(Last of us part 1 - Beyond Reality , universe).

We can establish:

Joel and the group have already gotten through the earlier events.

They're now in the city/urban area during their journey.

Your character suddenly appears there.

We introduce her from her POV first, so we experience the location through her eyes.

Then she encounters Joel and the others naturally.

We don't need to retell the sad incident or have everyone crying for half the story. 😅

Her arrival can actually change the atmosphere by giving the story something new to focus on.

(Jacqueline the demon hellhound of the battlefield).

Actually notice new arrival during the morning but no one noticed her because she was too high up there feels just sitting on the rooftop on anything she wanted it her motto wherever she can fit to sit and eat my snacks out there wait why am I talking to myself as the person don't know if the people Danny can hear me from up there and there's a little bit out of reach those people can't hear me down here Kenny shit wait anyone can hear me down here yes no the great I'll just eat my eat my lunch and talk to myself like normal this is what happens when you have a third person problem so I took it to the reader behind the screen wait can you see me you might get rid of what are you looking at you looking at my sandwich damn it I guess you like my super cheek same way it's in well like if you I got a drink to go with the super cheese sandwich oh wait back to the guys on the street not to the read it let's move back come on this I've had fun with tortated one one we get more fun time to eat the rest of my toast and and just watch the everyone so eating it and watching him having my lunch then well bring the full we can't always be like-(Deadpool you know).

Absolutely 😂. This is the perfect place to introduce Jacqueline without immediately throwing her into Joel's group. She can be sitting there completely unbothered, eating her ridiculously cheesy sandwich, while the reader realizes she's been watching everyone for who-knows-how-long.

Jacqueline — POV

Morning.

The city was quiet.

Not peaceful quiet.

The kind of quiet where you knew something was probably hiding somewhere and waiting for you to make a stupid decision.

Jacqueline sat on a narrow concrete ledge attached to the upper part of a building, one leg dangling over the edge.

She wasn't technically on the rooftop.

She was on one of those weird little raised sections of a building that existed for absolutely no reason other than apparently buildings liked having places for people to fall off.

Perfect.

A seat.

And nobody had noticed her.

Which was exactly how she liked it.

Jacqueline took another bite of her toasted cheese sandwich.

"Mm."

She looked down at the street.

People.

A few survivors moving through the urban ruins.

Weapons.

Backpacks.

The usual post-apocalypse starter pack.

She took another bite.

"Okay."

Pause.

"I probably shouldn't be talking to myself."

She looked around.

Nobody reacted.

"See? Perfectly normal."

Another bite.

Then she glanced toward the invisible fourth wall.

"...You're watching me eat this sandwich, aren't you?"

She narrowed her eyes.

"You are."

Jacqueline lifted the sandwich slightly.

"Don't even think about it."

She took another bite.

"Mine."

She pointed at the reader.

"No."

Another bite.

"Absolutely not."

She swallowed.

"You can't have any."

A pause.

"...Okay, maybe one bite."

She stared forward.

"Actually, no. It's a super-cheesy toasted sandwich."

She hugged it protectively.

"You people have no idea how hard it is to find decent food after the world ends."

Jacqueline took a drink.

"Anyway."

She looked back down at the street.

"Back to the interesting people."

Below her, Joel and Ellie moved through the ruined city with the others.

Jacqueline watched them carefully.

She didn't know their names yet.

But she could tell things about them.

The older man moved like someone who had survived too much.

The girl stayed alert.

The others watched their surroundings.

Everyone was tense.

Everyone except Jacqueline.

She took another bite.

"Yep."

Chew.

"Definitely survivors."

She leaned forward slightly.

"Wonder where they're going."

Then she stopped.

"...Wait."

Her eyes followed Joel.

"Oh."

A little smile appeared.

"That guy looks like trouble."

She paused.

"Not my kind of trouble."

Another bite.

"The fun kind."

She looked down again.

Nobody had noticed her.

Yet.

Jacqueline quietly watched them pass beneath her position.

She could hear them.

Every footstep.

Every shift of equipment.

Every quiet conversation.

She could even hear Ellie talking.

Jacqueline tilted her head.

"She's got attitude."

She smiled.

"I like her."

Joel suddenly glanced upward.

Jacqueline froze.

The sandwich stopped halfway to her mouth.

Joel looked toward the upper buildings.

Jacqueline slowly lowered the sandwich.

"...Don't look up."

Joel kept walking.

Jacqueline waited.

"...Good."

She took another bite.

"Close one."

Then Ellie looked up.

Jacqueline froze again.

Ellie stared toward the buildings.

Jacqueline stared back.

A long silence.

Ellie squinted.

Jacqueline slowly raised one hand.

She waved.

