Through The Valley

Chapter Three

R O B Y N 

The blonde hummed under her breath as her companion rifled through the different rails in a clothes store. The Seraphite wasn't quite sure why they had stopped directly a street away from the hospital but she wasn't about to ask Ellie, as it seemed the closer they got to the building the more nervous the auburn haired girl seemed. Since that night in the apartment a week ago whatever tensions that had been between the two girls disappeared, and Robyn couldn't be more thankful. Ellie had become to open up more, leading Robyn to think that the stubborn teen was more shy then she let on. The green eyed girl would now let out constant streams of sarcastic comments, many aimed at Robyn. When it first happened, Ellie had frozen not quite sure how Robyn would take such humour when it was aimed at her only to be pleasantly surprised to find that Robyn would return the favour with witty comments of her own. 

Since borrowing Ellie's clothes, it seemed ridiculous to maintain the original values the girl held. While she was no longer picking up items left right and centre, the guilt she felt for throwing away her Seraphite attire faded, and the girl found she quite liked having clothes that didn't revolve around a central theme of brown and cream. She knew Ellie had noticed the difference, it would be impossible not to but the auburn haired girl was kind enough not to point it out because Robyn figured she would just cry if she did. While Ellie searched for a new shirt Robyn spent her time going through the different shoes at the back of the store. Ellie kept mentioning some type of shoe called a converse and the girl definitely wanted to see what she kept raving about. Finding the correct box, with her shoe size the girl excitedly pulled off the lid, the item clattering to the floor. 

Inside two bright red shoes lay covered in tissue paper, with a white sole and laces. A small circle was printed on the side a star in the centre. "Cool," Robyn muttered, taking the box over to a small stool and sitting down. She had learned the word from Ellie, who had been dumbfounded that the girl didn't know what it meant. Now the word had a permanent place in her vocabulary. Kicking off her worn boots, she loosened the laces and slipped her feet inside the shoe admiring the brilliant red. "Nice," Ellie muttered appearing over Robyn's shoulder. The girl grinned up at her, tying the laces and stretching out her leg. She knew they didn't exactly match her dark blue jeans and forest green long sleeved top she had tucked into them but she couldn't find in herself to care. Putting on the other shoe, the girl jumped to her feet, spinning on the spot and posing jokingly in front of Ellie who gave a small smile. "whatdya think?" 

Ellie grinned, though the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "Amazing," she complimented scrunching her nose at the old boots Robyn had changed out of. "A damn sight better then those old things that's for sure." Robyn smiled, taking in the new hoodie Ellie now adorned. 

"I could say the same about your hoodie." Ellie mock gasped, but rolled her eyes playfully, picking up her bag and making her way out of the shop. "Come on Blondie, we need to set up camp, remember." Picking up her bow, Robyn scurried after her, pouting playfully, "I have a name." 

"Yeah, it's Blondie." 

E L L I E 

The looming building of the hospital haunted Ellie the shadow it cast over her felt like a weighted blanket suffocating her. A small quiet voice spoke up, Ellie turning to the speaker with an equally quiet hmmm. 

"Well the fireflies aren't here." Robyn spoke up quietly, her small body curled up in a tight ball under the fur cover of her sleeping bag. It was a warm enough night not to need it, yet Ellie was certain that it was just for the girl's comfort at this point. "I don't think they've been here a long time. The infected have started to wander back into the city, They would have taken care of them before they got that close if they had been here." Ellie replied, referencing the large group of infected that they had stumbled into when they first entered the city. Ellie was pleasantly surprised by this as the centre of the city was still just as uninhabited by the infected as it had been when she first came here, but she couldn't very well say this to Robyn who had no clue she had ever interacted with them. "We'll check out the hospital tomorrow," Ellie decided, noting that more often then not she was the one making the decisions for them. Robyn nodded, lifting her hand up to cover her loud yawn, "I don't know where I'm going to go, if we don't find any clues," Robyn muttered, half asleep, her arm curled under her head to act as a pillow.