In the Spring, we see Joel and Ellie entering Salt Lake City, Utah, where they're supposed to meet the Fireflies in St. Mary's Hospital. The two now have a much stronger bond since last Winter's events, but Joel notices how Ellie is still visually shaken by them, as she remains unusually quiet and distracted when he tries to engage her in a conversation.
They go past a highway filled with abandoned cars, another empty quarantine zone, and make their way through a bus station. There, Ellie spots something and runs off ahead of Joel. He catches up with her, discovering it to be numerous giraffes wandering around the now deserted city. As they stop for a moment to watch them, Joel hesitates. He tells her that they don't have to do this, and if she wants they can just turn around, go back to Tommy's and start a new life. However, Ellie is determined to see the end of it, saying that after all they've been through, "it can't be for nothing".

They go past a large number of medical tents, where Joel comments about in the first months of the infection, he had been part of a triage identical to this, surrounded by destroyed families. Ellie then gives him the picture of him and Sarah, apologizing for stealing it from Maria back at the dam, which he takes and thanks her. They make their way through an underground tunnel, filled with infected, and after going past them, they reach a flooded area. As they try to navigate it by staying on top of a number of abandoned vehicles, a bus collapses, making them go underwater. Ellie is knocked out as they are dragged by the violent current and is about to drown, but Joel grabs her and brings to the surface. Not breathing, he tries to perform CPR on her, as a Firefly soldier appears, ordering him to stand down. He ignores him, and is subsequently knocked unconscious.