UNITED IN BLOOD
CHAPTER THIRTEEN  !

   "YOU EVER BEEN TO this Hillcrest place before?" They had been making their way through the city, traversing though building after building to get to the Hillcrest suburb, where reports of a lone male trespasser had been spotted. They were almost entirely positive it had been Tommy, who they had yet to lay eyes on the whole time they had been in Seattle.

   For her safety and well-being, Dina had stayed behind at the theatre. From the moment the truth of her pregnancy had been revealed, it appeared to kick itself into high gear. The dark haired girl had been unable to keep anything she ate or drank down, the nausea that wreaked havoc on her stomach making it impossible. After being advised by her self-appointed doctor, Dina chose to remain at the theatre, where she could rest up and get a hold of her symptoms without fear of attack.

   And so, Ellie and Danielle carried on by themselves, avoiding large gatherings of infected by ducking into abandoned, run-down homes or sneaking up and taking out any WLF soldiers that stood in their way. All of this had been done in relative silence. The atmosphere between the two had been odd, to say the least. While Danielle had appreciated the apology, she was still apprehensive that Ellie wouldn't just revert right back to her previous self.

   Ellie on the other hand, she had been sweating since they first left the theatre and it sure as hell hadn't been the damp, dreary weather of Seattle that was causing it. Her realisation of the cruelty she had impressed upon Danielle had forced the redhead to take a good look at herself and she hadn't liked what she'd seen.

   Joel wouldn't have wanted me to treat her this way. Was something that had been running through her mind as the gnawing feeling of regret, something she had been experiencing quite often recently, clawed it's way through her. He would have known what to do. What to say to her.

   "No. I was lucky enough to not be sent out on assignments once they learned of my medical skills. I've been locked up in the stadium for the last few years." The Linden girl replied, dragging her snow boot clad feet through the tall grass. "It wasn't until—"

As if the words she had been about to say slapped her across the face, Danielle forced her voice to a halt. "Never mind."

   "Wasn't until what?" Ellie glanced over at the girl that walked alongside her, watching on while a look of discomfort plastered itself across the brunettes face. Her hesitation sparked a surge of curiosity within the auburn-haired girl.

   Danielle pressed forward, attempting to pick up speed to avoid answering the question. Why couldn't Ellie just leave it alone? "It's nothing. Seriously Ellie, don't worry about it."

"Dani." Ellie stopped in her tracks, feet firmly pressed against the muddy ground.

   As Ellie's footsteps behind her faded out, informing the brunette of the Williams girl's impromptu stop, Danielle let out a heavy sigh in response. She knew she now had no choice. "It wasn't until...Jackson that I was finally sent out."

"Oh."

   A grimace marred its way onto the Linden girls face. This is exactly what she had been hoping to avoid. "Yeah, sorry about that."

   Ellie watched with worry as Danielle stared down at her fingers that were once completely soaked in her own blood. "Hey, you tried to warn me."

   That was all the Williams girl said before she trudged forward once again, keeping her head low and her gaze locked on to their surroundings for any incoming enemies. Though as they got closer to the Hillcrest Suburb, Ellie found herself itching to ask Danielle yet another question.

   "Can I ask you something?" The auburn haired girl inquired. She keep her eyes forward, refusing to look at the brunette for fear she'd reveal the intrigue that no doubt was swimming in her eyes.

"Yeah, of course."

   "You and... Abby." It sounded as though the name had gotten stuck in her throat, as if the breath she used to say it had choked it's way up her windpipe. "Were you close?"

   Danielle was admittedly apprehensive about answer this question. On one hand, she could lie and say they had never been close or she could tell the truth and risk alienating herself further from the redhead.

   "Honestly, I've never really been that close with anyone. I kept to myself a lot." Danielle finally replied after what felt like hours as she internally deliberated on whether to answer truthfully. "But if there was one person I would have been closest with, yeah it would have been Abby. She just seemed to get me, you know?"

   "That makes sense." The freckled girl seemed to pick up speed, if that was even possible from how tired her legs were, as Ellie unconsciously attempted to distance herself from Danielle due to her honesty.

   The heaviness of her backpack caused an ache to develop throughout Danielle's lower back, significantly slowing the girl down as she attempted to catch up with Ellie. "I'm not sticking up for her. What she did was fucked up on so many levels. It's just hard to deal with when someone you thought you could trust, betrays you."

   "Yeah. I can kinda relate?" Slight confusion was interwoven within Ellie's words, as if she wasn't entirely sure she could relate. Had her trust been betrayed or had she pushed away Joel for something that didn't truly matter?

   Was she angry that Joel had stopped the cures creation or was she angry that after months and months of talking about how important it was for her that her immunity mean something, that Joel's lies of other people with immunity to the infection had amounted her immunity to nothing?

   Had her mom's letter had more of an effect on her that she had thought? Make me proud, Ellie. Had her desperation to reach the Firefly's all those years ago, been some crazy attempt to the fulfil her mom's last wishes? Did she truly want to die for the cure or did she think she had to?

