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THE SUN DIPPED lower on the horizon, casting a warm glow over the rooftop where Cindy, Ellie, Joel, and Tess were. As Tess patched up her injured ankle, Cindy's eyes lingered on them, uncertain of what to think. She bit her lip, contemplating the difficult decision Tess was having to make.
A makeshift plank bridged the gap between the museum rooftop and the adjacent building. Ellie took the first few steps across. "Over there?"
Joel glanced at her. "Yeah, I know, it looks scary."
"That was scary." Ellie said, referring to the clickers. "This is wood."
Cindy hesitated, glancing at Joel and Tess. "I'll go with her." She said, following Ellie across the plank. Tess nodded at her gratefully and Joel just watched her for a moment before going back to Tess's ankle.
On the rooftop, Ellie and Cindy found a moment of respite, the abandoned city sprawled out before them. The setting sun made the absolute horrors of the city look somewhat peaceful for second or two.
"Ellie-"
"Riley's dead." Ellie interrupted.
"I..." Cindy started, "I... figured. The look on your face when the mall was mentioned."
"Yeah." Ellie breathed.
"Was it... bad?" Cindy cringed at her choice of words.
"We both thought we were gonna die." Ellie said. "I was mad she joined the fireflies. She was gonna leave me. I just wish that hadn't of happened right before..." she looked down. "Sometimes I think it just should've be-"
"Ellie if the words 'it should've been me' leave your mouth, or even enter your head for a split second..." Cindy interrupted. "I know it's hard. But you can't let yourself think like that. You can't." She thought back to all the times she laid in bed in the QZ in silence, staring at the ceiling, wishing she was the one to get shot instead of her mother or father. "Once you're in that mindset, Ellie, it's almost impossible to get out."
"Yeah." Ellie mumbled.
"It's gonna play on your mind." Cindy said. "But you ever get the feeling you need to talk about any of it... doesn't matter how small or silly you think it is, talk to me, Ellie."
Ellie gave her a half smile and nodded, resting her head on Cindy's shoulder.
Joel soon joined them. He stood quietly next to them for a moment before speaking. "Is it everything you'd hoped for?"
