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Ellie was halfway to Santa Barbara when she admitted to herself that Dina and JJ would be long gone when —or if— she returned to the farm. Things between them had been falling apart since they returned to Seattle. With the state of their relationship already hanging by a thread, walking out that night to finish what Tommy started only cemented what Ellie feared would happen, but had refused to acknowledge until now.
Ellie had tried to move forward, but being in Jackson was too much. It was why they had moved to the farm. She hoped the change would do her good and in the beginning; it looked like it just might. However, a few months in, it wasn’t working. Maybe they moved too fast. One day they were just sneaking around, and then they were an instant family bonded by trauma. Whatever the reason, Ellie knew they had been fooling themselves for a while.
She didn’t know what the fuck she was going to do after Santa Barbara — if she survived, that is. Ellie focused all her attention on that one singular goal, never considering what she might encounter. The situation she walked into was fucked up, even for Ellie, who had been through some heavy shit in her life.
When Ellie finally saw Abby again on the beach, she was filled with a mixture of emotions. She had imagined meeting her again for over a year, but now that she was actually doing it, it left her hollow. Seeing Abby strung up on that pole, emaciated, pale, and weak, made Ellie feel guilty. It was only a small twinge of guilt, but it was there. Ellie tried to snuff it out, not wanting that emotion to take hold.
She was here to kill the bitch. Where was Abby’s sympathy when Ellie was begging for her to spare Joel’s life? Ellie had come all this way for a reason, and nothing was going to change that. Abby had to pay. That was all there was to it.
Ellie felt her heart constrict when Abby’s eyes suddenly opened and locked with hers. She looked confused at first, and then startled.
“It’s… you,” she rasped out, voice sounding weak and horse from disuse and malnutrition. “Why?”
She ignored her, instead putting her energy into freeing Abby. Abby looked at her warily, the expression remaining there even after Ellie cut her down and helped with doing the same to the boy.
“There are boats nearby. Follow me.”
Ellie followed, knowing that this could be a perfect time to strike. Abby’s back was turned towards her as she trudged forward with the boy in her arms. It would only take one blow and it would be over. She reached for her knife, hand trembling as her fingers closed around it.
She held that knife in a tight knuckled grip during the entire walk to the boats. Ellie couldn’t bring herself to inflict harm — no matter how easy it might be. It was only after Abby had set the boy on the boat and began untying it that Ellie knew it was now or never.
“I can’t let you leave.”
Abby kept her back to her, refusing to turn around as she kept to the task at hand.
“I’m not doing this.”
A sudden rage filled Ellie. Who the fuck did Abby think she was? What right did she have to refuse to acknowledge Ellie after everything she had done to her? She didn’t get to turn the other cheek. Not now.
She stormed over, grabbing Abby by the hair and throwing her into the water. She continued her assault, kicking her hard in the stomach. Seeing Abby doubled over should’ve filled Ellie with glee, but all it did was make her angrier.
“No,” Abby rasped out. “I’m not going to fight you.”
Ellie stared at Abby blankly. “Yes, you will,” she said, suddenly flipping the knife open and holding it to the boy’s throat.
This drew a reaction out of Abby. She stiffened, a look of panic taking over.
“He’s not a part of this.”
She swallowed. “You made him a part of this.”
It was then Abby relented.
“Okay… okay.”
Ellie pulled away from Lev, anticipating some kind of blow from Abby. Despite how prepared she was, it knocked her to the ground. Her adrenaline quickly kicked in, and she fought, all her rage spilling out until an image of Joel, sitting on the porch with that damned guitar he loved so much, flashed before her eyes.
The next thing Ellie knew, she was wrenching herself away from Abby like she had been burned. She collapsed to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Just go,” Ellie whispered. “Take him and go.”
She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to gain some control over her emotions, but it was to no avail. Ellie wasn’t sure how long she sat in the water, hunched over in pain and crying her eyes out. When Ellie got to where there were simply no more tears left, she realized that Abby and the boat she had gained was still there.
Abby sat in the boat, looking at Ellie with this bewildered expression. She stared back, a similar look on her face. The last thing she expected was for Abby to still be here. Ellie figured she’d be long gone with the kid on their way to fuck knows where.
“Why the fuck are you still here?” Ellie snapped, her voice sounding weaker than she intended.
Abby gestured towards her wounds. “You’re injured.”
“So? Why the hell do you care!?”
She blinked, looking unfazed by Ellie’s outburst. Truth be told, Abby probably expected the hostility from Ellie and preferred it to the sudden change in emotion she displayed when she decided to unexpectedly spare Abby’s life.
