Chapter 15

Everything was a blur.

Ellie heard the noise of an engine, but it soon faded again, only to reappear a moment later. Dizziness came into the mix, accompanied by a churning stomach. She felt sick. So sick that she gagged and then released her entire breakfast.

"Seriously?!" chimed Sabine's voice and right away she recalled everything that had happened before. How she had gotten captured and kidnapped by the Asian woman.

As she tried to open her eyes, she got blinded by the bright daylight, which made it hard to see anything. She just felt how the car she was sitting in decelerated and eventually stopped entirely.

"Goddamn, Ellie, look at this mess! Why couldn't you wait those last few minutes until we arrived?"

Slowly, her eyes got used to the light, which improved her sight, so that she could see how Sabine left the car, only to reappear at her side. The kidnapping woman opened the passenger door and moved Ellie's head, so that she could look right into her eyes.

"The anesthetic is wearing off faster than I thought," she mentioned and unbuckled the young girl, who started to struggle right away, but to no use since she was still tied up. "You really wanna start this again?! I know, you're one tough cookie, but I'm not sure how well you're gonna take another hit."

Realizing that fighting wouldn't bring her anywhere, Ellie stopped to squirm and gazed directly at Sabine, whispering "Fuck you!"

The stench of fresh vomit crawling up her nose, plus another surge of dizziness caused Ellie to vomit again, which cost her so much energy that she fainted again.

As the young girl woke up again, she was somewhere inside. A wooden ceiling was the first thing that came into her sight, right with the realization that she was lying in a very comfortable bed.

Overwhelmed by this new situation, Ellie shot up and looked around. Indeed, she was in a small bedroom that was decorated with vintage wooden furniture and old, dusty paintings. The bed she was laying in, was a small one for a single person, yet the bed linen seemed to be fresh and not old and musty like it would normally be in those old, abandoned houses.

As she wanted to get up and threw the blanket from her body, she realized that she wasn't tied up anymore and that she was only wearing some underwear, and since it was autumn, her body was immediately hit with cold air, causing her to shiver.

But she had to get up and run away as fast as possible!

Quickly, she jumped out of bed, only to realize that she was still dizzy and weak on her legs. Nausea was hitting her again, as well, so that it took her a lot of self-control to not throw up again.

After waiting some time, she cautiously moved towards the door and listened, knowing that Sabine was certainly close by. She then pushed the handle down, but - unsurprisingly - it didn't open, because it was locked.

"Motherfucker!" she cursed quietly and went to the window to try her luck there. But the frame had gotten nailed to the sill, making it impossible to open without some tools or noise.

She looked outside through the foggy glass and saw endless wild fields in every direction of her sight, plus an old barn a bit further away. She was on a farm, so much she could figure out. But where? And how far away was it from Omaha? How long had she been unconscious? Would Sarah find her? Or was she even alive?

No matter what the case was, she needed to get away from Sabine as fast as possible and then head back to Omaha to find Sarah.

She heard steps from outside the room, how they stopped in front of the door before it got unlocked and Sabine entered, a tray with food and other stuff in her hands.

"Oh, you're up!" she greeted the young girl with a big smile, putting down the tray onto a small table. "Sorry for this…uncomfortable treatment, but… I think we've been off to a bad start. Let's start over, okay?"

Still with that big smile on her face, Sabine reached Ellie a hand. However, the young girl didn't go for a handshake, yet kept her arms crossed and gazed angrily at the Asian woman.

"Where's Sarah?" she asked sternly, causing the other woman's happy demeanor to falter.

"Um, back in Omaha… I guess. Dunno… Last time I saw her, she didn't look that hot."

"You fuckin'... You… Listen closely, fuckface," Ellie returned with a threatening undertone, hot tears of anger and sadness running down her cheeks. "You're gonna bring me back to her, right now, and we're gonna help her!"

"Why?" Sabine replied, shrugging with her shoulders like she didn't even understand the demand. "Don't you understand? She's gone."

"Do I look like I give a shit 'bout your fuckin' words?!" the young girl yelled back, taking a step towards her kidnapper. "It's my choice, not yours! You're not my sister, not my mom and not my friend! You can just go and fuck yourself! NOW BRING ME BACK!"

