"Singularity" Chapter 7: "Seeing Red" [7/49] Part 1
Yes, LJ, I KNOW this really should have been two chapters. But I wanted it all in one, okay? Sheesh.
Title: "Singularity" Chapter 7: "Seeing Red" [7/49]
Fandom: The Last of Us (first game only)
Characters: Ellie, Joel, Tommy, Maria, OCs
Pairings: Joel/Ellie
Word Count for this chapter: 13,517 for both parts
Rating (for fic as a whole): R
Author's Note: The location depicted in this chapter is more "inspired by" the real place mentioned. Although I've kept its history, and it does happen to be an abandoned army base located in the Monterey area, this fictionalized version is farther inland, and I've taken some liberties with the layout and such. (...the Spider-man thing though is TOTALLY real. And the wall art! I just moved it)
Warnings: Underage. Warning for this chapter: I don't want to spoil anything but I feel I need to mention that there is a scene in this chapter that might be upsetting or triggering for some readers. If you need more info before reading, please let me know -- I am happy to spoil on an individual basis at whatever level of detail is necessary. Then if you decide you'd rather skip that part altogether, I can advise you where to stop reading.
~
If Ellie thought she was nervous before...
It's stupid to be this anxious, she tried to tell herself. You've faced hordes of Infected and hunters... and NOT always with Joel nearby. You've taken care of plenty by yourself. These soldiers are friendly to us, and no one's killing anyone... everything is VOLUNTARY...
But then, Parker had kind of assumed at first that her agreeing to go with him meant she was... well... volunteering. Would the interested soldier feel the same way? But he doesn't know I'm coming, so it's not like I'm disappointing him or something. What the fuck am I even going to say to him? I want to find out what this... 'trade' situation really is... I want someone's view besides Parker's cuz he might be blinded by love. Can I just like... interview the guy? Will he be willing to answer my questions? If he's not, how far would I be willing to go to make him more receptive to--
--Okay, so that wasn't even a real question. The answer was not far at all, as in: NOWHERE. If she didn't have Joel, would it make any difference? That was a better question... but she still felt like she wouldn't do anything even slightly whore-y, no matter what. She remembered what Parker had told her about Caleb's behavior, in the beginning... how he'd been all about making Parker want to keep coming back for more. That was the approach she had to take with this dude. Hi, I'm Ellie, and I'm thinking about possibly fucking you, but you have to convince me first. ...except perhaps not quite that direct. And she had to hide her revulsion at the thought of fucking anyone besides Joel, or it would never work.
"There it is," Parker announced. "Fort Ord. I turn the light off right about here so I don't accidentally shine it in someone's window... some of these guys are light sleepers. And anyways there's lights on, see, so we don't need ours."
That was about all Ellie could see from this distance. Shifting in her seat or leaning out to expand her limited view didn't help, because it was fucking dark. "Wait, are we waking these guys up?"
"Um... maybe? Caleb's usually awake when I get here... like we don't have a schedule or anything, but if I get there before midnight... your guy, though, I dunno."
"He's not my guy," Ellie replied reflexively -- and she wondered why they didn't just have a schedule. Maybe that makes it seem too whore-y?
"Well, I don't know who it is or I'd use his name, okay? You know, Caleb prob'ly wouldn't mind if you got baked with us first. That might help you if--"
"You're getting high?"
"Remember, I said--"
"Yeah I know but like... I didn't think you'd do that this time. With me here."
Parker chuckled. "Don't tell me you care. At campfire, you don't seem to mind all the--"
"That's different! And, if you'll remember, me and Joel never do it." And she did mind, somewhat: the shit reeked! She'd gotten used to it, but still. How much worse would it be in an enclosed space?
"So... now's your chance? Without Joel around."
Ellie snorted. "That's actually the opposite of when I would."
"Huh?"
"He would look out for me," she explained. "Being high is kind of dangerous Outside, dude."
"We're not Outside -- we're at a fucking military outpost. There's like... at least ten or twelve soldiers around. More if they're doing training -- they bring people in for that. Over that way... you can't really see it now cuz there's no lights over there... but they have this cool fake city where they do drills and stuff."
Ellie didn't even bother looking for it in the dark. "A fake city?"
"Yeah. It looks real in some ways but when you get up close you can see it's just a bunch of plain gray building shells. And they have shooting ranges -- but you know about those already cuz if you go out far enough when you're hunting, you can hear them. Caleb gave me a tour of the place once. When I was here in the daytime."
