UNITED IN BLOOD
CHAPTER EIGHT !

THEY HAD FINALLY MADE it. It had taken over a month of travelling, even with the help of the horses, but they had finally reached the out-skirted forest of Seattle. The once tidy surroundings woods, now grew unruly as trees in the distance blended together with ease due to their overbearing height and massive growth of greenery.

The hooves of the horses clipped along the forest floor, kicking up any loose leaves as they traveled closer and closer to the entry gate that had been put into place by the military way back when the Cordyceps outbreak first occurred. From what Danielle knew, the Seattle QZ hadn't lasted long before everything went to hell.

After around two weeks of travelling with the brunette, Ellie had finally decided that she was trust worthy enough to allow her the choice of riding on either her horse or Dina's. Her sudden imposing feelings for the redhead caused her to choose Dina. She had hoped the distance from Ellie would lessen her feelings but so far, it had done absolutely nothing.

"This hunter was on top of him...drowning him. And Joel couldn't get to his gun." Ellie's voice dragged the brunettes eyes to look in her direction, distracting her from scanning their surroundings for any sudden movements.

Though she hadn't exactly been paying attention, the young girl knew that the redhead had begun explaining the time she had first killed someone. It was quite a grim topic to discuss but who was she to judge?

The pregnant girl's eyes widened. "Jeez. Were you scared?"

"Well, I didn't even think. I just... I just ran in there and grabbed his gun." Ellie explained with ease though Danielle could make out a grimace on her face. While it was good to talk about lost loved ones, to keep their memory alive and whatnot but it seems to pain the redhead greatly. "And shot the guy in the face."

"How old were you?" Dina asked the freckled girl.

"Fourteen." Ellie admitted. She could remember the day as if it had happened just yesterday. But it hadn't, of course. She arrived on time that day, to save Joel. The next time she just hadn't been fast enough. "How old were you when you first killed someone?"

"We talking infected?" Dina inquired for clarification. If it was infected she had probably been around seven or eight, though she the dark haired girl wasn't sure.

The freckled redhead trotted along slightly in front of them. Danielle watched as the Williams girl shook her head. "No. Fully conscious, non-fungal person."

"Ten." The pregnant, dark haired brunette revealed.

Danielle couldn't believe what she had heard. Ten years old and Dina had had to kill someone. Her shock caused the young girl to exclaim a simple, "Fuck."

"What happened?" Ellie asked her best friend.

Dina released a heavy sigh. "Guy was coming at my mom. I stabbed him."

"Shit. You got me beat." Ellie spoke up after a brief pause as she took in exactly what she had just heard. For the entire length of time that she and Dina had been friends, not once had Ellie ever learned about the severity of Dina's childhood encounters with the bad guys, both human and infected alike.

"Yeah, I'm a real badass." Dina quipped sarcastically before lightly elbowing the girl behind her. "How abut you?"

"Oh uh...let's see I'm twenty now so," Danielle counted into her head, figuring out hoe many years it had actually been since she had first killed a living, breathing human. "I would have been thirteen."

She continued on. "It was this man who wanted the stuff in my backpack. It was just a bunch of loose bandages but apparently it worth strangling me over. Thankfully I had found a grenade earlier that day. I just yanked the thing from my pocket, pulled the pin and ran for cover."

"You blew him up?" Ellie couldn't help the tone that filled her voice. It was a mix of shock and impressed. Blowing up someone was quite impressive for a thirteen year old.

A short laugh fell past Danielle's lips at the same time that she brushed back a stray curl that had fallen into her eyes. "No, no. His hand exploded but it was enough of a distraction that I was able to stab him in the neck."

"Wow, well the award for most dramatic story definitely goes to you." Dina jokingly complimented the brunette.

Danielle's fingertips squeezed lightly at dina's hips as she smiled at the girl that sat in front of her. "Appreciate it."

"So, how lost are we?" Dina offhandedly said. She always seemed to forget the whole reason why Danielle was travelling along with them. She was there to help them traverse throughout Seattle and yet Dina appeared to have forgotten that, which honestly the medic

"Uh, we're not." Ellie sounded confident in her words. Surely, it was cause she knew Danielle would have told her if they were travelling in the wrong direction, right? The redheads self assurance wasn't that strong that she believed she knew the layout of Seattle better than a former resident, right?

"What about those crazy cannibals you said you and Joel ran into? They came after you guys once...maybe the WLF is connected to them." Dina found herself asking. Potential reasons as to why Abby and the Salt Lake Crew had murdered Joel flooded her mind.

"Are they the ones with the leader that gave off child predator vibes?" Danielle found herself asking. The brunette had heard this story briefly from Dina about two weeks ago. The unsettling behaviour of the groups leader towards Ellie had put her on edge. That was really all she remembered.

Ellie was quick to pipe up, though her gaze remained ahead. "Yes and no, it didn't seem like the same group."

"Agreed. Abby and all of them were known as the 'Salt Lake Crew' which means they from Utah. I'm almost certain they were Firefly's but I can't be sure." Danielle had been doing this quite often. Anytime a bit of information about the Salt Lake Crew seemed important enough, she would hand it over willingly.

