The Walls that Separate Us | E.W.

6• Justifiable Crime

STELLA

Ellie and I traveled our way to ground zero in mostly tense swollen silence, anxiously awaiting for what's beyond the quarantined area.

So many questions itched at me to ask but I knew it wasn't nearly the right time. The familiarity of Ellie's presence buzzed in my gut and lingered like the fungus itself. But I couldn't dare feel anything past that - she and I were enemies. That's all we'll ever be. Anything that could've possibly broken that is down the drain. I'm the luckiest person alive to be here right now or else my throat would've been slit much like the Wolves and Scars that dared to get in her way prior. Like she said: I was only on the way. I doubt that these thoughts are mutual.

"Hey." Ellie's voice echoed through my ears, tossing me out of my trance and my eyes trailed over my shoulder at her eyes boring into mine.

"You're a fucking idiot, you know that, right?" She asks me and a shit-eating grin sprawls onto my lips. It was a short insult, same as the others she's been giving me tonight but as harsh as she was trying to be, there was oddly no rudeness behind it.

"I know."

"Congratulations on being so self aware." She mutters smartly like it was the end of the world if she kept her mouth shut. And it's something that almost made me laugh out loud but instead I just cackled internally because it was like looking into a mirror.

"Thanks."

Silence gloomed over us again, only the soft pattering of our shoes against the floor sounding.

"He's a...good cat. Given the short time we spent together he covered my ass." She says awkwardly like she didn't threaten me multiple times just minutes before and a small smile curls on my lips. "He is. Although he's trained to only travel with me. Anyone else, and he tears their eyes out in seconds so...you must've been special." Ellie hesitantly reaches her hand above my backpack and scratches Toby's head poking out with the smallest chuckle despite our circumstances. "Probably cause I'm a cooler travel partner than you. Wolf."

I glared over my shoulder with a tightened jaw. "Just being honest."

As we continued walking in silence, we then arrived at the lowest level where the Quarantined emergency room was. The doors had already been pried open, bloody finger dents lining the steel doors. The emergency lights strobed red every other few moments behind the doors and I glanced at Ellie who had the same look on her face that screamed "What the fuck did that?"

"Remind me why this was a good idea again?" She asks and suddenly I can't even give her an answer.

"Fucking Wolves." She grumbled and I tried to ignore the drop in my chest and the dry swallow trickling down my throat.

I inhaled and exhaled sharply. Quick and Quiet. Easy. Get these supplies, fix Ellie up, do a brief search for Abby and then get the fuck out of here.

"C'mon." Ellie followed after me intently past the doors and into the eery, fungus covered halls. The mushroom-y sponge leaked spores that would've killed anyone down here within a blink. No wonder no one's been down here in god knows how long. It's more than likely no one's been down here since the beginning.

I cough lightly at the sudden thickness and potency of the spores. "You finally turning over there?" Ellie asked from behind me and I eyed her as if to say "Shut the fuck up before I do turn and then tear you apart".