𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬 (UNDER EDITING)

"truth be told."

wc : 0.6k
note : this is pure angst ;)

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she was gone. ellie had taken shimmer and bolted.

you had a rough idea about where she went, but your main focus right now was to get joel to stay behind.

"it'll just make things worse," you said, climbing onto the back of your horse and getting situated. "trust me on this."

the older man could only nod as he patted the neck of your mare. he stepped back before saying, "okay."

offering him a strained smile, you slapped the reigns against your horse's neck, shooting past the front gate and into the forest and wilderness that surrounded jackson.

the ride to the old firefly hospital wasn't rough, but the cool autumn air had dropped a significant amount by the time you spotted ellie. she was sitting on an old cargo container, her neck bent so she stared at the floor. no, you realized. she was staring at something in her hand.

"ellie!" you called, stopping your horse next to shimmer and hastily dismounting. when she didn't answer, you slowed your approach, swallowing thickly and licking your lips. grass and sticks crunched under your boots.

as you got closer, you could hear another voice talking, and you realized that the object in her hand was a tape recorder. "...or by some miracle found someone else that's immune-"

the dialogue cut off abruptly before replaying again. and again. when ellie finally looked up, your stomach twisted into a knot. you desperately had hoped that this day would never come, but it seemed that the universe—and ellie—had other ideas.

she stood, leaving the recorder by her backpack before taking a few strides in your direction. wasting no time, she said, "tell me...what happened here."

inhaling sharply, you looked over her shoulder and at the hospital behind her. god, if you could burn that place to the ground, you would. the place was the root of all your issues, starting with the one currently staring you in the face.

"i'm going to ask one more time," ellie warned, forcing your eyes to meet hers. "what. happened. here."

you opened your mouth to answer, some sort of false story already coating your tongue, when ellie hissed, "and don't you dare lie to me or, i swear to god, you will never see me again."

fisting your hands at your sides, you managed to say, "we got you out, alright? the cure wasn't going to work and your death would have been for no-"

"how do you know it wouldn't have worked?!" she snapped, her voice raising an octave. she moved closer, eyes simmering with pent-up rage and frustration. "the world could have healed, gone back to normal! i should have died on that operating table. my death would've saved humanity."

"you don't know that," you persisted, brows furrowing. "and i wasn't just going to let you die, ellie. i would've never forgiven myself."

a muscle in her jaw jumped. "it's one life. one fucking life to save millions."

"we both know there aren't even that many fully conscious people left in the world anymore," you said, reaching out to grab her hand.

ellie lurched back abruptly. "don't you fucking touch me," she seethed, already turning around and collecting her things. your heart pounded as she continued on. "we're done. i don't ever want to talk to you, or joel, again."

"but-" panic was beginning to set in at this point. "ellie, please you have to understand-"

her gaze slid to yours, her green eyes burning with anger. and, once, those eyes had looked at you like you were the only girl in the world. you had always felt pity for those who had crossed your girlfriend's path. but now you were one of those poor souls.

"we are done. get that into your head," she finished, spinning on her heel and walking toward shimmer, leaving you to stand in the dirt with wide eyes and a broken heart.