Danielle stared over at the redhead. "What do you mean?"

   "My immunity... it came with the chance of a cure. A few years ago Joel was supposed to bring me to the Firefly's, there was a doctor there that could have made a cure." A weight appeared to lift itself from Ellie's shoulders as she revealed her past. Though it was difficult to talk about, it was nice to tell someone that knew nothing of who she truly was. "But I would have have had to die for that to happen."

   The thought of Ellie's death did cause a slight ache to fester inside of Danielle, though the idea of anyone dying for something so inane would have garnered that response. "Joel—he saved you?"

   Ellie nodded her head as she ignored the sting of tears that threatened to fall. "He killed a shit ton of people there to get me out. I was ready to die though. It would have made my life matter."

   "Your life does matter, Ellie. Of course, your life matters." Danielle glanced over at Ellie in genuine shock. How could anyone truly believe their life had no meaning? Especially Ellie, who had embarked on an entire journey solely to avenge someone who cared about her so much he had been willing to kill for her. "Look, I didn't know Joel but I do know this. He made the right decision."

"Did he?"

   Danielle had thought long and hard on this exact topic many times. As a doctor, she couldn't stop the concept from racing through her mind. If a potential cure was suddenly available, would the world ever revert to its previous ways? And she always came to the same conclusion.

   "He did. This world and the people in it, are fucked up! A cure wouldn't have changed that. Things could never go back to how they once were. It's just not possible." Her voice was firm as she spoke, the brunette completely sure of her words.

   When Ellie didn't speak, whether because she didn't know what to say or because she didn't believe Danielle, that was unknown but the brunette didn't allow it to stop her from continuing on. With her voice much softer than before, she spoke with a tone of what she hoped with reassurance. "You mightn't see it but your existence in the world makes a difference to those around you."

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   WITH A GRUNT OF pain, the two girls dropped through a hole in the roof, almost crash landing in a heap had it not been for the bed of grass that helped to cushion their fall. The building and everything in it was in complete decay, proof that the earth had begun to reclaim its territory as moss grew in thick bunches throughout the now rundown business.

   A faint sound of talking could be heard causing both Ellie and Danielle to move closer in its direction. As they crouched down on the ground, knees scraping against the grime covered floor, the pair remained as quiet as possible so as to eavesdrop on the conversation being had.

"This is dumb, we should be pushing in."

"We hold the perimeter until we hear otherwise. Keep an eye out in case he comes this way."

   "Tommy." The auburn-haired girl faintly whispered to Danielle who nodded her head in agreement. It was definitely Tommy they were talking about. Who else could it be?

   The unmistakable barking of a dog caused both of the girls to jump as the hairs on the back of their necks began to rise up. "I got something."

   "Shit! Move." Ellie exclaimed before reaching out and grabbing onto Danielle's wrist, dragging the medic across the room and through an opened door before shutting it to aid in their escape attempt.

   "Fuck I forgot about the fucking dogs!" Danielle felt so stupid. How could she have forgotten this? I'm such a fucking idiot. She kept her voice low as she whispered to the redhead. "We have to be really careful. Keep your distance so it's harder to catch your scent."

   With a nod of her head, Ellie came up with a plan of action within seconds. "I'm gonna draw them away then you come up behind and take 'em out."

"I'm serious, keep your distance." The medic stressed her words. Neither she nor Ellie could afford to be seen.

The auburn-haired girl kept her eyes low as she began to back away. "I got it. Keep your head down."

   Danielle watched as Ellie ran through a nearby door that led to the outside before the faint sound of a brick colliding with a wall could be heard. The distraction appeared to work as they WLF soldiers heading off in the direction of the sound, which gave the Linden girl the perfect opportunity to rush after them, sneaking up behind both of them, one at a time, and jamming her knife into their throats.

   Their blood sprayed everywhere as they bled out fast, their bodies hidden by the large patches of tall grass that covered the area. With some luck, the duo managed to make it out of the dangerous situation pretty much unscathed, save for a few cuts and scraps.

   WLF soldiers seemed to be everywhere, the further inward they traveled. Their presence made it that much more difficult for the two girls to evade them, both just narrowly escaping multiple run ins with the soldiers as they got closer to Hillcrest.

   "Woah. What was that?" Ellie exclaimed as the two girls began climbing up the crumbling hillside, their fingers digging deep into the soil to stop themselves from tumbling back down.

   At the top of the hill, way in the distance and thinly veiled by the enormous trees, rose up a huge mass of black smoke. It was clear to them now that the sound had been an explosion. "God. Hope you did that, Tommy."

   Danielle ventured on ahead slightly, her shoulders tight and her gaze hard as she examined their surroundings. Just ahead, amongst a collection of burned houses that had now been reduced to ashes, was a smattering of runners and clickers that fumbled around the overgrown shrubbery.

