[ 🏹 ] ✾•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•✾ [ 🏹 ]
☼ trigger warning: suicide. ☼
[ 🏹 ] ✾•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•✾ [ 🏹 ]
「 thirteen. don't you dare look out your window,
darling, everything's on fire
the war outside our door keeps raging on
hold on to this lullaby even when the musics gone.」
HOW LIZZIE GOT DRAGGED OVER TO A DUST-COVERED TABLE TO PLAY CARS, she didn't know. But the second Sam's eyes caught sight onto the various toys in the room, he hadn't wasted a second in leading her and Ellie over to see.
The interior of the room was filled with childish drawings and toys, sat idle for endless years under the city of Kansas.
"I heard about places like this. People went underground after Outbreak Day." Said Joel, "Built settlements."
His gaze fixated on a large whiteboard that read: house rules. Under sat about six or seven rules that clearly hadn't been followed.
"What happened to them?" Ellie inquired, placing her gun down on the table beside Lizzie and Sam.
"Maybe they didn't follow the rules and they all got infected." Joel responded, walking deeper into the room.
Over at the small table, Ellie drove a small plastic car over the edge, grinning as Sam looked up to her with a playful smile. Lizzie huffed in amusement, watching as Sam knelt down and picked up an old comic book with the words: SAVAGE STARLIGHT!
Ellie visibly lit up, dropping down beside Lizzie, "No way! I love these." Realising he didn't know what she said, she motioned to the notepad around his neck. After he handed it to her, she wrote the words: I have issues. . . Four, five, six, seven," she grinned to the blonde knowingly, "and eleven."
Sam nodded, taking back the notepad and writing the words 'I have five, six, eight.'
Lizzie watched the interaction with a grin. Not that Ellie was in anyway bad company, but it was nice having somebody else to communicate with.
In an extremely overdramatic voice, Ellie spoke. "To the edge of the universe and back," she grinned as she watched Sam start to sign the words, "endure and survive."
Lizzie tilted her head, "endure." She repeated, copying his previous movements as he nodded, "and survive." It took a minute before she and Ellie were fully able to repeat the boys actions precisely. "Fuck yeah, man!"
"Keep it down. We're not out yet." Joel advised, looking around suspiciously.
Lizzie rolled her eyes as she turned to the man. "Joel," she whined, "do you ever think that maybe not ever place is filled with things that want to kill us?"
"Yeah," Ellie contributed, "There's, like, actually shit to do here."
Henry raised an amused eyebrow, "Wouldn't be so bad to wait the light out a bit. Safer in shadows when we pop back out on the other side."
Joel huffed, shaking his head dismissively as he gave into the pleas.
He and Henry had chosen to sit at a larger table, watching fondly as the younger trio chuckled over their childish antics. It was a sweet sight to see three children and a dog find something they could enjoy—despite the raging conflicts above.
Joel and Henry sat in a hushed conversation, the older man turning as he felt a tap on his shoulder. Joel turned with a raised eyebrow, meeting the childish stare of Sam's as the younger boy shyly held out a piece of paper.
Joel took it unsurely, his eyes scanning over it curiously. He heard the soft snickers the brothers shared as the younger one dashed back over to the older blonde, hiding his head in her shoulder as gently pulled him into her side fondly.
On the piece of paper, the drawing of a cowboy carrying a lasso, and wearing cowboy boots and a hat riding a horse adorned the page. Labelled under the drawing sat the words: Joel the cowboy! in childish writing.
Joel didn't need to guess who'd encouraged the boy to draw it, nor did he have to imagine how that conversation went. Simply from the innocent grin falling over Lizzie's face was he granted confirmation.
Lizzie chuckled lightly as she wrapped an arm around the boy, giving him a thumbs up with her free hand. She, Ellie, and Sam had spent the last while drawing all kinds of pictures—Lizzie's favourite being the one that now lingered in Joel's hand as the man stared at her, unamused.
She smiled lightly as the boy turned to her with a drawing—depicting Himself, Henry, Ellie, Joel, Bellamy, and Lizzie all lined up, each of their hands connected besides Bellamy's.
A character labelled 'Joel' sat first, his hand connected to Ellies, Ellie's connected to Lizzie's, Lizzie's connected to Sam's, and Sam's connected to his older brother's. Beside's Henry, Bellamy sat with the words 'Belamy' underneath, and Lizzie didn't have the heart to tell him he'd spelt it incorrectly.
Instead, she grinned at the boy, sharing a look with Ellie as she carefully folded the drawing and placed it in her pocket, ruffling Sam's hair fondly.
