AFFLICTED

Chapter 4

"Ellie," Rosalia cried as she kept one hand in Tommy's and she crawled over to Ellie's body pulling her into a hug herself the two girls crying with grief their body's sore and battered but happy that each of them were alive and okay.
"Ellie we need to go," she sniffled trying to pull her up off the floor.
"Ellie come on we need to go,"

Ellie had a dead look in her eyes, tears still running down her cheeks.

"Joel," she whimpered. "Joel fucking please wake up," her voice was quiet as she mumbled in Joel's direction. Jesse had joined them without Rosalia realising, he had pulled Tommy up off the floor and they were collecting their stuff that had been littered around the room as Rosalia begged ellie to try and stand up and leave.

"Ellie we need to get up please." Rosalia was begging now trying to pull her up under her armpits. Eventually she managed to pull her to her feet, Ellie dragging her sleeve across her running nose and wet cheeks.

"Rosalia, please get me out of here," she sobbed realising exactly where she was and that the man who was basically her father was lying dead across the room. Holding on to Rosalia's hand she pulled her towards the door stumbling a bit as she did so her legs shaking from being taken down by a fully grown adult man. Pulling her up the stairs the sleeping bags and all the stuff from that group were gone and the fire was only embers now glowing in the dark sunset. Reaching the back door they had come in through, Ellie lurched forward emptying her stomach on to the polished hard wood floors, her skin pale and sweaty, her hands leaving marks of sweat across her dusty jeans.

"Hey hey hey come on now Ellie let's get you home," she nodded still sniffling her head bowed low. Rosalia was ready to burst into tears herself but knew she had to wait until she got back to Maria and Tommy's before being able to breakdown fully.

The ride back to Jackson was quiet, Ellie had vouched to ride on the back of Patrick holding onto Rosalia's waist while shimmer trotted along next to them. Jesse had briefly mentioned meeting them back home but Rosalia's focus was making sure Ellie got back safely. She knew that Tommy would be okay, Tommy was bound to be upset but he would cope. She couldn't say the same for Ellie.

Eventually reaching Jackson Maria came running through the gates but stopped dead in her tracks seeing Ellie's head hung low, her chin resting on her chest and Rosalia's grief stricken face.

"Lia? Ellie?" She helped the girls down from the horse, gesturing to the stable hands to help bring Patrick and shimmer in.
"Girls what happened?" A grave look came across her face as she realised that someone had obviously died.

"It's Joel," she felt Ellie take a deep breath in, her shoulders shaking slightly as she tried to stop the sobs coming through.

"Uncle Tommy is fine, he's a bit bashed up," she pointed to her head where the blood had congealed and crusted over, but a headache still thumping away in her temple.

"You need to go to the infirmary, is Tommy and Jesse following?" Maria put a reassuring hand on Rosalia's arm a sorry expression on her face.

"Yeah I think, I just I need to go lie down," she mumbled Maria only nodding with understanding.
Taking Ellie's hand the two girls walked through Jackson ignoring people's stares as they realised that they were walking through covered in blood and dirt before reaching the infirmary. Ellie stopped dead in her tracks as she looked up at the banner that held a cross on it.

"I just want to go home please?" She whispered softly as she looked up at Rosalia, the tears still falling silently down her cheeks.

"But what about my head-?" Ellie cut her off shaking her head.

"I'll stitch it. I just need to go home please?" She was practically whining with her defeated her voice sounded. Rosalia no doubt could imagine she was just watching Joel's death over and over and over again in her mind.