"I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. And I'll fear no evil because I'm blind to it all
And my mind and my gun they comfort me. Because I know I'll kill my enemies when they come. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell on this earth forevermore. Still I walk beside the still waters and they restore my soul. But I can't walk on the path of the right because I'm wrong. No I can't walk on the path of the right because Im..wrong."
"What are doing, kiddo. You really gonna go through with this?" Ellie set her guitar down on the floor of the bedroom she was in. She looked up and saw the face of the man who had saved her life countless of times, and answered his question, afraid of what he might think.
"I'm going to find. And I'm gonna kill, every last one of them."
"I swear."
The words ring in her head every time she finds one of them and proceeds to do what she promised herself she would accomplish until her last breath. Ellie lowered her gun as she stared at the limp body in front of her. The yellow jacket now had a blossoming rose on the still chest as the man's grip on the map loosened. She bent down and easily plucked it from his fingers. Ellie was beginning to unroll the map when she heard running steps behind her.
She ducked under a desk just as the door behind her flew open. She quickly stashed the map into her bag and pulled out a brick, getting ready to send it flying.
"Shit. Jeff is down." The deep voice was followed by the sound of static.
"I'm on my way hold tight. Keep an eye out." Just as the last words came through, Ellie peaked over the desk and launched the brick. She jumped over desk, knife in hand, and dove it into the man's throat. She fell on top of him and watched as the life drained from him.
The static once again filled the room. "Hey, Logan. We're almost there. Stand by."
Dammit. She said we're.
Ellie ran and positioned herself by the door and dropped a little metal can filled with gunpowder and blades.
Ducking behind the desk, she heard the door open followed by a blast and yelling.
"Fuck! Riley!"
The voice of man sounded desperate and she felt a pang in her chest at hearing the woman's name, reminding her of her friend that she had lost a long time back. She was also a Firefly. She lifted herself up and looked at the scene in front of her. A man was on one knee, blood running down his left cheek and a woman with chestnut skin and hair was laying on the floor, huge gashes and blood covering her. She didn't move and Ellie could see the man shaking as he reached down and tugged off the metal pendant that hung at her neck.
"You….you did this. Why?!" The man stared up at Ellie, eyes full of hate. She could only imagine that is how she looked whenever she found the few Firefly camps left and confronted the people inside. "I..I know who you are. The word about you spread fast. You were supposed to save us. You were to be able to put a stop to infection. But here you are. Murdering the ones who could've help your gift be spread and save the word. WHY!?" The man's voice cracked as he pulled up the dead woman into his arms and cradled her. He grabbed the revolver he had in his holster and aimed it at Ellie with shaky hands.
"You won't get away with this! Not after all the people you killed." Ellie lifter her hands in surrender and spoke, a small hint of a smile forming on her lips as she remembered a distant memory containing a guitar.
"The reason you know who I am isn't what you should've heard about me. You should've been informed that I am going to find and I'm going to kill every last one of you." Ellie took a breath, feeling the tears starting to form, but quickly realizing that it wasn't the time. She shouldn't cry anymore. She didn't feel anything anymore. Nothing but hate.
"Right now...you are feeling exactly what I felt when I decided to start this. You all did this to me. You took what was most important to me and made me watch as he left this Earth. As far as I'm concerned, your lives aren't worth what I lost."
She saw his finger on the trigger tighten, but she didn't move. If she died at this moment, she didn't care. But he didn't pull the trigger. Instead he dropped the gun and shook his head, staring at the red-headed girl in front of her.
"If you want to go around and..and ruin the world's chance of stopping this thing, you go head and do it. I just can't do it. I can't do it...I can't do it. Can't fucking do it." Ellie walked over and picked up the gun and pointed it at him.
"That's alright. I believe I can do that myself." She stared into the man's eyes one last time. Gotta keep finding something to fight for. She pulled the trigger and felt relief. His body slumped over his partners' and she suddenly remember the map in her pocket.
She took a deep breath and shined her flashlight to it. The little light illuminated the dark room as her eyes scanned the map. Noticing the all the locations on the map. She had been to all those locations. They no longer were being occupied by Firefly soldiers. They were all dead. She weakly smiled as she came to the realization that her mission was over. It was over. It was finally over. She dropped the map and slowly walked towards the exit.
By the time she had gotten outside, the sun has started rising. The dark sky had streaks of orange and she heard a voice in her head. This everything you were hoping for? Why and how she kept walking was a mystery to her. She hopped into the car that she had arrived in and drove for hours until she found that the highway didn't stretch too far until it was blocked by cars. A few miles outside the city Ellie found that the side of the road led into the forest. She walked until she reached a small waterfall that looked out to a bigger lake. She sat at the edge of a rock and stayed until the sun was starting to set.
"Well I guess this is it. Isn't it?" She spoke out loud, not expecting a response.
"I guess it is, kiddo." She slowly craned her head and stared at Joel. He stood looking out at the sunset, his brown jacket slightly stained at the sleeves and his blue shirt underneath stained heavily with blood.
"What are you doing here, Joel? I thought this would be over." She now felt tears, real tears or longing and sadness.
"I'll always be here. I'll be with you. I swear." His eyes were filled with sadness but he was smiling.
"Don't you see? That's the problem! You will always be here. But you are gone. Everyone I have ever cared for has either died or left me. Everyone and now you. You're dead. And it's my fault." Her voice cracked and she starting sobbing loudly. She tried muffling her tears with her hand as she turned away from Joel and looked at the sun, trying to stop the tears. "Why can't you just go. Please." She heard the rustling of leaves behind her, but she didn't care. She continued crying, no longer trying to be quiet. The noise got louder and she soon heard voices. Voices she knew to be real. The footsteps approached her and she felt the presence of someone behind her. It was followed by a quick flash of pain on the back of her head. The next moment she was staring at the sunset on her side, blood now starting pool by her head. She heard a female voice whisper, "That was for Riley, and Logan and all my friends you bitch." The footsteps then got softer and more distant indicating that the person had left.
Ellie couldn't move as she watched the sun getting lower and lower. Her head felt light and she felt peaceful. This is how I die. Alone. She shut her eyes, enclosing herself in darkness.
"But you aren't alone."
Fluttering her eyes open, she was staring up at Joel. His grey beard and worn face looking clean and soft. The hair in her eyes was pushed away by the hand on which his watch rested. She ignored the fact that it wasn't really him, as she knew his watch wasn't with him but on her own wrist. As it had been since the day he was chased down by Fireflys and she was left to watch as his life drained from his body .
"Oh babygirl. I was here. I never left your side. I swear."
The tears trickled down her cheek and she took one final breath before she shut her eyes and was consumed by warmth. She had endured and survived for as long as she had. But now it was time to look for the light. Her light. She was going to be Joel once again, where she should have always been. It was finished.
Song in trailer and story is called 'Through the Valley' by Shawn James.