You'd imagine handing over information of her friends would maybe make the girl feel guilty, but nope. She actually saw it as quite cathartic. It was a good way to release some of the built up anger that Danielle was sure had fuelled her will to live that fateful day.

Dina and Danielle watched on as Ellie pulled her horse, which Danielle had learned was named Shimmer, off to the side. The redhead proceeded to hop off of her horse and pilfer around a nearby bus stop.

"Another superhero card." The Williams girl happily spoke. The young redhead had found maybe three or four cards since they had left Jackson.

"Question. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?" Dina questioned the redhead as she mounted her horse once more.

"Hmm. Probably...invisibility?" Ellie replied, her right foot lightly tapping Shimmer to get her moving again.  

"Strong choice. Is that so you can spy on all the pretty girls in Jackson?" Interesting. Danielle had to fight off the smile that tried to force its way upon her lips as Dina questioned her friend.

The redhead breathed out a short laugh. "Yeah. That's exactly it."

The horses trotted along with forest floor, carting the three girls around until they arrived at a couple of abandoned trailers which the Williams girl was more than eager to search around in.

"How you doing?" Dina asked the brunette with a squint of the eyes as the sun shone down, blinding the pregnant girl. "With being back here and all?"

Danielle exhaled a heavy sigh. Truth be told, every slight sound, every snap of a branch left the girl feeling on edge. "So far, I'm okay. I'm just dreading running into any WLF. They shoot on sight in case I didn't mention."

"Yeah, you might have mentioned it once or twice." Ellie, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation, replied to the brunette as she exited the trailer. Her hands were shoving a Savage Starlight comic book into her backpack for safe keeping.

"Anything good in there?"

"Found an old tourist map." The Williams girl held up said map to show it off.

An confusion filled expression painted itself across Dina's face. Why would they need a map? "We have Danielle. We don't need that."

Danielle was quick to pipe up, her head shaking from side to side. "Oh no, we do. I stopped leaving the base a few years back when more and more people were coming back injured. I was needed there more so yes, we definitely need that map."

Maybe a five minute walk later and the trio had arrived at the closed entrance gate that led to the rest of Seattle. This huge gate blocked them off from entering the city. "Woah is that the QZ?"

"Yep. Watch the high spots." Ellie warned, her voice low.

Dina stopped in her path the minute her eyes landed upon the banner that was displayed across the tendril covered wall. "WLF. Trespassers killed on sight. That's friendly."

"I told you." Danielle muttered distractedly. The curly haired brunette watched on as Ellie pulled out her trusty journal from her grime covered backpack and jot down a few notes.

That was something the Linden girl had noticed Ellie do a lot ever since their journey had began. Whenever something piqued her interest, the redhead was quick to scrawl in her journal. Not that Danielle was particularly nosy or anything but the redhead was just so fast when writing that the brunette wondered what she could possibly be writing down. Perhaps it was short-hand.

The atmosphere of this place was extremely odd. The last time Danielle has been standing there, she could definitely remember a WLF soldier stationed there and yet the entire area remained completely silent. She could only imagine the soldier had been pulled back go base but she couldn't her sure.

The three girls began walking along an open path, grabbing up anything that could be of potential use such as ammo, bandages or even some rubbing alcohol. Ellie just seemed to know where she was going despite having never been there before. Dina and Danielle followed closely behind the freckled girl, almost mirroring every step she took as they hurled themselves up large crates and launched themselves over steep drops.

"Dina. Help me up here." Ellie requested of her friend as she pointed up at a ladder just far enough away that she was unable to reach it on her own.

The pregnant girl fell on one knee, her hands clasped together to provide the redhead a boost. Danielle watched on, calling out, "There should be a generator on the other side. Someone use to man the other side but I can't hear anyone anymore. Maybe they got pulled back to the stadium. Just be careful."

"I'll be fine." There it was. That icy tone that brought Danielle crashing back down to earth. Every time the girl believed she was making excellent strides with the redhead, Ellie was quick to remind her of the true reality with her snark filled tone.

Danielle let out a sigh as she backed away from the redhead. Both and her made their way back down by the horses, their eyes following along with the tiny figure of Ellie high up amongst the scaffolding. The metal beams seemed structurally sound though the two girls couldn't contain the worry they felt as Ellie jumped from one platform to another.

Evidently, the pair were right to be concerned as a loud crash rung out, echoing throughout the otherwise empty city.

"Oh my god! Ellie!" Danielle exclaimed, her voice riddled with anxiety. She was aware of the grip Dina had on the back of her sweater as she watched while Ellie clung tightly to the metal. "Are you okay?"

"I'm good." Ellie called back, her voice was weak as she panted heavily. The redheaded soon Ellie disappeared over the wall.

"Well, I don't hear any gun shots." Dina quipped sarcastically.

Danielle nails clawed at her fingers, digging deep as her skin stung with worry for the freckled girl. "Yeah, let's hope it stays that way."

