Chapter 26
The soothing sound of chirping birds in her ears. The warm rays of the sun on her face. The intense smell of wood and earth in her nose. Finally, she was slowly waking up, though it felt strange. Completely different than normal. Like she was in a lake of thick honey and wanted to swim to the surface. She literally had to fight to wake up. Thinking about it, this condition reminded her of the time Sabine had abducted her and had given her tranquilizer regularly. But who had sedated her anyway?
The last thing she recalled was having a conversation with Marlene about the usual shit of saving the world. Of course, she had only been willing to let them perform some tests, but that's it. Though, she then remembered a sharp pain in her neck as soon as she had looked out of the window and how she had felt dizzy. But after that… nothing. Blackout.
Suddenly, she felt soft brushes over her forehead, followed by a soft kiss on her lips.
The smell! The taste! The feeling!
"S-Sarah…?" she mumbled, groaning and squirming as she tried to fight against this lake of thick honey again.
"Sshh, calm down, babe! I'm here. Don't rush it! You're safe now…"
Sarah was alive! She was here. Or was she indeed dead and they were both in heaven now? No matter what, Ellie didn't have the chance to think it further as darkness clouded her mind again.
The next time Ellie woke up, it was with a start. This time, there were no birds singing and it smelled more like smoke rather than forest, and the sunlight had been replaced by flickering, orange flames from a campfire.
The young teenager looked around, realizing that she was in some sort of an old wooden lodge or hut. The place seemed to be mostly ransacked or abandoned ages ago, since it was lacking any windows or furniture. The fireplace in the middle of the building, in which the fire was burning, was a circle of stone, probably already built years ago. At least it didn't seem to be new.
As well as Ellie, Sarah was laying beside the warming fire, wrapped in an old blanket. She looked pale, was sweating and breathing heavily. Ellie knew those symptoms. It was a high fever. But from what?
Being worried, the young girl crawled over to her, ignoring the fact that she was only wearing some oversized pants and a shirt. She touched her with glistening pearls covered forehead, which confirmed her hunch. Sarah was almost as burning hot as the flames beside them.
"Shit!" Ellie hissed and immediately searched for some supplies, but everything she found was Sarah's backpack with some rudimentary supplies and a first aid kit, but no medicine. "Dammit!"
She knew how fatal such a fever can be, and that it almost had cost her life. So, it was no wonder that she was very worried about her loved one.
"Ellie?" chimed Sarah's weak voice suddenly beside her and as she turned around, she saw the blonde gazing at her with bloodshot eyes yet with a soft smile. "I-I'm glad you…you're okay. What are…?"
"You're burning up! We need to getcha some meds or…"
"I-it's okay," she, however, replied as she tried to get up a bit, her face grimacing in pain. "It's…it's just my wounds. Those fuckers still need some time to heal. I… Fuck!"
Groaning and holding her stomach, Sarah fell back onto her bed. Clearly she was in great pain. So much that she had gone unconscious. Once again, Ellie approached her, took the hand from the stomach and lifted the blanket.
Sarah wore a simple olive-green tank top which had a wet spot, which smelled very bad. Cautiously, Ellie pulled the garment to the side, revealing the wound. The skin around the stitched injury was fiery-red, clearly inflamed, and was oozing puss and other fluids.
"Fuck!" she cursed and tried to figure out what to do. It was pretty clear that Sarah was having a bad infection of this gunshot wound, which she had probably received that day, Ellie had gotten kidnapped by Marlene. But how was she supposed to help now? There probably wasn't any abandoned Firefly hideout nearby, otherwise they would be there already. She actually didn't even know where they were. Somewhere in the wilds and that's it. Nonetheless she had to find a way out of this mess and when she rummaged through Sarah's stuff once more, she found a working radio.
Recalling the frequencies from Jachkson, Ellie adjusted the frequency and spoke into the radio in dire hope that she was in range of her hometown.
"Jackson, this is Ellie, come in! Jackson, come in!"
Nothing. She switches to the emergency channel.
"Jackson, this is Ellie, c'mon!"
Still nothing. And soon, realization struck her.
She was alone, without any help in sight and it wouldn't be long until Sarah would succumb to the infection. Shedding first tears of desperation yet not giving up, Ellie simply switched to the next channel.
"Anybody there? Hello? Anybody!"
Next channel.
"Hello? Is anybody there?! FUCK!"
Next channel.
"Can anybody hear me?! Just fuckin' somebody!"
Her hot temper kicked in. Groaning loudly, she tossed the radio onto the pile of stuff from Sarah's backpack and kicked against the wall before curling into a weeping ball. She wasn't as strong as Sarah. She didn't know any safehouses and hidden depots. She was nothing more than stupid little girl. A moron, who was the sole reason why her most beloved person in the world would meet an early demise.
Suddenly, she heard some noise. A static cracking. And it came from the radio. Reaching for this possibly last straw, Ellie swiftly picked up the radio, saying "Hello, is anybody there?"
"Hello? Who's speaking there?"