For a few moments, Sabine was just looking at Ellie with big eyes, like this outburst had entirely surprised her. But then, she simply sighed and shook her head.

"You don't get it, Ellie," she eventually said and walked back to the door, stopping one last time before leaving. "This woman has poisoned your mind. She never would've given you the love you deserve. Forget her, forget Salt Lake City. Here, you're safe. No Cordies, no hunters and no one who hurts you…ever!"

"Yeah, sure…" the young red-head scoffed and let her gaze wander around the small room. "A fuckin' golden cage, built and guarded by a maniac."

Suddenly, Sabine began to chuckle again, which sent a shiver down Ellie's spine.

"Maybe that's what you're seeing right now, but one day, you'll thank me for pullin' you out of this world full of shit. You're gonna love me for that. And until then, you'll stay in here."

The door got shut close and locked again, imprisoning Ellie once more. Feeling all furious and desperate, the young girl released a loud scream and started to kick continuously against the wooden barrier until all strength left her and she glided down onto the floor, where she kept on crying bitter tears.

Loudly, the engine of the rundown car roared as Sarah punched the gas, speeding along the country road towards the next farm, a few miles west of the city borders of Omaha.

During the last two decades, nature had conquered back most of the former dusty roads that were leading towards the farms. Three days had already gone by since Ellie had been taken from, and from what she had heard from Honey and Babe, time was of the essence. Every minute that was passing could mean that Ellie was in grave danger.

Another farm came into sights, the sixth she was searching. Being her cautious self, she stopped the car at the side of the road, geared up and then made her way through the fields.

Crickets were chirping in the high grass that was enlightened by the orange evening sun. Like the other farms, this one looked abandoned for years, besides that there was no car standing in the vicinity, though Sabine could've easily hidden it in one of the barns.

After scanning the surroundings, she then approached the farmhouse, pistol ready and loaded. Every one of the old, withered floorboards creaked under her steps as she approached the front door.

It was quiet, only the tall grass and wheat rustled as the wind played with it. Cautiously, she tried to spy through the dirty windows, but couldn't see anything. Then, she tested the handle on the door. The lock clicked, yet the wooden barrier didn't budge. Only as she gave it a push with her shoulder, the rusty hinges screamed loudly, which was answered by a deep growl.

"Shit!" the blond woman hissed quietly as she became aware that a Bloater was inhabiting this house. As fast and silent as possible she tried to get away from the door and off the porch, but the loud stomping told her that the creature was approaching the entrance.

Ignoring all caution, Sarah swiftly turned on the spot, jumped off the porch and ran towards the high grass and wheat. She heard the loud cracking of wood and the shattering of glass behind her, which told her that the Bloater had rammed through the door and was following her.

Upon the fresh wounds, Sarah experienced a lot of pain while she was fleeing into cover. As soon as she had entered the foliage, she immediately changed directions like a rabbit. One hook to the right, another one to the left, then right again and finally straight ahead.

The Bloater released a loud, guttural growl as it had left track of its prey. In the meantime, Sarah kept on pacing through the dense wild fields until she was sure that she wasn't followed anymore, breaking down on the spot as soon as she had stopped running.

She was laying on her back, her body entirely consisting of pain. Every breath hurt, every beat of her heart was agony. Tears were emerging from her eyes as everything became unbearable and her mind entered a trance-like state.

Her glance was fixed on the sky. Dense, dark clouds were wandering along the blue, covering the sun from time to time before it emerged again and spread its warmth. Seconds turned into minutes, minutes into hours and from one moment to the other, a wet drop hit her cheek. The sky above her had been turning entirely gray, heavily filled with water that was starting to fall to earth.

Cautiously, Sarah fought to get up again, one false movement easily inducing another surge of pain. Eventually, she managed to stand on her feet again and slowly walked back to the car. The rain, of course, was picking up with every minute so that she arrived entirely drenched. Maybe the days were still warm, thanks to the intense sun, but during bad weather and the night, it was already cold. Her clothing and body being entirely wet from the rain, the low temperature easily had an influence on her already trembling body. She was freezing and had no chance to warm up besides using the heater of the car, which would consume valuable fuel, leaving only the use of her own body heat as an option.

