"AARON, ROSITA. YOU start here. We'll peel off every quarter mile, meet back here in a couple hours. See what we got." Rick announced to everyone, slowly inching up the road. Ella wanted to pull him to the side to talk but Father Gabriel was the one only who caught his attention for the meantime. When she turned for only a moment to drink vitamin water, he was halfway down the road. She groaned in disgust after swallowing down the water, putting her hands on the hood of the car. Vitamin water might have been the worst thing she'd ever tasted. It was probably the hormones or her body trying to reject it that made her feel like that about vitamin water. She breathed in and out of her nose so she wouldn't throw up, the nauseous feeling building up in her throat.
Glenn looked her in the eye. "You alright there?" he asked, checking his bullets.
She was not able to answer him. The vomit projectiled right out of her as if his question had triggered it. She was lucky enough to turn around to the road before it happened. She spat out some of her spit, wiping her mouth over and over again until it was gone. "Does that answer your question?" she smirked, running her hands over her jeans. "I'm okay. Go already. Heath's waiting for you."
He nodded. He stepped toward her and pecked her cheek. "Stay safe. Don't do more than you have to." he tucked her hair behind her ear, then left to join Heath.
Maggie came up behind her. "Here. I found a rag to clean up whatever got on you." she held it out. Ella smiled and used it to wipe some of her hair clean. "Do you think someone will die, even if we do this the right way?" she suddenly asked, resting against one of the cars.
Ella sighed. "When has no one ever died?" she kicked the dirt. "Fuck, I mean, one person always dies whenever we take big risks like this. You know that even if this is something we have to do to protect ourselves that our blood will be spilled no matter what. Or maybe we get lucky and worst case scenario, if we get lucky, is only someone gets hurt. But that's if we're lucky, you know." she took some normal water and chugged it to wash down the vomit aftertaste.
Maggie clicked her tongue. "So the odds aren't good, but maybe we all just try to boost morale about this. I'm sure no one is thrilled having a pregnant girl to worry about, I'm sure they're all worrying about it and letting it get to their heads that something bad could happen to you."
"I'm sure no one cares." Ella rolled her eyes.
"Glenn cares. I care."
"Really, so you're saying that you don't want me here? You're saying I should go home and hear about how someone died instead of potentially stopping it from happening and. . . or being there with them when they die? Hm?" she questioned, slightly annoyed. "Because I'm sorry but no. Get over yourself and stop caring for just a moment until we are back at Alexandria or until I am dead. I'm not leaving so long as Glenn is out here. Sorry." she took her water and went inside the RV. She slammed the door shut to make it known she was annoyed or frustrated like the drama queen she was.
Maggie sighed. She so wanted to tell Ella off. She'd been on some sort of tantrum ever since Rick said they were attacking the Saviors. But Maggie knew when to bite back her tongue especially when the woman throwing the tantrum was a bit pregnant.
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"WE'RE GONNA TAKE a look around, try to get a feel for how many people are in there. We like how it look, we go in. A couple of hours before dawn. The guards outside'll be tired. Everyone inside'll be sleeping. We don't like what we see, we head back, make a new plan. They don't know who we are," he glanced at the one person they did know. "We'll keep Jesus in the shadows. This is how we eat," he nodded. "We roll out at midnight."
Ella turned away from everyone else and started to mess with the guns until it was time. She heard Carol and Rick mentioning her name so she decided to eavesdrop to listen to what they were speaking about. She always absolutely loved hearing the shit people spoke about her. It really cheered her up in the downest of times. Made her life complete almost to hear all the load of bull they would say about her. But oh no never to her face would they say it. Fucking cowards.
"Why is she here?" Carol questioned Rick in a harsh tone.
Rick chuckled. "She wanted to be here. Her choice. No one elses."
Carol sighed. "And what is she doing exactly? Storming that place?"
He nodded. "Her choice."
Carol scoffed. "No. Sometimes, it's okay to put your foot down so she won't be murdered by these sick bastards. You are going to-"
Rick cut her off. "Tell her yourself."
"You know she won't listen to me."
"You never know. Maybe she'll surprise you." he shrugged. "But I know she might not listen. Hormones are hitting her hard," he looked at her. "I almost feel bad, but. . ." he trailed off.
"She shouldn't even be out here in the first place, Rick."
