The Last Light

Chapter. 3

I wake up and slowly lift my head from the floor, looking around the trailer.

Ellie wakes up a few moments after me. She groggily opens her eyes and looks around, not realizing we've somehow ended up lying on the floor cuddling, her big spoon and me little spoon. "Mmm... what time is it..."

I shoot up quickly, a little embarrassed. "U-um i have no idea let me check." I walk towards my bag and pull out an old pocket watch, the small clock read 9:36 am.

Ellie yawns and slowly sits up, feeling a bit disoriented from waking up from such a deep sleep. "Jesus... how long were we out for? It feels like I slept for a whole day."

I begin to pack my things and look over at Ellie with a grin. "Yeah I guess we wore each other out pretty good yesterday, huh?"

Ellie rolls her eyes at me, a slight blush on her face. "I was just tired from all the adrenaline and running... it had nothing to do with you."

"If you say so." I roll my eyes back and head towards the trailer door, slowly lifting it to see if any infected are still around.

Ellie watches me anxiously, hoping that the coast is clear. "Is it... safe? Do you see anything?"

"Nothin!" I reply as I throw the door up all the way and hop to the ground.

Ellie breathes a sigh of relief. "Phew, I was worried we were still gonna be dealing with those damn runners." She says as she jumps down from the trailer and stretches.

I walk forward a few steps then spin around. "Soooooo..." I trail off.

She raises an eyebrow, waiting for me to go on. "Sooo what? Spit it out."

"Guess this is where we part ways then." I say as I stare at the ground, kicking some rocks.

She blinks in surprise, not expecting me to say that.
"Yeah, I guess so."

"Well Ellie, I hope we run into each other again, under better circumstances of course." I say with a small smile.

She nods slowly, feeling a sense of reluctance to see me go. "Yeah.. be safe out there, okay? I'd be pissed if you got yourself killed before I see you again."

I chuckle. "Whaaat me? Killed? Nothing can stop all this." I pose dramatically like a superhero, hands on my hips, and face to the sky.

She can't help but laugh at how ridiculous I look. "Oh, yeah, sure. I mean, what could possibly go wrong with someone that poses like that."

We laugh for a minute before a silence settles between us.

"Well.. I guess I'm off then!" I say as I turn around and begin to walk away.

Ellie watches me, feeling a mix of sadness and uncertainty. "Hey, wait." She calls out, her voice softer than before. "Can I ask you something before you go?"

I stop and turn slowly. "And what might that be?"

She hesitates for a moment, feeling a bit nervous about admitting this. "It's just.. being around you since yesterday I can't help but feel like.." She averts her gaze, not wanting to look me in the eyes, as she finishes her sentence, "I kinda don't want you to go..."

I'm a little shocked at her confession. "What do you mean?"

She takes a deep breath, trying to find the right words. "I mean I've enjoyed spending time with you... you're just so spunky, it's weird, but it's almost.. refreshing?" She awkwardly rubs the back of her neck. "Look what I'm trying to say is... why don't you just, I don't know, come with me? To my camp, I mean."