But no matter what, she had to get rid of her garments and warm up as soon as possible. So, she stripped off every piece of clothing, got into the car and wrapped herself entirely into an old blanket. It wasn't much, but it had to suffice. Once again, she was falling into this trance, staring into empty space while big raindrops were tapping against the vehicle.

When she finally had regained control over her mind, it was already pitch black outside. Still being cold, yet far away enough from hypothermia, Sarah finally got her bearings and searched in the darkness for her flashlight and her manual charger.

After charging the old battery, it came to life with a click, giving a bright yellow light, which wasn't a problem since she was in the middle of nowhere. Next, she pulled a map and a pencil from her backpack and began to study the piece of paper, which was already decorated with several markings.

"Hmm…" she hummed as she crossed out another point on the map. During these last days she had checked several farms, yet not enough, due to the distances and the lack of fuel. She simply didn't have the resources to approach all of them via car, but had to park it on a central spot before making her way to them by foot. It was an exhausting search. Barely she had time for a break or to eat something. Only situations like this one forced her to kick down a bit and make new plans.

With the latest farm, she had checked every possible location in the surrounding area and needed to move to the next.

But which one? Which one?

The whole wide vicinity of Omaha was literally covered with endless-seaming agriculture and its associated farms. Dozens of possibilities to hide, provided that Honey hadn't lied to her.

It was a desperate situation, an uncontrollable one. And Sarah hated uncontrollable situations. To her, it felt like she was stumbling from one location to another, without knowing if there was any logical sense behind it. As far as she knew, Ellie could already be dead, raped and killed by this psycho. But even if this was the case, it was still a motivation to find this crazy woman and kill her for good so that she won't hurt anybody anymore. Yet, to be honest, she would mostly do it for the selfish motivation of revenge.

No, she shouldn't think like that! Ellie was still alive and needed her help as soon as possible. So, where to next?

There were a bunch of farms up north that weren't that much apart. In fact, they were so close together that she would theoretically be able to cover four in one day. A good cut and a guess as good as the others. She was literally poking around in the darkness, not knowing where to look exactly.

Still, she had a plan for what to do next and this was everything she could do at the moment. So, she packed the map back into her backpack, turned off the light and tried to get some rest.

Days turned into nights, nights turned into days until they became an indistinct blur of twilight.

Ellie was still trapped in this small room. However, it looked nothing like at the beginning. The furniture and walls were demolished by countless outbursts of rage. In addition, the air had become stale and reeked since the lack of fresh air and a bucket in the corner where the young girl was forced to relieve herself in. Sabine only emptied it once a day and not when necessary, leading to a very bad smell.

Ellie was lying in bed, wearing only her underwear since the sun was heating up the room. Shivering cold at night, blazing hot during the day, and that every day. Sweat was running from her forehead and her body, causing the clothes to stick to her body. Her gaze was glued onto the ceiling, staring at it for hours.

It was torture, and only the thought of Sarah finding her gave her hope. All her plans to run away from Sabine had led to failure.

When she had been allowed to leave her prison, she had been watched by Sabine every second. And if she had overdone it, she had gotten simply sedated, leading to even more discomfort.

Her mind wandered. Wandered to her past. Her Mom and Riley, and how she had ended up with Sarah.

Sarah. Her hope. Her light in the darkness. Whenever the door to her room got unlocked, she just hoped that it would be Sarah, finally freeing her. So far, however, she had always been disappointed.

Granted, Sabine tried everything to be an excellent host, yet the fact that she held Ellie imprisoned poisoned every effort from the start, leading to even longer imprisonment as Sabine punished any resistance right away.

Sarah and other people had told Ellie more than once that she was very stubborn. And while stubbornness could sometimes lead to success, in situations like these it was an enormous disadvantage.

Maybe she should play along? Maybe she should try to gain Sabine's trust and lure her into safety, only to…

It clicked, signaling that Sabine was paying her the regular visit. The door swung open and as the older woman wanted to enter, she stopped immediately and scrunched up her nose.