Before Lizzie could even blink again, a football collided with her head, causing her to let out a yelp as she fell backwards. Her ears met the sweet melody of Ellie's vibrant laughter as the girl doubled over laughing from her space in front of a net with the words 'Goal' written above it.
Lizzie turned in mock offence when she heard Sam's laughter flood her ears as he joyfully beamed. He moved from his space beside her, running over to Ellie as the girl beckoned him closer.
Lizzie raised an eyebrow, scoffing playfully as she got up and grabbed the football. She placed it on the floor, kicking it past Ellie and into the goal.
"That's not fair! I wasn't ready." Ellie chuckled, kicking the ball back to the girl.
The two girls and Sam played for a while, giggling and messing as they playfully tackled each other. Bellamy had also joined in, chasing after the ball as though it were the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen.
What surprised Lizzie was the fact that she wasn't the worst at playing football—matter of fact, she was actually quite good.
She scored past Sam, grinning as she raised her arms in the air and twirled. She turned to look at Joel, and said as though she didn't need to think about it, "Joel, did you see that?"
The man nodded, allowing himself to carry a proud twitch of his lips as he watched. His eyes watched as Sam laughed, running over to her and jumping up onto her back as she playfully twirled. Ellie stood beside Bellamy, watching with a chuckle as the blonde twirled with the boy holding tight onto her back, her arms secure under his thighs.
Joel huffed lightly in amusement, missing the curious glance received from Henry. Joel's mind only echoed with one thing—she liked football. He wondered what she would think of Ellie and Lizzie. Would she like them? He thought so.
He could picture the image in his head perfectly. Lizzie sat at a circular table, chatting endlessly to her over something as silly as what movies had come out that day. He could picture as Ellie laughed at one of the blonde's jokes, sharing an amused shake of her head with her.
Joel snapped free from his thoughts as Henry started speaking, explaining how he and sam ended up in such a deadly position. The two men watched as the blonde put her arms under Sam's armpits, swinging him playfully as he threw his head back from laughter.
The boy grabbed Lizzie's hand as Ellie pretended to attack, giggling as she did so. Dramatically, Ellie pretended to stab Lizzie in the stomach, causing the blonde to fall back into her arms theatrically, motioning for the boy to run away before ending up like her.
Sam did so, running away with Bellamy not close behind. The dog cheekily nudged his nose into the boy's neck, tickling him slightly and causing him to explode in humours laughter.
"Hey," a voice interrupted, "time to go." Joel stated, picking up his shotgun and turning to leave.
ੈ✩‧₊˚ •❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅• ੈ✩‧₊˚
KANSAS CITY WAS ENVELOPED IN A DARK ABYSS OF SILENCE. The streets appeared dead, as though human activity was simply nonexistent throughout the endless city.
Though it worked in Lizzie's favour as it meant nobody would be there to deny their passage through to the next city out of Kansas.
The blonde walked between Ellie and Henry as they soaked in the atmosphere of fresh air. The sound of shuffling reached the girl's ears as she turned slightly, noticing Henry and Sam teasingly sign to each other.
It felt almost bittersweet to Lizzie. Sam and Henry deserved every moment they spent together. They deserved to build their future somewhere safe, somewhere where they could live a life away from fear and violence.
And though Lizzie would never say it aloud, she felt tainted with envy. Envy for the little boy who's brother would've gathered the moon and stars for him, had he asked for them. Envy for the boy who shared secret inside jokes and was protected by his older brother.
She wanted that.
She wanted the older brother who would've shielded her from the dangers of the world, not expose her to them. She wanted the brother who loved her too much. She craved the love of a brother who cared for her more than anybody else. She didn't understand—couldn't understand why her brother had turned her away. If Henry loved Sam so dearly, why couldn't Nicholas love her the same?
She didn't have time to drown in her thoughts, not when she heard Henry's cheerful voice speak up. "No one's gonna be here because. . . my plan worked."
Joel shook his head, "so much goddamn talking." He remarked, walking in front of the man.
Henry let out a chuckle. "I'm just saying. . . I delivered. Make this right, go down the street, embankment behind the last house. . . and we're out."
"So we cross the river and then what? Where are you gonna go?" Ellie asked, walking in line with Lizzie.
Henry shrugged as he walked. "Don't know yet."
Lizzie lit up with a smile. "You should come with us. We're going to Wyoming." She recommended, giving the man a nod of her head. She looked forward, earning a disapproving look from Joel. "Oh, get lost cowboy. Wyoming is massive, two more people won't make it blow up."
