A/N: Hey, heres chapter 3! Too longer then normal but I really want to start putting more time into each chapter so I can make them nice and long filled with lots of detail. I also would LOVE to thank each and every person so far for the reviews/comments. You guys are the reason I'm doing this now. You're the inspiration for me to do another chapter. Your reviews/comments get me pumped to do another chapter sooner. I also noticed people really wanted Joel and Tess. Well I had been planning to have them from the start. I just had to find the right time to put them in :D! Also on my tumblr I also post the chapters too and I add music links in here and there for moments that I feel would fit with music if you want to read there instead. Enjoy!
Chapter 3: Promises
A flash of red light was what woke Ellie from her slumber. The shadows of the tall buildings had not been protecting them any longer from the mid-day sun.
When had she fallen asleep? They were still traveling?
Ellie had fallen asleep leaning on Riley. It was obvious her friend dare not wake her from the way she sat as still as she could even with how much the horse moved. To Ellie, it was soothing, as if she was being rocked to sleep. The sound of the hooves clattering on the concrete became like a melody.
Even now Ellie had been falling back asleep. But the light prevented that from happening. With a groan, Ellie shifts, shoving her face even harder into Riley's back.
"Hey now, looks like someone is finally awake." Riley chuckled.
Her voice was sweet and soothing to Ellie's ears. Exactly what she wanted to wake up to, but at the same time not. Not in this setting at least. Maybe they didn't have to do this. They could just go somewhere else and live their lives. Should couldn't ask Riley to do that. Even though her friend had said she didn't want to be a firefly anymore, it had seemed as though Riley had gone right back to being one. She had taken a order from Marlene. Was she really do this to protect Ellie or was it because it was her duty? That was when something caught her eye.
A flash of light bouncing off of something metal.
Carefully, Ellie looked at the back of Riley's neck. The familiar pattern of the chain was what gave away just what it was. "Riley." Ellie said in a groggy tone, still somewhat half asleep.
"Hmm?" Riley kept her eyes on the road in front of them.
"How did you get the dogtag back? I thought you threw it away right before we got chased out of the mall." Ellie asked as if she didn't know anything.
Riley didn't say anything. A hesitation rather. A long one.
She knew Ellie most likely figured it out and she didn't want her to but the girl was to damn clever for her own good.
"Ellie..." Riley almost pleaded, like she as sorry. Her voice was so soft and kind but at the same time scared. Scared of upsetting Ellie.
"No. Don't 'Ellie' me. What about what happen at the mall?" Ellie sounded almost angered now. She felt betrayed in the worst way possible. It was a whole new feeling of betray though. It made her chest feel like it was coiled up into a tight loop.
"What was said and done at the mall... does it really matter other then the fact we almost died?" Wrong choice of words... or at least they had been said in the wrong way.
"God damnit, Riley. See, this is what I meant back at the mall. When did you ever care about what I think?" Ellie didn't have a whole lot of room behind Riley on the saddle but she still managed to fold her arms.
"Ellie, I do care, don't give me that bullshit... Look, Marlene gave me a new one because she thought I lost the old one. Now can we please just not fight and make this trip unbearable?" Riley never once turned to look at Ellie.
"Unbearable? What the fuck is that suppose to mean? You lied to me. My own best friend. I thought you promised me. Was that some bull crap to keep me quiet so you could do your job? I don't even know why you tol-"
"I AM Protecting you. but we're doing it my way! You don't have other choices, Ellie." Riley's voice rose with a hint of her own anger. It scared Ellie a bit and Riley could tell from the way she slinked back.
It reminded her of when Riley yelled at her and then took off. It shut Ellie up. She couldn't bare to feel the pain of that loss. Not again.
Not ever.
In this cruel world that they had been born into, what more could a person ask for? There wasn't much to live up to other then surviving day by day. A world where you live by the moment. Where you could be killed at any second. Thats why Ellie didn't like free falling through life. She was scared
Scared that she was going to die tomorrow or even now. At one point in her life, she hadn't cared to much. That was before she met Riley. Now she had a reason. To live, to fight.
