Get up and Atom!

Chapter Five: Haven's Gate

"She isn't here."

Those words hit him like a punch straight to the belly, almost worse than the realization that Ellie was right. She really wasn't at the police station, or he hospital, or any of her friends house, and all the bunkers they searched were unlocked, opened, blown apart, or just flat out empty with no explanation. The more they searched, the more disheartened they became, but he put on a brave face for Ellie, trying to make sure that she was going to be okay.

"You alright?" He asked, knowing that it as a stupid question, but he had to break the silence that had grown between them.

"I-I....I can't." She said, beginning to crumble down. "Honey, she isn't here. She isn't here!"

"She must be at the town!" He said, holding her hand and looking her in the eye, when suddenly, there was a man behind her, walking out from behind the school, with a camel.

"Hail there!" The man said, causing them both to nearly fall on their butts.

"Whoa!!" Ellie said, staring out at the man. "Who are you?"

"Names Elite!" He said.

Rodney looked at the strange man with a mix of fear and surprise. "Elite? What kind of name is that?"

"The kind of name that is my name." He said. "And I don't really see anyone around who can tell me what my name can and can't be anymore, right?"

"Well, I suppose not." Rodney stated. "Alright, elite, what are you doing around here?"

"I'm a trader. I trade things. Kinda my thing."

"What kind of things?"

"Lots of things. Wanna give me some water? I might give you ammunition. Or food. Or maybe ammunition and food! Or possibly even some Pre-war phones that weren't blown up by the nukes or irradiated by the fallout."

Ellie looked at Rodney, then back at Elite, who was tapping his foot impatiently, and finally, she spoke.

"Have you seen anyone around here?"

"I've seen many people right after the bombs went off. They were all fleeing south, or west. But no one was heading north. Chicago is all gone."

"Well, we figured that part." He said. "Have you seen a little girl? Named Hannah?"

At that, Elite's eyes shot all the way open, as if he had been shocked. "Is she short, maybe ten ish years old, brown hair, green eyes like you there?"

"Yes!!!" Ellie screamed. "Yes thats her!!"

"I saw her in the town of Haven's gate, not two days ago!" He said. "She asked me for directions, and traded me a rather wonderful tube of superglue for a little bit of food. Smart kid, is she yours?"

"Yes, yes of course. Thank you so much, Elite!"

Ellie hugged Rodney, giving him the tightest squeeze that he had ever felt from her and nearly popping the disks in his spine.

"OW! Honey, okay, I'm really happy too, please, OW!!"

"Sorry!" She said, letting go of him and standing back, letting their gas masks touch. "She's alive. She really alive."

"We're gonna find her." He said. "We're going to. I promise you that."

Their masks touched yet again, and they turned back to Elite, who was rummaging around in his pack. He pulled out a small map of the surrounding area, and he marked a location far to the south.