Henry gave the blonde a half-lipped smile. "Yeah, maybe we just call this one a success and say our fond farewells."
Ellie brushed the man off. "Oh, we'll change his mind. Trust me."
"Yep," Lizzie agreed, "He goes 'No, No Ellie. No Bug, never ever happening." She deepened her voice, doing a pretty accurate impression of the older
man.
Ellie chuckled, adding "And then we're like, 'we're just gonna ask you a million more times—"
A loud gunshot rang through the air, hitting a patch of grass next them like a bolt of lightning.
Lizzie ducked her head, turning to make sure Sam, Bellamy, and Ellie hadn't been hit. Luckily, they were only startled by the sudden motion.
"Move, move, move!" Joel ordered, leading them over to an abandoned car that sat in the middle of the road.
"The fսck is that comin' from?" Henry asked over the sound of raining bullets, his hand tightly gripping his younger brothers. He was cut of by Joel's quiet his for him to be silent.
Lizzie pulled out her gun, holding the weapon tightly in her grip, ready for an attacker to appear from within the shadows.
Joel slowly rose to lift his head over the bonnet of the car, only for a bullet to pierce through the air and narrowly miss the top of his head. Instantly, he knelt back down, trading a panicked glance with Henry as he man covered his little brother.
Another gunshot rang out, hitting the car and causing Henry to jolt up in panic. He interlocked his hand tightly with his brother's, dragging the little boy up as he attempted to escape. "Let's go."
"What the fuck are you doing?!" Lizzie hissed, watching in disbelief as a bullet landed in the truck before them, startling them enough for the two boys to sprint back.
"What do we do?" Henry asked, his eyes glazed with panic and trepidation as he sent worried glances to the assassin that lay somewhere before them,
like a shadow amongst the night.
Joel placed his gun in his pocket, turning to the four people next to him. "Alright," he breathed out, "Stay here."
"What?" Ellie gawked, obviously against the idea of the man leaving them.
"If you don't move, he's not gonna hit you." Joel looked between the two girls, "I'm gonna go around, try to get in the house through the back, and then I'll take him out."
Lizzie leaned forward, looking at the man as though he were insane. "No! If you go out there, he's gonna shoot you—"
Joel interrupted, "it's dark and he has shit aim. Nobody's gonna shoot me."
"Then he's gonna shoot us!"
Joel sighed, tilting his head, "Do you trust me?"
Ellie went silent, licking her lips nervously as she looked at the man. Joel took that as a sign of agreement, and attempted to move before a hand caught his sleeve.
"What if we say no, will you stay?" Lizzie's eyebrows furrowed as she frowned at the man. Joel looked at her for a moment, leaning down closer to her. "I'll come back to you, bug. I promise."
Lizzie frowned deeper, "fine," she looked down for a moment then to Bellamy who sat beside Sam, "Take Bell. He'll keep you safe."
Joel nodded, licking lightly as he got the dog to follow him. Soon enough the two were encased in the shadows and far out of the four's sight.
Gunshot's still echoed in the air, drifting to wherever Joel and Bellamy had escaped to.
The air felt tight and suffocating as the four sat behind the car, waiting for Joel's return. Finally, a shot rang through the air, slicing through the blanket of silence that developed the around neighbourhood.
Lizzie's eyes widened as she and Ellie shared a frown, both peering over the edge of the car's rusty bonnet. However, their eyes simply met the darkness that covered the ground.
Finally, after moments of anticipation, a faint scream echoed through the night sky. "run!" However, the voice became drowned out by the overpowering sound of vehicles approaching.
"Run!"
Lizzie knew that southern accent like the back of her hand. "It's joel—Shit!" She screeched, noticing the approaching lights of a truck.
"Run!"
Before Lizzie could think again, Ellie had grabbed her hand in her own, dragging her through the valley of cars—Henry and Sam sprinting just in front.
The truck began moving towards that an accelerated pace, causing for Ellie to reach for her gun. The brunette began shooting every couple of seconds in the direction of the truck, missing due to the direction she'd run in.
Lizzie hadn't seen how Sam and Henry sprinted behind another car not far from where she ran, instead she allowed Ellie to lead her there.
Lizzie couldn't lie and say the fear of being crushed to death didn't leave a frightful taste in her throat, one that she covered up with an expression of bravery. Unfortunately as they ran, Lizzie and Ellie's hands detached.
Just before the truck could hit them, a bullet clashed with the windshield, fracturing it completely with a trail of rippling cracks. Like Joel had done the previous day, The van turned rapidly, driving straight into an empty house.
