Abby and Ellie's paths intertwine on a number of occasions during The Last of Us Part 2, with particular incidents occurring just before or after the other. Many narrative threads connect throughout The Last of Us Part 2, and another potential thread may further connect the two characters to the fate of Nora Harris.
Following a pursuit on foot throughout the hospital, Ellie corners Nora in an infected quarantine area. Nora has breathed in spores, while Ellie is immune. Nora is then threatened by Ellie to relinquish Abby's location. Ellie proceeds to brutally beat Nora with a pipe after she attempts to reason with her and justify Abby's actions. However, one fan suggests that the particulars of Nora's death are implied in the last conversation that is held between Nora and Abby.
An observant fan, rexwrecksautomobiles, believes that Abby's sarcastic derivative of the Washington Liberation Front's catchphrase foreshadows Nora's death. The salutation seems to address the desired goodwill of the individuals who speak it to each other, wishing one another a long life and a quick death. Rather, when Nora and Abby part, Abby changes the phrase from, "May your death be swift" to "And may my death be swift." Abby appears to be shrugging off the anxiety of having to journey into a dangerous part of the hospital. However, the fan interprets the salutation change to foreshadow the brutal, lengthy way in which Nora dies in The Last of Us Part 2.
The Last of Us Part 2 weaves together the narratives of Ellie and Abby in order to provide context and comprehension toward their individual perspectives. Abby's journey into the lower levels of the hospital offers a tense gameplay sequence. Because it occurs later in The Last of Us Part 2's story, players already know that Nora does not survive for much longer after she and Abby separate in the hospital.
While Abby is concerned with grabbing medical supplies, Ellie is relentlessly pursuing Abby. Further, The Last of Us Part 2 does not advance until players succumb to pressing the square button to strike Nora repeatedly, making Ellie's actions personal to the player. Moments like these impact The Last of Us Part 2's narrative significantly, and make each perspective shift that happens between the protagonists that much more effective.
Because Abby's slight modification wishes herself a swift death and does not address Nora, the fan has implied that Abby may have inadvertently cursed Nora to have a slow, torturous death in The Last of Us Part 2. It is not certain whether Abby's rephrasing is meant to explicitly foreshadow Nora's death, or if it is simply Abby's way of coping with having to descend into the hospital's lower levels alone. Still, it is an interesting insight either way, particularly with the knowledge that players have of how unsettling Nora's murder is.
The Last of Us Part 2 is available now on PS4.