   "Ellie. Infected." The Linden girl proceeded to duck down, grabbing hold of and dragging the auburn-haired girl with her to avoid being spotted by the fungal infested creatures.

   As though the pair worked like a well oiled machine, without a single word exchanged, the two girls split from one another and took out every infected until none remained. The dead bodies now lay where they once stood, stab wounds from their makeshift shivs upon their necks.

   After obtaining a new weapon in the form of a bow and arrow, Ellie and Danielle headed off once more, delving deeper into the lands that were absolutely swarming with armed soldiers. Within an instant, both collapsed to the ground, their chests pressed against the asphalt as they hid away from patrolling WLF.

"Hey! Dogs picked up something down the hill. Think he's down there."

Ellie couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Oh fuck me."

   "Is he trying to get himself killed?" Danielle whispered in utter shock. It was as if Tommy was purposefully trying to draw attention to himself. The last thing she remembered was the Miller man's letter that detailed his plan on going after the WLF, not heading off on a suicide mission.

"No way! He's still up here. Just blew up one of our fucking trucks!"

"You sure?" One of the soldiers replied, a look of complete perplexity plastered across his face.

The other one let out a disgruntled sigh. "Yes, I'm fucking sure."

   Through her peripheral vision, the Linden girl could see the fading figure of Ellie who had begun sneaking up behind unsuspecting WLF and killing them. Taking this as a sign, Danielle made her way through the neighbourhood, slicing their throats right by their carotid artery so they would bleed out fast.

   "Don't say anything." Danielle muttered harshly as her knife wielding hand pressed at the soldiers next neck. The blade was tight against his skin, threatening to pierce though the barrier and open up his throat.

"Danielle, is that yo-"

   Before he could say anything more, before he could attempt to talk his way out of it or plead for his life, the medic who was driven by her will to survive, sliced across his throat. The cut was deep, almost to the bone. The feeling of the knife stabbing through flesh and muscle was enough to cause her stomach to begin churning.

   With her hands now drenched in her enemies blood, Danielle rushed to clean her in the dew covered grass, wiping away the crimson liquid to the best of her ability. Unexpected movement beside her caused the brunette to jump up, the small blade held tightly in her hand.

   "Fuck, it's me. You good?" Ellie approached the medic, her hands held up to calm the erratic girl whose breathing had started to shutter.

   Her chest burned from lack of oxygen as she lowered the weapon. Once she knew it was Ellie and not a threat, Danielle's breathing slowed down until it returned to its normal pattern. The brunette didn't trust herself to speak so she instead settled for a brief nod in response to freckled girls question.

   The scuffing of boots against the asphalt resounded throughout the quiet neighbourhood alerting the toe girls of their quickly approaching foes.

   "Fuck, run!" Ellie exclaimed to the brunette as she ran on ahead, hauling herself through a busted down wall that dropped down into a basement, Danielle following closely behind.

"They dropped in there!"

   Huge explosions began to ring out as the WLF attempted to smoke the girls out. The air became foggy, making it difficult for the two to see even two feet in front of them. The pair pushed themselves on, sprinting through the basement and attacking any soldier that challenged them. Bullets flew past their heads as they scurried up the staircase. As they rounded the corner, a pair of hands grabbed hold of Ellie, throwing her to the ground in a heap.

   "Get off of her!" Danielle cried out, the girl reaching out and grabbing hold of the soldier before yanking him off of the auburn-haired girl and stabbing him in the abdomen. The man felt to the ground, hands clutching his blood gushing abdomen, before soon passing out from blood loss.

   The two girls continued to dash through the house, their weapons gripped tightly in their hands. Seeing no other option of escape, the two swiftly jumped down from a second story window, landing hard on their feet.

   Before either could react to the patrolling car that passed by, a rogue hand made its way around Ellie's mouth, covering her lips and impeding her ability to speak. "Shh, shh."

   Danielle jumped into action, spinning round on her heel with her gun raised in the air. She was almost entirely out of bullets at this point but she was sure that there enough to shoot and kill their newest enemy. Though thankfully before she applied pressure to the trigger, her eyes scanned the man's face.

   "Jesus." Danielle exclaimed in relief at the sight of a familiar face. She was worried she was gonna have to shoot someone and capture the surrounding soldiers attention. 

A playful smirk pulled at the man's lips as he glanced over at the brunette. "It's Jesse actually."

   With a heavy sigh, the auburn-haired girl spun round on her heel, her gaze filled with confusion as she stared at her friend. She was sure she had left him behind in Jackson, so just how in the world was he standing in from of her now? "What the hell are you doing here?"

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jamielee's thoughts.
so the main man jesse is here! we love jesse in this fic! also I tried to delve deeper into ellies thoughts and feelings. I will admit, the idea of her mums letter subconsciously driving ellie is so difficult for me to explain, but it's what I personally believe. also sorry for the delay. anyway hope you enjoyed :)