Huffing out a sigh of relief, Ellie sniffed and quickly wiped her nose with the back of her hand before answering.
"I-I'm Ellie. Who am I speaking to?" she returned, reminding herself that not only good people could answer her call.
"I am Father Jacob from Star Valley Ranch. We heard your call and it sounded very troublesome."
His voice was full of sincere concern and sounded kind, exactly like you would expect it from a preacher. Jackson was having such a person for religious purposes as well. A kind man with good intentions. Was it possible that such people were still existing in this corrupted world? But no matter what the case was, Ellie didn't have much choice and could consider herself lucky to have gotten in touch with kind folks.
"It does. Listen, I need some help. My…my friend… She's got a high fever from an infected wound and I got no medicine to treat her. Please, we just need some antibiotics or at least something that'll tune down the fever."
"Has she been bitten?"
An understandable question, since who would want to treat someone who couldn't be saved? Which also brought another question to her mind: What had happened in Salt Lake City? What about a cure? Well, the only person who could answer that was about to die if not treated immediately.
"No," Ellie therefore replied adamantly. "Just a gunshot wound."
"Okay, understood. We'll send a rescue party. Where are you at?"
Where were they? Where the hell were they? A good question. Ellie hadn't had much chance to become aware of their surroundings, so, practically, they could be anywhere between Salt Lake City and Jackson.
Panically, Ellie looked around and tried to find any clues about their whereabouts.
"Uh, I-I dunno. I've been knocked out for some time. I'm in some sorta ol' rundown hut in the woods."
"Hmm… Sounds like Jacke Parker's old hut, up the mountain. Pretty tough terrain. Wonder how your friend managed to get you there all alone. However, this also means that we can't be with you until dawn, because gettin' up there in the dark would be too dangerous."
Waiting. Not one of Ellie's best traits, but if necessary, she could endure it. Though, which other choice did she have anyway? Those people were her only hope of saving Sarah and all they both had to do was to wait a few more hours. Definitely doable.
"Alright, I'll try to keep her temperature down until you arrive. But, please, hurry. I dunno how long it takes for the infection to spread further."
"Of course, we'll do our best to get to you in time. Our team is going to prepare immediately so that they can start with the first light. See you soon!"
The comms went silent and Ellie was alone again, forced to wait until morning.
"Hang in there, Sarah! Help's comin'," she then whispered to her friend, brushing softly over her sweat-covered forehead before she got up as she wanted to look for a piece of cloth. She eventually opted to rip off a stripe from a worn shirt and stepped outside the hut in search of some water, eventually finding a puddle. As the young girl dipped the fabric into the cool water, she gazed at her reflection that was induced by light from inside the hut.
"I hope you know what you're doin'..." she murmured to herself and then headed back inside.
Hours passed until the sun finally ascended over the horizon, dipping the slightly foggy scenery into a warm orange.
Ellie hadn't been able to catch some sleep anymore, since having been sedated for some time, plus all the worries about Sarah, who was still asleep beside her. Mostly, she had stood guard, Sarah's pistol always in arm's reach, which she grabbed as she noticed some movement outside.
"Hello?! Anybody there?" chimed a male voice, but since she wasn't sure who those people actually were, Ellie didn't answer right away, yet aimed with the pistol at the main entrance, where somewhen in the past used to be a door. "We're from Star Valley Ranch. We're here to help."
A bearded, mid-aged man then came around the corner, but immediately retreated into cover as he spotted the young teenager with the pistol.
"Whoa, easy girl! We're just here to help. Was it you who made the call?"
"Maybe…" Ellie replied, still not lowering her gun. "How many are you? Are you armed?"
"We're four," the man from outside answered in an honest tone, showing his hands in the door frame before he came out of cover himself. "And of course we're armed, but we mean you no harm. If you want, me and my colleague will leave our weapons outside with our security detail while looking after the patient. Is that okay with you?"
The man made a kind, honest and a well-groomed impression, very unlike the hunters Ellie and Sarah had met on their way through the country. With a nod, the young girl agreed to the proposal and let the man and one of his associates, a petite woman, enter the hut. But still, she kept her guard up as she retreated into a corner from where she had an overlook over the scenery.
The two helpers from Star Valley Ranch immediately approached Sarah, took off their backpacks and began to examine her. During this treatment, Sarah suddenly woke up and grabbed the bearded man by his throat, choking him, while pushing away his colleague.
"Who…the fuck…are you?! Where's Ellie?" she hissed through gritted and squeezed even harder, causing the man to groan. Right away, Ellie intervened, ignoring all possible danger.
"I'm here," she said with a calming voice while soothingly touching her sweaty arm. "They're here to help, okay! Just…just relax and…and trust me…okay!"
Ellie didn't even know if she could trust her own words. Were those people really here to help? Could she trust them? Would Sarah survive? She couldn't answer even one of those questions, which was driving her almost insane. Feeling overwhelmed by desperation, the young girl dropped onto her butt and began to sob while the rescue team put Sarah onto a stretcher and prepared her to get carried to their community. After being done, the petite woman of the group helped the teenage-girl to gather all their bearings before following them.