"Oh my god, that's just disgusting!"

But Ellie just shrugged with her shoulders, her sight still fixed onto the ceiling. "Had to take a shit. Sorry, but not sorry. Some ass forces me to take that dump into a bucket. It's over there, knock yourself out."

Sabine sighed and put down the tray with food before she rested one hand on her hip, asking "Why are you doing this Ellie?"

"Doin' what? Shit in a bucket?" the young girl replied, frowning at Sabine. "As far as I remember, some bitch kidnapped me and locked me into this fuckin' room. Guess who that is!"

"I have to," was the Asian woman's answer, which made Ellie furious, letting her sit up and blurt.

"And why's that, motherfucker?"

"Because you don't appreciate what I've given you…"

This easygoing tone, paired with such a nonchalant answer made her even more angry. She got up and took two steps towards her captor, who didn't even twitch.

"WHAT?!"

"I've given you a safe home, Ellie. Sure, you could've been out there with your bestie Sarah and get chased by Hunters, Cordies and whatnot 'til you die in a most gruesome way, OR…you stay here, in a safe house, far away from any danger, with me, who'd bring down the stars for you. This is a home you deserve!"

"You dunno shit what I want or deserve!" yelled Ellie back, breathing heavily as she and Sabine stood face-to-face. She almost expected to get sedated and locked up again, however, her captor seemed to have other plans.

She eyeballed the young teenager for quite some time, from head to toe, before she said "Come! Let's getcha cleaned up 'n' ready."

Before Ellie could even ask what Sabine was up to, the grown up woman had already walked out of the room, leaving the door wide open. Befuddled by this sudden change of routine, the young red-head followed her, calling after her "Ready for what?"

She followed her into a bathroom on the same floor, where a small tub with hot water was already prepared.

"I'm waiting downstairs. Holler, when you're done," she then just mentioned and left. Of course, locking the door again.

Yes, once again, Ellie was imprisoned, yet this time it was way more bearable than her small, stinking bedroom.

A hot tub with warm water! Something so rare that Ellie had only experienced it once in her life. Because, mostly, cleaning consisted of some cold, dirty water and her bare hands. But here she also had soap, a cloth and even a clean towel! Pure luxury that even painted a small smile on her lips.

Right away, the young girl stripped off her dirty garments and cautiously stepped into the tub, sighing with relief as she let herself sink into the warm liquid. She then leaned back and closed her eyes, shutting out any negative vibes and focused on something beautiful.

Her mind began to yarn a perfect world, where she would live carefree on a farm like this one. But she wasn't a prisoner, no. She was running freely along endless fields of wheat and corn. There was a garden, where fruits and vegetables were growing in masses. Apple- and pear trees were standing on wide meadows, a hammock between two of them.

The house was freshly painted, shining in the bright sun, clean and the furniture in the best shape. A peaceful paradise in a corrupted world.

Someone was calling her name. A familiar voice. It was distant, yet so close. Two arms were wrapping around her shoulders, followed by a soft peck on her cheek.

"I love you!" the voice whispered in her ear, intensifying the embrace.

Ellie turned around and gazed into a pair of blue, friendly, sparkling eyes. The face looked familiar, too…

Sarah!

Both leaned in and kissed. First, very tender, but with every passing second it got more and more passionate. So intensive that Ellie had a hard time breathing. Her lungs were starting to burn as they were yearning for fresh air, but the kiss continued mercilessly, until…

Ellie broke through the water surface with a loud gasp as she greedily sucked in air, followed by intense coughing as her lungs released the unwanted liquid.

"Fuck!" the young girl gasped, realizing that she had just fallen asleep in the bathtub and almost drowned.

She leaned back against the tub's wall, her lungs and throat still burning. Soon, her mind wandered again, back to the dream she just had, and especially towards Sarah.

Sarah… She was somewhere out there, probably searching for her. Ellie didn't believe Sabine even one syllable that she was gone. No, her guardian was still alive, she felt it in her heart.

In her heart… She thought back to that moment she and Sarah were kissing. In her dream, it felt so good. So…arousing!

