How did Ellie infect David in ‘The Last of Us’? Ellie’s strategy, explained

Spoiler Alert! This article contains plot points for episode 8 of The last of us At HBO.

We are nearing the end of the first season of The last of us. The hugely popular live-action adaptation of the acclaimed PlayStation video game follows Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) and young Ellie (Bella Ramsey), two survivors in the post-apocalyptic United States who travel the country in hopes of attempting a… to develop cures for a monster Cordyceps Infection.

Their journey soon takes them to a snowy village near Colorado, where Joel is badly injured in a raider attack. As Ellie tries to help him, she soon meets David (Scott Shepherd), a mysterious preacher and appointed leader of a small group of survivors. After failing to recruit Ellie as part of his leadership, he almost kills her. However, she manages to delay the desperate escape by claiming to have infected David with the virus Cordyceps. How does she achieve that?

Early on in the series, we are made aware of Ellie’s immunity to the Cordyceps Virus. When bitten by an infected, it usually turns into a mindless mushroom monster within three days. However, despite being bitten on her right arm, Ellie shows no symptoms and has maintained her humanity ever since. The Cordyceps is present in her body, but is no more advanced than an infected-looking arm.

In episode 8 “When We Are in Need” she takes full advantage of this fact.

After Ellie is captured by David, he tries to draw her to his side. She immediately refuses, and that is Before She discovers that he has been feeding his followers human flesh. She reacts violently to his offer, even breaking a finger through her cage for him. Having given up his notion of mercy, he and his right hand James (Troy Baker) drag her out of her cage and prepare to kill her. However, Ellie manages to bite David’s hand deep enough to draw blood.

Ellie immediately benefits from this moment, loudly admitting that she is infected and subsequently infected David when she bit him. She even shows them her infected arm as proof. David and James briefly argue over the validity of their claim, but Ellie uses the distraction to kill James with a butcher knife and escape.

In all respects, this was probably a bluff on Ellie’s part. It’s unclear if she has the potential to pass on the virus in the same way as a full-fledged infected. However, technically she is still a bearer of the cordyceps, asymptomatic, although she may be. It is very possible that the presence of the virus in her system accidentally gave her the ability to infect others at will.

However, David does not live long enough to verify this theory. During a final fight between him and Ellie, the latter is able to overpower David when she violently punches him.

New episodes of The last of us Premieres Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.