The moment the group came down the mountain, whereas the one guard and the man with the beard were carrying the stretcher, the trees became more wide-spread and gave free sight of the valley.
It was sprinkled with houses and fields, but only a part of it was surrounded by a palisade wall. Yet, the people of this community seemed to not hide behind it, but were working all those agricultural areas outside. A beautiful sight. Wholesome and soothing. So peaceful that Ellie hadn't realized that she had stopped walking out of stupor, until the female helper patted her shoulder and said "Welcome to Star Valley Ranch. God's Garden Eden on Earth."
Ellie didn't know her name. She didn't know any of their names. And if they ever had told her, she hadn't listened, but only kept her eyes on them while keeping her one hand close to the pistol. And this didn't change until they finally entered the community.
Unlike Jackson, the community's gate seemed to be constantly open, guards were scarce and security seemed to be a joke. For Raiders and Hunters it would be a walk in the park to successfully attack this place and kill everybody. Yet, it was still alive and breathing. A mystery.
But as much as this seemed to be a good dream in a nightmare, reality caught up eventually as the two guards that had accompanied the rescue troop were flanking Ellie from two sides while the other two were bringing Sarah into one of the buildings. Probably the infirmary.
An older woman, who was coming from another building that seemed to be a church, because it was marked by a giant cross in its front, approached the young girl. She was wearing a long, dark skirt and a white blouse. Right behind her was an older man, wearing a priest's dress, and a young woman, who was also dressed like the older woman, followed.
The young teenager was on full alert, not trusting the situation at all. That was something she had learned during the journey through the country. Her eyes were constantly scanning everything in their vision without losing focus on the people ahead, while her ears were checking the surroundings for every suspicious sound, her hand ready to quickly draw the gun, and her mind was already forming an escape plan.
"Welcome to Star Valley Ranch," said the older woman as she and her entourage were finally standing in front of Ellie. She was maybe in her fifties or beginning sixties whereas the first wrinkles in her face plus the grey, to a bun bound hair gave her a very strict or even bossy demeanor that was telling everyone 'Don't fuck with me!'. "I am Mrs. Laura Jacob, and these are my husband, Bryan Jacob, and my daughter, Faith."
Ellie now took a closer look at the other family members. Bryan Jacob was definitely the same age as his wife, yet looked way gentler than her. A smile that was shining through the black beard with partially grey streaks as well as the sparse hairs on his head was giving him already a friendly aura. The robe he was wearing marked him right away as a priest or a preacher.
But the real eye catcher was the daughter. Her long, raven-colored hair bound into a bun and also wearing a long skirt and blouse was almost making her an image of her mother, although she was way younger and made a friendlier yet also shyer expression. Her beautiful, pale-skinned face showed neither arrogance nor anger, yet astonishment and curiosity as she was scanning Ellie from head to toe.
"Hi, I'm Ellie. I guess I talked with your husband over the radio?" she mentioned, shifting her gaze at Bryan Jacob.
"Indeed you did," he replied and shook the young teenager's hand.
"Thank you for that quick help! I dunno what would've happened if you guys hadn't shown up."
"You're very welcome!" Laura Jacob threw in, taking over the conversation right away again. "As the Lord taught us, it's our highest duty to help those in need. And at this time, such hospitality should be everyone's highest virtue."
"Yeah, well, no. Not really," Ellie returned and couldn't suppress a faint scoff. "There's a lotta fucked up shit goin' on outside these walls. So, don't expect any hospitality there."
"We know," the older woman replied sharply. "The world outside is a god-forsaken place. The incarnation of hell, inhabited by the plague and sinners. And we understand that you need a sharp tongue and weapons out there. But here, you won't need those."
At first, Ellie didn't realize what this woman was on about, until the young girl followed her gaze, which was on her holstered gun. And right away, one of the guards turned towards her and it became clear that she was supposed to hand over her pistol and probably even her knife.
"Alright," she sighed heavily after a moment of reconciliation and handed over the gun, always her worries about Sarah in the back of her mind. Her knife, however, she kept hidden. "But I want it back later!"
"Of course…" Laura Jacobs replied with a forced smile. "But for the time being, you're under our and the Lord's protection. Please, follow me and I'll show you to our guest room."
Doing what she was told to, Ellie followed the Jacob family, while the guard with the gun walked into a different direction. Still expecting the worst case, she glimpsed multiple times over her shoulder and when the guard vanished into the church, she suspected that this was the place where they were storing their weapons.
'Always prepare for the worst shit possible!' Sarah had once told her. And this was what she was doing. In her mind, Ellie already played through different possible scenarios. The daughter of the spouses Jacob was right beside her. So, in a worst case scenario, she could easily take her hostage. But this was just the worst case. At the moment, however, everything was peaceful.
