Apocalypse [Ellie Williams]

◜chapter thirty eight◞

Cassie woke before Ellie, Sam sat facing the window of the bedroom. She woke with a yawn, she had probably the most peaceful sleep in a while. Quietly clambering out of the bed in order to not wake the girl, she walked into the main room where Joel and Henry where, already awake. The girl sat by her backpack, finally finding a moment to pull out her camera. She slipped in the batteries she had stolen from Bill and Franks, thankfully finding them fully charged.

She flicked onto the photo album, finding all the photos from that night in the mall. She ran her finger over the screen, on it a photo she had managed to take of the three girls in the arcade. Riley stood in the middle of the other two as they all posed. She smiled, albeit it was a sad one and didn't quite reach her eyes, but she thought back on all the memories from that night. Three girls living life as if it wasnt the apocalypse. Just three best friends going to the mall together like kids should do.

"what you looking at?" Joel asked as he slumped down beside the girl, she sighed, no point ling since Joel had already seen the picture as he sat down. She handed the camera to the man hesitantly "this your friend? the one Ellie had to..."

"dont say it, please" Cassie shook her head "if i tell you something can you promise not to repeat it"

Joel nodded, flicking through the photos while Cassie curled her knees to her chest

"Riley, that's the girl, she became a firefly. They where sending her to Atlanta QZ so she took us to the abandoned mall in our QZ for a final adventure before she left, showed us everything. It was perfect, i mean, apart from the argument we had just before Ellie and Riley got bitten. They made me leave, didn't want me to see them turn so i did. I left, went back home, didn't sleep at all for three weeks until Marlene came to get me. That when i saw Ellie again, alive, and i just felt so... relieved. I thought i lost two best friends that night, my only family. So when i saw her i felt at peace. I know, your only doing this for equipment and shit but seriously Joel, me and Ellie trust you with our lives. So, thank you"

"your welcome kid" Joel nodded, not knowing what else to say. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as he passed back the camera stopped on the photo of Cassie and Ellie after they used the dance game "you both look happy, you need that"

They both then moved towards henry who was heating up tinned food, the blonde got chatting to him. She didn't have time to before since everything was going on, he was nice, genuine. More people needed to be like that.

However, their conversation was cut short when Ellie came barrelling out the door to the bedroom, Sam hot on her trail. They both fell to the floor, the younger boy was infected. Cassie panicked as Joel pushed her behind him as he reach for his gun, Henry getting to it before the older man could.

"Joel!" Ellie cried as Henry pointed to gun towards the older man, shooting at his feet as he tried to rush forward

"do something" Cassie shouted as Ellie tried to get the boy off her, the girl rushing forward just as Henry shot his little brother. The blonde let out a cry as she pulled Ellie into her, hiding her away from the boys now dead body. She knew how close her and Sam had gotten in the small amount of time they had and she knew how much seeing it would take a toll on her. They all fell silent, Cassie's eyes darting towards Joel before landing on henry. An all too familiar look in his eyes

"Henry" Cassie warned "no"

"Henry, gimme the gun" Joel asked, also noting the look

"what did i do" Henry muttered "wh- what- what did i do! Sam"

"gimme the gun" Joel urged "henry, no!"

Cassie flinched as Henry quickly turned the gun on himself. She held ellie closer, shielding her eyes although the brunette let out a cry, correctly guessing exactly what he did. The two girls stayed in the motel as Joel carried their bodies out front, Cassie not wanting Ellie to see what happened

"i tried to help him" Ellie spoke quietly into Cassie's shoulder

"i know, Ellie, i know" Cassie placed a kiss on the girls head

"i, i put my blood on his bite. i thought, i thought it would help" Cassie didn't respond, she didn't know her their immunity worked in the slightest but she guessed it wasnt as straight forward as putting their blood on a bite. Once the two girls had slightly recovered, they joined Joel outside, lugging their stuff with them. Both Ellie and Joel dug a grave big enough for the two boys, Cassie would have joined in but her hands would not stop shaking and there was only two shovels.

Once the two boys where buried, Ellie grabbed the rest of the stuff while cassie attempted to flatten the soil with Joel. Ellie wrote 'im sorry' on Sam's notepad and placed it upon their grave, Cassie sighed and placed a hand on her back

"which ways west" Ellie asked Joel, the man nodding in the direction as Ellie started walking. Cassie stood with the man as he collected his stuff from the ground, the two taking a moment to mourn the loss of their two new friends

"Joel" Cassie mumbled

"yeah"

"its my birthday" The girl told him, playing with the bracelet around her wrist "im officially seventeen and this is what happens. If this is any indication on how the rest of my days will go i dont know if im going to cope very well"

"you'll make it" Joel spoke "happy birthday kid"

"we should probably catch up with Ellie" Cassie told him, the man agreeing as the walked to catch the girl up.

shorted chapter but i did not know how to write this scene so deal with it, also Cassie's birthday bit isn't something big, just wanted to add that the girls suffering mentally but trying to stay strong for Ellie

also, i might do a small extra chapter of what Sam and Ellie spoke about because id like to think Ellie admitted her feelings about Cassie to the boy that night as she says in that scene shes scared of ending up alone