Ellie stopped walking.

"Uh..."

Joel looked back.

"What?"

Ellie pointed.

"There's someone up there."

Jacqueline's eyes widened.

"Oh, shit."

Joel looked up.

There she was.

A strange woman sitting comfortably on a concrete ledge, casually eating a toasted cheese sandwich like she had bought a ticket to watch the apocalypse from the best seat in the house.

Joel stared.

Ellie stared.

The others stared.

Jacqueline stared back.

She slowly took another bite.

Chew.

Swallow.

Then she raised her drink.

"...Morning."

Joel didn't answer immediately.

Ellie looked at him.

"Did you know she was there?"

"No."

Jacqueline raised an eyebrow.

"Wow."

She looked directly at the reader.

"I have been sitting here for ages."

Then back at Joel.

"You're not very observant."

Joel's expression hardened.

"Who are you?"

Jacqueline looked down at herself.

Then at her sandwich.

Then at Joel.

"Currently?"

She took another bite.

"A woman having lunch."

Ellie blinked.

"That's your answer?"

"Yep."

"You're weird."

Jacqueline smiled.

"Thank you."

Ellie looked confused.

"I don't think that was a compliment."

"I took it as one."

Joel kept his hand near his weapon.

Jacqueline noticed.

Of course she noticed.

She noticed everything.

Her smile faded slightly.

Not because she was frightened.

Because she understood.

These people didn't trust strangers.

Fair enough.

She wouldn't trust them either.

She looked at the street.

Then back at Joel.

"Relax."

She lifted both hands.

"I'm not looking for trouble."

She paused.

"Usually."

Ellie smirked.

Joel didn't.

Jacqueline sighed.

"Fine."

She took one final bite of the sandwich.

"Introductions."

She stood up on the narrow ledge.

Joel immediately tensed.

Jacqueline looked down.

Then she simply stepped off.

Ellie gasped.

Jacqueline dropped.

And landed several feet below on another concrete section with a soft thump.

Ellie's eyes widened.

"What the hell?"

Jacqueline looked up.

"What?"

"You just jumped off the building!"

Jacqueline shrugged.

"It wasn't that high."

Joel stared at her.

"You could've broken your neck."

Jacqueline brushed crumbs from her clothes.

"Would've been inconvenient."

Ellie stared.

"Who the hell are you?"

Jacqueline smiled.

"Jacqueline."

A beat.

"But people who know me tend to call me something else."

Joel narrowed his eyes.

"What?"

Jacqueline looked toward the ruined city around them.

Then toward the road ahead.

Her smile became slightly darker.

"The Demon Hellhound of the Battlefield."

Silence.

Ellie stared.

Joel stared.

One of the others looked at Joel as if silently asking:

Is she serious?

Jacqueline took another drink.

"...Yeah."

She shrugged.

"I know. Bit dramatic."

Ellie grinned.

"Actually, that's pretty cool."

Joel sighed.

"Of course you think that."

Jacqueline pointed at Ellie.

"See? She gets it."

Ellie smiled.

"I do."

Joel shook his head.

"We're leaving."

Jacqueline looked after them.

Then looked at her empty sandwich wrapper.

Then at the road.

Then back toward the reader.

"...Well."

She sighed.

"Guess lunch is over."

She stuffed the wrapper away.

"Time to see where these idiots are going."

She started walking after them.

Then stopped.

"Wait."

She looked directly at the reader again.

"You didn't seriously think I was going to let them walk off without me, did you?"

A grin.

"Come on."

She followed.

"Let's see what happens.”

(Jacqueline the demon hellhound of the battlefield).

Trying to not be ten to be a superhero good superhero landed probably hard on the knees but she fell down like a normal person and then she goes hello guys what today is going on would you mind if I travel with you that's gonna be a fun journey through this whole wasteland of Zombie Land let's go I'll probably you guys anyway for fun don't care what you do just the weirdest place would be probably finding zombies there that'd be waiting place to find the travel is going to be fun adventure can be great and hopefully we'll pick up that person you'll talk about ages you know that test ladies want you to pick up later on for things so should we go this place and have fun I have fun with the journey and I keep an eye on something any kind of nearby I give you a better hand by telling you that zombie might be nearby here we go we'll try as much as we can as we can try and be great so here we go we'll have a great travel throughout this form all the way with these zombie things then we don't worry about it we'll be always have 360 even we have eyes in the back of our head selling you guys probably can't do that they can you you guys can't have eyes in the back of you.

Jacqueline — The New Companion

Jacqueline looked down from the ledge.

Joel and the others were already beginning to move through the ruined streets.

She sighed.

"Well, I suppose sitting up here all day isn't going to be very interesting."

