VILLAINESS [TWD]

➴47

"Have you talked to Carol?" mom wonders.

"Carol? No, why?"

"Rick said she wasn't at her house this morning. No one has seen her around. I'm just worried is all."

She continues pacing. She keeps looking down at the satellite outpost the others were in.

"Do you remember when we went on that field trip?" I ask.

Mom tilts her head and hums. "The one to that space thing?"

"Yeah. They let all grades go together so Beth and I went at the same time. You chaperoned for her and dad chaperoned for me. But, we were able to spend the whole day together."

"It was a lot of fun," she agrees with a tense smile.

I was trying to keep her mind off what was happening down the hill. Of course we had to keep watch, but we didn't have to dwell on every detail, right?

"I remember laying back on those seats and thinking the stars would poke me in the eye.. That's when I learned that stars aren't pointy- they're gassy."

She laughs and I smile softly.

"Carl likes to tell Judith stories about the stars. We sit on his porch and look at them a lot."

"That's sweet. I think.." she sighs. "I think it'll be good to have a new little one running around."

"He can't run around. He doesn't even have legs yet," I remind.

"He?" she repeats.

I open my mouth to say something, but a loud alarm begins ringing through the air.

Mom and I look down at the building. There were flashing lights emitting from the outside and some windows. Gunfire ensues soon after.

"They need our help," mom rushes.

Through my anxiety, I pull my gun out. We start down the hill.

A hand grabs my arm. I scream in surprise and my gun fires on instinct.

The man that grabbed me falls to the ground, a bullet in his arm where I'd shot him.

"Mom!" I panic.

She turns back and starts toward me. "Ellie, shoot him!"

My hand shakes and I point the gun at his head. He grunts in pain. Our eyes meet.

I think about how I fired on instinct. Like Dawn.

I gasp and stumble backwards.

Mom jogs closer and points her gun down at the man. "Don't look, Ellie."

I take another step back and bump into someone else.

"Stop!" the woman shouts, wrapping an arm around me and placing a gun to my head. "Or she's dead."

Mom pauses and looks back with wide eyes.

I stiffen in the woman's hold I'd literally fell into. 

"Guns, knives- on the ground right now," the woman demands.

When she sees I'm not moving, she slowly takes her arm off me, but keeps the gun against my head.

"Mom?" I ask nervously.

She gives me a look to be strong. Slowly, she places her weapons on the ground. I take the bag off from around me and set it on the ground. Then, I place dad's gun on top of it.

"Knife?" the woman asks.

I shake my head and she presses the gun harder into my skin.

"I-I don't have one," I say, flinching at the feeling of metal.