Thats why Ellie stopped arguing. Deep down she felt something she had yet to comprehend. The feeling was far beyond anything she had ever felt before, but never put much thought into it. Ellie knew what love was. She had read about it in books over a hundred times but never understood any of it. Could she possibly compare this feeling to love?
It didn't matter. Not right now. No one had time to think of things, Especially Ellie. It made her wonder though. What was Riley thinking? What did she feel? Did her dear friend even care? One day Ellie would have to sit down and talk to her about this.
They must have gone at least 10 miles by now and if that was true then they were nearing the exit of the safety zone that the Fireflys had set up. The zone it self was rather cleaned up and infected free so they could get supplys through without a problem. The trip itself so far had taken a few hours, by the speed that Riley had Princess going. She didn't want to tire out the poor horse so fast.
They had been passing smaller stores now and even homes. Riley figured they could stop and rest for a hour or two by one of the homes that was still in the safety zone. And so she did.
Ellie hadn't been to sure what Riley was doing at first but figured it out once they neared a old bored up home. The mere moment Princess had stopped, Ellie climbed off and walked quickly and silently into the doors of the house.
"Ellie..." Riley pleaded, but her friend didn't answer. With a loud and annoyed sigh, Riley climbed off Princess and tied her up, pulling a few of the packs off of her back to take some weight off. Before she could even blink, Princess had been eating away at the grass that grew all around the house.
"Ellie, come on." Riley said, pushing the door open.
But Ellie wasn't here. She had gone straight to the balcony of the house in the back and Riley had quickly figured out she was there.
Ellie leaned haphazardly on the rail. The balcony overlooked a lot of the lower parts of the city and various homes. It would have been a stunning sight if Ellie hadn't been so upset.
Riley had stopped at the door, opening her mouth to call to Ellie... but something stopped her and she froze, just staring. It felt like suddenly she didn't exist. As if she had been staring at a movie unfolding before her and Ellie was the main point of it.
Why did it seem so perfect? A breeze had blown by, Ellie's hair flowing with it. The view of the old torn up city added to the affect. The green plants growing up and down them. Beautiful and terrifying at the same time. It sent a heavy chill up Riley's spine.
She didn't want to interrupt this beautiful picture but she didn't have much of a choice. Riley silently moved next to Ellie, leaning on the rail. It was like Ellie didn't notice her.
"Sometimes I wonder what life was like before... this shit. Y'know?" Ellie said, staring at what was left of Boston. "How did kids like us live?"
Riley looked at Ellie. She wondered why Ellie brought this up suddenly.
"I wonder if it was easy for them." Ellie said, trailing off a bit in thought.
"I'm not really sure. I bet, however, they had lots of other things to worry about that seemed just as bad." Riley replied. Her tone seemed a lot softer now and the thickness of the air had seemed to disappear. Something still didn't feel right though, like she let Ellie down.
And in truth, she did. But Riley would never admit that.
Ellie had went silent once more, staring but as if she was looking straight through the city and off into somewhere farther. She looked as though she could cry and Riley had noticed that quick.
"Do you ever wonder how I feel about things or even care? How I feel about what we're doing?" Ellie used everything she had to hold back tears.
Riley didn't answer her at first. It made Ellie feel even worse. "Yes, I do." Riley said carefully, her eyes never drift away from her friend.
"Then why haven't you asked? You've been acting strange ever since we left." Ellie's hand gripped the rail hard.
"Because..." Riley searched deep within herself to try to figure out the answer but nothing came to her. "I don't know..."
Ellie really seemed to be on the verge of tears now.
"Because... maybe now is not the time." Riley suddenly said, breaking the silence again. Ellie seemed almost surprised by the answer. It made her finally look at Riley. "This is something I shouldn't be asking you. It's something I should figure out on my own."
Ellie didn't really know what to say back. She hadn't expected Riley to say that. It was so poetic and almost romantic.
"I'm sorry Ellie. I really do care. As much as I don't want to be doing this, we don't really have a choice. They would have just sent you off with some firefly soldiers if I had refused. I couldn't let that happen, not to us." Riley sighed, dropping her head and closing her eyes.
Ellie quietly scooted closer, her hand inching up and grabbing Riley's.