The ground shook as the Van collided, knocking Lizzie to the ground multiple feet away from where Henry, Sam, and just about Ellie had hidden.
Multiple more cars followed in pursuit, driving before the girl. Lizzie didn't waste a second in turning to run to the trio, before the ground shook again in a mass of explosions. The house the van had drove into exploded, illuminating the once dark sky into a mess of orange and gold, fiery flames bursting free like a Phoenix rising from the ashes.
Lizzie sat amongst the debris, failing to catch her breath due to the rising smoke that leaked from the house.
From behind an empty car, Ellie went to run, desperate to reach the fallen girl, before she was tugged back by Henry. "Where are you going?" The man inquired fearfully.
Ellie retched her arm free. "I'm not fucking leaving her!" She belted over the roar of the flames, sprinting into the open and dropping next to the blonde. "Come on, firefly, come on." She encouraged, pulling the girl up and dragging her away from the fire.
Lizzie collapsed next to Henry and Sam, closing her eyes for a moment as she attempted to catch her breath. She peaked an eye open, noticing Sam's worried stare and open frown as he looked to her, signing something to his brother.
Henry signed back, breathing aloud. "Yeah buddy, she's okay. She's okay," he turned to the girl, "you okay, kid?"
Lizzie nodded. "Better than ever."
Before anyone could speak again, a female voice called out. "Dead end, Henry!" Lizzie's eyes turned wide as she labelled a name to the voice—this was Kathleen speaking. "Gonna step on out? Save us some time?"
Her voice followed with the sound of a dozen footsteps and reloading guns, that neared closed and closer. "No? That's all right. Doesn't matter."
Lizzie wrapped an arm around Sam as she noticed his trembling, pulling him into her side protectively. He leaned into her, hiding his head in her neck as he shivered. Henry sat in defeat, unaware of what to do. But as he looked to the sweet blonde girl who cradled his brother and the brunette who watched over the two of them protectively, he knew what to do.
"I'll come out."
Lizzie and Ellie turned to him in terror as he spoke. "Just let the kids go."
"No," Kathleen's tender voice neared, "Sorry. The girls are with the man that killed Bryan. And Sam, well, Sam's with you."
Henry scoffed loudly. "You don't understand!"
"But I do. I know why you did what you did." Kathleen admitted, "But did you ever stop to think that maybe he was supposed to die?"
Lizzie couldn't believe what she was hearing. In what world should an eight year old boy have his life taken from him?
"He's just a fucking kid!" Henry belted in disgust.
"Well, kids die, Henry." The older woman scoffed, "They die all the time. You think the whole world revolves around him? That he's worth. . . everything? Well, this is what happens when you fսck with fate."
Henry turned to the two girls, "get ready to take him and run." He ordered, to which they both furiously shook their heads in protest. What would they write if Henry were to die? Sorry, kid, your brother's dead. Henry looked at them, nodding. "Yes. Do it. Take him."
After a moment Ellie sighed, holding her hand out for Lizzie to take, whilst Lizzie held her hand out for Sam.
"It's time, Henry. Enough!"
The young man exhaled deeply. "Okay." He frowned, standing up and stepping in front of the car with his hands raised. He let out a hopeless sigh, fighting back the wall of emotions that threatened to collapse.
"It ends the way it ends." Lizzie heard Kathleen say. sensing the tone of her voice, she guessed the woman wasn't touching over a feeling of empathy for the younger man.
Then her gun clicked.
Lizzie closed her eyes for a moment, taking a second to rebuild her courageous façade once again. Lizzie stopped in confusion, her ears greeted by the sound of tilting. One of the van's began tilting down into the fire, as though being sucked into the roots of the earth by an unknown force.
Lizzie let go of both the other people's hands, leaning on the floor and looking under the car to get a view of whatever was happening. To her horror, time seemed to slow for a moment as everybody stared in apprehension, listening to the rumbling croaks that built from the ground.
Then a deadly sea of infected rose from the ground, like a sprouting tree reaching upwards.
The savage creatures slashed carelessly at anything in sight, most of them receiving bullets to the head as the resistance members fired their guns. However, it seemed to do little to stop the increase of numbers.
Pandemonium fell over the neighbourhood, encasing it in a mix of screams, bullets, and violent croaks. And they were in the Belly of the Beast.
Henry sprinted back over to the trio, grabbing tightly onto his little brother's hand. The man stood protectively over the three, sparing panicked glances to the chaos around them.
Lizzie's hand secured around her gun, raising it tightly so she was prepared against anybody—or anything that attempted to reach them.
