my very last breath || ellie williams (book two)

IX

For hours, I was in and out of consciousness. Every time I'd think I was waking up, my head would feel like a bowling ball. It'd sway from side to side, falling forward causing my chin to hit my chest before I'd be out of it once more. I hadn't eaten or drunk anything since before I could remember. My brain was barely clinging on, and I guess it was my own fault.

I thought about Ellie, whether she was screaming and calling out for me alone in a dark room. Whether she was hurt, or angry, or scared. I envisioned her in the worst scenarios possible, my mind playing tricks on me in its delirious state. Whenever I closed my eyes I could see her, screeching and crying into an abyss where I'm not there. It was torturous, like a recurring nightmare I couldn't wake up from.

The next time I flicked my eyes open, I wasn't alone. He was back, the guy from yesterday. Once again with a metal tin and glass of water in his hands, this time he'd brought a chair with him which he was sat on patiently waiting for me to wake up. I didn't have the energy to scream or fight, I found myself just staring at him with my jaw slack.

"You don't look so good, soldier," He sighed, "May I?"

The man held up the glass of water, crouching down to inch towards me slowly. He held the back of my head, tipping it back gently so that he could pour water into my mouth. I desperately swallowed, my eyes wide as my throat suddenly soothed and my vision stopped blurring. He then grabbed a piece of warm bread from the tin he'd brought in, tearing off little pieces and feeding them to me.

"That's it," He nodded, "Eat up."

Once I'd finished, he used a piece of cloth to wipe my mouth before setting the empty tin and cup back on the chair. He readjusted himself so that he was sat opposite me, his eyes fixing on the ropes that kept me bound. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a knife and flicked it open causing me to writhe and whimper in fear.

"Shh," He soothed, "Give me your hands."

I held out my hands in front of me and he began to saw at the thick rope until my hands broke free. They were bloody and bruised. They were so limp I couldn't lift them or use them.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I mumbled as he began to assess my wrists.

"Nice? I wouldn't call it that. I'm making sure you don't die," He shrugged, "Killing you is not my job."

"But it's somebody? Job, I mean,"

"I don't know what they plan to do with you,"

"Bullshit," I spat angrily, tearing my wrists from his grasp causing me to wince.

He cocked his head to the side slightly as he raised a brow, leaning forward to bring my hands back into his lap so he could begin cleaning them.

"Who are you people?" I asked nervously, "Please, just tell me what you want from us."

"At the moment, Charlotte, nobody wants anything from you, okay?" He explained, "You two shouldn't have been here."

"How were we supposed to know, huh? Not exactly like there was a big red 'keep out' sign," I responded sarcastically, my hands jerking as he rubbed alcohol pads on them.

"Maybe we need to look into that," He smirked, entertaining my humorous remark, "I'll take it to the council when we get rid of you."

"Hilarious,"

"Right, I'll make sure to change your bandages next time I bring you food. Don't tug at them. Try to use your hands as little as possible," He spoke as he rose to his feet.

"Well I wasn't planning on doing handstands in your absence,"

"Good. Do them when I'm actually here,"

I chuckled lightly, looking down to my lap as he gathered his things to leave the room. He gave me a final smile before he grabbed the door handle.

"Hey, wait, I never got your name," I called to him.

"I didn't give it to you," He smirked, disappearing back out the way he came.

I was trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle but it seemed impossible. The group, from what I'd seen, were only men. Ellie and I overheard them saying they'd been following us for two days - so basically from the moment we crossed into Idaho. The man who'd been caring for me repeated that he wasn't here to hurt me. He wasn't, but did that mean somebody else was? They had food - lots of it. Enough to spare to prisoners that they were... trying to keep alive? I couldn't make sense of it.

I wanted to see Ellie. To know she was alive. For all I knew, they killed her back in the woods. They were violent and territorial, I was unsure of who I could trust. Now that I had more energy, I found it easier to pick myself up from the floor. I was still dizzy, the room fuzzy and spinning in my peripheral as I inched towards the chair. When I looked down, I spotted a crumpled piece of browning paper where the unknown man once sat.

Reaching down, I plucked it from the seat and opened it. My eyes widened as I read it.

Ellie is in the shed to your left. I've left your bags in a trough in the stables. You have to leave. Now.
- J

I crept to the door, pushing it open slowly before inching up the stairs. I couldn't hear anything, it was mostly quiet aside from the howling wind rustling the leaves of nearby trees. When I reached the top of the stairs, I noted that I was in some sort of underground bunker. A couple miles ahead was a ranch and to my left, like he'd said, there was a small shed. I sprinted for the shed, gripping at the heavy metal locks to no avail. I scanned the perimeter, noticing an open window high up in the wall on the left side. I took a run, leaping for the ledge and gripping on to it with my wounded hands.

I whimpered at the burning pain, before recollecting myself and pulling my weight through the window. Crashing down on the other side, I noticed Ellie in the corner. She wasn't conscious, she was covered in cuts and bruises. I ran towards her, falling to my knees and pushing her hair out of her face.

"Ellie," I whispered, "Ellie, come on. We've got to go."

Her eyes slowly fluttered open, widening as she realised it was me.

"Charlotte," She whimpered, "How did you-"

"I'll explain later. We've got to go before they realise we're missing. Come on-"

"Where the fuck is she?" A loud voice screeched from outside the shed, "John!"

"Come on," I frantically spoke, pulling Ellie to her feet before she fell back down again, "Ellie?"

She collapsed on the ground, contortioned in an unnatural position as she lost consciousness. She clearly hadn't been eating or drinking, she was so tired and wounded that even in a time like this - she couldn't find the strength to move. Taking a deep breath, I headed back for the window and climbed back out.

Sprinting for the stables, my feet seemed to move faster than my brain could comprehend. I stumbled and fell, picking myself back up again to beeline for the stables. Once inside, I slammed the doors behind me and finally managed to breathe again before desperately searching the troughs for my bag. It was exactly where he said it was, waiting for me with my guns and ammo in the furthest trough from the door. I re-equipped myself with my guns and bag before booting open the stable doors, keeping my rifle tight in my hands as I ducked behind the trees.

Mass groups of men searched for me, brandishing lanterns, guns and melee weapons as they searched every nook and cranny. I watched as they dragged Ellie out, dumping her body in the snow in front of the shed she'd been locked in. It took everything in me not to run out there, but I knew that'd only get us both killed.

A twig snapped behind me causing me to spin around, lifting my arm up to strike my attacker. But it wasn't an attacker at all, in fact, it was quite a familiar face.