𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛-𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚊𝚛

Chapter 2: Good to be back

Ella glared through the sun at the sign up ahead.

"Now entering: Sydney."

She felt a rush of relief, Her and Bella had been walking for so long now. They were both exhausted. "Bella, We're finally here." "Oh thank god! Can we please rest now?" Ella sighed, Looking at the environment around them. "I'll try to find us a place... Alright?" Bella only nodded in response. The pair trudged on, They crossed through fields, Old farm pastures where cows used to graze, And even the Sydney harbor bridge.

Ella looked up from her shoes when she smelled smoke, Her heart dropped.

The city of Sydney...It was in desolation. A giant skyscraper had collapsed and crushed a ton of shops underneath it. The streets were barely streets anymore, And the air was thick with smoke and dust.  It seemed like an apocalyptic nightmare come to life, All of this because Rylan and Anthony decided they wanted to attack each other. She shook her head. No, This wasn't real. Her mind told her to keep walking but her feet would not obey her orders.
She glanced over to Bella who hadn't said anything yet. "Sydney... It's...It's gone." Bella murmured sadly, Tears filling her eyes.  Ella's stomach sank. Her best friend was devastated by all that she'd just seen. It was her fault. Everything was her fault. If she hadn't met Rylan she wouldn't be where she was right now.
Ella walked away from her friend, heading toward a nearby alleyway. There, she leaned against the wall, Burying her head in her hands. She needed a moment alone. After a few moments, Bella found her.
"Hey..." Bella whispered softly, She placed a hand on Ella's shoulder. "Let's go see if we can find somewhere safe." Her voice trembled slightly, Ella didn't look up from her hands as they began walking together again.
They headed in the direction of one of the  buildings left standing. As they neared it they saw that the windows were shattered or broken open, The walls and floors had been stripped bare. The fire had spread through the building and now engulfed the entire block.
There was a large pile of rubble beside the doorway that had a large crack running across it. Ella and Bella stepped inside, Bella immediately took a deep breath, She looked around.
Ella stood staring at the ceiling as Bella moved around. "Is... Is anyone still here?" She called out. The only reply was the sound of the building creaking. Ella heaved a sigh and turned to look at Bella, She reached out a hand but Bella quickly pulled her into a hug instead. "I never thought that it would get this bad..." Ella chuckled softly, Hugging Bella's trembling form to her own. "That makes two of us."
Suddenly Bella stiffened, Looking over her shoulder at someone behind Ella. Ella followed her gaze to see a masked figure staring at her. She took a step back, Pushing Bella behind her protectively. "Who are you?" Ella snarled, Her hand finding the knife in her belt. The figure didn't reply, Staring at her blankly. Bella held onto Ella's arm tightly. She watched her best friend stare at the eyes of the figure, Who seemed to be staring right back. "Who. Are. You?" She repeated herself slowly, Pulling the knife out of it's sheath. The figure took a few cautious steps forward, Ignoring the knife. They kept walking until the tip of the knife was poking against their chest, Their face was inches from Ella's. Ella looked into the figures eyes. Her hand reached up, And slowly...She slid the mask off of it's face.

It was Hamish. Ella's knife dropped to the ground as she let out a gasp of relief. "You don't know how happy I am to see you." Hamish whispered, Reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Ella shook herself free of the shock, Jumping into Hamish's arms and burying her face in his neck. "I missed you so badly." She murmured, Kissing his cheek. "I know my love, I never stopped searching, I knew you were out there, But I didn't know exactly where." Hamish held her tightly against him, Neither of them ever wanting to let go ever again. A throat was cleared, It was Bella reminding them she was still there. "So, What happened here? To Sydney?" "Oh... Right." Ella saw Hamish's smile drop, As though he was being reminded of a painful memory. She placed a hand on his shoulder, Smiling softly at him. "Let's get camp set up, Then we can talk about this."