I emerged from the bathroom at the second knock of the door. Ellie sat on the bed with her head in her hands, her eyes pressed shut as she slowly rubbed her temples. She barely said a word to me since we got back - only asking me to come back with her so she didn't have to be alone. I complied. I didn't want to be alone either.
Assuming Ellie wasn't going to open the door, I swung it open myself to see Tommy stood on the other side with a plastic food box and a weary smile.
"Hey," He sighed, "Could I sit down, please?"
I turned to Ellie who just shrugged her shoulders, pulling herself to her feet to take a seat on the chair by the couch. Tommy made himself comfortable.
"Maria wants to make sure you're eating," He grumbled as he placed the box on the table.
"She can't stop us," Ellie remarked bluntly with folded arms.
"To have the guys that we would need... to do this smart... we'd be leaving Jackson vulnerable,"
"So they just get to get away with this?" Ellie scoffed.
"Nobody wants that,"
"Yeah, but that's what's happening,"
Tommy sighed in defeat, placing his thumb and his pointer finger on either side of his nose bridge as he took a deep breath.
"What if we get hit by hunters again?"
"Is this you talking or her?" Ellie half-yelled, "If it were you or me, Joel would be halfway to Seattle already."
"We don't know for certain that they're from Seattle,"
"'Washington Liberation Front'". That's what you said was on those patches."
"What if they stole those jackets? What if the WLF moved?"
Ellie looked to Tommy with wide eyes.
"What are you doing? You know what? I'm leaving tomorrow. And if you want to come with me, great." She scowled, "You can't talk me out of this."
"Give me a day to talk to Maria. Okay? Gotta be some folk she can spare.."
"And if she won't budge?"
"Well, I'll figure something out. One day. Please."
"Okay.." Ellie sighed.
Tommy stood up and held out his arms, wrapping her up tightly and resting his head on hers. She sobbed into his arms, her legs wobbling as she struggled to hold herself up. I excused myself to the porch, taking a seat on the steps to stare up at Joel's house.
The way Ellie talked about Joel was unlike anything I'd ever heard. He was her father but above all, he was her bestfriend. I rested my head against the wooden pillar as I reminisced on old memories Ellie would share fondly half-asleep at dusk. I could see it in her eyes how much she loved him, even when they weren't exactly talking.
"See you later, kiddo." Tommy chimed from behind me, running my shoulder soothingly as he jogged down the steps to head home.
"Tommy?"
He turned on his heels to face me.
"Just look after her, Charlotte. For me." He smiled softly before heading out the side gate.
I sighed deeply and pulled myself to my feet, heading back inside and closing the door behind me. Ellie hadn't moved from the chair. She hadn't even taken her shoes off since we got in. It was like she was just replaying the moment over and over in her head, like she couldn't wake herself from the nightmare she was experiencing.
I paced towards her and knelt on my knees, untying her shoes and pulling them off of her feet. I held her hand and led her to the bathroom, turning on the faucet and feeling the warm water rush to fill the tub.
"Arms up," I soothed, bringing my fingers to the hem on her hoodie to pull it over her head.
I unbuttoned her jeans as she took a seat on the toilet, pulling them off of her legs and discarding them in the laundry bin. I swirled my hands in the tub, the warm water stung my fingers slightly. Holding her hand, I guided her into the tub and watched as she took a seat.
I began to slowly wash her body, my fingers tracing soap along her bruised back. I washed her hair, massaging her scalp as she closed her eyes and leant into me. I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek, standing up and pulling the door to behind me to hunt for some clean clothes.
When I returned to the bathroom, Ellie stood wrapped in her towels. I handed her the clothes I'd brought for her, allowing her some time to dress herself as I tidied up her room a little. She emerged from the bathroom, her hair wet, dripping and sticking to her jaw slightly. She smiled shakily and I took her in my arms, standing on my tiptoes to wrap my arms loosely around her neck.
"I'm going with you," I whispered.
"Charlotte... you're not coming with me," She groaned, pushing my hips away from her causing me to frown.
"I'm going with you," I responded sternly.
"It'll be dangerous. It's a long way from here. Tommy's right - we don't know what's out there."
I took her face in my hands, taking a moment to study her features before pressing a gentle kiss to her soft lips.
"Ellie Williams, I will follow you to the very ends of the earth," I whispered.
She hesitated before nodding gently, taking my hand to lead me to bed. I intertwined myself with her, keeping her as close to me as physically possible as we got ready to sleep.
There was no doubt in my mind that I was going with her. Nothing would stop me and deep down, I think she knew that.
I watched her sleep until the early hours of the morning. Her brows would furrow as she grunted, her eyelashes fluttering as she stirred. Suddenly, she sat up and began to scream, kicking her feet as she yelled.
"Ellie!" I soothed, "You're okay. You're safe."
I wrapped my arms around her and clenched my eyes shut to prevent the tears brimming over. She shook violently as she held me, nuzzling her face into the crook of her neck as she panted.
"Charlotte... we need to go."
Sitting on the steps of Joel's porch, I leaned my head against the wooden pillar and played with my fingers as I waited for Ellie. She said she had to collect some things from his house before we left. I didn't go in with her, I figured she'd need time to be alone for a little while. She didn't argue with me.
I was snapped out of my thoughts as Maria approached, standing up quickly and brushing myself off. She looked agitated. I could tell whatever she was about to say wouldn't be positive.
"Ellie inside?" She asked.
"Yeah. She's just-"
"In. Now."
She stormed past me. I scurried along quickly. Maria made a good leader for many reasons, one of them being her innate ability to command whatever she wanted from people and they'd always comply. Although I knew her well and I was probably one of the closest people to her in the town, I wasn't one to test her bad side.
"Ellie! Can you come down here?" I called, taking a seat at the dining room table as she jogged down the stairs.
Maria stood with folded arms before pulling a letter from her pocket. She unfolded it and began to read it off.
"'Maria. I'm headed to Seattle. I wish I could let it go, but I can't. I have to bring these people to justice. Ellie's going to try to come after me but stop her. Take her guns. Lock up the horses. Maybe lock her up. Buy me some time so I can end this. Love you always. Tommy'" She began, "He's gonna get himself killed."
"He should've taken me with him. You should've given us a group to go after those fuckers!" Ellie protested.
"I wish I could,"
"You gonna try and lock me up?"
"I'd prefer that you stay,"
"That's not gonna happen," Ellie scoffed.
Maria sighed before repeating herself, "I prefer you stay, but I know you better. Are you going with her?"
I looked to Ellie and then back to Maria before nodding.
"So, what was the plan? Just gonna sneak out of here?" She asked with furrowed brows.
"Yeah,"
"On foot?"
"Yeah,"
Maria shook her head, leaning back against the wall with folded arms. She chewed on her lower lip, looking around the room as she collected her thoughts. I couldn't read her.
"I told the stable to let you out with your horse. Grab some ammo too," She muttered as she began to make for the door.
"Thank you, Maria..." I smiled softly.
"Just, uh, do me a favor and bring my dumbass husband home in one piece, please."
Ellie nodded with a smile, grabbing her bag from the table and sliding it over her shoulders.
"All right then. Get going, you're... you're losing light," She nodded before disappearing out the house without another word.