Riley flinched just the tiniest bit, but it wasn't because she was scared when she felt Ellie's hand grasp hers. It felt like a million feathers bursting from a pillow. Light and warm. Unlike Ellie, Riley knew just what this feeling was. Her heart flutters in her chest at the thought of kissing her. It's as if her whole mind stops on a dime, thinking of that one single thought. It's enticing, the way Ellie looks at her so fondly, despite the fight they had.
Riley hadn't seen anyone more perfect then Ellie.
Ellie searches her friend's face, waiting for unspoken words to be said but she was only met with a look Ellie had yet to figure out how to read.
Sudden extra weight had made Riley gasp quietly. To her surprise it had been Ellie, who sunk down into her, warms wrapped tightly around her waist. Without even needing to think about it, Riley hugged her back with equal strength.
And in the far distance, thunder could be heard.
They stood there, holding each other for what seemed an eternity, really was only a moment. The cloak of their little world dropped, returning to reality.
"We should get going." Riley stated, letting go of Ellie.
"Yea... we should." Ellie replied almost sadly.
Click
The mere sound of guns clicking is what made Joel most nervous. That or it was the way Tess felt as though she'd just pull out guns and go Rambo on all the people holding them here. This wasn't what he had expected today to turn out. Him and Tess had been on a smuggle run and the next thing they knew the two where being held up by the Fireflys.
Joel tensed his body in anticipation. It caused one of the men to jump in alert. "Don't fuckin' move we said. You're lucky we don't shoot you now." The man gripped the gun tighter in his hands. He had the look of a killer. That undying fire that burnt bright in his eyes.
From just around a corner, a shadow draws closer. A woman.
"Ahh I see we found them." Marlene's voice carried in the little alleyway. "So you're the two that killed Robert." Marlene folded her arms. It was obvious from the way she favored one of her legs that she was hurt. "Thanks." She said sarcastically.
Tess had seemed ready to yell but Joel pushed in front of her. "Enough small talk. What do you want?" Joel clenched his fist, ready for anything that the Fireflys threw at them.
"It's a good thing we found you now." Marlene smiled. No one was exactly sure what the smile meant though. "Seeing as though you killed our only smuggler, I'll strike you both a deal. I need two girls delivered out to the University of Eastern Colorado. No questions asked. You'll earn triple of what you lost from Robert as long as they are both delivered safely."
Both Joel and Tess were surprised to hear such a deal. "Sounds easy enough." Joel said almost pleasantly. They could use the extra things to sell after all.
"There is just one catch though." Marlene paused, turning them. "I uh, sent the two girls out already. It's been a few hours but there is a good chance they are still in the safety zone."
Joel looked at Marlene as if she was crazy.
"Oh you must think that was stupid of me to send them out." Marlene shrugged.
It sort of pissed Tess off that Marlene had been acting like they have been best friends for years.
"Why didn't you sent soldiers with them? Do you really think two kids could go all that away alone?" Joel grunted, as if he had really known the two girls.
"Those two girls are far more capable of getting there on their own then with a bunch loud soldiers. Now do you want that pay? I thought I said no questions." Marlene looked at the two who had been obviously pissed off but had given in. "Good. We will supply you with two of our best horses and other things to help along the way." Marlene turned around, heading down the alleyway a bit. She came to a sudden pause. "Oh, and you may want to hurry. You should be able to catch up with them if you do." Just like that Marlene was gone just as soon as she had shown up.
The two didn't talk much along the way as they followed the soldiers back to the Firefly camp. The horses had been all packed up and handed over to Joel and Tess. "Here's a map. I marked up the route they took and from there I marked where you need to go after you find them in another color. The way there should be pretty easy. From the looks of it, depending on how you go about it, it should take 2 to 3 weeks. Take care of those horses and they'll take you all the way without a problem." The man held out the map to Joel and for a moment, Joel just sort of stared. He eventually took it, him and Tess mounting up. Joel didn't waste any time, Tess not to far behind.
"Joel. How far do you think they are off? The sooner we find them, the sooner I feel better. I'd hate to loose all these guns we're gonna be getting." Tess asked, riding up beside him.
