Fragments of the Past | Ellie Williams

Six (VI)

Somewhere West 

The faint light of dawn crept through the cracks in the cabin's wooden walls, casting pale shadows across the room. Vienna's sleep was dreamless, a rare reprieve from the nightmares that usually plagued her. But that peace was short-lived. She was jolted awake by the sensation of someone gently shaking her shoulder. Jesse's face hovered above her, his expression filled with an urgency that immediately set her on edge.

"Vienna," Jesse whispered, his voice barely above a breath, "stay quiet."

Her eyes flew open, her heart already pounding in her chest. She mouthed a silent what? at him, her confusion deepening as she noticed the tension in his body, the way his eyes darted nervously toward the cabin door.

Jesse put a finger to his lips, signaling for silence. Vienna's senses heightened as she slowly sat up, her movements careful and deliberate. The room was eerily still, the fire that had kept them warm during the night long since burned out, leaving only cold ashes in its wake.

She reached for her backpack, quietly slipping it over her shoulders before her hand instinctively found the hilt of her knife. She gripped it tightly, her knuckles turning white as the realization of what was happening slowly dawned on her. Jesse didn't need to say anything more. The sound that followed was unmistakable—a slow, chilling clicking noise that sent a shiver down her spine.

Clickers.

Goosebumps prickled across her skin as the horrifying sound grew louder, closer. Jesse motioned for her to follow him, and she carefully crept toward the kitchen, her every step calculated to avoid making a sound. The cabin seemed to amplify every tiny noise—the creak of the floorboards, the rustle of her clothes—as if the very walls were conspiring against them.

As they reached the kitchen, Vienna's eyes found Ellie, who was already positioned by the window, her body tense and alert. Ellie's gaze met theirs for a brief moment, her expression as serious as Vienna had ever seen it. She had her gun in hand, her fingers hovering near the trigger, ready to act at the slightest provocation.

Three clickers crept by the window, their movements erratic, their clicking growing louder as they sniffed the air, searching for their next meal. Vienna held her breath, her heart hammering in her chest as she watched the creatures pass by. They were grotesque, with fungal growths sprouting from their heads, their faces obscured by the horrific mutations that had robbed them of their humanity. Yet their deadly instincts remained intact.

The clickers eventually disappeared from view, the cabin once again enveloped in an oppressive silence. Ellie slowly got down from the counter where she had been perched, her eyes scanning the room for any sign of movement outside. Vienna felt a flicker of hope—maybe they were safe. Maybe the creatures had moved on.

But that hope was short-lived.

Jesse shifted his weight slightly, and the floorboard beneath him let out a faint, but ominously loud, creak. The sound echoed in the otherwise silent room, and in that instant, Vienna's blood ran cold. The wind outside seemed to howl even louder, as if mocking them for their brief respite.

Suddenly, a clicker lunged out of the shadows, its movements quick and violent. Ellie reacted instinctively, shoving Vienna to the ground as she shouted, "Get down now!" Gunshots rang out, deafening in the confined space, as Ellie fired at the creature. The clicker shrieked in pain, but another one burst through the door, zeroing in on Jesse.

Vienna scrambled to her feet, her knife already in hand. The clicker was on Jesse, its grotesque mouth snapping dangerously close to his face. Without hesitation, Vienna slashed at the creature's throat, her blade sinking deep into the soft flesh. The clicker recoiled, backing away from Jesse as it choked on its own blood. Vienna didn't stop; she drove her knife deeper, twisting it until the clicker collapsed, lifeless, to the floor.

But there was no time to breathe, no time to process what had just happened. The other clicker was on Ellie, its monstrous strength pushing her back even as she fired round after round into its body. Vienna turned, her knife ready, but before she could strike, gunshots rang out from behind her. Jesse, still shaken but alive, fired the final blow, taking the clicker down with a precise shot to the head.

Vienna barely had time to register the victory before another clicker appeared in the doorway. This one was larger, more aggressive. Its clicking was louder, more frantic, as it charged at them with terrifying speed.

"Run!" Vienna shouted, the word tearing from her throat as they all bolted for the door. The freezing air hit them like a wall as they burst out of the cabin, the snow beneath their feet slowing their desperate escape. Vienna could hear the clicker behind them, its guttural snarls growing closer and closer.

The creature was relentless, its pursuit unyielding. It lunged at Vienna, knocking her down into the snow. She grunted in pain, the wind knocked out of her as she tried to stab at it with her knife. The blade connected, but it only seemed to enrage the clicker further. It reared back, its fungal face contorting in a grotesque snarl as it prepared to strike again.

But before it could, the clicker suddenly jerked, a spray of blood erupting from its body. Ellie had tackled it from the side, driving her knife deep into its neck. The clicker shuddered and fell, its life draining away as it collapsed into the snow. Ellie stood over it, her chest heaving as she looked down at Vienna, her face a mix of shock and determination.

Vienna stared back at her, unable to speak, her mind reeling from the near-death experience. Ellie pushed the creature off of her and almost extended a hand to help her up but stopped short. Instead, she asked, "Can you get up?"

Vienna nodded, pushing herself off the ground, her breaths coming in short, ragged gasps. She was still in shock, her body trembling from the cold and the adrenaline that coursed through her veins.

Ellie gave her a curt nod. "You're welcome," she said, her voice flat and emotionless. She then turned and grabbed Jesse, who was already heading back to their horses.

Jesse glanced at Vienna, concern etched on his face. "You okay?" he asked, his voice gentle but urgent.

Vienna nodded, her mind still racing, but she managed to whisper, "Yeah, I'm okay."

She watched as Ellie and Jesse walked towards the cabin to grab their horses, her eyes lingering on Ellie. There was something different about her, something distant. Ellie's focus was on the path ahead, but Vienna noticed the deep cut slashed across Ellie's wrist, blood dripping onto the snow.

Vienna's breath caught in her throat. Why isn't she freaking out? she thought, her mind spinning. Ellie should be panicking, should be terrified that she was infected. But there was nothing. Ellie seemed completely unfazed by the injury, as if it didn't matter at all.

Confusion gnawed at Vienna as she followed them back to the cabin. Ellie's behavior didn't make sense. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something Ellie wasn't telling them, something she was hiding.

Something in Vienna told her not to freak out if Ellie wasn't, even though a part of her thought she definitely should be. For now they needed to get back, to find safety before something else found them. As they mounted their horses, Vienna took one last look at Ellie, her mind racing with questions she wasn't ready to ask.

The snow crunched beneath the horses' hooves as they set off, the chilling air biting at their faces. Vienna's thoughts lingered on Ellie, the cut on her wrist, and the inexplicable calm that had settled over her old friend. Something was wrong, Vienna could feel it in her bones. But for now, all she could do was follow, hoping that the answers would reveal themselves in time.

As they rode through the frozen landscape, Vienna couldn't shake the image of Ellie's bloodied wrist from her mind. Why isn't she afraid? The question echoed in her thoughts, unanswered and unnerving. And deep down, Vienna knew that whatever the reason, it would change everything.