Ellie could see rows of plain-looking rectangular buildings ahead... with bright porch lights illuminating only three of them. And not three in a row -- the lit ones had dark ones in between. They all appeared to be two-story structures. It certainly looked like there were more than a dozen men living here... because really, couldn't they all fit into one of those long buildings? Even if they did have extra guys there for training? Maybe they use different ones for different things... She wanted a tour herself, but working that into the agenda might be difficult, this late at night. Hey, wait a minute-- "I thought you said you only come here at night."
"Yeah... it was a mistake. To show up here in the daytime. Caleb was working. I thought I'd surprise him, but..."
"He didn't like the surprise," Ellie surmised.
"It was my fault. He was on duty, and... I'm more like a secret boyfriend?"
Well, Joel is MY secret boyfriend -- when we're in Jackson, anyway -- and he never seems annoyed when I show up somewhere unexpected! ...ASIDE FROM THAT ONE TIME! But that one was too stupid to count. "Was he at least happy to see you?"
"Yeah. He just told me not to do it again."
Asshole. But Ellie didn't want to make Parker even more defensive... and she supposed it was possible she was being too judgmental -- again. "So... why would they train people here when there's a zillion abandoned cities? And shooting... you really don't need a range to learn that."
"It's actually a really old base," Parker replied. "It was abandoned in nineteen-ninety-something... so the fake city was built before the Cordyceps changed everything. Back when cities all had people living in them and stuff. They designed it specifically so they could do different types of scenarios... you'd have to see it in the daytime. Maybe we can come back. Joel could come, too."
Oh yeah, sure... Joel absolutely fucking hated soldiers. He'd probably be twitching with the urge to kill every single one he saw, even though these were friendlies. "Maybe we will," she lied. "So this was a legit base, back in olden times? It doesn't look like what I would expect."
"We're coming in the back way," Parker explained. "It's closer to the barracks. The front part looks more fancy. But they fenced off this whole area here... to right over there... you can't really see it in the dark... and this gate is really the front now. The training areas are outside of it. -You can stay on, I'll just be a sec." He dismounted and approached the aforementioned gate. "There's a little trick to it... this thing in the ground, see? Er... you can't see it, really, you have to feel for it."
Ellie didn't need to see what he was doing; if she decided she needed to come back, it would probably be with Joel (because this reconnaissance work was really the only thing she couldn't include him in!), and she was confident that they could figure it out. If everything was cool, this would be her only trip. "So you don't have to have a key or anything. You just... walk right in?"
"Yeah. It looks locked -- see the padlock there? But the chain slides right out. And you have to know about the pin thing in the ground. Besides, people would have to be pretty stupid to try to break into a place that has so many armed men, don't you think? And Infected can't bust through these fences."
The chainlink fences did look more formidable than most. Joel wouldn't like that gate, though... "You'd think they would at least lock it up for reals at night."
"They're prob'ly supposed to. But then how would we get in?" Parker swung the gate wide, led the horse and Ellie through it, then closed it behind them, taking care to replace the just-for-looks chain and the pin in the ground. It was way easier than leaving Golden Sands had been, what with having to get the horse through the gate, then lock the gate and sneak around to the secret exit below the main floor, then come back up the driveway on the hill to the front gate to get the horse. That had been nerve-wracking, as the gate wasn't the quietest of things... why didn't I think of that when I asked Joel to open the window? Hopefully she'd fucked him into sweet oblivion. Anyway, when she'd asked if anyone ever just went out via the gate and left it open so they could get back in the regular way, he'd said it was made very clear to him that they were never to do that. "You have to swear you'll never do it either," he'd told her. As if she'd be making regular return trips.
It still seemed odd to her that the soldiers would be so cavalier about the unlocked gate. "Shouldn't someone at least stand guard, then?" she asked, and oh my God I fucking sound like JOEL.
"What for? There's never anyone around. Don't worry -- you're totally safe here," he assured her as he remounted the horse.
...Or tried to assure her; Ellie didn't feel safe at all. Because I'm too reliant on Joel now, I guess?! And actually, she should be glad as fuck that there wasn't a guard -- he would probably want to scan her! She should've thought of that before and asked Parker about the security over here. Lucky for me, security doesn't seem to be a big concern! "So no one ever... thinks you're an intruder and starts shooting or something?" she asked warily.
"Never."
"But you said some of them are light sleepers..."
"Maybe they wake up? I dunno. But no one's ever shot at me here. Ever. I think... they just know. You know?"
