Ellie POV -
I was back in the basement, back where Joel was killed. I was kneeling in the pool of his blood where his skull had been cracked open. Joel was gone, It was just me, alone. I looked down at the thick dark red liquid under my knees, covering my clothes, my hands. I could almost taste the iron in the air, I shuddered at the thought. I didn't even realise but I was shaking from head to toe.
"I'm sorry Joel" I whispered tears falling down my face
"Ellie?" A familiar voice spoke from behind be
I whipped my head round at the sound of Dina's voice
"Dina?" I looked up at her in shock "what are you doing here?"
"Oh Ellie" she whimpered "What have you done?"
"What?" I was so confused, I didn't know what she was talking about "What have I done?"
"Look at your hands" she paused taking a step backwards "You've killed him"
I looked down at my blood drenched hands. My eyes nearly popped open at the sight of the golf club I was firmly clutching. I looked back up at her, tears now streaming down Dina's face.
"Dina?" my voice was shaking trying to work out what was going on, I tried to stand but I couldn't move I was stuck to the spot, I looked around and Joels body was now there, he was looking up at me with dead eyes
His mouth moved and that familiar husky voice rang through my ears "What you doing kiddo?"
My heart was pounding out of my chest, I wanted to scream, to shout, to say this wasn't real but I couldn't do anything. I tried to look for Dina but she was gone, just an empty space where she was stood. I turned back to Joel. He was gone too, so was the blood, the golf club, everything. It was just darkness. I was alone.
I woke up with a shock, we must have hit a bump in the road. My heart was beating fast and I was struggling to draw breath in, I placed my hand on my chest closing my eyes and took a deep breath in.
"You good?" Abby asked
"Yeah"
She tightened her grip on the steering wheel "Bad dream?"
"Uhh… yeah" I replied hesitantly, the dream I'd just had was kind of about her after all.
"I get them too" she sighed "We're nearly there"
I looked out of the dash and looked at the large city approaching us. It looked deserted and half destroyed, most of it was overgrown and it looked like a bomb had hit it. It was clear nobody had been living here for a long time, just like most of the big cities around.
"So, what are they going to do to Lev if you don't get me back? I asked
"They are doing experiments on kids"
"Experiments?"
"Yeah, on the upper levels of the tower they have set up a lab and have kidnaped kids and teens to test out possible cures"
"Fuck" I paused in shock at the realisation Firefiles would actually do that "Why kids?"
"Well, you were a kid when the virus mutated so I think they think they will have a better shot at it mutating again if they use a kid" Abby paused and pulled the truck over "look, I didn't want to bring you here. I told them you were dead. I wanted this to all be in the past but I can't lose Lev, he's all I've got after…" She cut off and looked out of the window
I felt a lump in my throat, I was the cause of all this, I've always been the cause of all this. Joel should have left me to die in that hospital and all this wouldn't have happened. Joel would still be alive, Jesse would be too. Heck Dina would probably be just as happy as she is now if he was here.
I placed my hand on her large arm with a sigh "Don't worry, we will get him back. I'm going to do this. For you, for everyone who we have lost"
Abby looked up and me, forcing a smile "Thanks"
"And I need to thank Lev"
Abby raised her eyebrow at me "thank him? For what?"
"Well he did save Dina back in the theatre. If he wasn't there you'd have killed her"
Abby didn't say anything. She put the car back into drive and focused her eyes on the road ahead, weaving around the deserted cars and large pot holes that covered the streets.
"Could I ask you to do something for me?" I wasn't sure why I was going to ask her of all people this but at this moment in time there wasn't many other options
She looked at me with a confused look "What?"
"Could you find Dina" I paused taking a breath, the thought of Dina was a hard one to process right now "Could you tell her I'm sorry"
Abby looked at me and for the first time I saw her gentle features "Yeah" she replied
"Anyway" I took in a deep breath "how far away are we?" I asked
"It's just on the other side of town, 10 minutes max"
"Okay, Let go"
We pulled up outside the large Willis Tower, it seemed as deserted as the rest of the city, it was hard to believe this is where the Fireflies had set up. I opened the passenger door onto the street pulling out the blood stained hammer I still had from the torture basement. I scanned the area around us but couldn't see anything, anywhere.
