Serenity - Ellie Williams [1]

Reunion

ELLIE

"God dammit where is that guy?" A man asks, leaning against the concrete wall. His flashlight is clipped to his backpack strap, and it seems to be the only light in the entire basement. Ellie hugs the wall around the corner, peeking at him and wondering what she'll do. Shooting him risks her getting caught, but he isn't exactly unarmed.

'Ugh, fuck.' Ellie shakes her head, watching the guy pull a cigarette from a pack. He places it between both lips, bringing a lighter and gently touching the fire to the end. Ellie bites her lip, shaking her head as she calmly steps from behind the corner.

"Hey you!" The man shouts from around his cigarette, pulling his gun and pointing it at Ellie's rough outline. "Who the fuck are you?" He asks, waving the weapon. "C'mere," He commands.

"Fuck." Ellie says theatrically, hiding her smile as she approaches the man. She watches the gun trained on her chest, walking until she's in his light. She tilts her head slightly at him. His gun is barely a foot away from her.

"Who are you?" The man demands, face morphed into a scowl. Annoyed at pretending, Ellie knocks the back of her hand into his gun, watching as it flies from his cocky, limp, grasp. She pulls her knife, shoving the man by the shoulders into the wall. Before he can struggle, she sinks her blade into his lower stomach. "Gah-!" The man shouts, and she slaps a hand over his mouth as he wails.

"Shut the fuck up." She warns with narrowed eyes, staring at the man in the now dark space, his flashlight pressed against her chest. "Where is the man Abby brought in?" She asks, slowly removing her hand.

"Fuck you." He spits in her face, the wet glob hitting her cheek. Ellie growls, patience thinning, before twisting the knife in his stomach. She then pulls up sharply, cutting off his scream with her palm. She waits for him to calm, resenting the warm blood on her hand.

"I'll only ask one more time." Ellie warns, staring the guy in the eyes. She can tell he's dying, but she needs to know where Joel is- it feels like she's running out of time.

"Two doors down, the keys are on my belt." He replies, voice shaking. Ellie reaches down with her unoccupied hand, feeling for the key ring attached to his belt and yanking it off.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" She asks, removing the knife. The man lets out a high pitched groan, and Ellie shoves the knife into the front of his throat. She shoves away from him immediately, narrowly avoiding a splash of blood as his body thumps against the ground. Ellie looks down at him, wondering if there's something wrong with her because she doesn't feel anything for him.

She looks at her bloody knife, deciding to just leave it, before looking down at the keys in her hand. Two doors down. She turns towards the hallway, clicking her flashlight on and staring at the numerous doors. She walks past the first, butterflies stirring in her stomach.

At the second, she stops in front of it. Shoving a random key onto the lock, and then another when that doesn't work. The knob turns after the fourth key, door creaking open slowly as Ellie gathers her strength- preparing for whatever lies on the other side.

Inside, the room is completely dark except for Ellie's flashlight. She peers around the room, thinking that maybe the guard had lied until she spots the rough shape of a body on the ground. Terror fills her as she thinks that maybe she was too late, maybe Joel's already dead, maybe-