"Judging from what they said, if they are on horse back, and the horse is just walking, I'd say they should only be about two hours off. I reckon if we can get a few good runs out of these guys we could find them in maybe a hour to a half an hour tops." Joel kicked the horses side to get it going. They needed to find them, and quick.
Leaving had been completely forgotten about by the both of them. They had found themselves sitting down on the balcony still, watching clouds roll by or birds flock together as if they were dancing.
"Calm before the storm." Ellie had said suddenly.
Riley looked over to Ellie, slightly confused. "What?"
"I read it in a book once. It's where its peaceful and relaxing right before total shit goes down." Her gaze fixed over onto Riley. "Thats what this is right now." Ellie sighed. Deep down she had the worse feeling ever. A feeling of dread. Something was going to go wrong at some point. When, she had no clue.
Riley stood and sighed, annoyed. "I think it's time we moved on. I want to get at least a little farther before it gets to late." Riley held her hand out to Ellie, helping her up.
Ellie had been stuck in deep thought the whole way back to Princess. Before she knew it, they had been on the road once more. She scooted as close as she could on the saddle to Riley, resting her head onto her friends back like she had done before. "I'm not falling asleep again, don't worry."
Riley could feel Ellie smile against her back. happy, content sigh escaped her as Ellie settled in more. At least they could be happy for the moment. It was better then the remorse and anger.
They spent the next forty minutes or so just enjoying what they could, talking about everything they knew of the world before the infected took over. Mostly about games or music. Things they could only dream of having. Princess had been pacing herself, feeling wonderful after the little stop earlier.
A shot rang through the air and following it was a yelp of some animal. It made Princess flinch back.
"Shit!" Riley pulled back on Princess, getting her to calm down. Something had come sliding around the corner. It was... a dog?
"Get outta here you damn mutt!" A voice yelled from far off. Another gunshot echoed and the dog quickly ran down the near by Alleyway.
"Quick, follow the dog! That guy doesn't sound to happy and he sure as hell wont be happy to see us." Ellie tugged at Riley's jacket.
Riley turned Princess as quick as she could get the horse to go, following down the dark ally.
Once they moved passed the shadows, Ellie climbed off of Princess. "Hey big fella." Ellie said sweetly, holding her hand out to the dog.
He looked rather majestic in the light of the setting sun. His ears stood tall and his fur was a mix of black and browns. Most of all, his eyes stood out. They were gold as the sky above them and almost glowed. Riley watched in awe as Ellie moved closer, gaining his trust.
"Looks like he got you, huh?" Ellie looked down at the dogs right arm. A bullet had grazed it, leaving a nice little gash. From her back pocket, Ellie pulled a bandanna out, carefully wrapping it around the wound. "There you go." The dog looked to be maybe just under a year. His head came up just below her waist. "I think I know just the fitting name for you." Ellie smiled and patted his head. "Bullet." She said with a chuckle.
"Ellie, are you sure keeping him is a good idea? It means another mouth to feed." Riley asked, hopping down to greet their new friend.
"Yeeaaaa. It's no big deal. He could be helpful too. Like sniffing out more food or even infected." Ellie proudly boasted as if this was the greatest idea she ever came up with.
Yelling was heard not to far off. It sounded like more of them now.
"Shit, get Princess as far back as you can so they don't see her." Ellie pointed. Pulling out a knife, she carefully slid along the wall, peaking out. Now that she had a good chance to look around, the area seemed rather build up, like a camp of some kind.
Riley scooted up next to Ellie, Bullet close behind them. "Who is it?"
"Looks like bandits, from the way they dress. They don't look very kind either." Ellie looked back out, this time seeking for a way around them. Both paths had been blocked up by mini walls. They looked like they were used for cover in gun fights. "There's no path out of here with a horse. They'd see us. As far as I can tell, the path to the left has very little barriers in it and no one guarding. If we can get rid of the front row of guys on the right without alerting them, we can sneak past and make a run for it. Princess should be able to get through everything fine." Ellie kept a close eye on the men, watching there patterns.
Riley had been rather impressed with Ellie's idea. She needed to take a look though. She didn't even say a word, standing up slowly and leaning onto Ellie to peek over. It was no moment to be blushing, but Ellie couldn't help it as she pressed onto the wall as hard as she could.
