Claire's Point of View

Ellie and I were just beginning to push further into the convention center. We still had barely talked, she was so confusing and hard to read. The way she would look at me and then just get angry at herself? For looking at me? It made no sense.

"Eugh," Ellie groaned as we walked into a room. "Stinks in here."

I nodded my head, silently agreeing. We walked into a room, discovering a body.

"Fucking wolf," Ellie lowly growled as she took whatever amo she had. "Serves you right."

I felt my stomach do a flip looking down at the fresh corpse and how Ellie had no remorse because it was a WLF soldier. I am a WLF soldier. Or was. This all could have easily been me. I could've easily been on the other end of Ellie's merciless combat and I was — but she showed me mercy — why?

"Ellie that body seems.. new," I noted.

She nodded her head as we turned around back towards the open doorframe. "Oh shit," Ellie whispered as an infected quickly crawled across the door. "Fuck me," She rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"What the fuck was that?" I whispered back to her.

"I don't know," She said. "Stay close."

We crouched our way into another hallway, finding yet another body. The led into a bathroom, another fresh body at the end of the hall.

"They really got you," Ellie whispered as she grabbed what she needed.

Ellie's survivor instincts were very on point and she was very cold. It made me so much more curious as to what exactly did Abby do to her that made her this way.. or was she always?

Ellie and I kept moving, pushing down another hall, the last one. But the mysterious infected no longer lingered near us.

"Where did it go?" I asked Ellie, hoping maybe she could offer some sort of comforting explanation.

"Great," She shook her head as we came across another body, but also bloody footprints, possibly from the mysterious infected. "This way," She said pointing to the footprints.

We climbed up over a door, and dropped into a room deeply infected my spores.

"Shit," I said rushing to put in my gas mask, as did Ellie.

In the distance was a body, except this time it was accompanied by all the mysterious infected. They quickly came to realize we were near, and scurried away.

"Stalkers," Ellie said looking back at me. "Fucking stalkers."

"Let's split up," I explained.

"No," Ellie shook her head. "I don't want you to outdo yourself."

"That's just — when it's real people I get a little-"

"Okay then we split up," Ellie nodded cutting me off.

I took one last angrily look at her before pushing forward in my own. She was so gentle at times, but so rude at others. It made me so angry to think I was maybe starting to like her back at the theatre. And then she used me and now she's just.. rude. She did try to kill me, maybe this was inevitable and I had this coming.

I used my bow and arrows, silently killing whatever stalkers crossed my path. I got clean headshots each time. I could hear the small sounds of Ellie's suppressor if i really tried, she was killing them too.

Ellie and I eventually found one another, we were sure we cleared this room. "Nice work," She said as we continued to move. At least that was.. something nice.

Ellie and I pushed through, evading more room and killing more stalkers taking a very long time, or at least it felt like it. Eventually, we came across a window and Ellie broke it, leading to a fire escape. I smiled, looking at THR air outside just wanting a breath of it. I followed Ellie out of the window and was quick to remove myself mask and return it to its place in my backpack.

"There's the hospital," Ellie said looking up at it. "Not much farther.."

We climbed the fire escape eventually facing a block. "We're gonna have to jump down onto that one," Ellie pointed to another fire escape.

"Are you crazy? Look at the rapid below," I said. "You're insane."

"Come on," Ellie said grabbing my hand. "You'll need a running start."

"Fuck you Ellie," I said causing her to smile with a small laugh as we ran, and jumped below.

We both fell onto the lowered fire escape with a thud, "Felt that," Ellie said as she stood up.

"Jesus Ellie," I said as I stood up.

"See what would you do without me?" Ellie smirked.

"I'd not jump form fire escape to fire escape," I flashed a smile.

"No you'd just be too afraid to do anything," She said with a small curve at her lips.

I hated conversations like this with Ellie. It was almost like.. she was flirting with me? She would get cocky, and she would have a small smile with each word she said. She spoke so slowly, barely parting her lips, and eventually resorted to biting them. I never knew how to react. The way Ellie looked when she bit her lip I- I shook my head. I have never been into another woman. But I'm not.. I'm not into Ellie. Right?

"Put your mask on," Ellie said. "We're gonna drop into there."

***

What felt like another hour had past by, and we were still in this building. Now I was convinced Ellie was wasting time, sure she needed supplies, but she took a long time looting.

We walked towards a door, seeing it blocked through the small window. "Here we go," Ellie said as we both pushed our body weight against the wooden door.

Whatever was behind the door, made a crouching sound. This attracted the sound of many infected, "Oh shit," I said as we pushed harder. "Ellie they're coming!" I called as their grunts were becoming louder and I could heard the group of infected running towards us.

