Through The Valley

Chapter Nine

E L L I E

Being back in Jackson was certainly strange for the girl after she left in the middle of the night months ago, but she didn't think it would ever feel wrong to be back. Ellie knew she should feel grateful, thankful even to be back, as now she had a roof over her head and could sleep peacefully in a warm bed with food on the table without having to worry over whether an infected would stumble upon her sleeping in the middle of the night. 

Somehow Ellie felt as though that was one of the things, she missed the outside, the noise. With infected they were consistently noisy, each type holding a distinctive sound that she was able to differentiate between since being a young teenager. There was something predictable about the groans and sobs of runners and the distinct clicking of Clickers. Out there nothing came as a surprise to her, but here with her guard down Ellie knew that everything would be a surprise, so when the girl heard a crash from her bathroom she nearly jumped out of her skin. 

Once the shock died though she felt a small laugh bubble past her lips, "you, ok?" She called out to the girl in the bathroom. "I'm ok!"

That was another thing that was weird to Ellie, having to share her space with someone else. Outside when they were travelling it was different, they had to rely on each other, camping out in falling apart apartments and whatever shelter they could find, often whatever food they'd been able to scrounge up. Now though with no imminent danger present it felt strange, though not necessarily a bad strange. Ellie had to admit, she didn't know what to expect for Robyn's future at Jackson as the girl had been rather tight-lipped on her past with the Seraphites, even more so with Joel, Jessie and Maria. From what little Ellie had gathered of the Seraphites, while a thriving community in the apocalypse, it was an almost cult like group, and Ellie could only hope that Robyn's transition into another community so different to her old one would be easier than she was thinking it would be. After all, Robyn wouldn't shoot a gun and anything she found useful she found in a building she deemed "old world" and passed it off to Ellie for her to use as to not sin. 

While Ellie didn't think much of this and didn't mind such practices as she had gotten used to them, she knew that it would raise eyebrows to those unaccustomed to it. 

A knock on the front door broke her from her thoughts and standing up from her bed she ran a hand through her freshly washed hair and went to answer it. Whoever knocked must have thought Ellie took too long as the door swung open narrowly missing hitting Ellie as a small, tanned figure leapt through tackling the auburn girl into a hug. "Ellie!" Shouted Dina excitedly. 

Ellie smiled despite herself, returning the gesture. Dina pulled away her smile long gone as she hit Ellie's arm repeatedly, her face scrunched in anger. "Ow," she exclaimed dodging the blows laughing at the twisted-up expression on Dina's face. 

"That's for leaving out of nowhere! You seriously better have found what you were looking for. I don't even want to know why you didn't take us with you, I'll only get offended." 

It was only then that Ellie spotted Jessie leaning up against the door a small smirk pulling at his lips, a few bags piled at his feet. "I found what I was looking for al-" 

Ellie paused in her sentence when the bathroom door swung open, Robyn poking her head behind it, her wet hair plastered to her face and her hand clutching the towel around herself. "Ellie, do you have any clean clothes I can," her voice trailing off when she spotted Dina and Jessie. Ellie blinked momentarily losing thought as she stared at the blonde, "um yeah." 

"Here!" Dina chirped grabbing one of the bags by Jessie and rushing over to the girl, sending Ellie a look over her shoulder. Robyn took the bag with a small smile, "thanks," she muttered shyly. Dina beamed at her, as the girl gently closed the door, the smile quickly turning suggestive as she spun around to face Ellie who was just staring dumbly at the door.