Firefly

Fifty-Eight

Present
Yn

We made our way through the back rooms of the mall and came out of the pet shop just across from where the helicopter was. There were a few infected, but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle. Ellie pushed the button, the gate buzzed, and then opened. We walked up the escalators and looked around. “Okay, stay here. I'm going to walk up the beam as far as I can and then make the jump over,” I told Ellie.

She shook her head and looked at me like I was insane. “No way! I'll jump. I'm lighter than you!” I went to argue with her, but she was already going up the beam and jumping across. The helicopter teetered back and forth, sliding a little more over the edge. “Ellie!” My heart rate picked up as I watched her brace herself. “I'm alright!” She yelled back to me. When the helicopter stopped teetering, she sat down and pulled something onto her lap. “This one has stuff in it we can use!”

Flashback

Ellie and Riley rode the carousel. Ellie could now see why people enjoyed it. The carousel might not look like much, but it was fun for what it was. It was nice being able to just sit on a fake horse and go in a circle while talking to her best friend. Ellie would maybe even go as far as saying it was kind of romantic. She's had a crush on Riley for a while now. So when she grabbed Ellie's hand and laced their fingers together, she couldn't help the blush that warmed her cheeks or stop her heart from skipping a few beats.

After the ride was over, Riley told her she had another surprise for her. She led Ellie to a store that was once a clothing store. “Close your eyes,” Riley told her. Ellie sighed and closed her eyes, letting Riley guide her to the next spot. When they came to a stop and she was finally able to open her eyes, Ellie looked around. They were in what was once a high-end clothing store. Some shirts still hung on hangers. “What're we doing here?”

“I didn't tell you to open your eyes. Close them!” Riley scolded. Ellie let out an annoyed sigh, turning around and covering her eyes with her hands. When Riley was sure Ellie couldn't see her, she went behind the counter and pulled two super soakers from the shelf under the counter. When she came back around, she stood in front of Ellie. “Okay, you can look now.”  Ellie dropped her hands and let her eyes focus again. When she saw what Riley was holding, she grabbed one. “No way! I've been trying to get these back!”

“I know!” Riley told her. “How did you get them?” Ellie asked. The Dean at the FEDRA school had taken them from her after her, and Riley went around spraying people. “I asked for them back,” Riley told her. Ellie gave her a look that said she knew she was lying. “I snuck in and took them. How else would I get them back? I thought we could play a game of hide and seek. One of us will close our eyes and count to ten, and the other will hide.” Riley handed Ellie one of the super soakers. “You're so going to lose.”

The girls played a few rounds, Ellie not doing as well as she wanted to. She was starting to become a sore loser, but Riley just laughed it off. After they did that, Riley showed Ellie around to more places, including the food court, where he has been staying. There, she explained to Ellie that she would be leaving soon. Ellie couldn't accept that, though, making a huge deal about it. Eventually, she stormed away, intending on leaving and going back to her room at FEDRA School. Halfway to the escalators, she heard Riley scream. Panic rushed through her, and she ran towards that scream.

The scream led her to a Halloween store where Riley was perfectly fine. Once she calmed down, Riley was able to convince her to try on some of the masks. Then it led to them listening to music, blasting so it could be heard through most of the mall. Then something happened Ellie had wished for for a long time. She was caught up in the moment while looking at Riley. She leaned in and pressed her lips to hers in a short kiss. When she pulled away, she apologized right away
“What for?” Riley asked her, smiling.

Present

Ellie had grabbed the first aid kit and jumped back off the helicopter beside me. She had been telling me the story of her and her best friend Riley. “After that, some infected started to appear. More and more of them showed up out of nowhere. We thought the mall was completely clear of them. We fought some of them and ran. They chased us, and eventually, we were surrounded by them. I tripped, and Riley came back to help me up.

“We fought until every one of them was dead. I didn't even know I got bitten. I didn't know until Riley pointed it out. I was so angry; I started hitting shit and screaming. Then she showed me her bite. We just sat together, waiting until one of us turned. Riley was the first one to turn, and I had to…I had to put her down. I held her while I waited to come to the same fate. But nothing happened.”

“I'm sorry you had to go through that.” We walked through the mall going back the way we came until we heard voices. I put my arm out in front of Ellie, putting a finger to my lips to signal to be quiet. Peeking around the corner, I saw three men. We backtracked and found a way over to the other side of the helicopter. We walked through a store, coming out on the other side only to see three more men. One had a bow, and the other two had guns.

We crept back into the store and hid behind the counter. “What're we going to do?” Ellie whispered. I shook my head, not knowing how to answer. We would need to come up with a plan quickly. My mind went to Joel, who was unconscious and alone in the frozen yogurt store. Sure, the metal door was pulled down and locked, but it wouldn't take much for someone to break that lock. “We have no choice but to take these guys out and get to Joel. Then we need to get as far away from here as possible.”