"Everything happens for a reason." A statement that David both lived and swore by.
Losing a handful of members by the guns of two travelers was something that didn't hit David very hard, believe it or not. But for the sake of convincing his men that he had empathy for them all, he put on a act of revenge-seeking behavior.
Honestly, his interest was low. Until he heard that one of the travelers was a girl. Then he ran into her. It was no coincidence.
She may have rejected his invitation on joining his group, but that wouldn't be the last the two ever saw each other. He would make sure of it.
Everything happened for a reason; That was something David would forever believe.
When she came to, her vision was blurry. The side of her face was incredibly sore and the middle of her chest was suffering similar pain. Her entire head felt too heavy to lift at first, and it took a couple of tries.
Terrible bruises were in the process of forming underneath her beaten skin, yet, there was something refreshing about waking up in a big soft bed.
After several minutes, her sight returned. Eventually. It was almost like a deja vu. Except she wasn't freezing her ass off.
When swallowing, she got another taste of what David had left behind in her mouth. She made a face of pure disgust and thought more about what had just happened some unknown time ago.
He had kissed her. He had given to her what she gave only one other time with one other person. And it wasn't even another male.
Because she wasn't like that. Ellie wasn't born heterosexual. And even if she was, kissing David was like making out with a beast from hell.
And why did he want to anyway? She wasn't even an adult yet..
"Oh fuck.." Ellie murmured when sitting up halfway. There was pain every time she moved.
Cool air hit, making her realize that the bed's covers had been pulled over her earlier. Then goosebumps formed onto her skin. All over.
She almost choked on her gasp when learning that most of her clothes were missing, leaving only her training bra and panties. And the situation was only getting worse from there.
The noise of rustling metal grabbed her attention when she tried slipping off of the bed. Her pupils dilated when staring at the thick shackle on her right wrist that was chained to the bed.
She of course pulled, but went nowhere.
"Don't try it." David's voice conjured a sharp yelp of fright out of the engrossed girl.
Ellie spun around and saw the man carrying a cup of what she guessed was water. But there was still her problem; she was exposed, chained, and standing in front of a rapist. Possibly the worst mixes there could ever be.
The first thing she did was grab the bed's blanket, covering herself from sight. However, it was silly to think that David hadn't seen anything already, especially if he had been the one to undress her while she was out. The thought alone sent a shiver through her.
"Please.." David was speaking again. "I want to apologize.."
Ellie raised a brow, confused at his sudden sympathy. Then again, he seemed to be a master at that..
"I didn't like doing that. At all. It hurt me more than it hurt you." He said. He could see the side of the girl's face that he struck still red from all of the damaged blood vessels.
"Take your apology and shove it." Ellie calmly told him back. Surprisingly it made him smile and spill out a laugh or two.
"You see..that's why you're so damn special." David started again. "You've got an inferno of resilience and survival burning in every cell of you. Hot enough to melt this whole winter."
Ellie wore a glare. "Is that supposed to flatter me?"
"It's supposed to help you realize why I did all of this." The man said.
"You did this because you're a fucking creep!" Ellie snapped.
"No..no." David shook his head. "I did this because I want to help save humanity."
That made no sense.
"What the hell are you even talking about?" Ellie demanded.
"What I need you to understand is that..even though me and my group may do some..desperate actions to help each other stay alive instead of starve.. it's all for a better cause. A reason. Like I always say." David took a step toward the girl and she reacted by taking one backwards.
"The human race gets smaller every day. And soon, they'll be wiped out. Unless..they know how to survive." David continued. " And finding ones that know how to survive..well..it isn't easy." He added, "They're a delicacy."
As David talked, a random thought trailed into Ellie's mind.
Where were the hungry women and children David was talking about? He mentioned that his group was supposedly full of them.. But the only people she met here were ferocious men.
"Take a hundred people from this world at this very moment. Only less than a handful of them are going to be able to survive. The children? No question. I'll be damned if I see any of those any more. They aren't fit to protect themselves. That's what I originally thought at least. And then I met you." David took another step towards the girl, who was out of room to put space between her and the man.
"I saw you, who has more experience and wits than a dozen soldiers combined, and I was filled with hope again. Hope for our species. I can't let anything happen to you." David then held out the cup of water.
"It's not your damn decision what happens to me." Ellie said without taking the cup.
David pulled it back and looked down for a moment while softly smiling. "Well..it is now."
There was a long silence between the two. Ellie stayed frozen until she reached her hand out, silently asking for the cup of water. David didn't hesitate to give it to her.
Ellie grunted as she suddenly hurled the plasticware at the man, who impressively dodged it, causing the contents to explode out as the cup crashed into the wall instead.
He should've seen that coming..
"Go fuck yourself!" She hollered.
She wasn't anyone's pet, Goddammit!
The man looked at the new mess that was on his wall and floor, but only bubbled up a few laughs before leaving the girl be.
"Wanna..try this again? I know you're thirsty by now." David invited himself in again with more water this time. It had been a few hours and he thought it was time to give it another go. He was also prepared incase the girl decided to use it as a projectile too.
With a dry mouth and throat, Ellie knew it wasn't wise to neglect her health. She had to take all the extra help she could get, much to her dismay.
"May as well." She huffed. She was handed the drink.
She looked away when taking the first big sip. She spat half of it back out immediately.
"What the fuck IS this?!" She demanded to know. The liquid tasted awful and it made her throat burn. She let the cup drop to the floor, spilling out.
"I'd very much appreciate it if you stopped doing that." David told her.
"What are you trying to give me?!" Ellie repeated.
David suddenly bolted forward. Ellie had not been expecting this. He used his weight to pin the girl on the bed while having a hold of her face.
"Get the fuck-" Ellie was terrified that the past events were about to repeat themselves.
"I'll give your lesion a twin if you keep struggling!" David growled. Shockingly, the girl's fights lightened.
Ellie kept her head sharply to the side like last time as David pulled out a small clear bottle from his back pocket.
Alcohol. He was trying to feed the girl booze.
"No!" Ellie refused when the bottle was moved close to her mouth, but David wasn't listening.
He opened her mouth and poured a generous amount of potent alcohol down the girl's pipe. He grabbed her throat and she was forced to swallow it all, followed by strong gags and coughs.
"You're not done yet." David told her when she caught her breath. "You're going to finish it."
And he would make her.