They reached another house. Probably the house of the Jacobs since they easily unlocked it with a key and entered like they own the place. It had two stories and a huge glass front. In general, it looked very luxurious and fancy. And it wouldn't have surprised Ellie in the slightest if the interior would've matched the exterior. However, the young girl didn't have the chance for sightseeing as she was immediately brought upstairs and into a small room by Mrs. Jacobs, who then said "This is where you'll stay for the remainder of your visit. If you need something, ask my daughter. Otherwise, you are free to explore our community, though I advise you to take Faith with you as a guide. Last but not least, I invite you to lunch. So, please, take the chance to calm down from your travels, shower and change clothes."
"Again, welcome to Star Valley Ranch, Ellie!" Mr. Jacob added friendly, shaking Ellie's hand once more before he followed his wife downstairs while their daughter stayed with the teenage-girl.
"Hi, I'm Faith…officially now…" the raven-haired young woman said with a soft voice, paired with a shy undertone, reaching Ellie her hand as well.
"Ellie," the young red-head replied and shook her hand before entering her new quarters. "Wow, nice digs you got here. Way better than the shitholes I usually hole up."
"Yes… We're trying to keep everything as clean as possible. I mean, this is the Lord's last sacred place on earth. The new cradle of humanity. Here, we start anew."
Ellie could only scoff upon such words. Back in Jackson, they had taught her some stuff about religions and their beliefs. Most of the time, she hadn't listened to that nonsense since she didn't believe in a greater power or Karma or any of this otherworldly bullshit. For her, seeing was believing. Yet, she didn't want to insult her host and therefore gulped down her cynicism.
"Talkin' 'bout starting anew, I'd like to take you up on that shower-offer."
"Of course, follow me!" Faith said kindly with a soft smile and led Ellie to the close-by bathroom. A shower, a bathtub, a sink, towels, and everything neatly cleaned and tidy. "The water needs some time to get hot, so don't step in right away. Beside that, feel free to use every supply as you please."
"Cool!" Ellie commented and peeled off her upper garments in one fluid movement, revealing her bare breasts. Out of a sudden and to Ellie's surprise, the timid woman's sight dropped to the ground. Probably to hide that incoming blush that followed right away.
"I-I'll get you some clothes in the meantime," she simply mentioned with a stutter and wanted to leave without giving Ellie - whose sight followed her with a smirk - another glimpse.
Again, the young teenager just scoffed and shook her head before stripping down the rest of her clothes. She was actually smelling badly since her last bath had been a few days ago, and that was only jumping into a small lake without real washing. And as much as she would've loved to stay under the warm stream of water for hours, she cut the time to a minimum.
After drying herself with a fresh towel, she wiped the fog from the mirror above the sink and gazed at her reflection. This whole situation felt so familiar, like a deja-vu. Like the time when she had been kidnapped by Sabine. One of many messed-up situations that had left scars on her body and her mind.
Her lips were starting to quiver while her hands were clawing into the edge of the sink. Her whole body began to tremble until she released a loud scream and hammered her right fist into the mirror, breaking it into pieces, which were clattering into the sink.
The door flew open and a more than shocked Faith stormed in, her gaze panicky darting around until it stayed on the naked girl with the bleeding hand.
"Wh-what…?! Oh my Lord, what happened?!" she asked with a gasp, right away approaching Ellie and grabbing her injured hand, which she immediately pulled away.
"I slipped…" was everything she annoyingly answered, before walking past her and vanishing into her designated room, where a pile of fresh clothes was already waiting for her.
"What the fuck?!" she muttered as everything she spotted were particularly womanly clothes. The hell she would wear a skirt and a blouse! So, she opted for the obviously uncomfortable underwear and a t-shirt for the moment. Although, she had to take care of her bleeding hand first since she didn't want to smear everything full with her blood.
Right on cue it knocked and Faith entered, a box with medical supplies in her hands.
"I, uh…" she stammered timidly, avoiding her gaze from the still naked girl. "I've got some bandages here… For your hand. If I may, I could…"
"Yeah, sure. Just lemme…" Ellie answered and sat down on the bed, covering her lower body with its blanket. She could've easily wrapped the wounds by herself, but also knew that it was hard to accomplish with just one hand. Let alone that she was lacking any medical experience to do it properly.
Cautiously, Faith took a seat beside her, still blushing and strongly focused on the injured hand, which she softly touched and examined.
"Just some minor cuts. Nothing a proper bandage can't take care of."
She then began to wrap the gauze around Ellie's hand, and the younger girl immediately realized how soft and clean her hands were. A clear sign that this woman never had to work hard or survive outside these walls. Safe and sound in her own bubble, unaware of the dangers outside and babbling about the Lord's protection.
"You believe a lot in the Lord, dontcha?" the young teenager then mentioned off-topic, in order to break the silence. "Not that I mind though, but it's very uncommon nowadays."
"He protects us. Protects our community. No evil will ever reach us. As long as we're following his path, we will outlive the cleansing."
There was determination in her voice, hinting that she was adamantly believing her words. Something Ellie couldn't relate with.
"The cleansing?" she only scoffed with a raised eyebrow, watching at the raven-haired woman from the corner of her eyes.