Then, her thoughts shifted to that one night she had witnessed Sarah and Carla. She had been so enthralled by the blonde's body, and now imagining that it had been her instead of Carla, receiving those pleasures, caused an intense heat and tickling sensation in her abdomen.

NO! No, no, no! She can't have a crush on her! Getting off by seeing two people having sex was one thing, but wishing that one of these persons had been yourself? No way!

Still, Ellie couldn't help herself but letting one hand glide down her body and towards her intimacy. It had been quite some time since she had felt the yearning for some sexual relief, and she didn't even know why this moment was supposed to be the right time, but her body demanded it, so she let it happen.

A whispered moan escaped her mouth as her fingertip rubbed tenderly over her sensitive spot while, in her mind, she imagined Sarah being the one who was touching her.

"Oh Sarah!" she gasped as a surge of pleasure rushed through her body and her phantasy went wild. She felt that her climax was approaching at a fast pace. But she never got the chance to reach the peak as it knocked at the door and Sabine's voice chimed from the other side.

"Ellie, 're you okay?!"

Being furious upon being dragged back to reality and therefore denied of her orgasm, Ellie sat up and yelled "NO, I'M NOT OKAY. FUCK OFF!"

At first, she thought that Sabine would have gotten the gist and left again, but right the opposite happened. The door unlocked and Sabine stepped inside without any hesitation, very much to Ellie's dismay.

"What the fuck's wrong with you?! Did I tell you to come in? Getta fuck out!" she blurted, sinking deeper into the water to cover her naked body.

Sabine, however, just ignored the young girl's complaining and simply put down a pile of clothes that she was carrying in her arms, saying in a calm voice "I brought you some fresh clothes. Get dressed and come down to dinner!"

A few seconds later, she was gone and Ellie was alone again. Her desire for relief had vanished as well as the mood for bathing. Being enraged, she quickly got out of the tub, her wet hair hanging over her freckled shoulders. After drying her body and hairs with a towel, she approached the foggy mirror and swiped away the wetness.

Last time she had seen herself in a mirror, she definitely had looked younger. The adventures with Sarah had clearly left some marks on her demeanor and her whole body had become more mature, evident by more female curves and slightly bigger breasts.

But what was so special about this? She was growing up. A normal process that every woman had gone through…even Sarah and Sabine.

Having had enough of ogling herself, she picked up an old brush and used it on her hair before she dressed up and went towards the door. Surprisingly, it was unlocked and Ellie was able to go downstairs on her own, where Sabine was already awaiting for her with a toothy grin.

"There you are," she said kindly, signing towards the empty seat at the other end of the table. "C'mon, sit down! I'll getcha some munch!"

Reluctantly and always mistrusting her host, the young girl took a seat and let her gaze wander over the table, whereas Sabine got up and walked towards the built-in kitchen. Using the chance that she wasn't given any attention, she picked up the knife in front of her and hid it in the waistband of her trousers.

A moment later, Sabine returned with a bowl of soup and a basket with freshly toasted bread, which smelled like heaven on earth and caused Ellie's stomach to grumble like a thunderstorm in the distance.

"Hungry, huh?" Sabine mentioned playfully with a chuckle, placing the goods on the table. Before returning to her seat, however, she checked the table one last time and paused as her sight passed the young girl's place. "Alright, Ellie, hand it over!" she said with a heavy sigh, stretching out the palm of her hand as a sign to give her the missing cutlery.

Giving Sabine a stinky glare, Ellie handed over the knife and pouted.

Satisfied with the outcome, the older woman returned to her seat and announced "C'mon, let's dig in!"

And while Sabine began to eat, Ellie refused at first. But her little rebellion soon faltered as her hunger got almost unbearable. After sighing a loud "Fuck it," she eventually took some soup and bread and stuffed it with big bites into her mouth.

They were both eating in silence, only the clanking sounds of cutlery on the dishes chiming.

More than once, Sabine gazed deeply at Ellie, starting to make the young girl feel uncomfortable.

"You're cute, y'know," she suddenly said, causing the young red-head to choke on a bite and cough it all over the table. But again, Sabine just giggled, put down her spoon and walked over to Ellie, reaching her a hand and said "C'mon, I got a surprise for ya!"

