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

twenty one

After tackling the courthouse, eventually finding gas and entering the 'Fuck FEDRA' gate, Ellie and I found ourselves in the lobby of the Serevena Hotel. It was dark inside and eerily quiet - as if nobody had been there for a while. The only thing that indicated anybody had been there in the past few hours was the fresh blood smeared across the floor and the flock of infected we tackled upon entry.

Ellie and I remained cautious as we searched the building, travelling up the levels and scavenging whatever supplies we could find from the raided rooms with still no sign of anybody.

"Charlotte! Get out here!" Ellie called from the corridor.

She rested her hand against a pulled door, turning to me with a suspicious expression as she pushed it open slightly. The light reflecting through the curtains bathed the room in a pinkish glow. The atmospheric in the air was hot and sticky.

My attention was drawn to the corpse tied to a chair in the middle of the room. His face was bloodied and beaten, his body limp and flaccid. Ellie grabbed his head to look at his face, studying him for a few seconds before having a subtle moment of realisation.

"Tommy did this," She affirmed, "This is one of the ones who killed Joel."

"There's another one over here..." I winced, kicking the man on the floor gently with the tip of my boot to see if he'd move.

My suspicions were confirmed when he remained still and pliable.

"He was using them against eachother," Ellie began, "Joel told me about this. You ask this guy a question, but you don't make him say it... you make him write it down. Then you ask this guy. And if the facts match, they're telling the truth. If not..."

"I get the idea," I sighed, tucking my gun into its holster and taking a seat to regain my breath on the bed, "This just happened, Els. He can't be far off."

"Yeah," She nodded in agreement, "So let's not wait around."

She held out her hand, pulling me up and setting off out the window. We used a ladder to travel down the side of the building, reuniting Shimmer who was happily chomping on some grass beside the building. I climbed on behind Ellie and wrapped my arms around her as we began to head forward.

"I think we should find shelter and set up camp. Maybe somewhere high up so that we can scope out the area," I suggested.

"Yeah, I like that idea. Preferably one with no infected... or WLF."

"Wolves," I muttered.

Ellie rolled her eyes before scoffing a nonchalant, "Whatever," under her breath.

Suddenly there was a loud explosion, sending Ellie and I flying off of Shimmer and hitting the floor with a loud thud. I winced as my head smacked the gravel. My ears rung deafeningly as my vision blurred.

"Charlotte! Get out of here!" Ellie screamed causing me to scramble for my gun and take off into a nearby building.

I slammed the door behind me, jumping as I heard a gunshot outside. I collapsed to my knees, screaming in terror as the loud noise echoed through the city. The doors burst open causing me to drag myself to my feet, sprinting up the stairs of the building with my gun in my hand.

"You're not gettin' out of here alive, little girl!" A man yelled from one of the lower levels.

I ducked into a nearby room, softly closing the door behind me and barricading it with the couch in the corner. I desperately searched the room for a way out, rushing to the window to pull it with all my strength to no avail. I punched it repeatedly with my fist until I was bleeding and the glass had sprayed all over the floor, alerting the men to my presence.

I hooked my leg over the window ledge and climbed out, watching as the attackers loaded Ellie into the back of a van and began to drive off. I couldn't lose them. I took a deep breath, waiting behind the window until I heard my search party burst through the door of the room I was in. I climbed back in quietly, hiding behind the marble island table as three men began to search the room.

I snuck up behind the first one, driving my knife into his throat causing him to splutter as I lowered him to the floor with ease. I placed a trap mine in the doorway, setting it up carefully as I crawled to the other side of the apartment.

"We'll find you!" A woman shouted, "You better come out now."

"Okay..." I began, "You've got me."

I rose to my feet and held my hands up in surrender.

The man and the woman instantly spun to face me, holding their guns to me as they slowly and cautiously approached.

"Just one thing... mind your step."

A loud explosion echoed through the decaying building as the trap mine blew the pair of them into tiny pieces. I shielded my face with my arm as I felt blood splatter up my jacket and leg, grinning at my victory and heading down to the second vehicle parked at the site of the original hit.

I climbed in the drivers seat, bringing up the handbrake and putting my foot down. The wheels skidded against the gravel, dispersing rocks through the grass as I jetted off. I followed the direction of the car that'd taken Ellie, swerving when my front window was shot in causing class to fly around the front seat. I winced as a shard scraped my lip, wiping the warm blood with the back of my hand.

A man in the familiar WLF branded jackets hung out the window, his gun pointed directly at the car as he shot sporadically. I yelled in frustration when I felt the front tire burst, watching as they sped off ahead of me leaving me in their dust.

I climbed out of the car, inspecting the popped tire before swearing quietly under my breath. I leant against the vehicle, shaking my head as I ran my fingers through my hair. I took a few moments to regain my breath before following the tire marks in the road.

Eventually, I reached a large building labelled Eastbrook Elementary. The building itself was like the rest in the city, decaying, barren, ransacked. I crouched behind the wall, watching as groups travelled in and out in large vehicles, heavily armed with weapons.

I sat against the cool brick wall, breathing deeply as I shook my head and struggled to devise a plan. Finally, a ladder up the side of the building caught my eye. But I'd have to get through the courtyard first and I had a feeling that was easier said than done.