"We believe that the plague is a punishment by the Lord, aiming to cleanse the earth from all evil, like he had done it with the flood. And like the flood, it will end someday. It will be ended by a Messiah. A person, who's immune to the plague and will be the source for a new humanity. Who will lead us into the final ba-..."
Hearing this, Ellie immediately jumped up and gazed with big eyes at the young woman, who in return also looked at her with wide open eyes.
"I-I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"
There was a big tension between the two women. A tension that was filling the entire room. For a moment, Ellie didn't know what to do or say, and was actually happy that Faith had thrown her a big bone to catch.
"Uh, yeah… Sorry for spookin' ya. But I'm a bit jumpy when it comes to pain. Lotta shitty stuff in my past, y'know."
"Yeah, I can imagine," the religious woman replied as she got up and started to pack everything back in the box. "I couldn't stop myself from realizing all those scars on your body. This must've been a lot of pain to endure."
Just now, Ellie became aware again that she was still entirely nude. In some way, she didn't care. For the last two years it had had been a common habit to change in front of another woman. So, why being shy now? A woman was a woman, right?
"Please, excuse my boldness. I'm not used to talk to outsiders much, and I have so many questions about the world outside. So many questions about you. I…I… Oh Lord, sorry, I'm rambling. See you later, Ellie!"
Ellie wasn't even able to give an answer or do anything before the door fell back in its lock and she was alone again. After overcoming that slight stupor, she eventually dressed into the undergarments and the t-shirt before she slumped onto the bed and began to think.
This whole place was for sure pretty strange. United inside by religious beliefs, and divided from the world outside by bigotry. Yet, they were willing to help without any questions asked. However, what spooked Ellie the most was Faith's story about the Messiah. A person who would be immune to the fungus, namely her. Of course, she didn't believe in any of this hokus-pokus stuff. So, this had to be a coincidence.
But no matter what, she would do it like in Jackson and keep her immunity a secret. No sense in rocking the boat. She just had to stay quiet and endure this until Sarah would be back up on her feet and ready to move on. So, maybe a week, tops.
Yup, definitely doable! Hopefully…
Steaming potatoes, freshly cooked vegetables, thick gravy, roasted meat…
The table was set like a banquet, yet it seemed normal for these people to have such a meal for lunch.
For Ellie, this was something otherworldly. Her mouth was wide open and overflowing with saliva as she witnessed this display of nutritious goodness. And her rumbling stomach made it obvious for everyone present that she was more than just hungry.
Like a hawk in the sky, Mrs. Jacob watched dismissivly as the young teenager took a seat at the table, clearing her throat loudly before she spoke.
"Ellie, I don't know where you're coming from, but here, we're wearing trousers or skirts before approaching the table."
"Yeah, sorry," the young teenager replied with a smirk as she was taking her seat. "But I'm not really the skirt-type and your daughter only gave me those, so…"
After a moment of stunned silence, Laura was about to retort something, her lips already opening, as her husband intervened.
"Don't worry, I think I've got some spares in my closet. I'll give them to you after lunch."
Obviously not being satisfied with the outcome, the older woman gritted her teeth slightly, yet stayed silent, before she lowered her head and folded her hands for a prayer and said "Let us pray!"
Apart from Ellie, the rest of the family also folded their hands and joined in, listening to Laura's words.
"Dear Lord, we thank you for the meal you have provided us and are grateful that we were chosen to live in your Eden. Please, oh Lord, protect us from all evil and deliver mercy to those poor souls who aren't touched by your grace. Bring the everlasting light upon us and judge the wicked, for they serve no-one else than the devil. May the Messiah soon walk among us and clear the earth of your plague so that your realm may rise again. Amen!"
While the other family-members repeated the finishing word, Ellie stayed silent like during the rest of the prayer. Religion was a concept she had always struggled with. She simply never understood why people believe in some deity that was invisible and whose existence couldn't be proven by anyone. The only thing that was really freaking her out, was - once again - the speech about a Messiah. A part that was drawing the young girl's full attention to it.
"Say," she then said, taking another bite of meat, covered with sauce. "You all talk 'bout that Messiah-guy. But, um… Who is this dude anyway and… what's he gonna do?"
The whole family suddenly stopped to eat and gazed at the red-head. Especially Mrs. Jacob gave her a very intense glare before she composed herself again and slowly put the cutlery down. More out of a habit than necessity she cautiously wiped her mouth with a cotton napkin.
"The Messiah is neither a guy nor a dude. They are sent by God to relieve us from the burden of the plague, so that we might build a new Eden. A paradise for all the faithful and good-hearted. But, none of us knows who the Messiah is or when they will be sent to us. Yet, the prophecy states that the Messiah will reveal themselves."
A prophecy…
Ellie had heard this word before and linked it to the word prophet, which was somehow used in this strange Bible-book plenty of times. A book that, in her eyes, was nothing more than a compendium of dusty, old stories. Nothing more than superstition and some morally bogus from the old world.
