Where did that clicker horde come from in ‘The Last of Us’ episode 5?

Warning: the following article contains spoilers for The Last of Us episode five, “Endure and Survive.”

Barring a close-up encounter with a pair of clickers in episode two and a skirmish with some of Kathleen’s goons in episode four, The Last of Us has been a little bit lighter on action and heavier on drama so far.

That ratio got thrown right out the window, however, towards the end of the fifth episode, “Endure and Survive.” This episode saw the show’s biggest, most explosive, and cordyceps-heavy action sequence yet. When Henry’s fate is sealed at the mercy of Kathleen and the Kansas City resistance, the conflict is sidelined by the timely arrival of a huge horde of clickers, as well as one VERY big infected boy. 

What ensued was complete and utter chaos that led to the deaths of both Kathleen and Perry but created enough of a window for Joel, Ellie, Henry, and Sam to escape. Of course, Sam had a bit of an accident in the kerfuffle which led to the episode’s devastating conclusion, but that’s something we can sob about another time.

For now, the burning question is, where exactly did that conveniently timed mob of clickers come from? Here’s what you may have missed. 

How did those sinkholes of clickers form?

After Joel makes quick work of a sniper blocking the group’s path forward (an excellent nod to the video game, by the way), he takes his fallen adversary’s rifle and perches and lands a well-placed shot in the dome of a pursuing truck driver. The recently driverless truck then careens into a nearby house and goes up into a ball of flames after its fuel leaks. The blast likely destroyed the foundations of the house, destabilizing the earth underneath the area in which the suburban showdown was taking place.

Right in the nick of time, the truck falls into a sinkhole from which scores of clickers emerge. If you recall, while Joel and Henry were discussing their escape plan earlier in the episode, they debated whether or not there were infected living underneath the city. Henry insisted that FEDRA had cleared out the tunnels underneath Kansas City some time ago, a concept that Joel was absolutely not sold on. Turns out his instinct was absolutely on the mark. 

While the group didn’t encounter any infected while they made their escape from the city limits, it would seem that all of the underground infected may have been herded by FEDRA to one condensed location. That location may have been outside of city limits and away from prying eyes or unsuspecting victims. Not the worst idea they had…until a sinkhole set them all loose.

This horde of infected was also hinted at in episode four, “Please Hold My Hand,” when Kathleen and Perry were sweeping buildings looking for Henry and Sam. They came upon a room in which a pile of rubble was shifting, but Kathleen dismissed it as a “later” problem.

Remember, kids: Don’t procrastinate. Now we know, and knowing is half the battle.