One final push, and Ellie cracked the door enough for us to move through. Ellie was quick to turn around, the slamming the door against the hands of an infected. But from inside the room, we were ambushed. I was grabbed by an infected and pushed against the window.

"Fuck!" I yelled as Ellie couldn't help because she needed to keep the door shut. "Get off of me!" I shouted as the window behind me began to crack and shatter.

The infected grabbed onto me, pushing me deeper into the window as the struggle continued. The window caved in, glass flying everywhere as I fell backwards into the dangerous rapids Ellie and I spotted earlier.

"Claire!" Ellie yelled as I felt the water splash next to me.

I felt beneath the surface, getting pulled under by the same infected. I struggle to swim back up, poking my head out for fresh air but was soon pulled back under after my shallow breath. I watched as Ellie stabbed the underwater infected, and its grip released me.

Our head poked back up, we gasped to catch out breaths. We were constantly being taken by the undertow, nearly drowning each time. The water's deathly rush became to calm down as it entered a sewer. Ellie and I swam to the shore, that being the sewer platform.

"Fuck Seattle," Ellie said angrily.

"Gross," I whispered looking down at myself as I was drenched in the dirty water.

"Are you okay?" Ellie asked me.

"I think," I said. "Are you?"

"Yeah," She said with a small nod. "C'mon."

Ellie and I climbed our way up and out of the sewer by a yellow ladder. "Where the hell did we end up?" Asked Ellie as we looked around, I just shrugged in response.

We moved out of the gated area and spotted a map. Ellie pointed her finger a small circle, "You are here," She read from the circle. "And the hospital's there."

"So we'll just cut through the park," I said and Ellie nodded her head.

Ellie and I walked around, admiring the overgrown beauty. I don't care what happens, I will never stop gushing about how pretty the vegetation is. Sure, it's a result of the old world going to shit. But hey, at least the scenery is beautiful.. right?

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a loud whistle. Ellie immediately grabbed my arm and crouched. She pulled her hand away, realizing her reflexes caused her to grab me.

We continued crouching through the dense overgrowth. "Ellie look," I said pointing to a lamppost, a person was hanging from it.

"Be careful," She warned me.

We pushed through the wooded area, I stayed close behind her. It only made sense that these were scars.

"They're scars," I whispered.

"They're what?" She responded.

"Some sick cult," I explained. "They have these crazy extreme beliefs. My people have been at war with theirs for a long time."

"Over what?" Asked Ellie as we kept moving.

"Over who could have control over Seattle," I said. "We could never coexist with them and they couldn't with us."

"These people are sick," Ellie said looking up at the hanging bodies.

"They whistle to communicate with one another," I explained to Ellie. "And they don't believe in firepower."

A loud and rough whistle was heard by us both. And before we could react, an arrow pierced Ellie's shoulder, sending her onto her back. "Fuck," Ellie cried out softly, too weak to scream. I grabbed hold of the arrow ripped it out, "Jesus Claire!" She yelped. "You're welcome," I answered as we took cover.

"You take the right side," Ellie said. "Try not to get impaled. Okay?"

I nodded my head as we separated to divide the attention of the scars. The whistles became less alerted, and more soft. They were losing our tracks and couldn't trace us. Perfect for an ambush.

I noticed as a body dropped to the ground and the whistles quickened, Ellie was using her suppressor. I drew back my arrow in my bow, releasing it and watching as they skewered our enemies.

As I moved through the ferns and other plants, I went to each of the corpses, ripping my arrows from their skulls and returning them to my backpack.

"I'm surprised you have it in you," Ellie's low voice whispered from behind me, almost startling me.

"I don't fuck with scars," I whispered, still staring at the lifeless body below me.

My face stitched together as I angrily stared at the body, zoning out on it. Scars have ruined so much for me, taken so much from me. I hated every single last one of them.

"C'mom let's go Claire," Ellie's fuzzy voice rang through my ears.

My breathing increased as my blood rushed to my face in anger at the thought of the scars.

"Claire," Ellie said softly as she grabbed my arm.

I jumped in response, turning around to face and her and pointing my pistol at her.

"Fuck Claire calm down it's me," Ellie said aggressively but softened up her face.

"Sorry I just- I hate them," I breathed out.

"What happened?" Asked Ellie.

"Doesn't matter," I said. "Let's keep moving."

***

hiii to all my lovely new readers from tiktok !!! next chapter they will finally be at the hospital i promise<3 i know this was probably a boring one but i'm starting the next one as soon as it's published! hopefully it's out by tonight/tomorrow!!!!

-bella<3

word count: 1927