"Okay, um… And, uh, where did that prophecy come from? I mean… was the Cordy foretold or something?"
For a moment, Laura gazed deeply at Ellie as if she was weighing how much or what she could tell her, before she inhaled and said "It came from the Lord himself, of course, sent from him through our dear daughter."
With these words, the aged woman gave her daughter a proud smile, her father doing the same. Yet, it faded as soon as she glimpsed at Ellie again, whose unbelief was clearly written all over her face.
"I don't expect you to believe us or to have faith in the Lord. You're from the world outside, influenced by its evil and treachery. But before you judge our views so rashly, let me tell you a story: When the plague began to spread throughout the world, soldiers came to our humble town. They rallied all citizens to the old church, where my husband was preparing the next sermon, and told us to follow them to safety. Many followed, few wanted to stay, like me and my dear husband. And as we resisted to comply, they told us that as soon as the quarantine would be over, they would follow protocol and kill everyone who wasn't inside their zones. Years passed and none of them ever returned, up until today. If this doesn't show that the Lord has his protective hands above us, then I don't know what does."
Perplexed, Ellie winked with her eyes repeatedly, which, of course, caught everyone's attention. Yet, before Laura would keep on rambling her guest into the ground, Faith chimed in, saying "Mother, can I guide Ellie through the town, after lunch, and show her around? Maybe we can find her a fitting task for the time she's here."
"A very good idea!" her father added, also not wanting to turn this lunch into a heated discussion about religious beliefs. "What do you think, Ellie?"
"I'm game!" she mumbled in return as she chewed on the last bites of her meal. While Laura kept on ogling her with great suspicion.
As Ellie had witnessed before, while hiking down the mountain, Star Valley Ranch was a peaceful town, which was spreading widely over the entire valley. Many houses outside the walled center had large plots of land around them, covered with fields for crops, potatoes and other resources for food. Some even had enclosures with animals in it. And everywhere, people were busy taking care of the daily necessities.
Faith was leading the young girl, who was now wearing some brown pants with expanders, along the old pavement road and a row of properties, greeting everyone with a kind smile or holding very short conversations.
"Most people try to be as self-sufficient as possible," the young raven-haired woman explained as they took a turn towards a larger two-story community building. "Of course, that's not entirely possible, so we also have a marketplace where you can trade for any further goods. This is also a good place to find you a job for your time here."
Honestly, Ellie wasn't very interested in economics or agriculture. She knew the basics and that's it. Yet, she was fascinated as they reached the community building, where numerous stalls were standing around it and merchants were offering a wide variety of goods. But not only food. There was also pottery, tools, craft materials and so on. The market was booming with life as people were shopping for everything they needed.
"Hey, Faith!" a male voice chimed over the noise of multiple voices, belonging to a young man who was standing in a small, cloth covered stall. On the table in front of him, were several iron wares on display, including knives.
"Paul!" the young woman replied happily to the young man and approached him quickly. And though Ellie could already see a large amount of hormones flying between them, the closeness remained limited to a short hug, exchanged smiles and an awkward silence. "Oh, um, this is Ellie, by the way. Ellie, this is Paul Vinyard."
"Nice to meet ya!" Ellie greeted Paul with a handshake, whereas the young man replied "Hi, Ellie! You must be the new girl from outside?"
"Yup, that'd be me."
"Paul is our community's blacksmith," Faith then mentioned joyfully with excitement, making it for Ellie even more obvious that she was probably having a giant crush on the young man.
"More of an apprentice," he added with an honest smile. "Mr. Hubbard is our real blacksmith, I'm merrily doing the small jobs and selling our wares at the market. Still, a lot to do. Sometimes more than I can handle. But some days I even find some time for my passion."
"And that would be…?" Ellie asked with a frown, whereas Faith threw in "Knives."
Being enthralled by this revelation, Ellie took a look at the knives on the table with fascination, her fingertips gliding over the artful blades. "Awesome! Did you make 'em all by yourself?"
"Indeed, I did."
He followed with his gaze the young red-head's hand, which eventually stopped on a beautiful hunting knife.
"You like it?" Paul then said, gazing deeply at Ellie, who returned his glare with a wide smirk.
"I do. But it's probably way above what I can offer, which is…nothing."
"You could work it off," he then mentioned with a shrug, picking up the knife from the table. "I need someone who sharpens the tools. A hard work that needs precision. I think one week should be enough and the blade is yours. In the meantime, I can store it for you."
"Deal!" Ellie eventually agreed with a smile and sealed the deal with a handshake.
"Okay, see you tomorrow at dawn! Faith can show you where our workshop is. See ya!"
Both women then said their farewell and continued their walk along the numerous stalls, whereas Faith's demeanor had darkened since their meet with Paul, and Ellie had a pretty good idea why.
"Don't worry, he's not my type."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Faith replied harshly, which, however, didn't bother Ellie at all. Right on the contrary, she only scoffed and shook her head.
"Geez, Faith, you were literally droolin' over this guy! I was almost worried that you'd push him onto the table and fuck him senseless."