“Hell if I know,” Abby admitted weakly. “I… have a boat docked nearby with supplies. Come with us and you can patch yourself up.”
There were so many reasons Ellie should say no. This was the woman who killed Joel and put her life in a spiral, but she also needed to recuperate from all the wounds Ellie had gained fighting her way to get to Abby.
Besides, nothing waited for Ellie back in Wyoming. Ellie was positive Dina and JJ were long gone from the farm and back in Jackson with Jesse’s parents. She felt aimless, unsure of what to do with herself now that her attempt at revenge had failed so miserably. Jackson also wasn’t an option. For Ellie, it no longer felt like the home she remembered.
Ellie sat herself down in the far end boat without another word. She tried to make herself as small as possible, refusing to even look in Abby and the boy’s direction. It was one of the longest rides of Ellie’s life. When she finally saw the boat Abby mentioned in the distance, Ellie felt a pang of relief and apprehension.
The boat skidded to a stop a few minutes later. Ellie hobbled off the boat, left arm wrapped protectively around her middle. Abby followed behind, carrying the still unconscious boy in her arms. Even with how much muscle she had lost, Abby didn’t seem to have any trouble carrying her companion onto the boat. It was both horrifying and impressive.
Abby wordlessly tossed a first aid kit in Ellie’s direction before turning her attention to the boy. She set her mind to fixing her own injuries, not paying them any more attention.
The silence ticked on. Ellie was reluctant to break it or do anything but sit with her back up against the boat wall. She was just so fucking tired. Tired of fighting and being haunted by the nightmares she couldn’t seem to shake.
A soft voice calling out Abby’s name drew Ellie’s attention back over towards the other side of the boat. She quietly watched as the boy’s eyes opened and the expression on Abby’s face turned to one of relief.
“Hey Lev,” Abby choked out, looking to blink back tears. “We’re safe now.”
He nodded, body stiffening when he noticed Ellie in the far corner of the boat. She watched Abby follow his gaze, a shaky sigh escaping her when their eyes met.
“It’s okay, kid. She helped us get out of there.”
Ellie tuned out again when she heard the boy — or Lev, asking why Ellie was here. It almost made her let out a bitter laugh. Why was Ellie here? She should be anywhere but here. It was insanity that Ellie had gone with Abby in the boat, which was a true testament to how fucked up she was.
Eventually Ellie began to doze off, despite her many attempts to stay awake. She awoke some time later when she heard approaching footsteps. In an instant Ellie had flipped the pocket knife open and held it protectively in front of her body. It was a reflex from those months spent traveling with Joel during that first year.
“It’s me,” Abby muttered, eyeing Ellie’s knife warily.
Ellie huffed. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“If you’re hungry, there’s some food left out on the table over there,” she said, purposefully ignoring what Ellie admitted was a loaded question. “I just wanted to let you know, is all. I… didn’t mean to startle you.”
She nodded, refusing to move just yet. Ellie’s lack of movement seemed to draw the ire from Abby, who just stood there, glowering weakly at her.
“I’m not expecting you to trust me, but if I wanted to hurt you, I could’ve done it while you were sleeping,” Abby snapped.
“You’re really fucking great at making people feel comfortable.”
Abby sighed, anger quickly fading into exhaustion. “Starve then, but if you want to eat, you know where the food is.”
She then walked away, trudging back over to where Lev was. Admittedly Ellie was hungry, but she stubbornly sat there for a while until ignoring the hunger was no longer an option. She chewed slowly, wanting to savor the food. Being on the road for the past two months meant Ellie ate what she could. Even this old, canned food meal was a step up from what Ellie had been consuming.
For the next few days, as they healed, both of them reached some sort of stalemate. They acknowledged one another, but made no move to really speak or interact. Ellie continually wondered what the hell she was doing here, and every morning said to herself, ‘today is the day I get the fuck out’.
Eventually the boy or Lev got to where he recovered enough to be a little shit. When it happened, Ellie was sitting in her usual corner while Abby was at the far end of the boat, pouring over what looked like some maps. Lev turned and looked right at her, looking utterly confused.
“Why are you here?” he asked, reiterating a question Abby had asked her only a few days earlier.
The question was like a punch in the gut. Why was she here? It was something that plagued Ellie every day. At first it was to heal, but she was well enough to travel now. Ellie had no idea what continued to push her to stay.