"Yea. I see two of them near the front. And three in the back. Lets stick together for this. Take out the right one since he's the closest then the left. I need you to watch the left one and let me know when he's not looking." Riley pushed away and pulled out a good sized knife.
With a nod, Ellie put her hand onto Bullet's head, pushing him back a little. "You stay. I don't want you getting hurt." When the dog sat, Ellie got the idea that he must have understood.
"Alright, hug the wall till we make it to the first barricade." Riley said, crouching down and following the wall as low as she could. Ellie had been right on her toes.
They were up to the first little row of the cement barricades. Ellie quickly peeked over the top of one of them, seeking out the positions of the two men. The closest one to them hand turned away finally, whistling a little tune for a second to himself.
The two girls had been completely silent as they moved to the next set of barricades. Marlene had been right. The two were amazing at it. They could make the perfect assassins. That wasn't what they were though. They only did what they needed to do to survive, even if it meant killing these bandits along the way.
Third row.
They were close. Ellie could hear her own heart beat in her ears. She was nervous. She had never killed another human in her life. Only infected.
Fourth row.
They were in position, the man was standing just next to the other side of the barricade walls. Ellie looked over the otherside, watching the other man's moves. He had walked off a ways over to a far off bush to take a piss. Ellie gave the signal.
Like a snake striking at it's pray, Riley hand leaped, diving the knife deep into the man's throat so he wouldn't scream. She used her weight to make him fall back. He was heavy but with help of Ellie, Riley was able to set him down without it being to loud. "Next one." Riley whispers, the two of them peaking out. When she lowered back down, Ellie got a good glimpse of Riley's face. She was covered in blood. It was almost a terrifying sight.
They needed to move quicker now. They couldn't let him notice that his friend was gone. Ellie peeked over a broken part of the wall. "Ok." she mouthed.
Together the two moved in on the last one. Riley threw a rock and it had caught his attention, going to investigate. Now.
Riley jumped at him, driving the knife towards his neck but it had just missed, brushing just past his collar bone. He screamed in pain, backed up and into Ellie. The fall caused all three of them to fall into the opening of the walls.
"Shit." Riley grunted, slashing his throat to shut him up. It was to late. The three men had alerted any of the other bandits in the area.
Gunshots flew past their heads. Riley dove behind cover a fast as she could but Ellie was frozen in place. "Ellie!" Riley yelled to her. Ellie looked as though she was a deer in the headlights. "God dammit!" Riley grabbed roughly onto Ellie's jacket, dragging her back just as another few bullets whizzed by.
"Ellie, do you have your gun?" Riley asked quickly. Pulling out her own. Ellie shook her head. "We're going to have to deal with what we got then." Riley quickly stood, unloading a few shots at the men. She missed. "They're moving closer." Said dropped back down next to Ellie. Both of them felt panicked. Was this really it?
"I'm going to see where they are now. Don't get up." Riley said with a nod. She stood but what she saw was something she didn't expect. One of the bandits had already gotten all the way up.
"There you are, you little shits." He said, grabbing Riley before she could get a shot off. He picked her up but she fought hard against his grip.
Ellie didn't have to think about her next move as she jumped onto the back of the bandit diving her blade into the back of his neck. She was met with a disgusting snap sound that made her sick.
She had never killed a human... not till now.
Something about it seemed way different then killing an infected. She had to much adrenaline to think about that right now.
Riley peeked over carefully to check. More men had arrived and were closing in on them. "We need to move back." Riley leaned over, aiming a few shots to distract them while they moved back to the first row. It was damn close, a shot just grazing Ellie's ear. She could feel the blood trickle down the side of her face.
"What are we going to do?" with pleading eyes, Ellie shoved herself hard onto the cement barricade behind her.
"I don't know..." was all that Riley could offer her as bullets clashed into the walls next to them. "Wait... what was that?"
The sound of hooves clattering on the pavement were nearing. It all happen so quickly as a man jumped off a horse, he had stumbled just a bit, letting off wonderfully aims shots at a few of the bandits, dropping them. The horse had veered off to the right to safety. Behind the man a loud crack of a long ranged gun filled the sound around them. Someone was taking out people from far behind. A sniper?