She climbed onto the edge.

"Okay."

She looked down again.

"...That's farther than it looked."

She jumped.

THUD.

Jacqueline hit the ground harder than she intended.

"OW!"

She immediately grabbed her knees.

"Yep. That was stupid."

Ellie turned around.

"Are you okay?"

Jacqueline slowly stood.

"Absolutely."

She took one step.

Winced.

"...Mostly."

Ellie stared at her.

Joel gave her the look of a man who had already decided this stranger was going to be a problem.

Jacqueline dusted herself off.

"Hello, guys."

Nobody answered.

She smiled awkwardly.

"So... what's going on?"

Joel's hand remained near his weapon.

"Who are you?"

"Jacqueline."

"We know that."

"Oh."

She pointed at herself.

"Jacqueline."

Ellie snorted.

Joel sighed.

Jacqueline looked toward the road ahead.

"You guys heading somewhere?"

"Yeah."

"Mind if I travel with you?"

Joel immediately answered.

"No."

Jacqueline blinked.

"Wow."

Ellie looked at Joel.

"She asked nicely."

"Ellie."

"What?"

Jacqueline smiled.

"I like her."

Joel started walking.

Ellie followed.

Jacqueline followed Ellie.

Joel stopped.

Jacqueline stopped.

He looked back.

"I said no."

"I heard you."

"Then why are you following us?"

Jacqueline shrugged.

"Because this looks like it's going to be a fun journey."

Ellie grinned.

Joel rubbed his forehead.

"We're not on vacation."

"I know."

Jacqueline looked around at the ruined buildings.

"Zombie wasteland. Dangerous roads. Probably horrible food."

She paused.

"Actually, I take that last one seriously."

Ellie laughed.

Joel continued walking.

Jacqueline followed.

\---

Ellie

Ellie kept glancing backward.

Jacqueline was weird.

Not ordinary weird.

Different weird.

She walked like she had absolutely no idea what normal behaviour was supposed to look like.

Every few seconds, she looked toward a rooftop.

Then a window.

Then an alley.

Then behind them.

Ellie finally asked,

"What are you looking for?"

"Anything moving."

"Like what?"

"Anything."

Jacqueline suddenly stopped.

"Wait."

Everyone stopped.

Joel looked at her.

"What?"

Jacqueline pointed toward an alley.

"Something's nearby."

Joel immediately became serious.

"Where?"

Jacqueline tilted her head.

"There."

Nothing happened.

Ellie stared.

"Are you sure?"

Jacqueline nodded.

A low, distant sound came from the alley.

Ellie's expression changed.

Joel quietly raised his weapon.

Jacqueline smiled.

"Told you."

A clicker shuffled into view.

Ellie whispered,

"How the hell did you hear that?"

Jacqueline shrugged.

"Good ears."

Joel looked at her carefully.

"How many?"

Jacqueline closed her eyes for a moment.

"Two."

A second infected moved somewhere behind them.

Jacqueline opened her eyes.

"Actually..."

She looked over her shoulder.

"Three."

Joel looked around.

Ellie stared at Jacqueline.

Jacqueline smiled.

"See?"

She tapped the side of her head.

"I've got you covered."

Ellie grinned.

"Okay."

Joel frowned.

"Don't encourage her."

Jacqueline laughed.

"Too late."

\---

They continued through the city.

Jacqueline stayed near the group now.

Not because Joel had officially accepted her.

He hadn't.

But because, whether he liked it or not, she had already started watching their backs.

She noticed movement before they did.

She heard infected before they came close.

She spotted routes through buildings that looked safer than the main road.

And sometimes she simply stopped walking and said:

"Something's wrong."

Usually, she was right.

Ellie began to appreciate that.

Joel began to tolerate it.

Eventually, Jacqueline walked beside Ellie.

"So."

"So?"

"Where are you guys going?"

Ellie looked toward Joel.

"Somewhere."

"That's very specific."

"That's Joel's answer to everything."

Jacqueline nodded thoughtfully.

"Yeah. I figured."

Ellie smiled.

"You always talk this much?"

"Only when I'm awake."

"You're weird."

"You already said that."

"I meant it again."

Jacqueline laughed.

The ruined city stretched ahead of them.

Danger waited around every corner.

But now the group had something they hadn't expected.

A new companion.

A woman who watched the rooftops.

Listened to the shadows.

Talked to herself.

Made jokes at completely inappropriate moments.

And somehow managed to make the journey feel a little less like a march through hell.

Jacqueline looked toward the road ahead.

"Come on."

She grinned.

"Let's see what this wasteland has waiting for us.”

(Last of us part 1 - Beyond Reality , universe). (Jacqueline the demon of the battlefield). (Reposted).