A thundering sound of movement resounded from the car bonnet, followed by the sound of inhuman grunts. Immediately, Lizzie was turned with her gun raised, shooting the creature in the head.
She didn't have time to feel little remorse for her actions, not when Ellie had grabbed her arm and began racing past the hundreds of violent infected that stormed the abandoned city.
As the two girls ran, a hand latched onto Lizzie's back, ripping her away from Ellie who turned back in horror. Before the brunette could reach her, an clicker dashed before her, causing her to sprint quickly away with a fearful glance.
Just when Lizzie yelped in surprise, a gunshot echoed behind her head and the infected fell away from her with a loud screech. Turning in confusion, Lizzie's eyes spotted the barking dog and the burning ambition in Joel's eyes as he stared at the dead creature with boiling anger.
The blonde released an exhale, her eyes drifting open to an open car window that she would be just able to squeeze through. Instantly, the blonde sprinted towards it, followed by a growing amount of infected.
Without a second thought, she threw herself over the window, landing uncomfortably in the leather car seats. The blonde was met with the sound of a terrified shriek, causing her to raise her gun to kill.
However, her eyes fixated on the relieved pair of eyes belonging to Ellie Williams. Lizzie crawled over to the backseat, collapsing next to the girl. "Shit! I almost killed you, ponytail!" The blonde yelled, frustrated breaths falling from her lips.
"Im so fucking glad you're safe, firefly, you have no idea!" The brunette expressed. The two girls simply looked at each other in relief. For a moment, Ellie debated wether or not she should bring the girl into a reassuring embrace, but decided against it out of fear of how the other girl would react.
The two fell silent at the sound of a low, formidable croak rose up from the pit, followed by the sound of thundering movement.
From out of a blurred car window, Lizzie's eyes fell upon the petrifying figure of a bloater. It's body was covered in fungus, growing above its body and making it appear taller. It stuck out over the other infected like a queen bee in a bustling hive.
It rose from the ground with a ferocious roar, its body shaking the ground as though its presence threatened Mother Nature herself. It slashed through the fighters, picking them up and slamming them back down viciously.
It's body appeared immune to the endless rounds of gunfire that deflected off of its mutated body.
Around the large creature, the ground shook with horror as the infected slaughtered the living. And from an open window in the attic of a house, Joel Miller trembled in terror as he watched a young clicker—no older than Sam, stick her fungus-infected head into the window.
The window of the car where the two girls he'd found himself slowly growing attached to rested inside. His body shook in fright, his hands gripping tighter around his gun then ever before as he desperately tried to shoot down the young girl.
Inside the car, Lizzie and Ellie shared a wide-eyed stare as the head of child entered, followed by the rest of her flexible body as she kicked herself through the window. The firefly's blood ran colder than ice as she stared at the child before her.
She sat up, her head twitching and clicking with horrifying sounds as she looked to where they sat. Instantly, both girls threw themselves over the seats, desperate to reach one of the doors.
Ellie kicked open the door with a yelp, pulling out the blonde a second before the clicker could wrap her small hand around Lizzie's leg. The blonde slammed the door shut, watching in relief as the clicker scratched at the car windows, unable to get out.
"Shit. Shit, Beth look!" Ellie panicked, making the girl look before them. Her eyes training upon Henry and Sam's horrified figures as they lay under a car, kicking and fighting two clickers that clawed at them.
Lizzie didn't waste a second in sprinting over to the two males, every infected around her falling dead due to the protective man in the window. Ellie followed not even a second behind, dodging anything that approached her. Behind the two girls, a large van drove past, running over a line of runners and clickers.
Lizzie watched in disgust as one of the clickers dragged Henry out from under the car, roaring as he lay over him. Instantly, the clicker fell dead, it's tainted blood pouring out of its head as the bullet imbedded itself in the monster's eaten brain. Henry looked behind the creature, witnessing a scowling Elizabeth Dean as she lifted her foot, stomping onto the infected's decaying body.
Then she turned to Sam, watching as Ellie drove her knife into the clickers neck, dragging him away from the younger boy who still lay under the car.
"Come on!" Lizzie yelled, grabbing Sam's hand and waiting for Henry to stand before the older man led her, Ellie, and Sam away from the lion's den.
They sprinted away, faster than they'd ever previously ran, until a feminine voice beckoned them to stop. "Stop!"
The older trio turned, meeting Kathleen's manic stare. Instantly the moved to hide Sam at the back seeing as he was the youngest.