"To the left, Tess." He yelled, aiming at another bandit.
The two girls could hear people dropping left and right. Who they hell were they?
"Clear." he yelled, and the woman named Tess soon joined him. "Not bad." He said, putting his gun away, dusting his arm off a bit. "But it's a good thing we got here when we did. The names Joel, and this is Tess." He held his hand out to Riley but they girl didn't stop glaring at him.
"We were fine. We had everything under control." Riley said, folding her arms.
Ellie almost looked stunned. "That was actually pretty sick." Bullet had came running over finally, shoving himself into Ellie, his tail happily wagging.
"Oh god, they never said anything about a dog." Tess sighed.
"Whos they? What the fuck is going on here?" Riley seemed rather angry. She had no idea where these people where.
" Marlene sent us." Joel exclaims, breaking the awkward silence. "We're gonna be taking you both to the University from here on out."
"Oh so Marlene doesn't think I can do it on my own now. Such a great leader, distrusting me." She went of, grumbling to herself.
"Alright, I think it's time we get goin'." Joel rolled his eyes, calling over his and Tess's horses. The two had mounted up and were waiting on Ellie and Riley. "Go get your horse. I'd rather not wait around for more bandits."
Riley didn't entirely like this Joel guy. He seemed like the type to just want to get it all over with as soon as possible and not even care to much about the cargo. She didn't argue though. "Come on, Ellie." She commanded. Ellie followed more then willingly, their new friend close behind.
Once everyone was good and ready, they group headed of to the left path. It was getting dark fast.
"It's weird. Those Bandits weren't there last time we passed through here." He said in general, trying to make some sort of conversation. "Don't matter now though." He squinted his eyes, trying to make out where they were. "We should actually be not to far off from an checkpoint Tess and I made a while ago. We can rest there for the night. It's well hidden and away from any infected or bandits."
Ellie really liked the sound of that. She smiled at the thought of some good rest in a safe place.
They traveled for a bit longer, taking turns down broken up streets. They were taking a path nobody would want to take. Dead infected lay around here and there.
"We leave those there to throw people off." Joel said suddenly, breaking the dead silence of the night. "They think the area will be fill with infected somewhere. People do everything in their power to avoid them."
Riley felt it was a rather genius idea. She made a mental note of it for use later on when the time came.
They passed down yet another broken up road, this one had been far worse but the horses managed. A chained up gate had been to the left. It had been covered all around with tarp so you couldn't see a thing inside. Joel jumped down from the horse, pulling out some keys and unlocking the gate. The others followed, climbing off the horses. Joel made sure to lock up the gates behind them. Once he felt the gate was good and locked up, he unlocked the garage.
"We'll keep the horses in here. Lots of grass has grown and I'll fill a big bucket I have lying around with some water for em." Joel lead his and Tess's horse over to the back of the big garage while Tess had been heading inside the door to the left.
Rilley followed, Ellie and Bullet at her feet like she was a mother duck.
"Hit the switch over there." Tess pointed. "I'll be able to turn on the generator so we can have a little electricity. We have running water in here too. Joel should already have it on so use it while you can."
Happy wasn't even the word that could describe how Ellie felt at the moment. She practically skipped over to the switch and flicked it on and soon after lights filled the room, somewhat dim but still light. It was oddly relaxing.
It had seemed that before the infected took over, it was once a electronics store.
Oh wow!" Ellie began running around the store, looking at all the different thing. A lot of the tvs still seemed to work. Some of the radios and sound systems still turned on. It was almost to much for her to handle.
Joel had already been inside, sitting behind the old counter in a chair, feet resting on the glass. He chuckled watching the two girls looking at everything. "Y'know, she reminds me of Sarah." Joel admits.
Tess looked to him, rather surprised. Why would he even dare to bring Sarah up? She knew he always got so emotional when he did. "Who, that one Ellie there?"