This time, the young woman stopped before giving the teenage girl an agitated glare while her voice was carrying a lot of anger.
"Maybe you sinners outside do such lewd things. But here, coitus is something holy. It's the act to seal your marriage and to produce new life."
And again, Ellie wasn't bothered by this outbreak, yet simply crossed her arms and shrugged it off. "Or it's just fun. But you surely have a big crush on him. So, need some help or…?"
"How about you mind your own business?!" was everything Faith returned before she stomped off, leaving Ellie alone.
The obscurity of the night had settled in. Through her window, Ellie could see the numerous lights that were shining through multiple windows of the houses and church inside the wall.
Dinner had been very uneventful, apart from the fact that Laura hadn't been very happy with Ellie's choice of work, yet accepted it eventually. She probably would have wanted her to do a more womanly task, such as tailoring or sewing or cooking. And Faith… Well Faith had stayed mostly quiet. And despite this very eventful first day at Star Valley Ranch, Ellie was having trouble falling asleep for multiple reasons.
Firstly, despite the rather warm welcome, this community was still strange for Ellie. She actually felt misplaced and for no particular reason, she would love to leave this place as fast as possible.
Secondly, she hadn't been allowed to see Sarah, yet, and the reasons for that had been something in between that she needed rest and pure mistrust. And now the young girl was simply worried. How was Sarah doing? Was she getting better? Were her infected wounds even treatable? Questions over questions, and not one of them had been answered
And last but not least, there was this matter with Faith. Ellie was actually very fond of the young, religious woman since she was nice, kind and definitely cute. Short, entirely different from her mother, because, despite being devoted to her religious beliefs, she seemed to be more open to different sights and perspectives. Therefore, it bugged her that had gone apart in anger, only because of a misunderstanding and false jealousy. Something that wasn't really necessary and could be solved quickly. And for the time she was here on foreign grounds, an ally could prove very valuable, especially if the ally was the daughter of the community's leader.
Not being able to do something about the first two problems, Ellie eventually decided to at least take care of the last one. From the small tour through the house, Ellie knew that Faith's room was just a bit down the hall. Slowly, she got up and entered the dark hallway. It was quiet, which caused everyone of her barefooted steps on the wooden floor to seem very noisy, especially when one of the boards creaked. At first, Ellie feared that Faith might already be asleep, yet the faint light that was shining from under her door told her otherwise.
She approached the entrance, her hand ready to knock as she heard a whisper from the other side. Nosy as she was, the young girl pressed her ear against the wood and listened.
"...-orgive me my sins. Please give my soul strength when my flesh is weak. I…I…"
The huffed whisper turned into a quiet moan, followed by some heavy breathing before they became more words.
"Oh Lord, please forgive me, but I can't resist the temptation. He's always in my mind and in my dreams, doing lewd things to me. Oh Lord, why can't you just convince my mother to allow this bond?! He's so nice, so handsome…"
Being aware of what was going on behind this closed door, Ellie listened for another minute with a big smirk on her face, already playing with the thought of whether she should peek through the keyhole and try to have some fun on her own. Yet, not wanting to risk any trust she had with these people, the young teenager decided against it and instead cautiously knocked.
Immediately, the moaning stopped and quietness settled in. No response, no movement from within the room.
"Faith," Ellie whispered, "it's me, Ellie. Can I come in?"
Now some commotion could be heard, hectical and clumsy, causing Ellie to chuckle, and even as the door swung open and a completely messy Faith stood in front of her, she couldn't suppress a shiteating grin and the need to mock her a bit.
"Am I disturbing something?" the young girl asked, catching the young woman, who was only wearing a nightgown over her presumably naked body, off-guard.
"I…I…" Faith stammered at first, before she took a deep breath to steady herself again. "I was just reciting a prayer before going to bed. You, uh… You kind of caught me by surprise since everyone is normally asleep during this time of night."
"Sorry for keepin' you up! Can I come in?"
For a moment, Faith scanned the other girl dismissively from head to toe until she took a step aside in order to let her in, closing the door right after she had entered.
Faith's room wasn't that much different than Ellie's guest room, despite some personal trinkets, books and clothes. Yet, unlike Ellie's room in Jackson, it was very clean and tidy. Garments were neatly folded and stowed away, books standing categorised in the shelves and small accessories where they were supposed to be.
"How can I help you, Ellie?" Faith said harshly, one hand resting on her hip as she gazed at the young girl with a frown.
"Right," Ellie replied, turning her sight now to the dark-haired woman. "I just wanna apologize for the thing that happened at the market. You're right, it was none of my business, and…"
Faith's heavy sigh disturbed her words, causing the read-head to frown at the other woman as her shoulders dropped and she slumped down on her bed.
"My mom doesn't want me to see him," she mentioned before hammering her fisted hand onto the mattress. "Me and Paul, we have been very close now for years. But mother is against a relationship since he's from outside. She thinks that he could have a bad influence on me."
