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THE NIGHT HAD been generous to the two wandering survivors that had endured so much loss the day before. Not once did they wake up to the snarls of the undead. Not once did they wake up from the uncomfortable bed they were in or to the smell in the bus. Ella even dreamed of something nice for once. It was of flying sheep returning to their herd then finding a pond of water and a whole field of grass. She believed in her mind that it was a future telling of what was to come to them in the near future though it was probably nothing, just a simple dream of sheep being able to fly across the entire world.
Ella yawned, stretching her arms and legs out. She smiled to herself, feeling replenished after a long and good nights sleep. Sundown to sunrise, she hadn't managed that since before the end of the world. She sat up and took in her surroundings. There were blankets hanging on the windows to provide them shade in a way from the sunlight (it was hotter than balls on the bus because of that). She saw Brandon had not many blankets or pillows under him and not many on top of him. That was one way to stay cool for when the morning came.
She thought about their fallen home. She missed it very much. She had a lovely bed there. It was always replenishing to sleep in her cell. What she would do right now to have it all back again. . . there was most likely nothing she wouldn't do right now to go back thirty days when everyone was happy, together and alive. A lot of the people who died yesterday deserved a lot more than what they got. She knew that the Governor's people deserved everything they got for deciding to rip down the place for literally nothing.
Ella put her foot into each boot and laced them up real nicely. The blood that once smeared the ground was cleaned up, the stain was still there, but the liquid itself was gone. Brandon had really gone to work to clean this place up for them for only one night. She didn't blame him. If she wasn't so exhausted last night, she would've helped for she sometimes couldn't sleep somewhere that was a complete mess. After today, they would have to get used to the mess in places. Sometimes one couldn't clean something.
Brandon suddenly yawned, rolling on his back to wake up. He rubbed his eyes from the drowsiness he felt in the moment. Ella smiled at him, cracking her knuckles. "Good morning." she whispered over to him, running her fingers through her tangled hair before she stood up from where she previously slept.
"Good morning." he yawned back, sitting up and twisting his back to give it a little pop. "I thought I might be awake before you. You did not move an inch when I got too loud by accident. You slept like a freaking baby, dude." he chuckled lightly, stepping into the aluminum floor with his boots he left on overnight.
Ella shook her head. "I could've used a real mattress though. I would've slept even longer like you want me to."
He let out a laugh. "Touché."
Ella was suddenly reminded of everything when she caught a glimpse of her rifle. She started rubbing her legs, her fingers clutching the fabric of her jeans. "Do you think anyone else made it out?" she asked him in a small voice.
He shrugged his shoulders. He worried about Maggie, Beth, Sasha and Tyreese. "We can hope," he was silent for a moment. "I hope the Governor got what he deserves."
"Me too. I hate him for tearing ou home down." she nodded knowingly.
He went silent again. He wanted to get out a few things, things he wasn't able to before. Ella rubbed her elbows as she walked to the back of the bus very slowly, glancing at the dirty window. "When Karen and David died, I disappeared for awhile. I locked myself in my cell. I didn't move, nothing. I was in a never ending trance. I just I wish I knew who burned them. They're a sick fuck though, I was always finding dead rats along the fence buried a little out of plain sight." he returned his eyes to her. Ella turned around.
Guilt flooded her face. She knew exactly who killed Karen and David. She didn't know how he would react and she didn't know if he would attack her. She didn't know him too well other than he was Sasha and Tyreese's friend, and Maggie's boyfriend. "I know who did it," she started. He sat up. "It was Carol. She asked me to kill them with her but I told her no. I couldn't kill someone like that. I had no idea she was trying to feed the walkers though. I never said anything before because I was scared she would lie to everyone and say I did it but I was trying to frame her, then she'd frame me for it."
He sat still, trying to find the words of what to say. He rubbed the back of his head. "Thank you for telling me. Not many can hold that on their shoulders then just tell someone." he spoke, a weak smile crawling onto his face as Ella slowly nodded, her lips straight. "Even if you listened to what she had to say, you're not a terrible person for letting it happen. Stuff happens. You're not to blame, Carol is." he reminded her.
The brunette crossed her arms. "You're better than me," she stated. He furrowed his eyebrows. "After almost a year, I think? I still can't forgive Rick for killing my father. They told me to forgive and forget, but I feel like no one can understand that I loved him and nothing would ever change that. But I realized I still love Rick as the family friend turned uncle, and now he's gone and I can't tell him I love him like I used to when I was younger." she explained to him with the look of loss and pain in her brown eyes.
"He was your father. Nothing in the world can change that.," Brandon gasped. Ella swallowed down a lump in her throat, nodding in agreement. "You take your time to heal, as much time as you need. Don't listen to anyone."
"Okay." her voice squeaked.
He stood up, pulling her into his side and giving her shoulder a tight squeeze. "We should get going before the walkers from the prison find their way here or more come because of the sounds we made earlier if they haven't already," he turned and went to the back of the bus, bending over and picking up two backpacks. "I found some supplies underneath the backpacks. We can take them. I don't think the sick we're gonna use them." he shrugged.
She took the bag and slung it on her back as he did the same. "I don't really think so either. They're kind of. . . you know." she smiled.