"Yup. Shes got that same sort of attitude." Joel leaned his chair back some more, picking up a few movies from a pile next to him. "You outta pop one of these in. Some of the dvd players should still be working. Watch one while you can. We don't get to that often anymore. He smiled rather kindly to Tess. It wasn't normal these days that Joel seemed this happy. Maybe it was because they are going to get triple their pay or maybe it was the two girls that just reminded him of the older days before the world went to shit, Tess would never know.
Ellie had pulled Riley over to look at a old camera. It didn't turn on but they still somehow found enjoyment of how it looked. "I wonder what people use to take pictures of." Ellie said, turning to look at Riley.
"I bet some people went to shows. Ones where their favorite bands or singers played, and took photos of people having a great time. Or maybe animals." She looked down at Bullet, rubbing her chin. "Not sure about mutts like you though. Things like...Lions!" Riley jumped at Ellie playfully, roaring, pretending to eat her.
"Riley, come on." She laughed, pushing at her friend, trying to get away. It soon however turned into a hug. "I have an idea." Ellie quickly scrambled away, picking up Riley's back pack and pulling the Walkman out. "Hmm." Ellie grabbed the headphones, getting to the next song. "Perfect." Ellie found a working sound systems and grabbed the cord hanging loosely. Carefully she plugged it into the Walkman, knowing the old thing was damn near close to croaking.
She pressed play, and the music filled the room. It wasn't to loud though. "Hell yea." Ellie ran to Riley, grabbing her hands. Ellie stood in the middle of the floor, staring at Riley with a bashful smile. "Uh. Here." She grabbed Riley's waist and spun her around, pulling her back rather gracefully.
"Whoa. Where'd you learn that one?" Riley laughed, grabbing onto Ellie's sleeve to catch herself. It more or less surprised her.
"I have my ways." Ellie smiled slyly, spinning Riley again but breaking it off into a dance. Joel sat up in his seat hearing the music, trying to peek over the shelves. "Hey, I know this song. Consolation Prizes by Phoenix. They use to play it at all the high school dances." Joel quickly stood. It made Tess wonder just what he was up to. "Come on."
"No. No way, Joel." She said, trying her hardest not to smile but Joel was already dragging her to another open area down one of the many rows of electronics, forcing her to dance. She gave in willingly though and was laughing. "Dammit Joel."
Bullet had been wagging his tail furiously, hopping around all over.
On the otherside of the room, Ellie and Riley had still been dancing and laughing at their silly mistakes. "Oh please. That was perfect." Ellie beamed proudly, grabbing onto Riley's arm with a smile that couldn't look more ego filled.
"Oh, really now." Riley gave her a 'is that so' look. "I guess we'll have to wipe away that smug look off your face." Riley had grabbed Ellie's arms but her friend was quick to fight back and the two struggled for control in the fits of laughter. Riley eventually overpowered Ellie, pushing her back a foot. "Oh yea." she smiled, pushing her back and well out of view of Joel and Tess, who where still dancing. The moment flowed together so perfect.
Ellie's back hit the wall behind them, but not hard. It caused her to gasp in surprise, she didn't have time to recover.
It was Riley who initiated the kiss this time and Ellie was more then willing to give in. It felt like it had lasted forever, Riley breaking it with a heavy breath. Riley stared at her fearing she might have scared Ellie. Her expression was hard to read. "What?" She breathed.
Ellie's heart was pounding almost uncontrollably. It felt as though electricity had been running through all her body. She felt so overwhelmed by the affection she had for her friend. Like she could burst right there. "Nothing." and before she could even dare to think about it any longer, Ellie grabbed Riley's shirt, spinning them around so her friend was pressed to the wall instead, kissing her with such intent. Ellie only broke away to breath, huffing at the loss of Riley's lips on her.
"Holy crap." Riley said between breaths.
"Yea." Ellie leaned onto Riley, a smile finding it's way onto her face.
The tension between them was unspeakable and strong. Riley grabbed onto Ellie's shirt, resting her head onto her friend's shoulder. "I think it's time to calm down." Riley chuckled, letting Ellie go finally.
"Here, come on, lets see what the adults are doing." grabbing Riley's hand, Ellie dragged her over so they could peek at the two dancing. "Aww look at them. Thats so cute." Ellie smiled but it turned right into a little laughing fit when Joel almost tripped.
