to the ends of the earth || ellie williams (book one)

eighteen

I emerged from the bathroom at the second knock of the door. Ellie sat on the bed with her head in her hands, her eyes pressed shut as she slowly rubbed her temples. She barely said a word to me since we got back - only asking me to come back with her so she didn't have to be alone. I complied. I didn't want to be alone either.

Assuming Ellie wasn't going to open the door, I swung it open myself to see Tommy stood on the other side with a plastic food box and a weary smile.

"Hey," He sighed, "Could I sit down, please?"

I turned to Ellie who just shrugged her shoulders, pulling herself to her feet to take a seat on the chair by the couch. Tommy made himself comfortable.

"Maria wants to make sure you're eating," He grumbled as he placed the box on the table.

"She can't stop us," Ellie remarked bluntly with folded arms.

"To have the guys that we would need... to do this smart... we'd be leaving Jackson vulnerable,"

"So they just get to get away with this?" Ellie scoffed.

"Nobody wants that,"

"Yeah, but that's what's happening,"

Tommy sighed in defeat, placing his thumb and his pointer finger on either side of his nose bridge as he took a deep breath.

"What if we get hit by hunters again?"

"Is this you talking or her?" Ellie half-yelled, "If it were you or me, Joel would be halfway to Seattle already."

"We don't know for certain that they're from Seattle,"

"'Washington Liberation Front'". That's what you said was on those patches."

"What if they stole those jackets? What if the WLF moved?"

Ellie looked to Tommy with wide eyes.

"What are you doing? You know what? I'm leaving tomorrow. And if you want to come with me, great." She scowled, "You can't talk me out of this."

"Give me a day to talk to Maria. Okay? Gotta be some folk she can spare.."

"And if she won't budge?"

"Well, I'll figure something out. One day. Please."

"Okay.." Ellie sighed.

Tommy stood up and held out his arms, wrapping her up tightly and resting his head on hers. She sobbed into his arms, her legs wobbling as she struggled to hold herself up. I excused myself to the porch, taking a seat on the steps to stare up at Joel's house.

The way Ellie talked about Joel was unlike anything I'd ever heard. He was her father but above all, he was her bestfriend. I rested my head against the wooden pillar as I reminisced on old memories Ellie would share fondly half-asleep at dusk. I could see it in her eyes how much she loved him, even when they weren't exactly talking.

"See you later, kiddo." Tommy chimed from behind me, running my shoulder soothingly as he jogged down the steps to head home.

"Tommy?"

He turned on his heels to face me.

"Just look after her, Charlotte. For me." He smiled softly before heading out the side gate.

I sighed deeply and pulled myself to my feet, heading back inside and closing the door behind me. Ellie hadn't moved from the chair. She hadn't even taken her shoes off since we got in. It was like she was just replaying the moment over and over in her head, like she couldn't wake herself from the nightmare she was experiencing.