I own nothing but Ellie and Gerty
The Sisters
The heat rose from the asphalt, shimmering above it and making it hard for the blonde haired Eleanor to see anything without her sunglasses on, so with a quick movement, she pulled them down from atop her head, and onto her face, covering her eyes from the blaring sunlight. Behind her, twelve year old Gertrude let out the fifth moan that hour.
"Why can't we just get a car?" She grumbled, dragging her feet. She did this because it was her twenty-six year old sisters biggest pet peeve. With a grumble, Ellie turned around, walking backward and motioning to the empty highway they were walking alongside.
"Wow. Look at all our options, Gerty. Oh! I really like that mustang-"
"No need to be a smart ass, dickhead." Gerty snapped. Usually, she was a well mannered girl, but heat could really change a person.
The barely taller sister grinned, turning back around and adjusting the bag on her shoulder, and then the bag on her back. Ellie would have been pretty if it wasn't for the grime that covered her. She was blessed with large bright blue eyes. The past few months had reeked havoc on the extra weight she had, so she was now skinny and fragile. It was a body she would have killed for before the whole 'zombies taking over the world' thing but now it was just a deadly reminder of how bad things had become.
Gerty, just now entering her awkward pre-teen years, had yet to fill out anywhere. She thought to herself often about how she looked like a tree trunk, and how it was unfair that Ellie got to look like an hour-glass. Ellie already had the pretty eyelashes, she shouldn't get everything. But she kept this thought to herself most of the time, not wanting to anger the only family she had left in the entire world.
Ellie stopped, reaching her hand up to adjust the tattered tank top falling down her shoulder, revealing the giant, realistic roses tattooed onto her shoulder, and she gazed onward, wandering her next course of action. Suddenly, the long empty highway had formed into a hill, and Ellie let out a long string of curses. Hill meant anything could be lurking. And by anything, it meant Zombies, or worse, assholes with guns. Her head, dizzy and uncertain, felt muddled. It had been days since she'd last eaten. The little food she had she gave to Gerty.
Reaching into her pocket and pulling out her tiny pistol, she didn't know its name, she wasn't ever the gun type, she checked and made sure it was fully loaded before trudging up the hill slowly, gun drawn and at the ready. But when they reached the top, they saw a car graveyard.
Car graveyards were an important factor to consider in every day life as a survivor of the zombie apocalypse. They could contain hidden treasures, but at the same time, they could hide any existing threats. She pushed her sunglasses back atop her head, giving her a clearer view of the car graveyard.
Halfway through the mass of cars, Gertrude screamed. Ellie, who was only a few steps away, turned around. A rotting, gnarled hand was gripping her younger sisters ankle, keeping her from any attempt at running or getting way. Gerty was clutching her own knife, but had fallen onto the ground in her struggle to get away.
"Ellie, help!" Gerty cried out, tugging at her leg as the thing snapped its teeth. With great urgency, Ellie aimed and fired, missing the head. She reaimed and hit it the second time. She was never a good shoot. Her hands always shook uncontrollably in the moments she needed them steady.
"Whew." Ellie said, smiling down at her frightened sister and tugging her up. Gerty immediately buried herself in her sisters arms, squeezing her tightly. She knew better than to cry. Crying took to much time, and would end up getting them killed. After a moment, she picked her bag up off the ground and walked ahead of her older sister.
Ellie, still standing there, grimaced at the dead body. That had been someones wife. Someones daughter. Now it was just a dead blob on road, and would only rot away. It was a horrible fate. One she would never wish on anyone.
But there are worst fates the thought in the back of her head sang, almost like a lullaby. A lullaby she knew to well.
"Ellie?" Gerty called out suddenly, her voice urgent and desperate.
With a sigh, Ellie pulled away from her thoughts and turned to her sister. A large Semi truck had been over turned on the road, but coming around the sides was the dead. Dragging their feet and groaning. A great imitation of what Gertrude had been doing just moments before.
"Shit!" The older blonde hissed out, running forward to grab her sister and shoving her behind her back. But they were coming from that direction too. They were every where. She mentally counted the number of bullets she had. Two had been used moments before. That left 8. But she needed two, in case their was no escape, she wasn't going to let Gerty or her become one of those things. Six. She could only take out 6 of the 15 Walkers trudging slowly towards her.
With another curse, she took aim, trying to steady her shaky hands.