Rolling with her eyes, Ellie eventually got up without giving her hand and followed her involuntary host to a comfortable couch, where they both sat down.

"You ever watched a movie?" the grown-up asked, causing the younger girl to look at her with big eyes. "So, I guess not…"

Giggling again, she took a remote and fired up the old screen that miraculously came to life and soon an animation movie was running, catching Ellie with all its colorful pictures and amazing sounds. It enthralled her so much that she didn't realize how Sabine was shuffling closer and closer to her. Only as she wrapped an arm around her shoulders did she become aware of this unwanted closeness.

"The fuck you think you're doin'?" she exclaimed, trying to bring some distance between her and Sabine, who, however, leaned in and crashed her lips onto Ellie's. But not only that. Also, one of the older woman's hands had made its way under the young girl's shirt and was fondling one of her breasts.

Feeling disgusted and close to panic, Ellie tried to fight this sexual abuse by kicking like a wild mustang and pushing with her hands. She succeeded so far that Sabine backed away, yet she still had a predatorial glare in her eyes. For a minute, both stared at each other, their breathing heavily and both ready to fight, until Sabine sighed and then scoffed.

"Sorry 'bout that! But I couldn't help it anymore…"

"You sick fuck!" the young girl hissed back and ran back into her room, slamming the door shut before she lay down into her bed and began to scream.

Another farm, another bust.

Frustrated by another failure, Sarah screamed loudly and tossed an old chair through a window before she took another one and smashed it repeatedly on the ground until it was only bits and pieces.

Exhausted and her wounds hurting, she sat down onto a withered couch table and caught a breath before taking out the map again.

She felt tired and burned out from all those days of searching. Let alone that she was running low on food, water and fuel. For over 10 days she was now looking for Ellie, checking farm after farm, not finding even one single trace.

The first few days, she had been full of motivation and energy, but now, it had been replaced by desperation. It simply couldn't go on like this. She had maybe one last try before she would run out of gas and two more days till she would eventually have consumed all her food.

Overpowered by those negative facts, the blond woman buried her face in her cupped hands and began to cry.

Normally, she would've moved on days ago, using the opportunity and given resources to head further west. But she couldn't. She simply couldn't without knowing Ellie's fate.

She missed her. Missed her voice, her laughing, her sense for dark humor and sarcasm. She missed her warmth and closeness, her scent and aura, and the warm feeling she always had when the young girl had been smiling.

She couldn't leave her behind. She simply couldn't do it. She needed to find her, no matter if it would cost her her life!

In order to calm down, Sarah took some deep breaths before she focused on developing a new plan. She was a fucking scout, goddamn, so she finally needed to think logically here instead of chasing a wild goose.

Okay, facts. What were the facts?

Sabine wished to live on a farm, a good hint, however, sadly, there were too many in the area. But the thing is that she couldn't imagine a woman like Sabine finding an unoccupied farm and making it habitable while having an abducted girl on your side.

No, she had already prepared a location, clean and filled with supplies. A location she had prepared in secret behind the backs of the Hunters over the years. So, it had to be far enough away from the city to not get revealed, yet close enough to get everything she needed without wasting too much time and resources so that her activities would stay unnoticed. And considering that she also had her old home as a base of operation, it would make sense that the renounced farm was also in this direction.

Stocking the supplies in her little hideout. Yes, because it wouldn't have made any sense to gather all the food and medicine in that farm before having a person to kidnap and bring there. No, her old home had only been the springboard to her new home. Just a little layover before making the big jump.

She spread the map across the table and studied it intensively. From the spot where they had crashed, the Hunter's hideout, Sabine's house and then all the farms along the main route.

Sabine would definitely not risk getting caught coincidentally by picking a hideout too close to the main road, she wasn't that stupid. No, the farm had to be off the track, yet well accessible for eventual supply runs and emergencies. And that left only a handful of remaining possibilities.

Gathering new resolve and courage, she packed the map back in its compartment and began her way back to the car.

Nightmares. Only nightmares.

When Ellie was asleep, she was having cruel nightmares. When being awake, she was living in one. Day after day.

