Through The Valley

Chapter Four

R O B Y N

By the time the duo reached the next floor, stalkers bodies littered the once clean white floor, and both girls were splattered with flecks of blood, the dark red ruining their once clean clothes. Robyn's ankle burned as she limped up the steps, her hand clutching the banister so tightly she knuckles turned white. Ellie pushed open the door to the hallway, propping it open with her foot, as her hand reached out to help Robyn up the final step.

Once through, she let the door swing closed, her gun at the ready as she peered up and down the hallway. Seeing nothing she grabbed a nearby chair and propped it under the handle. Placing her palms on the wood of the door she shook it, but when the chair did its job, she moved back muttering a small "ok,"  under her breath. Robyn turned to her, drawing back the string of her bow in case of any more Demon's appeared. When nothing happened and all that could be heard was silence, Robyn followed Ellie through a set of double doors, a clear plastic plaque next to them, reading "children's surgery" in silver writing. The blonde paid it little heed, her eyes focused on Ellie who visibly stiffened, once the doors closed behind her, her green eyes deadly focused on a propped open door at the end of the hallway. Robyn frowned, placing a light hand on Ellie's shoulder. The girl jumped at the sudden contact but settled, wide eyes flickering between the girl and the door. "You didn't just come along for the journey, did you?" Robyn asked, Ellie having originally having told her that she didn't have a set destination in mind when the two stumbled upon one another at the border of Utah. Ellie's eyes noticeably dimmed, a sadness taking over them that wasn't there before. She didn't speak, only shook her head, turning back to face the door and walking towards it. 

Robyn sighed, following after the girl who seemed to walking on autopilot. The only time Ellie seemed to falter in her actions was when she actually reached the door, her hand brushing against the doorknob, trembling. Robyn honestly thought that Ellie completely forgot she was there. The door opened with a loud screech, the auburn haired girl entering as Robyn watched the events unfold from the doorway. 

While she didn't know what happened here for Ellie to be so curious, she knew that whatever did happen here mattered to her deeply. A shaky breath escaped Ellie's lips, as she crouched in front of a corpse slumped against the steel surgery table. The same firefly pendant all the other stalkers had been wearing gleaming against the black of their shirt. In one skeletal hand was a handgun, in the other was a small black box, several buttons placed along the side. The blonde watched as Ellie took both items, the girl pulling out the clip from the gun with a practised ease, checking the amount of bullets, then placing it back. "Empty." 

Robyn wasn't sure if Ellie was speaking for her own comfort or for Robyn's knowledge but as she never even glanced at her she assumed it was the former. Ellie pressed a button on the side and a voice, a female voice spoke up. Robyn jumped, walking further into the room in curiosity having never seen such an item before.

 "I killed them." The voice said, presumably the woman's voice said. "Took the samples of the infected blood that Anderson had and injected them into the people as they slept. They didn't even wake up. I can hear them now, turning downstairs." 

Robyn's blood ran cold, here eyes widened, and her mouth dropping open in pure shock. It explained the stalkers roaming around the lower floors, but the pure horror of what the woman had done to so many people was a new level of sadistic that Robyn hadn't encountered before, and she grew up in a civil war. 

"It doesn't really matter anyway, we all doomed now thanks to the smuggler. I just sped up the process I guess." The emotionless tone the woman held disappeared, her shaky voice showing her fear and sadness. "He took the girl and everyone was divided on what to do." 

Click. 

Ellie pressed the button again, the woman's voice cutting off mid word as a strangled sob escaped Ellie's lips. Her arms wrapped around her middle, her frame shaking heavily as she cried, drawing wide eyes from Robyn. The blonde remembered Ellie's comforting words and actions from when she had her nightmare just a few mere hours ago, and so she knew it was her turn to offer the comfort that Ellie had given her without a second thought. Kneeling beside the distraught girl, Robyn carefully placed her arm around the girl's shoulders, fully prepared to back off if the girl backed away. 

Instead, Ellie surprised the Seraphite by turning to her to allow the blonde to fully embrace her in a hug as Ellie buried her head into the junction where neck met her shoulder. One hand rested against the back of Ellie's jacket the other gently stroking the back of her head. Ellie sniffled, her sobs quietening as her grip on the side of Robyn's jacket relaxed. She pulled away, wiping away her tears with her hand as she shakily took a deep breath. "We don't have to listen to anymore of it," Robyn reassured, reaching forward to gently take the item from Ellie. It didn't take a genius to realise that the girl the woman spoke about was Ellie. 

"No!" Ellie shouted, jerking her hand back, her sudden change in volume taking the girl by surprise who held her hands up in surrender. "I need to know what happened here." Robyn nodded in understanding, resting her hands in her lap, trying her hardest to ignore the pulsating pain in her foot so she could comfort the distraught Ellie. Sniffling, Ellie pressed the button again, the woman's voice filling the silence once more. "I was one of the ones wanting to go after the girl. They said that it didn't matter, because even if we did get her back or by some miracle found another immune, the only person who could develop a vaccine is dead." Robyn looked to Ellie her wide eyes and open mouth showing her shock and amazement. "Now you know," Ellie said, with a voice empty of emotion, "they were going to make a vaccine." 

Robyn didn't get time to be surprised, as the voice spoke up once more. "Some left for a better future I guess. They took most of the kids with them. Those who stayed tried to find the girl. No success. Eventually everyone stopped looking and that's when the fighting began." Another pause, as the woman took another deep breath, "they were killing each other, so I decided to give them a fate worse then death." The woman let out a chilling cold laugh, "and if your listening to this you know what happened to me." 

Two pairs of eyes, one green and the other blue fell to look at the pistol in Ellie's hand. She shot herself. With another click the recording ended. 

It took exactly forty seven seconds before Ellie dissolved into a fresh round of tears. 

A/N 

Poor Ellie, I love her sm i cant. Joel in the next chapter!!