“Fuck if I know,” Ellie said, laughing somewhat hysterically. “Why are the two of you here?”
It alerted Abby, who stared at Ellie with an unreadable expression. She looked ready to say something, but Lev beat her to it first.
“We’re going to find the rest of the Fireflies. Where are they again, Abby?”
Abby swallowed. “... Catalina Island if what we were told was true.”
“There are still Fireflies?” Ellie whispered in disbelief. “I thought...”
She couldn’t bring herself to finish the last part of her sentence. ‘I thought Joel killed them all’ was what Ellie wanted to say, but bringing up that subject would do nothing except fuel the anger they both had been plagued with.
“Yeah, so did I but rumor is they’re regrouping at an old base there on the island.”
The mention of the Fireflies was a slap in the face for Ellie. Once they represented everything to her. They were a chance to prove her surviving from her bite and Riley succumbing to it actually meant something. It made Ellie hope it wasn’t some fluke.
After Joel did what he did, Ellie did her best not to think of the Fireflies at all. It hurt too much to think of them. To think of them made Ellie feel like her life was wasted. Near the end of Joel’s life, Ellie had finally gotten to where she could forgive him, but it didn’t make the past any easier to deal with.
“If you’re going to look for them…” Ellie started to say, the words getting caught in her throat. She shook her head, trying to gain some control of her emotions before continuing. “I want to come with you. Do either of you have a problem with that?”
Ellie’s mouth snapped shut as soon as those words escaped her. She wasn’t sure why she asked that. Soon an awkward silence filled the room and Ellie found herself counting the minutes the longer it went on.
If someone would just say something, then it would make the awkwardness a little less painful.
Lev stared at Ellie with this unblinking expression. It unnerved Ellie, who had to look away. The kid sure had that creepy look down to a science. His facial scars certainly didn’t help either.
“Fine, but it’s a one-way trip,” Abby warned, turning around and casting her heated gaze towards Ellie. “If you want off the boat at any point, then you’ll have to swim back to shore.”
She barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Yeah, I figured you weren’t going to just drop me off or something.”
“Why do you want to come with us?” Lev asked, proving he truly was a persistent little shit. It was endearing.
Ellie wondered if Joel would’ve said the same thing about her back when she was Lev’s age. Definitely not in the beginning, but maybe by the time she first met Tommy and Maria. She had grown on Joel by then— whether he wouldn’t have been willing to admit it or not.
“Because there’s nothing left for me back home,” Ellie answered quietly.
He nodded in understanding. “There is nothing left for us either.”
Abby had turned around again by this point. She said nothing, choosing instead to pour back over those dozen maps on the table. It was better that way. Ellie preferred the silence to anything Abby might have to say. She probably didn’t want to hear it, anyway.
About a week after Ellie rescued them from the Rattlers, they set sail for Catalina Island. Ellie still kept asking herself daily what she was doing here traveling to find what was left of the Fireflies with Abby of all people. During these thoughts, her mind would drift to Dina and JJ. She hoped they were getting on well in Jackson. She missed them… just not as much as Ellie thought she would.
Despite being in such proximity with one another, Ellie talked with Abby sparingly. She spoke with Lev pretty often, but it was because he was always asking questions. Ellie felt obligated to answer them. If she ever told him to fuck off or leave her alone, Abby would probably go ape shit on her.
She was obviously protective of the kid. It filled Ellie with mixed feelings, making her think of her and Joel. Ellie always tried hard not not to think of him. Thinking of Joel usually made Ellie feel nothing except misery.
Despite Lev’s many questions, the subject of Joel and how he connected Abby and Ellie was never brought up. But the knowledge was always there. Like a cloud of spoors, it hung in the air, inflecting them. Sometimes the tension on the boat was so thick it could be cut with a knife, but Ellie kept silent about it. No point in rocking the boat. Pun not intended, though it did give Ellie a bit of a chuckle with her face to wall. It made her feel better for a moment.
Ellie’s wounds were on the mend, almost completely healed. Abby and Lev were still recovering from their time with the Rattlers, but they no longer looked worse for wear. Ellie kept her mind on recovery, not wanting to think of anything else, and there was so much else she could think about.
There was a part of Ellie that wasn’t sure if the Fireflies really were regrouping on Catalina island. Abby seemed pretty sure, but that meant little to Ellie. A part of Ellie wanted them to be, but there was another part of her —a bigger than she would have liked to admit— that wanted it to be nothing more than a rumor. Facing the Fireflies was going to bring up a myriad of emotions Ellie would then have no choice but to face.