"So where are they?" I asked
"In there" She nodded towards the tall building throwing her backpack on her shoulder "Come on"
Abby led the way into the large main lobby of the building, a group of armed soldiers were waiting for us.
"Ahh Abby" A tall well dressed man spoke "I wondered where you had gotten to" He walked over and touched her on the shoulder.
Abby didn't react, just kept a stern look on her face.
He then turned to me "You must be Ellie?" He took out his glasses from his chest pocket and placed them on the bridge of his nose as if to get a better look at me. "Hmmm…. You don't look any different"
"Fuck you" I hissed at him
A sharp pain connected with the back of my knee sending me to the floor "fuck" I winced turning around to see a soldier standing above me, his rife held high ready to hit me again
"Now, now, there is no need for that" The tall man ordered, putting his hand in the way of the raised weapon.
I lifted myself back up to my feet and looked around the large lobby we were standing in. It looked like any old derelict building, hard to imagine the floors above us would be base to one of the largest Firefly headquarters in the past 20 years.
"Are we going to get this over with then?" I asked
"Yes, of course. Follow me!" He spoke with a smile leading us towards the elevators "Now I trust you won't cause any problems while you're here?"
"I'm here to do this, I won't be an issue"
"Wonderful!" he spoke as the doors chimed open "In we get" he gestured for us to move in, we shuffled past him into the small box "Abby, Lev is waiting for you in the civilians barracks. He is unharmed, don't worry"
We stood in silence, it seemed like it was lasting forever, the numbers on the screen above the door slowly climbing up. My mind running like crazy thinking of Dina, of JJ, of Joel, everyone who I'd let down, watch suffer and even die at my expense. At least after this I will have had some purpose to my life. I'm not one to believe in the 'other side' but hopefully wherever I go after this I will see Joel again. Maybe even Riley. Somewhere I could wait for Dina, JJ.
The lift came to a sharp halt and the doors slid open. A small blond woman appeared looking far too happy to be here.
"Abby, you remember Mia, she will take you to Lev and escort you out, It's been a pleasure and if you ever change your mind about joining us you know where we are "
Abby stepped out of the door before glancing back and giving me a nod "I'll find her" she spoke as the doors closed shut
"Now, next stop, a cure!" he laughed
Abby Pov -
Mia led the way through the civilian barracks to the familiar locker room where we visited the first day we were here. She skipped along ahead of me as if the world wasn't infected by fungal creatures.
"In here" she gestured to the door letting me slip past her
"Lev!" I shouted as I ran towards him bringing him into a tight embrace "are you okay?" I held him at arm's length looking over every inch of his body "did they do anything to you?" I could hear the words spilling out of my month uncontrollably
"Yeah im okay" Levs looked at me with a look of dread on his face "Abby there doing horrible things to the kids here"
"I know" I dropped my head in shame "But we need to get out of here it's too dangerous"
"We need to do something, they're torturing them!" His almost shouted "I was down there, in one of the holding cells for weeks.. Hearing the screams, seeing kids go to the lab and never coming back" he looked into my eyes "Abby we have to stop them!"
"We can't Lev, we need to get out of here, there going to let us go"
"Because you brought that immune girl?" he asked
"Yes"
"So you're going to let her die as well?"
"It's for the greater good Lev, one life will save the many. Now she's here they wont need to experiment on others"
Lev turned away shaking his head
"Lev" I moved around to face him and placed my hands on his shoulders "She will go through one surgery and that's it, it will end it all"
A small laugh echoed through the locker room "She won't be so lucky" giggled Mia
I pulled my eyebrows together looking back at her smiling face "what do you mean?"
"Years ago your father might have just performed one surgery and made a simple cure but we won't be doing that. The fungus has mutated so much since then, new strains, new infected popping up all the time. We can't just put all out eggs in one basket" she laughed again
"So what will happen to Ellie?" I asked. I could feel the guilt building inside of me
"She will undergo the surgery, we will remove a section of her brain. But we will keep her alive. She might have some brain damage after a few operations but we need to keep the host alive for as long as possible. It won't be present for her….ha it might not even work!"
"Abby" Lev hissed at me "We can't let this happen"
I was happy to bring Ellie back here, happy to drag her kicking and screaming half dead if I had to. Nothing would have stopped me getting her back here if I knew there was a chance of seeing Lev alive again but now as I stand here thinking about everything she will have to go though, the possibility that the creation of a cure might not even work. My head was running overtime.
