VILLAINESS [TWD]

➴90

"Why do you insist on skipping prayer time?" Pop wonders.

Ellie pulls her knee to her chest in the chair to tie her boots. "I don't see a point in it."

"To be honest, there isn't a point. You-"

"You have to make it a point to speak with Him so that He will know your faith," Ellie cuts him off. "Believe me. I know."

Pope leans on the table in front of Ellie. "Why do you actively go against His will?"

"Like?"

"You risked a run into the larger cities just to find a tattoo shop when Austin mentioned that he used to be a tattoo artist."

"'You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves'," Ellie quotes a Bible verse.

"And now you have nearly a whole tattoo sleeve on your arm."

Ellie pauses her motions and glances to the tattoos adorning the skin on her right arm.

"I didn't mark my skin for the dead. I marked my skin for myself," Ellie defends.

Pope nods once and hums softly.

"You actively go against His wishes. You do understand that He does not hate you, correct?"

"Well, He also says that 'a woman is to stay silent'. He's giving mixed signals."

"There are no mixed signals. Only what you take from His word to be true."

"And yet you're preaching to me about why it's bad that I have a picture of a guitar pick with my father's initials on my arm."

"I never said it was bad. I just questioned why you insist on going against His word."

"If He wants me to not rebel and act out- maybe He shouldn't have thrown the world at me the way He did."

"You blame Him?"

"My grandfather used to remind us that God promised a restriction of the dead.. If this was the idea all along, it's pretty messed up, no?" Ellie scoffs to herself and plants her boot on the floor.

"Do you still see Him?"

Ellie is quiet for a few seconds. "I haven't seen Him in years."

"When did you last see Him?"

"Can I tell you a story, just.. worded differently?"

"Of course, Dear."

Ellie leans forward in her seat- elbows on her knees.

"So, Rick is a loved man. He proves his loyalty time and time again.. Until God chimes in and decides that Rick hasn't been providing enough. That his faith isn't strong enough. So, God tells Rick to sacrifice his son's left arm."

Ellie could almost see the vivid memory playing out in front of her. She could feel the gravel on her knees. The scratch in her throat. It was all still there.. so, so clearly through the tear-stained past.

Pope leans forward, intrigued by the story. But.. it was familiar in a sense.

"Carl accepts his fate. Rick pleads with God, but ultimately must choose to sacrifice his son's limb for the good of the village. Before Rick can inflict damage, God assures him that he passed the test and Carl is let go- free and unharmed."

Pope tilts his head. "Isn't this the story of God, Abraham, and Isaac?"

"It's the story of a man that saw himself as God," Ellie corrects.

"There are no such things. There is only the one true God."

"Not in today's circumstances."

Pope is the one to stay quiet for a little. Before he could find the words to say, two members of the group burst into the room.

"Sir, there's a security threat."

Ellie unhooks the mask from her side and slides it over her face. Pope leads the group outside to where Leah and a few others were in a standoff of weapons.

Anna was sick of the bullshit.

She and Josh had been arguing about whether or not they were lost. Then, they stumbled, quite literally, into a group of people that were clearly not friendly.

"Lower the weapons," a woman with blonde hair demands once again.

Josh lowers his gun and Anna sighs as she mirrors him.

"What is the meaning of this, here?" a man asks- one of very few that wasn't wearing a skull-like mask.

"These people-"

"Anna?" someone wearing a mask cuts off their group member.

The hair on the back of Anna's neck stick straight up. She knows that voice. She's only been dreaming about that voice for the past five years or so. It's the voice she's been searching for all these years.

"Ellie?" Anna questions.

Josh throws his sister a look. Anna steps toward the girl that called her.

Ellie pulls the mask off over her head. For the first time in years, the two women meet eyes.

Despite the weapons pointed at her, Anna rushes forward and flings herself into Ellie's arms. Though stunned, all Ellie could do was rest her hands on Anna's back and blink into a void.

"I've been looking everywhere for you," Anna cries into Ellie's shoulder. "How could you?"

Ellie's mouth goes dry.

She should be happy. Anna found her. But, that also meant that Ellie got lazy and didn't cover her tracks.

Was Anna alone? Was it really just Josh out here with her? What if there were more? Was it time for the fight Ellie's been preparing for?

The anger slips away when Anna squeezes the hug tighter.

Ellie's heart aches.

Anna found her. The love of her life.. was here. In her arms.

Ellie drops the mask to the ground and wraps her arms around Anna. Tears threaten her eyes, but she refuses to let them fall.

Her hard work was paying off.

Maybe God had heard her. Maybe Pope was preparing her for a grand reward from Him.

The best gift.. 

Ellie pulls back enough to cup Anna's face in her hands. Anna sniffles and leans forward- pressing their lips together.