Hell is Us takes place in Hell, a world overrun by Hollow Walkers, yet life still hangs on in fragments. That tension between surviving and desperation pervades the entire game, but for Istian Blainey, a member of an archaeological crew, the outcome is far more sinister. Struck under rubble and nearly dead, Istian tasks Remi with one final mission: to go get his daughter a gift and deliver it to her. What follows is perhaps the saddest and most memorable side quest in the game.
Finding Istian Blainey
Your trip begins as you initially enter Jelhin. Traveling south and southwest, you will sooner or later find a ranged Hollow Walker above an entrance tent with a gate. When you take it to the left, you enter this area, in which the region with the dig site lies ahead.
Inside, the hallway branches off in two directions. The path to the left is to Istian Blainey, pinned under debris. He has given up hope of rescue, but with resolute resolve, he hands over the locker key and requests that you deliver what is within to his daughter.
Unlocking the Locker
The locker is in relatively close proximity to Istian, but it does require some circumnavigating to get to. If you peer through a gap to the side of him, there’s a bag on the other side of the boulders—you’ll need to go that way. Traveling the correct road from the crossroads and returning the way you came puts you in the path of some Hollow Walkers. Defeat them, then jump into the water and stalk left into the drain tunnel, ascending a ladder on the other side.
This brings you to a Timeloop. Tread there quietly through Hollow Walkers that are ranged until you reach the opposite side of Istian’s position. There, you can pick up the locker key and go back. The locker itself is in the tent near the entrance of the excavation site. Inside it, you will see a pair of red shoes and a letter written by Istian’s daughter—his final gift to her.
Returning the Shoes
Conclusion of this quest is nothing short of heartbreaking. In the second chapter, within the occupied village of Jova, you’ll come across a soldier’s house in the southernmost section. Inside lies a scene of quiet devastation: Istian’s wife rests lifeless on a table, while his daughter lies pale and bloodied on the floor beside her.
To answer Istian’s request, go up to the second floor of the residence. If the main door is blocked, you may always drop by the balcony via a small ramp in front. In the daughter’s room, place the red shoes beside the chair and her favorite elephant soft toy.
This scene beautifully brings to a close the story, cementing itself as the saddest yet most poignant encounter in Hell is Us. It is a chilling reminder that in a world where to exist is rare, loss and memory are sometimes all one can hold onto.
