This War of Ours
Liberated
The group stands silently on the truck, waiting for Tamin to call the shots, but he’s paralyzed, his face devoid of color. His fingers reach for something attached to his belt, he looks to Ellie and smiles softly, his love for her would always be undying, she knew that.
“Tamin, what are you doing?!” She vaults towards him but Mac grabs her by the waste, holding her in place.
He presses a button on the device attached to him then leaps into the horde of zeds. His screams echo through the still air as they bite into his soft skin. Ellie drops to her knees and reaches for his hand, but it’s nowhere in sight. Suddenly the group is thrown from the truck in a fiery explosion and up against the front of the building. Limbs from the infected fall from the sky like rain. Ellie cradles her head in pain, her brain is fuzzy and it takes a few moments to process what just happened. Tamin’s bomb activated soon after he sacrificed himself, he knew this was the end for him. Lucy and Mac help Ellie to her feet then kick in the front door and retreat to safety.
“He must’ve known the outcome of this…” Lucy drops to the floor and takes deep breaths, her mind reeling.
“We could’ve done something else...He didn’t have to die.” Ellie’s curled up in a ball, crying her eyes out.
“Look, we came here to clear out the infected, and that’s what we did. Let’s call in the others, burn the bodies, and get a fence set up.” Mac radios in the other team that’s waiting just over the hill.
“He was like family.”
“Ellie, it sucks, it does. But this is how we live now, people die.” Lucy pats her back, trying to console her.
She jumps to her feet, wiping the tears away with her coat sleeve. “You don’t know what it’s like to lose everything. My father, my brother...now Tamin.”
An engine roars outside, signaling that the others have arrived. Ellie sighs, breathes in the crisp cool air and heads outside. “Ellie, we’ll take care of everything. You should head back to Athena, take the car.”
She doesn’t hesitate. She rides back to the colony with Mac and Lucy, she doesn’t say a word all the way there, not even when Barnes gives her the handsome crooked smile when he sees her pulling through the gates. Ellie makes her way up the stairs and reaches for the doorknob, her fingers tremble, her thoughts begin to take over and consume her body. She screams at the top of her lungs and bursts through the door, her legs don’t stop, they take her all the way up to her room and launch her onto the bed where she lies there for hours, crying and listening to the storm that’s brewing outside.
“Ellie.” Mac says, opening the door a bit.
“Come in.” She sets up on the side of the bed, her face red from the rush of emotions.
“How are you?” He rests next to her, his hand on her leg.
She chuckles sarcastically. “How do you think I am?”
“Not good.” He pulls her into a tight hug, her feelings pour out into the sleeve of his shirt.
“I can’t protect the people I love, Mac.”
“Look around you, El. You’ve protected us for years now. You're 19, so young and amazing. You never cease to impress me. Now you’re running the most successful colony around.” He brushes his finger against the bottom of her chin and tries to kiss her.
“I told you no before.” She pulls away quickly and walks over to the window, looking at the rain pour. “Maybe if things were different...we could be different. But I just can’t do us, Mac.”
“If things were different?” He laughs. “It’s not going to be different, Ellie!” He balls his fists, fed up with screwing around, he swings at her. She falls to the floor, her cheek instantly fills with a large purple bruise.
He picks her up by the neck, slamming her against the wall, his hands begin to squeeze tight. Their eyes meet, she can see nothing but pure hatred that’s been held back for years.
“M-Mac.” Each gasp of air makes his grip get stronger.
Her vision starts to blur, but she catches a glimpse of two men busting through the door and pulling him off, they tackle him to the ground, tossing his hands behind his back and cuffing him. Mac thrashes around on the floor, his well kept hair now a horrid mess, his sharp blue eyes now like a wild beast. Ellie slides down the wall, hitting the floor with a thud. The world fades to black.
“Tamin, what are you doing?!” She vaults towards him but Mac grabs her by the waste, holding her in place.
He presses a button on the device attached to him then leaps into the horde of zeds. His screams echo through the still air as they bite into his soft skin. Ellie drops to her knees and reaches for his hand, but it’s nowhere in sight. Suddenly the group is thrown from the truck in a fiery explosion and up against the front of the building. Limbs from the infected fall from the sky like rain. Ellie cradles her head in pain, her brain is fuzzy and it takes a few moments to process what just happened. Tamin’s bomb activated soon after he sacrificed himself, he knew this was the end for him. Lucy and Mac help Ellie to her feet then kick in the front door and retreat to safety.
“He must’ve known the outcome of this…” Lucy drops to the floor and takes deep breaths, her mind reeling.
“We could’ve done something else...He didn’t have to die.” Ellie’s curled up in a ball, crying her eyes out.
“Look, we came here to clear out the infected, and that’s what we did. Let’s call in the others, burn the bodies, and get a fence set up.” Mac radios in the other team that’s waiting just over the hill.
“He was like family.”
“Ellie, it sucks, it does. But this is how we live now, people die.” Lucy pats her back, trying to console her.
She jumps to her feet, wiping the tears away with her coat sleeve. “You don’t know what it’s like to lose everything. My father, my brother...now Tamin.”
An engine roars outside, signaling that the others have arrived. Ellie sighs, breathes in the crisp cool air and heads outside. “Ellie, we’ll take care of everything. You should head back to Athena, take the car.”
She doesn’t hesitate. She rides back to the colony with Mac and Lucy, she doesn’t say a word all the way there, not even when Barnes gives her the handsome crooked smile when he sees her pulling through the gates. Ellie makes her way up the stairs and reaches for the doorknob, her fingers tremble, her thoughts begin to take over and consume her body. She screams at the top of her lungs and bursts through the door, her legs don’t stop, they take her all the way up to her room and launch her onto the bed where she lies there for hours, crying and listening to the storm that’s brewing outside.
“Ellie.” Mac says, opening the door a bit.
“Come in.” She sets up on the side of the bed, her face red from the rush of emotions.
“How are you?” He rests next to her, his hand on her leg.
She chuckles sarcastically. “How do you think I am?”
“Not good.” He pulls her into a tight hug, her feelings pour out into the sleeve of his shirt.
“I can’t protect the people I love, Mac.”
“Look around you, El. You’ve protected us for years now. You're 19, so young and amazing. You never cease to impress me. Now you’re running the most successful colony around.” He brushes his finger against the bottom of her chin and tries to kiss her.
“I told you no before.” She pulls away quickly and walks over to the window, looking at the rain pour. “Maybe if things were different...we could be different. But I just can’t do us, Mac.”
“If things were different?” He laughs. “It’s not going to be different, Ellie!” He balls his fists, fed up with screwing around, he swings at her. She falls to the floor, her cheek instantly fills with a large purple bruise.
He picks her up by the neck, slamming her against the wall, his hands begin to squeeze tight. Their eyes meet, she can see nothing but pure hatred that’s been held back for years.
“M-Mac.” Each gasp of air makes his grip get stronger.
Her vision starts to blur, but she catches a glimpse of two men busting through the door and pulling him off, they tackle him to the ground, tossing his hands behind his back and cuffing him. Mac thrashes around on the floor, his well kept hair now a horrid mess, his sharp blue eyes now like a wild beast. Ellie slides down the wall, hitting the floor with a thud. The world fades to black.