Nonetheless, she was glad when night finally had fallen in and Sabine was going to bed. The last few days since the last incident, the Asian woman had insisted that both would eat their meals together. Ellie obeyed so far, but never agreed on spending even one second longer with her kidnapper than necessary. Furthermore, she kept her distance from her.

Once again, dinner was over and Ellie immediately went back to her room, without paying Sabine any further attention. Halfway, she suddenly felt dizzy and stumbled, almost falling down the stairs.

"What the fu-...?!"

Right away, Sabine was beside her and gave her some assistance.

"C'mon, I'll bring you back to bed."

This slight giddy tone in her voice, paired with a victorious smirk told Ellie more than a thousand words. Sabine had given her something again. Something that was messing with her body and had robbed her of her strength.

"Here we go!" Sabine mentioned as they both entered her bedroom. Not Ellie's, but hers! Cautiously, the young girl got placed down onto the bed and undressed until she was just in her underwear and then laid down. She was defenseless, unable to move her limbs properly. Breathing became harder as keeping herself from making into her underwear.

In the meantime, Sabine was humming a joyful tone that kept on quietly chiming when she walked away for some time, only to return freshened up and clad in some loose undergarments. And as soon as she had blown out every but one last burning candle, she laid down beside the young girl, put a cover over them and draped one arm around her belly while releasing a satisfying sigh.

Again, silence was setting in and for a moment, Ellie thought that this was it. That Sabine just wanted to cuddle her. Disgusting, yes, but acceptable. Yet, the young red-heads' hopes crumbled to dust as the older woman's hand began to brush softly over her belly.

"I love you, y'know…" she mentioned, her index finger drawing random lines around Ellie's belly button. "I'm so sorry for doing all this to you, but… I can't. I can't be different anymore. Everyone I ever loved betrayed me. Did you know that I used to have a lil' sister?" Once again, Sabine chuckled, yet it sounded maniacally. "Of course you don't know that, 'cause I never told ya. But she was the cutest thing on earth. A real cutie, seven years younger. I loved her soooo much! And so did my parents."

Sabine paused a few seconds, using the chance to cuddle closer and plant a soft kiss on Ellie's cheek.

"When the infection broke out, me and my parents took shelter in our house. Soon, supplies had run low and we were forced to go outside. We found other survivors, joined together and made the abandoned hotel our new home. Then my sister was born. The best friend I ever had and when she was about your age, we even became lovers. Thank god that our folks never figured that out. Yeah, life was just perfect, until…until they came."

Again, she went quiet, mumbling some inaudible words.

"Five years ago, the hunters came and terrorized us. At first, they wanted supplies, then shelter and, eventually, blood. My parents feared for themselves and my sister, so they made a deal with Terry: me for the guarantee of their safety. Yes, that's what I was worth for 'em: a fuckin' bargaining tool to save their fuckin' asses."

Ellie now felt how Sabine's breathing increased. How her formerly soft strokes became more and more harsh and her voice turned from soft to furious.

"They thought they could just leave me behind and then run away. And at first, it worked, but soon I broke free. I ran away from Terry and looked for them. And of course, these bastards had been hiding in our old house again like lil' rats."

She took one deep inhale to calm down again before she continued the story.

"One night, though, I returned. Quietly, of course, so that I won't scare those lil' chicken. Botulinumtoxin - that's the stuff I've given you - and yup, I've given it to my parents, too. My lil' sis was so happy to see me again. So happy, that we fucked in front of my folks…well, until I cut her throat, of course. I bathed in the blood of my sister, hoping that it would make me her, but…"

Suddenly, her voice changed again. It became quiet, sad and heavy.

"I made a mistake. In my rage I killed the only person I ever loved just to take revenge. It haunts me…each and every day. Even killing my fuckin' parents didn't change it. I tried to find someone else. Someone, who could replace this empty space in my heart. But it never happened…until I met you!"

She then got soft again, her one hand brushing softly over Ellie's face.

"From the first moment on you remind me so much of my sister. I knew that I needed to protect you, and that's what I'm gonna do."

She then sat up, gazing deeply into Ellie's eyes.