Growing up, their father had been a hunter, priding himself in his catches of giant bucks. He wanted a son, but had received Ellie instead, but that didn't stop him from living his dreams until one was born. It wasn't long after she had entered 6th grade that he had taken her hunting with him for the first time. She actually considered that as one of her better memories with her father. Decked in heavy coats and bright orange they had sat outside in a tree stand for hours, just sitting in quite. That was, until she slipped and fell, causing the bone in her arm to break through her skin. Her father was more upset about the deer than his daughter, had shot the deer before it ran, and then picked up Elias. He carried her back to the car and went back for the deer.
That wasn't the last time he took her with him, and because of that, she had learned how to shot a gun. But shooting a deer was a lot different then a Walker.
So the first time she ever shot one was the moment her and Gerty were cornered. She saw the gun laying their, shining in the morning sun, and scooped it up.
She hit the closest ones shoulder. and it staggered a step back before taking another dragged one forward.
Five. She aimed again, and it hit, sending it toppling to the ground quickly.
That left fourteen zombies and four bullets.
Gerty was gripping the back of her shirt now. "Gerty." Elias said steadily. "We're going to climb on to that semi. We just need to run. Follow me. Don't let go, and don't let them touch you."
She felt her sister nod against her backpack, and then ran forward, one hand pointing the gun and the other reaching back to grab her sisters shirt.
The sisters reached the truck without a major problem, and Elias had actually managed to shoot two zombies to the ground, before turning around and shoving her little sister up with all her strength. She wasn't very strong, but Gerty wasn't very large either. With a quick glance over her shoulder she ripped off her bags, tossing them to the top of the vehicle and then jumping up to grab the top of the red cab.
With a heavy breath, a jump, and a grunt, she pulled herself up, her foot barely lifting up as they reached out for her. They still weren't high enough. Her blue eyes darted around, and she decided their next move would be climbing atop the metal cylinder attached to the cab. It was higher up and it would be hard to get Gerty up there, but it was worth it.
She ushered her sister over there, jumping over the window and tossing the bags onto the twelve year old. It made her heavier, but they weren't things she considered leaving. She struggled to get her up, and then jumped, gripping the edge and pulling her own body up. She crawled forward for a few seconds, and then flopped down.
"That was the biggest work out I've had in weeks." She laughed to her sister breathlessly. Gerty didn't see the humor in the situation and glared down at her. "Lighten up, Gertrude. You only live once." She let out another snort of laughter, pushing herself up turning to examine the monsters below. They were all standing at the sides, beating onto the metal tin stretching to reach them, but the two girls were well out of reach. And in that moment of realization, that they would live another day, maybe even week, her arm slid over her sisters shoulder, bringing her to her chest and hugging her tightly.
They sat their only for a half hour when their salvation came, driving a black sedan, its windows shining in the late afternoon light. Elias and Gertrude shoved themselves up, screaming and jumping atop of the semi, their arms flailing and their voices rough. It stopped only feet from where the girls where, blocked from coming any closer by a large white mini van.
And out came their saviors.
A man in a in a plain white shirt and jeans, and another, darker skinned man with hair shaved down to the skull.
"Help us, please!" Gertrude screamed as the hesitated, still standing behind the doors of their car, as if ready to jump in and run for it.
The cop pulled out his gun first, aiming and firing, clearing the side of the six zombies that had wandered over. And it took seconds for Ellie to lay down on her stomach, helping her sister roll over the side and safely to the ground, the bags still strapped to her. The short haired man ran to the side, his arms out for Ellie to slide into, and she did, not thinking of anything other than surviving the next few moments. The Walkers were now sauntering around the side, the remaining 8 sauntering over to them, arms reaching out even though they were still feet away.
Ellie pulled her own gun out, wasting her last two bullets on one walker. She would surely need to work on her aim. But the two men made quick work of the remaining walkers, and in the after math, stood in the hot sun, staring at Eleanor and Gertrude, who stood uneasily feet away.
"My name's Rick, and this is Shane." The cop said, pointing towards the shaven man. Ellie didn't care, really. She wanted to hit the road. It wouldn't be long before more Walkers showed up from all the shooting. And she was now feeling incredibly nauseous and dizzy. She didn't regret giving her portion of the food to Gerty, but she was starting to see it hadn't been the best idea as she struggled to stay standing, her adrenaline now leaving her body, giving it a chance to remember how exhausted it was. "We heard shooting from our camp and wanted to see what was happening."
Ellie took a few steps back. "I'm Eleanor, and this is my little sister, Gertrude." She said uneasily, the gun in her hand falling to the ground, and her following in pursuit. All the energy spent protecting Gertrude left her week, and her vision black. The last thing she heard was her younger sister screaming her name out in fear.