The day the boat docked on Catalina Island, Ellie was on guard. Lev and Abby seemed even more on edge, if possible, given what happened with the Rattlers. They made their way farther into the island and discovered that sent Ellie into a state of shock. Whoever Abby and Lev had spoken to over the radio had been right. There really were Fireflies here.
Ellie had known it was possible, but facing it was another story entirely. She slowly backed away, positioning herself behind Abby and Lev. It was ridiculous because it wasn’t like they would know who Ellie was by just looking at her.
Abby’s face was a mixture of emotion. Lev hovered close by, eventually slipping his hand inside hers and giving it a firm squeeze. The sight caused a ping of jealousy to swell up inside Ellie. She quickly looked away, focusing her attention on the growing crowd of former Fireflies gathering in front of them.
Introductions were eventually made. Abby made no move to reveal Ellie’s true identity, which surprised Ellie. If there were any time to reveal the truth of who she was, now would be the time. Ellie hated to admit it, but she was grateful that Abby referred to Ellie as a recent companion who helped them escape the Rattlers.
That night Ellie settled into bed, the Fireflies generously assigned her. She lay there for a while, her bite scar aching underneath the tattoo Cat had made for her. The phantom pains only acted up when Ellie found herself overwhelmed by whatever crazy shit was going on in her life. Staying in a Firefly compound certainly fell in that category.
Ellie managed a few hours of sleep the first night she was there on the island, but even less over the next few days. It left Ellie in a frustrated state, ready to lash out at anyone who even looked at her the wrong way. She avoided Abby and Lev, which was much easier to do now that they were no longer trapped on that fucking boat.
About a week in, Ellie finally did run into Abby— despite her repeated attempts to stop that from happening. Night was falling over the island, with things getting quiet enough to Ellie’s liking. She preferred the quiet. It made it easier to listen out for any infected or hunters that might linger nearby.
She was walking away from where she was staying. Ellie figured a walk might help her get some sleep; either by clearing her head or just driving Ellie straight to the point of pure fucking exhaustion. The last thing Ellie expected was to bump into Abby, of all people.
“Can’t sleep?” Abby inquired, falling into step with Ellie.
Ellie sighed. “Who the fuck can sleep anymore?”
“Lev can,” she said, much to Ellie’s surprise. “I’ve learned the kid can sleep through practically anything.”
Ellie knew next to nothing about Lev’s past. She knew he was one of those Seraphites she fought back in Seattle, but nothing about what they even believed. Not that Ellie wanted to know anything more about that freaky cult than she already did.
The longer they walked together, the more obvious it became to Ellie that Abby wanted to talk to her about something. She wasn’t sure how to feel about it. They did have a lot to shit to talk about, none of which was pleasant.
Eventually Ellie got sick of it all and stopped in her tracks. She reached out to grab Abby’s arm, intending just to stop her, but Abby jerked away before Ellie could.
“I didn’t mean— fuck,” Ellie muttered, running a hand through hair in frustration. “What is it you want? You obviously want to say something to me so fucking say it.”
Abby frowned, her lips set in a grim line. “Since it’s pretty clear, we’re both going to be living here, I wanted to clear up some shit. Last thing I want to do is keep walking around on eggshells every time we see each other.”
“Fine. Say what you have to say so I can get on with my walk.”
Despite Ellie’s insistence that Abby get the conversation over with, she remained silent for a full minute before finally talking.
“I know an ‘I’m sorry’ doesn’t begin to make up for all the crap that happened, but I am. It was a mistake to ever go to Jackson,” Abby said, conveniently avoiding meeting her gaze. It was common not to look at people while you were talking to them, to be scanning to danger while chatting. However, Ellie knew an excuse when she saw it.
“Well, you should know I regret running off to Seattle and keep in mind, I never fucking wanted Joel to do what he did. Hell, I knew nothing happened until years later.” Ellie then continued, the anger in her tone being replaced by regret. “Also, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry, too. Even if words don’t mean shit.”
Abby nodded, seeming less tense than she did a moment ago.
“Guess we cleared that up then.”
A part of Ellie agreed. The heavy shit still hung around them, but it did clear up some things. Ellie could sleep a little more soundly that night. She still experienced nightmares, of course. Those would never go away.
She stopped trying to actively avoid Abby and Lev after that conversation. Ellie pushed herself to do more in the community, which gave her less time to dwell on everything that happened. Much to Ellie’s dismay, Lev seemed to mistake her lack of avoidance to mean something more.