"I promise that I won't break even one lil' hair on you and apologize for any mistreatment. This will be the last time I'm forcing you to do something, but I had to do it, so that you would listen to my story and try to understand my doings."

Again she brushed over Ellie's cheek, but then let her hand glide down her throat and over her chest until she had reached her belly again. Then, Sabine grabbed the hem of her own shirt and pulled it over her head, revealing her bare chest.

"What do ya think?" she cheekily asked with a giggle, her mouth forming a wry smirk as she saw Ellie's widening eyes. The Asian woman's breasts were a good B cup size, yet hanging deeper than Sarah's and had slight brownish nipples.

In Ellie's opinion, those mounts were beautiful, and she wished to touch them out of curiosity. Surprisingly, her wish got granted as Sabine grabbed her limp hands and pressed them against the soft tissue, causing her to moan softly.

But she didn't stop there, no. Moreover, she let the young girl's hands glide further down, caressing her entire body with them. After letting herself sink onto the mattress again, she pulled her wide shorts aside and began to stroke her vagina with the young red-head's fingers.

Though Ellie's muscles were almost entirely paralyzed, she still could slightly move them and was able to feel and hear everything. She heard Sabine's moans and felt every detail of her pussy. The curly hairs around it, the slick folds, the round clitoris and the hot, soft entrance.

This was the first time she was feeling someone else's intimacy and it aroused and frustrated her at the same time since she had wished it to be Sarah she would feel for the first time.

With every stroke, Sabine's moaning was getting louder, until she reached her climax.

"Fuuuck, that was great!" she huffed out and then took some time to calm down before she turned towards Ellie and whispered "Did you like it, hmm?"

The young girl then felt the Asian woman's hands on her body again, going under her shirt and rubbing over her tiny breasts again.

"Damn, I love your small titties with those puffy nipples! Let's see if the rest fits that cuteness, too."

She then went further down and into her panties, brushing over the small patch of pubic hair before venturing to the young girl's vagina, gliding softly through it with her index finger.

"Oh Ellie, you're so wet! Did finger-fucking me felt so good?" she whiffed into her ear and planted another kiss on her cheek, but soon realized that it tasted salty.

With out of surprise widened eyes, Sabine immediately stopped her doings and gazed into the young girl's face, seeing that she was shedding tears.

"Shit! I-I'm sorry… I-I didn't mean to…Shhh…" she stammered and brushed soothingly over the young girl's face. "I'm sorry, Ellie. I just… I got carried away. I…I'm gonna let you sleep now, okay?"

Slowly and constantly caressing the young girl, Sabine got up, blew out the candle and walked out of the room, leaving Ellie all alone.

Alone. All alone in the darkness.

Sabine had left her in the darkness, still paralyzed and with a feeling of hate, disgust, but also confusion. Ellie could still feel her fingers on her vagina. Could still feel how her own fingers had gotten abused.

Over time, her muscles began to tickle as the toxin was wearing off and she could move her limbs again. But it took even more time to be in full control. Time that she used to think about the things Sabine had told her, but also about the things she had done to her.

She felt dirty. So dirty. But at the same time, it had aroused her, which made the confusion perfect.

The morning already dawned as Ellie was finally able to move her entire body again. Cautiously she tried to get up, but barely managed to stand on wobbly legs. Nonetheless, she wanted to walk, taking small steps while holding on to the wall. It took her some time to quietly reach the kitchen, where she first drank a glass of water before she opened a drawer and grabbed a sharp knife.

Slowly, she made her way back upstairs and into her room, where Sabine was lying in her bed, sleeping tightly.

She loomed over her, her hand clenched around the hilt as she gathered all willpower to bury the blade deep into her chest. For quite some time, Ellie simply stared at this beautiful face with this peaceful demeanor, thinking back and forth.

Should she feel pity for this woman, who's past consisted mainly of disappointments and hurt? Had she told the truth and Sarah was dead, or worse, had abandoned her? Was this life really what she wanted? Would she ever accept Sabine as her partner?

She was so full of confusing feelings that were fighting against each other. So many doubts and open questions. Decisions that had to be made without knowing the consequences.

However, all of this inner struggle came to an end as Sabine opened her eyes and stared at her for a moment.