The Collapse of Mankind

Chapter Four

Ellie drove through the night whilst the others were asleep. It was exactly 5:24am and the golden sun was rising before her eyes. She took a breath, closed her eyes and smiled. That lasted for about 5 seconds because as soon as she finally realized there is still some beauty in the world, the campervan started making creaking sounds. She looked at the gas level. The arrow was about half a centimetre above 'empty' as soon as her smile was wiped off her face, the vehicle stopped.

Ellie: Fuck! Stupid thing.

She hit the steering wheel and aggressively slammed her right foot down on the accelerator. The van didn't move an inch. She sat back in her seat and sighed while simultaneously rolling her eyes. She looked out the window. She couldn't see a thing. Nothing but sand surrounding the single strip of road heading for miles. She turned around and looked towards her friends, shocked to see Jessica wide awake staring at her. She jumped.

Ellie: Shit. Hi.
Jess: Hey.
Ellie: You scared me. How long have you been staring at me?
Jess: I'm sorry. Only a few seconds.

Ellie let out a slight chuckle and smiled at her new friend.

Ellie: You're not scary.
Jess: I hope not.

Jess smiled and noticed the frustration on Ellie's face. She got up and sat in the spare seat next to her.

Jess: So what's up?
Ellie: Not much. I guess. Van ran outta gas.

Jess' smile immediately turned into a frown.

Jess: How about you check if there's any in the back? Then take a rest.
Ellie: I'll see if there is any. But I can't sleep. I know, I look like a part of the "infected" myself. But I really need to get us all wherever we're going. They're counting on me.
Jess: I would say I'll drive but I don't know how.
Ellie: No no, I'm not expecting you to drive.
Jess: I tell you what, I'll check for gas. You stay here.
Ellie: Thank you.

Jess got out of the van and headed to the back of it barely being able to stand due to the fact she had been sleeping for a while in an awkward position. Her legs needed to stretch. She lifted the heavy door upwards and peeked inside. She found exactly what she wanted. Three large tubs of gas were placed neatly in the back. Along with a few cans of tuna, one bottle of water and a red & black thick blanket. She smiled to herself and picked up a tub along with the blanket and the water. She placed the blanket under her right arm while carrying the tub in that hand. In her left hand, she had the single, precious bottle of water. After she had quietly closed the back, she walked towards the front of the van where Ellie was. She was sitting with her hands behind her head, staring into the sunrise. Jess opened the van door.

Jess: Need a drink?

Jess softly threw the water at Ellie. Ellie caught it with her right hand and smiled at it.

Jess: Are we allowed this without the others knowing?

Ellie shrugged and took a sip of the water.

Ellie: It's our secret.

Jessica smiled softly at her words, taking the water from her and having a sip. Ellie got out of the car, her smile gleaming. She took the tub of gas out of Jessica's hands and felt how heavy it was. It felt pretty full.

Ellie: Thank god there's a lot.

She filled the van up and placed the empty tub back into the trunk of the vehicle. They both walked to their side of the van and stared at the still-rising sun.

Ellie: It's pretty.
Jess: It is pretty.

They both smiled and got into the car, sitting down in their seats.

Jess: It's just a shame than we lose people.
Ellie: Oh I know. Losing my mom was horrible.
Jess: Me too. And my sister. I hated it so much. It's definitely the worst day of my life.
Ellie: This whole thing is shit.
Jess: That's true. But we can't help it. We really can't. If we could, I'd already be saving the world.
Ellie: Well, I'd be saving the world. You'd be my sidekick.

Jess laughed, realizing Ellie was joking.

Ellie: I'm kidding!
Jess: Figures.

It fell silent. They both thought about who they have lost and what could happen next. Jess sniffed. Ellie looked over to her. She had one single tear rolling down her left cheek. Her soft brown eyes looked tired and worn out.

Ellie: Are you okay?

Jess looked over at her and nodded a little.

Ellie: We're going to make it through everything. Okay? I promise.
Jess: Okay.

They both leant back into their own seats, Ellie got ready to drive. She put her hands on the wheel and began moving forwards.

Ellie: Thank god we had gas.

8:49am

After hours of driving, Ellie arrived at a police station. It had large wired metal fenced with razor sharp barbed wire around the top. Perfect for staying in.

Ellie: I think I found a possible camp!

She yelled, not remembering everybody was still asleep. Most of them woke up apart from Leo who was still fast asleep.

Cisco: Huh?

Cisco, Nick and Jess all woke up and groaned as the bright sunlight beamed through the clear windows and into their eyes. They all looked up to see what looked like a safe place to stay.

Ellie: Sorry guys. Hey can someone wake Leo up and tell him to come with us?

Cisco looked towards Leo and nudged his shoulder. Leo slowly woke himself up and yawned. After sitting there for a while, trying to wake themselves up, they finally all decided to get up and start walking towards the station. The station was surrounded with twelve foot high metal fences topped with barbed wire. As they began to take a step into the property, they heard a very loud voice.

Unknown: Stop! Don't come any further!

The group all looked up to see an armed girl aiming a large sniper at them. Each one of them raised two hands into the air and looked towards the tall guard tower to their right that the girl was standing on.

Cisco: Don't shoot! We don't want any trouble.
Unknown: Well now you got it!
Ellie: If this place is taken, we'll just be passing through.
Unknown: Stay right where you are!