"You think they love each other?" Riley looked over at Ellie with a fond smile.
"Maybe." Ellie smiled back.
"Hey you two. I think it's time to get some rest." Joel said, folding his arms. He had caught the girls staring at them and he had figured that they were making fun of him and Tess.
"Awww man." they said in almost perfect unison. Ellie had quickly grabbed her Walkman, turning it off and unplugging it. "I guess I'm tired anyways."
Riley had already been setting up the sleeping bags for the two around the corner and out of sight of Joel and Tess.
By the time Ellie was around the corner of the shelves, Riley had everything all set up. Both of their sleeping bags had been connected. It surprised Ellie in the best way. Riley wanted to sleep next to her and she was totally fine with it. "Perfect." she commented, kicking off her shoes and putting her backpack down next to them.
"I know my girl, just saying." Riley crawled into the sleeping bag, patting the open spot next to her.
Ellie didn't hesitate one bit, crawling in next to Riley, who grabbed onto her and pulled her into a cuddle. She was so warm. In that same comfortable, safe feeling way that Ellie loved so much. One that she had gotten to know so well and it didn't take long at all to drift into a peaceful sleep.
The next morning came along slow but calm. Rather then jumping up as soon as someone told them they had to, Ellie and Riley woke up on their own accord, and it was a wonderful feeling. No stress and fear, just the sound of talking. It had been Joel and Tess watching a old move from when they were kids. The two had been chatting away at things they remembered.
Ellie's eyes blinked open slowly. She took quick notice at the spot she had been sleeping and it only made her smile. She had been snug right between the crook of Riley's arm and chest with her friend still clinging to her as tight as when they felt asleep. Bullet had been at their feet, laying across them protectively. "Good boy." Ellie sleepily groaned out, stretching and attempting to sit up.
The moments had woken Riley up and when she saw Ellie sitting up, she couldn't have that. Her arms wrapped around Ellie quickly, pulling her back down into a tight hug. "No. Not yet." Riley yawned.
Ellie yelped, falling back down into her warm spot. "I'm hungry though, Riley. I'm sure you're hungry too." Ellie had managed to break free, dragging Riley with her out of the sleeping bag.
"Well well, look who finally woke up. Took you two long enough." Joel sat up in the chair, leaning over, he grabbed a few packages of rations, throwing them the girls way. "Eat up. Tess and I stocked this place a bit with extra food." Joel and Tess had already finished theirs up and looked ready to go. "After you're done we're gonna head out. Can't waste to much time now."
Ellie stood there just staring like she was scared to say something and Riley could tell. "Can I... um.. Get an extra?" Ellie looked rather guilty now. "For.. you know, this guy." she nodded her head down to Bullet who happily replayed back with a bark.
Joel didn't really say anything. He gave a small half smile and threw a extra two rations over for the dog. "Don't let him waste those. Make sure he eats it all, even if you have to stuff it down his throat." he said with a chuckle. "Tess and I are gonna go get the horses all set up."
Once Joel and Tess had left the room, Ellie and Riley looked to each other. They had no clue what to think of them. Maybe this trip wouldn't be as bad as they thought. The two spent their time eating and chatting about comics that they heard of but never had a chance to read. Bullet had been more then willing to eat all his food without even wasting so much as a crumb. Ellie rechecked the wound on Bullet's arm. It had already started to heal but she wanted to make sure it did nicely. Pulling over her backpack, Ellie dug out some bandages and some anti-bacterial to clean it. To distract him, Ellie gave him the rest of her meal and cleaned it quickly then bandaged it up. She tied the red bandanna that had been around his arm, around his neck. "There. You look handsome now." She smiled., scratching the top of his head.
"Alright, kids, time to get going." Joel said as he open the door. He could tell from their faces they didn't like that nickname. It made Tess laugh.
Once everything was locked up tightly, everyone mounted up, heading off onto the main road once more, Joel leading.
Joel cleared his throat, his tone much more serious and calm."From here on out, there wont be anymore check points like this. From here on out we deal with what we have or what we find. It's not safe out there and you could be killed at any moment. Every move we make will depend on our safety and how quick we make it to our destination... So, choose carefully."