They called themselves the Salt Lake crew (not officially, of course), but it stuck. Born from the ashes of the Fireflies’ greatest failure and forged in the blood-soaked battlefields of Seattle, Abby Anderson’s chosen family was more than just side characters in The Last of Us Part II. They were soldiers, medics, lovers, and friends.
And whether you loved them or loathed them, their fates left deep scars: on Abby, Ellie, and on all of us playing through the wreckage.
So who were they, really? And why did so many of them meet such tragic, unforgettable ends? Let’s break down the full legacy of the Salt Lake crew and how the ghosts of Salt Lake still haunt Seattle’s haunted skyline.
Who was the Salt Lake crew on The Last of Us Part II?
Before Seattle. Before Jackson. Before that infamous golf club. The Salt Lake crew were just kids with a cause, stationed at Saint Mary’s Hospital in Salt Lake City under the Firefly banner.
Abby’s father, Dr. Jerry Anderson, was the surgeon tasked with developing a Cordyceps vaccine using Ellie’s immunity. We all know how that ended—Joel tore through the hospital, killed Jerry, and rescued Ellie, shattering the Fireflies’ dream.
In the aftermath, Abby, Owen, Nora, Mel, Manny, and a few others left Salt Lake behind. They understood what reality was all about, but continued to stay driven; they joined the Washington Liberation Front (WLF) in Seattle. Isaac Dixon nicknamed them “the Salt Lake crew,” aka a nod to where it all began.
Their experience made them elite: Abby and Manny were fierce on patrol, Nora excelled in field medicine, and Mel trained as a battlefield surgeon. Even in a hardened militia like the WLF, this group stood out.
But under Abby’s calm, there was a storm brewing.
Her obsession with revenge over Joel’s actions twisted their path, and ultimately…their fates.
The unforgettable downfall of Abby’s crew
After years of WLF service, Abby led the Salt Lake crew on an off-book mission: find and kill Joel Miller in Jackson. And they did.
In one of gaming’s most controversial scenes, Abby brutally murdered Joel with a golf club while the crew watched. Some, like Owen and Mel, were hesitant. Others (Jordan, Nick, and Nora) helped hold off Joel’s brother and later Ellie. That moment sealed their fate.
Once back in Seattle, it didn’t take long for the fallout to hit.
- Nick was the first to go, captured and executed by Tommy.
- Jordan was ambushed by Dina during Ellie’s rescue mission.
- Leah fell in a shootout with Seraphites, her death mourned only briefly on a static-filled radio call.
- Nora’s end came at Ellie’s hands: chased into a spore-filled basement and beaten for Abby’s location.
- Manny was gunned down by Tommy in a firefight at the marina.
- Mel and Owen were killed by Ellie in a desperate confrontation at the aquarium: Mel, pregnant and pleading; Owen, bleeding out with her name on his lips.
Each loss chipped away at Abby’s hardened armor until only Lev remained by her side. And even then, vengeance came back to haunt her at the theater.
They weren’t heroes. They weren’t villains. They were people who made impossible choices in a broken world. And paid the ultimate price.
NEXT: The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 5 Review