"So when did you figure it out?"

"Figure what out?"

Dina blunted replied with, "That you like Ellie."

"I-I'm sorry, what?" Danielle felt like her chest was gonna cave in. How on earth had Dina figured it out? She had barely figured it for herself.

A short laugh fell past dina's lips. At least someone was finding the situation funny. "Anyone with eyes could see that you like her. You don't hide it very well, Danielle."

"That's-that's neither here nor there, Dina." Danielle placed emphasis upon Dina's name, stressing out the A. "Besides when are you planning on telling her about you know what?"

Her voice became softer as she said, "You can't hide it forever, you know."

The sickly looking Dina placed an idle hand upon her stomach. "Yes thank you, Danielle. I am aware of that. I'm not even that far along. We'll be back in Jackson long before I start showing so I have plenty of time to tell her."

"Dina, I'm saying this because I care but you look ready to pass out. How are you going to handle moving through Seattle on an empty stomach and a growing foetus?"

The medic was right. Dina was struggling now and they had barely begun their true search for Abby. Seattle was a war-torn city with groups that were trained to kill any and all trespassers. It wasn't just the WLF they had to worry about. The Seraphites packed quite a punch, having made quite the dent in WLF soldiers over the years. The three girls had to constantly watched their backs or Dina's unborn child could potentially be caught in the crossfire.

Dina shot her friend a look. "Foetus?"

"Medical term. I prefer it to the word baby. It doesn't have any features yet, ergo not a baby yet." Danielle explained attempting to brush off Dina's question so they could get back to the matter at hand.

Before Danielle could reiterate her opinion, the massive gate in front of them began to open. With a sigh, Danielle followed closely behind Dina, both girls leading their horses by the reins.

"Well done." Dina called out to Ellie just moments before the gate lost its power which promptly sent it crashing back down. A resounding bang filled the air as the horses became spooked.

"Jesus Christ!" The Linden girls voice cracked. The crash of the gate sent her heart into her stomach. Her medic skills kicked in as she immediately turned to hold up Dina, who looked positively shaken. "Are you okay?"

"I'm good." Dina reassured her friend with a light pat on the hand that held her up. "Hey come on. Let's get out of here. That crash was pretty loud."

Getting the horses under control was easier said than done but they finally managed it after a few unsuccessful attempts.

"Where is she going now?" Danielle found herself questioned as she looked on while Ellie proceeded to ascend up a ladder, making her way to the top of a watch tower.

The dark haired girl stared over at Danielle, hands upon her hips. Danielle couldn't help but think that Dina already acted like a Mom. "You didn't answer my question, by the way."

"What question?" Ellie asked the two girls as she returned from her side quest adventure.

"It was nothing. Not important." Danielle declared sharply, her eyes just daring Dina to say a single word about their conversation.

"Now what?" Dina asked after they mounted their horses once more, Danielle still sitting behind her. The horses movements were agile, bounding over the laid out obstacles with ease.

"I found a note back there. Says there's a WLF safe house at someplace called 'Serevena Base.'"

"It's a hotel." The curly haired brunette informed the other two. She had seen the hotel once or twice during her trysts about Seattle back when she had been more of a soldier than a medic.

The freckled redhead appeared cutely vulnerable as she glanced over at Danielle in confusion. "What?"

"The Serevena Base is a hotel here in Seattle." The brunette replied, fighting back a smile. "It's not that far from here."

Ellie nodded her head in acknowledgement. So her decision to bring (force) Danielle along had paid off. It was beneficial for the girls that a former resident of Seattle was along for the ride. "Well good. Hopefully we get there, find out first WLF and get them to talk. Maybe we'll find out where Abby is."

The redhead attempted to input the code into the gate only for the lack of power to halt her in her path. With a sigh, Ellie made her way to a nearby generator that had been connected to the gate via a yellow power cord. Her attempts to get the generator running proved futile as it began to sputter. "It's outta gas."

"Goddamn it. Well, what do we do now?" Dina complained as she ran back to her horse, which Danielle had learned was named Japan.

"Oh shit, the note."

Danielle sat on Dina's horse, staring down at the redheaded Williams girl. "What?"

"The note. It mentioned that there's gas in the courthouse garage and 'the dome."

"What's the dome?" Dina turned her head around to ask Danielle who looked just as bewildered by the nickname as she was.

Not knowing, the medic lightly shrugged her shoulders. "No idea. I've never been there myself."

"You think Tommy came through here?" Dina found herself asking the Williams girl.

That's right. Tommy was also in Seattle. Danielle had been so concerned with the WLF that she had forgotten all about Tommy Miller and his own quest for vengeance.

"I bet he did." Ellie replied before hopping back onto Shimmer, leading the way in the direction of their next destination.

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jamielee's thoughts.
so they've made it to Seattle and we're beginning to see the friendship blossoming between dina and danielle. Ellie's quite tough but her shell is slowly cracking and allowing danielle to get closer. also sorry for how long this chapter ran on for. Anyway I hope you enjoyed. :)