen struggle or lack the confidence to combat enemies they scouted while patrolling.

By 2039, the community is still thriving, with Dina and Ellie able to live on a farm a few miles from the settlement. They were also accompanied by Dina's newborn son JJ, whom she had with Jesse before he died. Maria also remains the leader, though she has separated from Tommy after his revenge quest left him bitter and crippled

Joel and Ellie integrated well into the community; Joel moved into a large house, and Ellie converted the house's garage into a home of her own. Regarding life in the main town, it is revealed to house several horses, cows and chickens, and maintains a thriving farm and greenhouses. The town is filled with markets, stores, welding shops, pubs and eateries, and even a cemetery to lay their dead to rest. The people within the town live in relative peace, resembling the times before the outbreak, able to have dance parties and family events in the church hall.[3]

Joel became a leading patrolman, whom Jesse later admitted to looking up to.[3] Ellie also befriended several people, including both Jesse and Dina, as well as Cat, who she became romantically involved with for a time.[7]

Between 2034 and 2038, Jackson remains a thriving community. However, the infected have migrated into the area in the form of hordes, especially in the winter months. To counter this, Maria established a group of patrolmen, sending two patrolmen out across different nearby areas in Jackson to search the various lodges, mansions, hotels and outposts to clear out wandering infected so horde attacks on their barricaded walls would easier to deal with. They created a notice board to designate where patrols where going. The areas around Jackson they patrol are: Teton County, Wilson Valley, Hoback Pass, Elk Creek, Alpine Valley and Colten Bay. This noticeboard also displayed the rules patrolmen were advised to follow while on patrol, which included: staying in sight of their partner at all times, avoiding fighting unless absolutely necessary, staying within their patrol routes, and ensuring they were back from patrol before nightfall. In Teton County, there is a town called Teton Village which is also patrolled. Along with residential neighborhoods, this village features a supermarket, pharmacy, and a library that Eugene Linden had turned into a residence sometime before his death.[3]

Jackson County, Wyoming Group type: Townspeople Headquarters: Jackson Leader: Maria Miller Notable members: Astrid, Bonnie, Dina,Ellie Williams, Greg, Joel Miller(deceased), Jesse(deceased), Mike, Tommy Miller Formation and growth: Sometime after the Cordyceps brain infection outbreak, Maria and her father decided to establish a self-sustaining community—one that actively tried to follow the pre-apocalypse way of life—in the town of Jackson, located in Jackson County, Wyoming. The key to achieving this lay in directing the power generated from the nearby hydroelectric dam to the town so the community could use it as a sustainable source of energy. Additionally, they set up greenhouses to grow crops and raised livestock as a source of food. The plan worked and the community began to expand and thrive into one that nearly resembled life before the outbreak, with children able to watch films and families could live in peace. However, they faced threats from bandits roaming the countryside and still faced attacks from infected.

The Cordyceps brain infection (abbreviated as CBI) is a parasitic fungal infection that has devastated mankind in The Last of Us series In The Last of Us, a mutated strain of the Cordyceps fungus began to spread in the United States in late September 2013. The Cordyceps originated from South America, carrying into humans through infected crops. Joel and Sarah Miller's local newspaper in Austin, the Texas Herald, reported on the infection, stating on the front page of the September 26 edition: "Admittance spikes at area hospitals! 300% increase due to mysterious infection" followed by the article "FDA expands the list of contaminated crops. Several months later, roughly 60% of humanity was either killed or infected by the fungus,[3] later medically referred to as Cordyceps brain infection.[4]

The fungus grows while the host is still alive, with hosts undergoing four stages of infection. Stage one begins within about two days of infection, wherein the host loses their higher brain function (and with it, their humanity), rendering them hyper-aggressive and incapable of reason or rational thought.[2] Within two weeks, the host enters stage two of the infection, wherein the fungus begins altering their sight as a result of progressing fungal growth over the head and corruption of their visual cortex. After a year of infection, the infection enters stage three; scarring their face and blinding them, resulting in them developing a primitive form of echolocation to compensate.[5] In very rare cases, if the host survives for over a decade, they reach stage four. They develop hardened fungal plates over most of their body. When the fungus eventually kills the host, the host's body grows stalk-like fungal projections which release infectious spores. The infection can also be spread through bites from living hosts.

Ellie Williams – The protagonist of the game. Ellie is a 19-year-old survivor of the Cordyceps brain infection outbreak and the only person known to be immune to the infection. Ellie lives in a large community in Jackson. She sports a tattoo over the bite scar on her right arm to hide her immunity. After witnessing a horrific attack, Ellie embarks on a personal quest for vengeance. Abby Anderson – The dual protagonist of the game. A former member of the Fireflies, Abby is now a member of the Washington Liberation Front and begins the game attempting to locate a resident of the community in Jackson. Abby is forced to deal with the fallout of her own quest for revenge. Joel Miller – Joel is Ellie's father figure and a former smuggler, who bonded with her years ago while transporting her across the country to the Fireflies in the hopes of creating a vaccine for the CBI outbreak. Unbeknownst to Ellie, Joel killed the Fireflies who were going to kill Ellie to create a cure. Tommy Miller - Tommy is Joel's younger brother and is one of the leaders of the community in Jackson, alongside his wife Maria. Tommy is the only person aware of Joel's killing of the Fireflies and deception of Ellie. Tommy, like Ellie, is on his own quest for vengeance. Dina - Dina is a close friend and love interest of Ellie and a resident of the community in Jackson. She is Jesse's ex-girlfriend, and kisses Ellie which causes a stir in the community. Dina accompanies Ellie to Seattle as their relationship develops. Jesse - Jesse is a friend of Ellie, and Dina's ex-boyfriend. He is a resident of the community in Jackson, and accompanies Ellie on her quest. Maria Miller (Ashley Scott) – Maria is Tommy's wife, and a member of the Jackson community.

Backstory and setting The Last of Us Part II takes place four years after the events of the first game and nearly 25 years after the outbreak of the Cordyceps brain infection began. Ellie Williams, who is now 19 years old, returns as the protagonist whom players assume control of. Joel, in his mid-fifties, also returns as a briefly playable character, as does Abby Anderson, who functions as the game's dual protagonist. Joel and Ellie, having settled down in Tommy's settlement, live in relative peace within the thriving community. While there, Ellie has even managed to form friendships with Dina and Jesse. However, the survivors face constant threats from infected and other hostile survivors. When a tragic event disrupts the tranquility of her life, a hate-filled Ellie embarks on a journey to Seattle in a search for vengeance to carry out justice. As she hunts down those responsible one by one, she is confronted with the traumatizing physical and emotional consequences of her actions.