Then the car door opened, and a mess of thin blonde hair released a terrible croak. Kathleen turned, her eyes wide as the clicker stuck in the body of a child screeched at her, jumping onto her and latching herself onto the older woman's body, slicing and clawing at her to no end.
Kathleen shrieked but nobody moved to help her.
"Hey, don't look." A voice guided Lizzie and Ellie to look away from the scene—Joel's voice. The man ran up to them, Bellamy at his side. The dog jumped to meet his owner's embrace, however, it was not time for reunions in such a horrifying place.
"This way, now! Move!" And so the five ran far away from the broken town, never looking back.
ੈ✩‧₊˚ •❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅• ੈ✩‧₊˚
THE LITTLE BOY GIGGLED AS HE WATCHED THE TWO GIRLS ACT OUT OF SCENE FROM THE COMIC BOOK BESIDE HIM. Lizzie lay on the floor after she'd supposedly been killed an alien creature, laughing every so often only to get scolded by Ellie or sam because 'dead people don't laugh.'
Henry walked over to the door, leaning on the door frame and looking at the girl who lay upside down. "As fun as this looks," he turned to his brother, signing as well as saying, "i think you all need some sleep."
Reluctantly, Sam moved over to one of the two beds, sitting on it with huff, and giving his brother a sad pout. Lizzie huffed a laugh, flipping onto her stomach and sitting up.
There were only two beds in the room, meaning Ellie and Lizzie would have to share one, not that it bothered them anyway.
Henry nodded to the two girls before he closed the door, giving them a grateful smile.
For a moment, Lizzie almost felt giddy. Joel hadn't distanced them from Sam and Henry, meaning the boys were most likely staying. And Lizzie couldn't help the grin that tugged at her lips as she thought about it.
Sam lay on his side, unaware of the look Lizzie and Ellie gave each other as the blonde kneeled on the floor whilst the brunette tapped him with the comic. Beside Lizzie, Bellamy lowered his head to rest tiredly on her knee, watching the interaction with half-lidded eyes.
Sam sat up as Ellie reopened the comic book, showing him a page she found to be interesting. "I don't see any weird movements," Ellie read out, "Stiff? Negative. "Damage here in Sector one-five-three. "Stella, can you hear me? I read you."
Sam gave her an unamused look, pulling the notebook from around his neck in front of him. He wrote a couple of words on there then gave them to Lizzie to read. Her eyes scanned over the words 'are you ever scared?' Before she licked her lips and passed it to Ellie.
The brunette raised an eyebrow at the words written on the paper, as though she didn't expect him to ask. She sat in thought for a moment before writing, "do I not look scared?"
The boy read over it once, lifting it up to erase it before handing it to the girl on the floor. Lizzie pondered for a moment, before writing, 'why would I need to be scared when I have a cowboy protecting me?"
The boy let out a humorous exhale, reading over the words before erasing it. He wrote something before handing the notepad to Ellie. "Never." She read out.
"I'm scared all the time," Lizzie looked up to the girl with a small frown as she read out what she'd written. The older girl gave the notepad back to the boy who read it with a nod, then she pulled it back writing the words 'of scorpions!'
Sam pursed his lips, shaking his head humourlessly. Ellie nodded slightly, "I'm scared of ending up alone."
Ellie erased the board, giving it to the blonde after letting Sam see what she'd written. Lizzie thought for a moment, what was her worst fear? What kept her up at night, shivering under a barely warm blanket.
"I'm scared of being unloveable."
Sam read over the words with pursed lips, looking to the girl with soft eyes as she handed back the board. "What about you?" Was written on the board.
After a moment he handed back the notebook to the blonde, who moved to sit with her back against her and Ellie's bed frame, so that both of them could read it at the same time. "If you turn into a monster is it still you inside?"
Lizzie looked at him in confusion, tilting her head curiously. She didn't know the answer to his question, and it wasn't one she was particularly dying to know.
Until he leaned down, pulling up the soft fabric that covered his legs to reveal a blood-stained bite mark. Dark veins ran like roots under his skin as the bite worsened with every passing second.
Lizzie sat in shock. She couldn't act scared. Acting scared would just alarm him, and she didn't want him to be terrified simply because she was. "Holy shit."
She felt sick. As though bile was rising in her throat, not because of disgust for his bite, but simply because her luck had been jinxed once again. She was starting to believe maybe it was. Maybe she was just a little jinx that screwed everything up.
Ellie thought for a moment, an idea forming in her head as she leaned forward, showing him her own bite mark that lay sketched across her skin. Sam stared at it in awe and shock, watching as she grabbed the notepad. "My blood is medicine."