He had an apprehensive type of curiosity towards her in the beginning. Ellie wasn’t sure what to make of it. As far as Ellie knew, Abby wasn’t too concerned about it. Somehow there was a small amount of trust there. Fuck knows how that happened.
Ellie decided to just humor the kid. He obviously meant well— even if he had aligned himself with Abby, of all people. She tried not to fault him for that.
“You and Abby don’t glare bullets at each other anymore,” Lev said during one of the times he was hovering around her.
Apparently, Lev had gotten over whatever fear he had of Ellie. It was early; too early for this kind of conversation. Ellie resisted the urge to groan, not wanting to offend Lev. From what little Ellie knew, he was a good kid.
All Ellie wanted to get out of this line and get some breakfast, but Lev obviously had different ideas. He seemed content to be speaking with her and didn’t look like he would cease talking soon. Still, his slip up with the phrase did get a snort of amusement out of Ellie. He stared back at Ellie, tilting his head to the side and appearing to be confused why she laughed.
“I think you mean glaring daggers,” Ellie corrected. “And yeah. I guess you can say we’ve reached some sort of understanding.”
Ellie did not know where she stood with Abby, but an understanding was better than nothing given where they had been before. However, the nightmares didn’t stop just because she no longer wanted to choke the life out of her. Abby probably felt the same way.
“Why daggers? I’ve never seen Abby use daggers,” Lev asked seriously.
She laughed despite her best attempts to stop it. “And you’re pretty fucking handy with an arrow, but you wouldn’t say glaring arrows.”
“... It would make more sense if we used our preferred weapon in the phrase.”
Ellie flashed Lev a small grin.
“Yeah, the English language can get fucked.”
He grinned back. “Yeah, fuck it.”
Getting to know Lev led to Ellie seeing Abby as more of a human. The result of this was Ellie understanding the hatred and anger she held for Joel. Ellie forgave him for his actions, but it didn’t mean she could ever shake the guilt of being the catalyst for his behavior. He had killed Abby’s fucking dad. Why wouldn’t Abby spend years fantasizing about revenge? The situation had reversed itself, and she had done the same thing.
A day or two after that conversation with Lev, Ellie ended up on the same job as Abby. They were tasked with counting what medical supplies they had and figuring out what was needed during the next supply run. They acknowledged each other with a nod. Neither said a word until Abby turned to Ellie, a strange look on her face.
“So fuck the English language?” Abby asked, tone laced with amusement.
It sounded strange coming from Abby. Ellie had never heard her speak in such a way. She felt a little put off guard because she expressed joy around Ellie, of all people.
When Ellie finally gathered her bearings, she gave a small shrug of her shoulders.
“Well, it’s pretty fucking confusing,” Ellie muttered. “I was just telling the kid the truth.”
Abby smirked. “I’m not angry. It was actually pretty funny to hear coming from Lev’s mouth.”
“I like him. He’s a good kid,” she blurted out, unprompted.
Ellie didn’t know why she said it, but it was true. He was growing on her more than Ellie ever imagined he would. She wondered if that was how he and Abby ended up traveling together.
It made her sick that she nearly brought Lev into the feud between her and Abby. He shouldn’t have been a part of it. Abby had been right when she said he wasn’t. Threatening him had been unfair. Yes, a clever way to get Abby to fight her, but still not right.
Ellie felt like she was driven to the point of no return at that moment. She didn’t want to feel like that ever again.
“Yeah, he really is,” Abby said, giving her a confused look when Ellie’s face contorted in sadness. “What’s with the look on your face?”
She sighed, wishing Abby had asked anything but that. Ellie supposed she could lie if she really wanted the conversation to be over. It wasn’t as if Abby was going to force it out of her or something. Conversations between them were already awkward enough, with nothing else added into the mix.
“I was thinking about what happened back in Santa Barbara and what I did to Lev. It… was fucked up to drag him into our shit.”
“Everything we’ve practically done since I showed up in Jackson is fucked up,” Abby argued, running a hand through her slowly growing hair in exasperation. “Like I told you before, I’m sorry. Do I forgive what happened? Fuck no, but you shouldn’t either.”
Ellie nodded, unable to meet Abby’s gaze right away. She did eventually and wasn’t sure what to say to her outburst.
“Then where the fuck do we go from here?”
Abby shrugged. “Hell if I know, but neither of us has tried to kill the other. We must have done something right.”
“Yeah, good point,” she laughed despite herself.
