When a beaten and lost, near-dead girl walks up upon the gates of Jackson unannounced, people are bound to be suspicious of why she's shown up. But, when she reveals that she knows something about an organization in Seattle planning to come to Jacks...
"No-one likes a mad woman; you made her like that."
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CHAPTER EIGHT The Wolves
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Willow and Ellie left the hotel in the early morning, their backpacks swaying behind them as they walked down the alleyway where their horses were hitched. The morning sun bored into their backs, reminding them of the heat that was going to announce itself later in the day. The girls got on their horses and gripped onto the reins, setting off and galloping down the Seattle roads that had not flooded yet. Ellie glanced over the skyscrapers as they walked along the overgrown city, trying to find any sign of life.
The two rode for a long time, the unbearable sun shooting through the skyscrapers and onto their bodies. Despite the fact that the skyline was beautiful, the weather brushing against their cheeks and burning their heads was horrifying. Both Willow and Ellie knew they had to push through, or else they would return to Jackson with no information and completely empty-handed. The older teen looked over to the younger one, smiling softly as they walked across the old Q.Z.
A few yells came from one of the skyscrapers. Willow assumed it was a WLF patrol, so she quickly motioned Ellie over into an underground parking garage. Their horses put up a bit of resilience as the smell of gasoline filled their lungs, but the two humans kept them tame, dismounting them against one of the walls. Willow wiped off her pants, trying to listen for any other signs of life besides infected in the building, but nothing came through her ears.
"Think they'll lead us to the stadium?" Ellie asked, cracking her neck and beginning to walk across the pavement. Just like the rest of civilization, it was completely overgrown. Even though it hadn't been used for years, the parking garage still held the heavy scent of gasoline throughout the whole, large room.
Willow shrugged. "Hopefully." She replied shortly. "They'll have maps at their patrol checkpoints, I'm sure of it." She elaborated, Ellie nodding in response.
They walked in a comfortable silence, making sure to stay on edge and alert. A run-in with any members of the WLF would hurt their mission, they needed to get back to Jackson with something. Willow looked at the elevators, running her palms over the old metal. It was still cold, causing a deep shiver to rock through her spine. Ellie motioned her over to the staircase, the door swung open and the hinges completely broken off.
The stairs were old and ruined, but since they were solid and concrete, they didn't waver under the weight of the two girls. As they reached the door to the above-ground floor, they stopped. Ellie pressed her ear against the wood, hearing nothing echoing through the halls. She crouched down just in case, grabbing onto Willow's sleeve and pulling her down beside her. Ellie held her hand on the doorknob, her other hand gripping tightly onto her handgun as she pushed the door open.