"What are you doing?" Lizzie whispered faintly to her brunette companion, watching as the girl reached for a knife. "Jesus, ponytail." She winced as the girl kneeled beside her.
Sam made a noise of protest, disliking the idea of Ellie injuring herself. His noise almost woke Bellamy, who now lay asleep at the end of the girls bed.
"No, let me do it," Lizzie interrupted, gently taking the knife from Ellie's grip. Ellie would simply end up cutting too deep or too long. She took Ellie's hand in her own, looking her in the eyes for confirmation, to which the brunette nodded as a sign of trust. Gently, Lizzie created a small wound of Ellie's hand, letting the slightly older girl placing her hand over Sam's wound—mixing their blood.
After a moment, Sam picked up his notepad, writing the words, "stay awake with me."
Lizzie and Ellie looked at one another, nodding their heads. Ellie took the notepad writing the words, "we promise."
Sam smiled, repeating the words in sign language and teaching the two how to sign it.
For a moment, they sat in silence, simply looking at one another. Then Lizzie realised a huff of a laugh, bringing sam forward for a hug. The boy immediately wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on her chest. Lizzie looked to the side, opening her other arm and beckoning Ellie to join in, to which the brunette complied with a grin.
And so for a few tranquil moments, Lizzie, Ellie, and Sam sat in a web of understanding, simply enjoying each other's company.
Despite the small promise they'd all made to stay up with each other, within the next few hours, Sam had turned on his side—presumably asleep, and Lizzie and Ellie lay face-to-face on their bed.
Quietly, Ellie whispered. "Do you think he's gonna make it?"
Lizzie looked at her tiredly, pushing back a yawn. "I hope so. He deserves better than this."
The two fell silent for a moment, until Lizzie spoke up. "Hey, El?" The brunette hummed, closing her eyes. "What if we made a promise. . . No matter what, me and you, we'll stick together. You know, so neither of us end up alone."
Ellie peaked an eye open, looking at the tired girl with a foreign expression. "I promise to stay by your side for all eternity—to the edge of the universe." The brunette joked, referencing their comic book series.
Lizzie released a quiet chuckle. "To the edge of the universe."
Ellie smiled faintly at the girl, watching her fall lightly into a comfortable slumber. She deserved to sleep peacefully after the day that they'd had, and god knows she needed it.
After Riley, Ellie found herself in a constant state of loneliness, though she never let it break through her chatty personality. Losing Riley was like being backed into a dark corner with no escape.
Then Lizzie came along. Like a firefly, she illuminated the darkness into a honey-coloured light, fighting the isolating feelings of loneliness and self-hatred away.
Ellie sighed gently, examining the girl as she lay drifting into sleep. Ellie's mind wondered to the joke Lizzie had made in the car when they arrived to Kansas. 'you think I'm beautiful?'
Ellie could've scoffed at her words. Lizzie was beautiful—tremendously beautiful. Her eyes were a shade of blue that carried the weight of the raging seas. Her hair was golden like the morning sun, and her smile was blessed with tenderness. Hell, Ellie found herself simply mesmerised.
Hypnotised by the girl before her, Ellie found herself sinking into the warmth Lizzie radiated.
If Lizzie was the sun, she wondered if that made her the moon. Star-crossed but undeniable. Alike but so very different.
Lizzie was the warmth that radiated on summer days. She was the joyfully tweeting of the birds that twirled through the sky. She was the fresh air that swept through the countryside. She had the ability to light up a room simply with her delightful smile.
Ellie was the glow of moonlight that shone through the curtains throughout the night, casting the earth in a silver glow. She was the soft movement of the ocean hitting the shoreline. She was the rain that fell softly against the windows, creating a perfect atmosphere.
"Hey Beth?"
The blonde hummed, half-asleep.
"I think you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."
ੈ✩‧₊˚ •❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅• ੈ✩‧₊˚
THE MORNING SUN ROSE OVER THE MOTEL, coating it in a golden light as though it were a beautiful painting. Inside the motel, Lizzie's eyes drifted open, coming face-to-face with a sleeping Ellie.
Slowly, the blonde sat up, trying not to wake the brunette as she turned to examine the room. Well, she wasn't dead, meaning Sam hadn't turned.
Lizzie breathed a sigh of relief, sending a silent thank you. Thank you to whoever heard her cries and answered promisingly.
Quietly, the blonde stood up from the bed, walking over to the boy. He was with his back to her, his face kissed in sunlight.
Gently, Lizzie placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Hey—"
The boy hissed violently, his face tainted with dark lines, as though his veins were replaced by shadows and death. His eyes were bloodshot and manic, staring through her as though she were the enemy.