Ellie wasn’t sure how she was ever going to feel about Abby. Abby had taken someone from her that meant the world to her, but at the very least they could coexist here on Catalina Island, where Ellie was finally starting to feel comfortable.
xxx
When Abby had invited Ellie on her boat, she wasn’t sure what she had been expecting. A sort of begrudging friendship really wasn’t on the list. However, it was better than them trying to kill each other. Considering all the damage they’d caused in others’ lives it was a sort of grim justice that they were stuck with one another for the time being.
At least Ellie was nice to Lev. Well, now she was, if Abby went and ignored that one time, Ellie had put a knife to his throat. But Lev didn’t know about that and Abby wanted to keep it that way. Lev needed all the positive attention he could get. The kid had been through too much.
Frankly, they all had.
Abby was tired of fighting. She would always have to fight, of course. She knew that the infected and raiders were going to be a fact of life forever and that she would always have to fight, but one less fight would be nice. A little less death would be nice. If she could skip even one battle and just find some sort of peace for herself and Lev, then she would give almost anything.
“Abby!” Lev burst into the tent she was staying in. He was wet from the rain outside. Abby wondered when it had rained and how she had failed to notice.
“What’s wrong?” Abby asked. Her hands were already itching for her weapons. She could feel them in her hands.
“They took her!” Lev said.
Abby moved toward her gun, readying herself for yet another fight.
“Who?”
“Ellie!”
Abby turned. Her eyes widened slightly. She went to speak, but nothing came out. Someone had taken Ellie? Who? Who could be strong enough? Were they under attack? The last time she’d seen Ellie, she and Lev were going on a scouting mission with a few others in the camp. If someone had taken Ellie, that meant the party had come under attack.
“We’ll get her back,” Abby said calmly, recovering her former demeanor. “We’ll get some people to help us. Who else saw who took her?”
Lev looked at her, panicked but quiet. He looked like the day Abby had turned her back on her world for him.
“Your people are killing us!”
“Hey. Hey! You’re my people!”
He was scared, but not of any one person. This was the sort of fear Abby hardly ever felt and never had the liberty to show. Lev feared the present, scared of the future, in a position to be unsure of everything he knew.
Abby tightened her grip on her gun and set her jaw. She had to protect him. She couldn’t be shaken.
“Lev. Who took Ellie.”
“The others,” he whispered, getting closer.
“What others?” Abby narrowed her eyes. “Infected? Raiders?”
“The other Fireflies,” Lev whispered. He glanced over his shoulder, then took a deep breath. “We were scouting for supplies,” he was whispering and talking fast. “I saw her fall through some rotten flooring in a building. There was a thump, but I saw a cloud. I… I thought it was spores, so I ran. I figured she was dead! I didn’t mean to!”
“Didn’t mean to what?” Abby muttered, wheels turning.
“I told the others what happened. They were freaked out, but I told them I didn’t breathe anything in. They were arguing about it when Ellie showed up. She was all wet. She said… that she fell and rolled into an old pool. When they asked her about the spores, she said there were no spores. She said it was just dust. That I had been seeing things. Maybe… maybe I did. But they didn’t believe her! They took her!”
Abby shifted. “Lev…”
“They forgot all about me, and I sneaked up to the main building. I heard what they were saying. They’re saying she’s immune, that they’re going to make a cure from her.”
Abby took a step back.
That should have been good news. But…
“But, they have to kill her!” Lev finished. “What do we do?”
Silence filled the room. Silence between them filled the room, anyway. The rain was coming down harder. Lightning flashed and a few seconds later thunder clapped and added to the noisy silence. Abby took another step and back and sat down on her bunk. She looked down at her gun.
“Abby?” Lev said. “What do we do? I mean… a cure is good, right?”
Lightening and closer than before, a clap of thunder.
“They don’t really have to kill her, right? We’re not going to let them…” he trailed off.
When Abby looked up, Lev was looking at her with uncertainty.
“We can’t just let them… can we?” Lev asked.
Thunder clapped above their heads, and Abby gripped her gun.
What had she just been thinking about? Something about giving almost anything to end all this? Something about there was a grim justice to her new relationship with Ellie?
The storm was on them now, lightning and thunder going off in time. There was no way anyone outside her tent was going to hear what she was about to say. Abby couldn’t allow herself to hesitate. She had to decide.
“Abby?” Lev said over the storm.
Abby set her shoulders and waved Lev over. She put her free hand on Lev’s head and began to speak.
“Let’s go get her, kid.”
Outside, thunder crashed.