I can't let this happen
"Now this way, you'll be happy to hear you're free to go" Mia turned on her heels and made her way to the door.
Without another second I rushed behind her, wrapping my arm around her small neck stopping the air getting to her lungs. I could feel her squirming, her arms flailing trying to grab at my arms "I can't let you do this" I whispered before snapping her neck and dropping her lifeless body to the floor
Lev was quickly at my side looking up at me "Let's go"
We made our way out of the locker room and onto the main floor heading straight for the staircase before anyone realised what I had done.
"Abby we need to down to the labs"
"I know, but I need to get something first"
We climbed the stairs until we reached the top floor where I had been taken to when we first arrived here. I needed to get to his office. We reached the top floor, I rested my hand on the exit and pushed it open slowly. I could see two soldiers were stationed outside his door, I could easily take them both.
"Lev, you wait here until I give you the signal, okay?"
He nodded and I was straight out of the door, striding towards the large end office
"Hey, stop there" The first soldier shouted reaching for the rifle that was hanging off his shoulder
I raised my hands above my head slowing the pace of my feet "I'm just following orders from Charls. He wants me to get his book from his top draw"
They looked at each other for a moment before lowering there guns "Okay, make it quick" The same man spoke in a low voice
"No problem" I moved forward quickly reaching the door and pushing it open, I could feel both there eyes on the back of my head
"Wait!" the same voice commanded "Let me radio this in and check first"
"Fuck" I whispered before dropping and swinging my leg to knock the first soldier to the ground, his radio flew out of his grip and skidded across the floor. I jumped up and kneed the second man in the face, disarming him and shooting him in the foot. I turned to the first soldier on the ground and shot him in the head. I turned my attention back to the man screaming on the ground raising his own gun at his head.
"Wait, wait!" He pleaded
"What?" I asked
"You don't have to do this!"
"Yes I do" I spoke before pulling back the trigger and sending a bullet into his brain
"Abby!" Lev shouted standing behind me "are you okay?"
"Yeah, take this" I threw him the machine gun I was holding before taking the other man's rifle of his dead body "Come on"
I moved through to the office and around to the large desk. I opened the first draw and pulled out the black book
"What's that?" lev asked
I flipped it open to see the image of my young father and Charles standing there smiling at me. I could feel the corners of my mouth turn up as I looked at my dad in a happy memory.
"Nothing… Come on let's get to the labs" I slid the photo into my back pocket and was back out of the door towards the stair cases.
Loud sirens sounded around us, followed my red lights flashing illuminating the staircase
"Fuck, they must have found Mia's body. Come on this way" I pushed open the closest door
We went straight into the mess hall where soldiers were leaving their food in a hurry and gearing up to fight.
"Fuck!" I hissed
"Stop there!" one of the soldiers shouted raising his gun towards us
Without hesitation I raised my gun and opened fire taking down some of the soldiers nearby. "Get behind me!" I ordered Lev who had also started firing
"Abby through here" Lev tugged my shirt and pulled me through a door
We went straight into the large makeshift kitchen, cooks were taking cover behind large steel units. One man poked his head out holding a clever above his head, his hand trembling
"Ple…Please don't hurt us" he whimpered
"Were not going to, get out of here while you can" I replied
A loud bang came from behind the door followed by a small group of armed men. I picked up a boiling hot pot that was on the stove next to me and threw it at them. One of the soldiers dropped to his knees screaming as the thick liquid melted the skin on his face
"Run!" I shouted to the people still hiding around the room
The remaining soldiers moved forward in an attacking formation there guns raised sending bullets flying. I dove behind one of the steel counters, Lev right beside me.
"What do we do?" He spoke frantically
I scanned the room around me and spotted a bottle of rubbing alcohol, I picked it up and stuck a cloth in the top. The stove above me was still burning hot, I lit the cloth on fire and threw it at the men setting them alight, their screams pierced my ears. I got to my feet and moved forward disarming one of the burning soldiers, shooting him in the head and then using his body as a human shield while I shot the rest. I looked around the room, the fire had started to spread, the room was filling with thick black smoke and it would be a matter of time before the entire top floors were engulfed, we needed to move.
"Come on, we need to get downstairs!" I shouted