He nodded. "I know." he walked away, his boots scuffing in the dirt.
Ella smiled. It warmed her heart to hear that Carol cared so much. She never thought Carol to be so caring after everything they've gone through, after what she went through.
Brandon walked over and began to mess with the guns, continuously looking at her from the corner of his eye. Hey,"
"Hi." Ella nodded.
"So. . . you. . . uh, you're going in there with us."
"Indeed, Captain Obvious."
"Why?"
"One word: Glenn."
Brandon laughed. "So if he wasn't going in there and he was guarding the perimeter instead, you'd be there with him?" he asked. She nodded. "He'll be fine. Stay with the cars. I urge you. Maggie and I urge you. If something happened to you, the person who didn't want this. . . I don't even know."
She looked at him. "I will be fine. Maggie can handle the perimeter. You with her if it makes you feel better?"
"It won't but whatever." he handed her one of the guns he held. Ella shook her head, rolling her eyes a bit.
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WATCHING THOSE MEN nonchalantly toss that head to the side made Ella sick. She already could tell that all the stories might have actually been true just by looking at them. Listening to him sing happy birthday made her feel uneasy, the whistling was eerie like. Twisting her stomach round and round until it felt like she couldn't breath with how tight her stomach came to be. She couldn't get the whistling out of her head even when it was dead silent after Daryl murdered the man in cold blood. It haunted her every step she took toward the door to go meet whatever lied within, whoever within.
The corpse was moved away from the door. She stood off to the side with Rick and Michonne, waiting for the bad guy to return with the captured man. When he did, which didn't take long, Michonne slid her katana through his chest. He let out a gargled noise as he fell. One of the group members took the hostage to take him to safety whilst Rick tossed Ella the keys to the building. She opened it to let everyone in, counting everyone's heads and pulling her gun out. Gerard gave her a pat on the back to let her know everyone was inside before she herself took a step inside the building full of murderers.
"Check the doors. Find the arsenal," Rick whispered, raising his gun. "We take them out."
Ella followed everyone to the end of the hall. Quiet as a mouse, she thought.
After Rick took out whoever was in the first room, Heath pushed open the second door. Glenn walked in to kill them. Ella closed her eyes when she heard Glenn making a discomforting noise. His first kill.
Ella peeked her head inside but before she even saw anything, Glenn shut the door behind him with a firm look on his face. She was confused at first. She realised it was smarter to close the doors in case someone went wandering down halls, someone they missed, or just someone in general.
Room after room, person after person. They killed a lot of people just to find Negan, whatever he looked like. Ella had to fight back the urge to cry whenever she sent her knife into the skull of a sleeping person. They had no idea their life had ended nor would they ever know. There was nothing in the afterlife and there was nothing when you slept so how would they ever know they were dead? Even when you become a walker, you have no idea you're dead yet still functioning. You have no idea. Ella imagined that's how that was for the first few people who died in the beginning. They didn't know they were roaming the city walls still.
Glenn put his knife into the person adjacent from her. He looked at Ella. He wondered if killing had always came easy for her. If her first kill was easy. He wanted to ask her but this was not the time nor place to ask such a question. They couldn't even really talk until this was all over.
Ella looked at all the pictures lined up on the wall. They were of these people's friends. All taking pictures with decapitated heads. She wanted to throw up from the nasty images. She did. These people had no humanity. No regards for human life. Not anymore at least. They were sick. She hoped they were going to the deepest pits of hell for all the murders. She plucked a picture off a wall. Was this Negan?
Of course not.
Glenn nodded his head. "Come on." he whispered. She nodded.
As Ella's hand went for door handle, the fire alarms went off. She and Glenn shared a look moments before gunfire rang out, echoing in the building. She ripped the door open and fired round after round into the room, shredding their bodies apart with bullets. "Go!" she yelled, reloading her gun.
Glenn and Heath reached the end of the hall where bullets ripped into the wall behind them. They returned the fire. She ran down to them. "Come on!" She made a turn opposite from where one of the Saviors were.
They kept on running as more and more Saviors chased after them. Glenn fired on a door until it broke open. Ella threw herself inside of the room, shielding her head from the bullets. She closed her eyes and didn't move. Not even when they picked up more guns and fired them. Not even when the only sound was their pants.
One final gunshot rang out. Ella opened her eyes. "So, this is the next world."