"We're here Ellie" He says and I look up out the window.
"This isn't the hyrdo...thing..." I yawn and I open the door, putting my feet out and sighing as Joel gets out and looks round.
"Should be a simple walk through here now" He says and I lift the sleeve of my right arm and I look at the bite. I run my fingers over it and Joel looks over.
"Come on then Ellie" He says and I pull down my sleeve, shoving the jumper into my bag and I pull it over my shoulders. I clamber out and I shut the door. I walk up to Joel, whos holding up a barbered wire fence. I climb through and hold it open for him.
"Thanks" He mumbles and he starts to walk away.
"Its nice..." I mumble and I follow Joel, looking to the right and seeing a car.
"Hey Joel, can I see whats up there?" I ask and he turns and nods.
"Be quick" He says and I rush over, looking in the car. I lean into the car, grabbing a book.
I grin at it and rush over to Joel, "Joel, look! Its the last comic!" I say and he smiles.
"Thats great, come on then Ellie" He says and I follow him up to the top of the rocks. I sigh as Joel keeps jogging.
"Me and Sarah used to take hikeslike these" He says and I sigh, "I reckon you would have liked her"
"I bet I would have" I sigh as we head down the hill, seeing the dam.
"It looks bigger..." I mumble and Joel smiles, jogging across a small amount of running water. I sigh, following him too. I watch as he uses the fallen log to clamber up the small rock face. I climb on too, and he helps me up. I stand and he turns to walk away.
"Hey,wait" I say and he turns, arms folding.
"...Back in Boston- back when I was bitten. I wasn't alone. My best friend was there...and she got bit too. We didn't know what to do..so...she says, 'y'know, lets just wait it out, we can be all poetic and just lose our minds together'" I say, stopping and looking Joel.
"I'm still waiting for my turn-"
"Ellie..." Joel says, but I preceed.
"Her name was Riley, and she was the first to die, and then it was Tess...and then Sam..." I say, my eyes staring into Joels.
"None of that is on you" Joel says, staring back at me.
"No, you don't understand" I begin, but he cuts in again.
"I struggled a long time with surviving', and you- no matter what, you keep finding something to fight for." I shake my head as he speaks, looking at the floor, "Now I know thats what you want to hear right now but its-"
"Swear to me" I interrupt, eyes stinging as I hold back tears. I shut my eyes and look back at Joel.
"Swear to me that everything you said about the Fireflies is true" I say.
Joel takes a deep breath, blinking at me in silence, "I swear"
I blink at the floor taking in what I said and what he said, is he lying to me? Or is he talking the truth?
"Okay" I say eventually.
****
An awkward silence takes over.
"Joel..." I say and he turns around again.
"What?" He says, sounding pissed.
"Thank you" I say and he nods.
"Your welcome" He says and I look at the floor before hugging him.
"Lets get to Tommy's" He says and I nod, pulling away, following behind as we clamber down the rock faces and then down to Tommy's dam.
Joel decides that its easier to try opening the door like before, so he attempts to and like before, people guarding turn and aim towards us. I put my hands up and so does Joel.
"Joel?!" Maria says, looking down at us. She picks up her walkie talkie and calls Tommy as she requests the gates to be open, "Your brothers here" She says and I follow Joel inside.
"Maria" Joel says as she appears and she looks from me to Joel.
"What happened?" Maria asks and I sigh, looking at Joel.
"Its a long story" I smile and Maria laughs.
"I got plenty of time" Maria says and Tommy comes towards us, slinging his rifle over his back.
"Joel, Ellie" He says and I smile as him and Joel hug.
"Shall we go over to the office?" Tommy says and Joel nods. I follow behind them all and Maria looks back, smiling and turns back. I sigh and we're soon at the office.
"Take a seat" Tommy says, Maria leaning on the window sill as Tommy sits opposite me and Joel over the other side of the desk.
"We found the Fireflies in Salt Lake City...Turns out theres a hell of a lot more like Ellie, and its not done any good" Joel says and Maria shakes her head.
"It was too good to be true" I say and I get up. I open the door and walk out, walking past the large fans that are conducting the electricity and I hear 'Ellie' so I start running. I run out of the building and then start rushing across the long metal frame, loads of boxes and crates covering it.
I hear one of the workers walkie talkies go off and I duck down as I listen.
"Calling all men- Please report and catch a young girl of 14, wearing a black and red checkered jacket, jeans and converse, shes armed, be careful, she's called Ellie" I hear and I watch as the man starts checking around fratically. I pull out my switchblade. Why has Joel told them I'm armed?
I quickly move past the searching man and I rush up the stairs, a bullet shoots past me and I duck quickly.
"Fuck you!" I shout and I keep running, dragging the door of the building open and I rush it, pulling the door closed and I see I'm in the room me and Maria hid in when me and Joel were here before.
I rush round the tables and chairs, then head towards some kind of sleeping area before pushing out the door and heading out the building and down the stairs. I see the entrance we came into last time we came and I rush towards it, but a guard knocks me off my feet when I try to push and pull open the gates.
"You're the girl...drop your weapon" He says, pointing the end of his gun to my knife.
"No" I say, stabbing his leg and I rush towards a stack of crates, hiding.
Shit Ellie...what are you doing?!
I move towards a horse and I quickly slip open a gate like I did before and I hop on the horse.
"Ya!" I shout and me and the horse go rushing out of the power plant.
"ELLIE!" I hear Joel call. I look over my shoulder, thats when I feel the impact of something into the horse. I gasp as me and the horse go down.
"Hey! A girl! Get her!" Someone shouts, my eyes blurring and I scream as someone grabs at me.
"JOEL!" I shout and I scream louder as they throw me into the back of the truck, the others clambering into the drivers area. I scream, banging on the closed metal door and I look out the small slit in the door. I see Joel running after us, but its no use, the trucks too fast and is already driving. I feel the truck bump over something, sending me flying into the side of the truck.
Then everything goes black.
And thats a wrap!
~ChloeCumberbatch~