"Who, Paul?!" Ellie returned with a scoff, shaking her head. "Good gosh, this guy seems to be so sweet that my freakin' teeth started to rot away. Why don't you just date 'im behind your mom's back? Fuck her stupid opinion!"
"B-but she's my mother!"
"So…?"
Once more, Faith sighed heavily. This time it was her who was shaking her head.
"You don't understand, Ellie. This is a small community. Everyone knows everybody. If even one person gives word to my parents, me and Paul would be in big trouble, and I don't want that! I…"
She paused for a moment, her voice now getting loaded with sadness.
"I think the best way is to give in to my fate. One day, I will find the right father for my future children, and Paul… I wouldn't mind if you would date him."
There was honesty paired with desperation in her words, underlined by her welled-up eyes. This world, which Ellie had entered, was beyond her normal understanding. All those strict rules and meddling with other people's affairs, this devotion to a deity, was new for the young girl. She had seen a lot of the world outside, even for her young age. Yet, this community scared her more than a red zone.
"Y'know," Ellie eventually said, gazing with her green eyes deeply into Faith's. "If I had obeyed every fuckin' rule some asshole had given me in my entire freakin' life, I'd still be in Boston or rotting in some ditch. But I went my own way, found a good friend and am happy." She then laid one hand on Faith's tender thigh, causing her to flinch at first, and then moved along it on the inside, between her legs, finding it sticky and slippery the closer she got to her center.
As a reaction, the young woman squeaked, pressed her thighs together before she slapped Ellie in the face.
Of course, the teenage-girl had awaited this and swallowed the pain down, not even moving one muscle of her face. Instead, she pulled her hand from under the gown and presented it to Faith, who stared at it in shock.
"If my travels had taught me anything, then that life's short and could end quickly. Every chance not taken is a missed chance that will probably never return." She then got up, mentioning "Just be fuckin' honest to yourself and listen what your heart wants, not your mother!"
She was about to leave as a soft touch on her shoulder made her stop and turn around, facing Faith once again, her demeanor a mixture of panic and confusion.
"P-please don't tell my mom!" she said, though it was unclear if she meant the conversation, that she secretly masturbated or both.
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna rat ya out!" Ellie returned and gave Faith a friendly pat on her shoulder before she left and headed back to her room.
Nighttime, graveyard shift. Dina disliked guard duty at night. But sadly, since the council had taken over security again upon Sarah's absence, she had received a lot of extra attention, because they hadn't forgotten the events over 18 months ago, when Sarah had pulled her neck out of the sling. Now she was forced to do all the night shifts for the next week, a small price for not being locked in a small cell.
She was standing on the footbridge that was attached to the wall and watched the terrain outside. But apart from dreary darkness, there was nothing else. No wonder she was bored, which meant that her mind had nothing else to do, and so she thought about Ellie and Sarah.
Both were now gone for almost a month. No sign of them, not even a massage. Sure, at one point everyone had to accept the fact that both might be dead, but Dina refused to do so. They were her best friends, especially Ellie, and the hell she would accept their demise. And as long as nobody presented her their rotting corpses, she would still have hope.
More than once she had played with the thought of manning a rescue mission, yet without any success. Nobody in this freakin' town was willing to venture with her into the unknown, especially not without the council's permission.
Yawning deeply and feeling cold, Dina was about to call another guard in order to get a warm beverage and to take a toilet break. However, as she heard the crack of a twig, she stopped and took the rifle from her shoulder. For minutes she stared into the obscurity. More and more sounds chimed from the underwood until she could see the shadow of a humanoid creature emerging from the woods.
She then raised her weapon, aiming at the stranger, yelling "Who's there?!"
No answer.
The unknown person kept approaching with slow, wavering steps, not listening to Dina's command.
"Stop immediately, or I'll shoot!" she warned loudly, her finger already squeezing the trigger.
Meanwhile, another guard had climbed the close-by watchtower and switched on the small headlight, and enlightened the space in front of the wall.
Gasping loudly, Dina lowered the gun as she saw that the unknown person was Ellie, who was entirely covered in dirt and blood, looking exhausted beyond everything.
"Don't shoot, it's Ellie!" she yelled, dropped the rifle and climbed down from her post at a fast pace. "Open the fuckin' gate!" she blurted at another guard, who unlocked and opened a gap between the doors, through which Dina slipped swiftly and continued her way towards her best friend. She had barely reached her, as Ellie's legs began to fail her duty and she collapsed right into the slightly older woman's arms.
"Ellie! Shit, what happened?!" she asked and guided the young girl's body slowly towards the ground.
The young girl's breathing was heavy as she gasped wildly for air. Only after a few moments, she had calmed down enough to focus her green eyes on the person who was softly brushing over her with dried blood and dirt smeared cheek. "Get a stretcher, quick!" Dina yelled towards the other guards, right before she felt a soft touch on her hand, causing her to turn her head back.
"Dina…" Ellie whispered with a weak voice, her eyes welling up and her lips trembling, right before she started to sob. But this wasn't going on for long as all remaining strength left her rapidly and she fell unconscious.