All Lizzie could do was let out a shriek of surprise as she fell backwards against the door, falling through it and landing on the living room floor where Joel and Henry rested. Both men sat up in horror and surprise, watching as Lizzie screamed.
Immediately, Sam was on top of her, slashing and scratching at her violently—no longer the innocent boy she became so fond of.
"Joel, please!" Lizzie cried, fighting against the boy as he wrestled on top of her. "Sam, please! Please, stop it!" Her eyes turned glossy with salty tears as she fought the younger boy.
Instantly, Joel was up, ready to protect her the way he needed to, however, before he could do anything, Henry let out a string of curses, grabbing his gun and barely missing Joel's foot when he tried to near the two wrestling children.
Ellie had also awoken, followed out of the room by Bellamy who barked furiously as he tried to intercept, only to be pulled back by Ellie. The brunette used all her strength to keep the dog from ripping the younger boy away.
"Joel!" Lizzie screamed at the top of her lungs, begging and pleading for the man to help her. He watched with horrified eyes, unable to protect her like he wanted to.
Lizzie felt hopeless. Sam—the little boy who looked up to her with his eyes full of dreams and hopes, desperate for adventure. The little boy who'd leaned tightly into her side whenever he was scared. The little boy she had seen as a younger brother figure—now lay on top of her, trying to kill her.
Then for a moment, Lizzie noticed the regretful glint in his eyes. Sam was still in there, and he had never wanted to hurt her. She could see him.
Then he went limp, falling off of her after a large shot sliced like a hot blade through the air. Blood splattered over her face and the wall beside her—Sam's blood.
Lizzie lay in horror, pale tears leaving tracks down her cheeks. Lizzie, who was meant to be brave and carefree, sat with her chest heaving with sobs.
"Oh, my god. Sam, I'm so sorry!" She sobbed, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so, so, so sorry." She repeated, rocking herself back and forth, her eyes wide and traumatised.
"Lizzie," Joel began, "Liz, look at me. Are you okay?" Before he could comfort her, the barrel of Henry's gun rested between his eyes. Slowly, Joel reached his hands out to grasp the gun. "Henry, Henry, give me the gun." He motioned to the gun, "Give me the gun Henry."
"What did I do? What-wh-what did I do?" Henry cried, shaking. His eyes were overflowing with guilt and horror, as though he couldn't believe what he'd done.
And he couldn't live with himself. He turned to his brother's dead body. "Sam."
He raised the gun to his temple, the bullet making a shattering bang as his body fell to the floor.
Lizzie shrieked again, clutching her chest in pain. "Oh my god. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She felt a pair of soft hands pull her away from the body, pulling her into a warm embrace.
Her throat felt stuck as though all the oxygen in her body had vanished, she heaved dryly.
Her hands clutched the red t-shirt, and the hairs of Ellie's neck tickled her head. "I've got you. It's okay, you're okay. I'm here, Beth." Ellie comforted, stroking the girl's head softly as she sobbed. Ellie's own eyes flooded with tears, her glassy eyes meeting Joel's, and even he seemed to grow teary-eyed.
"It's alright." And this time, Ellie wasn't scared to embrace Lizzie.
ੈ✩‧₊˚ •❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅• ੈ✩‧₊˚
LIZZIE FELT ROTTEN. She felt dirty, as though her whole skin was made from tar and poison. Ellie had washed the blood off of her face gently, both of them finding comfort in each other.
Lizzie couldn't bring herself to stand before the graves, instead watching from afar as the bodies were buried. She watched sadly as Ellie placed down the small notepad, the final words resting to be: I'm sorry.
She placed her hand in her pocket, her fist clutching around a piece of paper. She pulled it out in slight confusion, her eyes watering at the sight of Sam's drawing. The one he'd given her and appeared so proud of.
But now he was gone, and this was all she had left.
In some ways, Sam reminded Lizzie of a fairytale her brother had used to tell her— the story of Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up. The boy who'd spend all eternity on Neverland with fairies, pirates, and mermaids. She hoped Sam had found his peace. Henry, too.
And just like Peter Pan, Sam would remain just a little boy for all eternity.
☼
[ 🏹 ] ✾•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•✾ [ 🏹 ]
How we feeling
This was so painful to write I can't even lie
Sobbing halfway through I need to give my girl Lizzie a break.
There's probably a lot of mistakes in this chapter because it's a lot longer than my usual ones so if u notice a mistake pls point it out to me so I can fix it <3
I MISS SAM AND HENRY SO MUCH