If they all KNOW, then it's not much of a secret, is it?! Ellie thought, but she kept that to herself. Parker hitched the horse to a tree and started walking towards the barracks -- one of the three with lights on. It looked like there were rows and rows of dark ones, going far beyond what the lights could show. She could make out some vehicles nearby: a jeepish/tank thing... a regular jeep... no helicopter, though! Didn't Keith say they had a helicopter? "So... do you just walk right in the door, too?" she asked, falling in step beside him. They were approaching what appeared to be the back door of one of the buildings.
"Almost. You have to know where the key is. Unless you have one of your own, like I do. Caleb gave it to me."
Ellie thought he sounded quite proud of that gift. "Okay, cool. Hey... can you wait a sec?" she touched his arm to stop him from ascending the 'deck' stairs (although the deck was barely large enough for both of them to stand on). "Can you not get high tonight? Please?"
He looked at her -- and now they could see each other, thanks to the bright light coming from the wall lamp next to the door. "What are you afraid of? It'll wear off by the time we leave. Not that there's ever anyone around. Don't worry, okay?"
Ellie frowned. "It's not just that. It's..." ...fuck, I don't even know what I expect from him... I DID tell him I wouldn't interfere with him and Caleb, if I want to leave earlier than he does... which OF COURSE I'LL FUCKING WANT TO...
"It's what?" he prompted.
"Nothing. If I don't like this guy, where do you want me to wait for you?"
"Maybe you will like him. Give him a chance."
"But if I don't." Even if she didn't hate the dude, she couldn't imagine spending the next two or three hours with him.
"Um... I guess you can come get me in Caleb's room?"
But that seemed rude. "I told you I wouldn't bug you guys. I was thinking I'd just wait somewhere. With the horse, maybe?" She didn't like the thought of hanging out inside the building with a bunch of possibly-douchey soldiers -- soldiers who would wonder what she was doing there, naturally, and then probably jump to the wrong conclusion.
"You don't have to do that. There's lots of empty rooms in here. Some still have beds in them. We'll pick one, and if you come back to Caleb's room and I'm... still busy? Then you can wait there."
Ellie snickered. "So you want me to listen at the door and see if I can tell if you guys are still fucking, and if--"
"You can just knock," he laughed.
Maybe that wouldn't be so bad; she could take a little nap to pass the time. The chilly night air and the anxiety/adrenaline/whatever was making her feel wide awake at the moment, but she was used to going to sleep early now -- and Joel isn't the only one who gets worn out from long lovemaking sessions! -- so she would probably crash hard as soon as her mission was over.
"Okay." She smiled a little. "Maybe he won't like me."
Parker rolled his eyes. "Yeah right. He'll like you. C'mon, let's go in."
How does he know that?! Ellie wanted to keep stalling, but she forced herself to follow Parker up to the door.
"Just be quiet in there," he warned her. "Some of the guys are still up."
Shouldn't we be quiet for the ones who are already asleep, though? "What, we have to sneak around them?"
"Not... exactly? We just don't wanna startle anyone." He fiddled with the key in the doorknob on the screen door. "I've been stopped in the halls before."
"...What did you do?"
"I told them the truth -- that I was visiting someone."
That's it? "And they just... let you go?"
"Yeah but they watched where I went... they saw me go to Caleb's room. He says it's a secret, but I know some of them know." He unlocked the inside door.
"All they did was watch you? Fuck -- you could've gone in there to kill him or something," Ellie pointed out.
He turned around. "Oh, didn't I tell you? No weapons. They're not allowed to have any in their rooms. I'll show you where we put ours, just inside here... don't worry, no one will take it or anything... and actually, you're wearing something under that sweatshirt, right? You should take it off -- the sweatshirt. Like I take off my hoodie and leave it with the gun."
"Uh... okay... why are we doing this?" The weapons part was understandable.
"Too easy to hide a weapon under it. And I don't think you wanna get frisked in the hallway."
Oh hell no she didn't. "Well... I could hide a gun under my T-shirts, too, you know."
"Not really. You can see it. The outline of it."
"So... I take my sweatshirt off, they don't touch me. Cuz they can just look."
"Right. Your clothes are tight enough."
That's stupid -- I could sneak in something very FLAT! And she fully intended to. "They've never touched you? -Frisked you?"
"Nope."
She supposed it fit with the unlocked gate thing; the soldiers clearly weren't concerned about people trying to break in for whatever reason. Maybe because, like Parker had said earlier, they assumed that a person would have to be pretty fucking stupid to mess with them. The ironic thing was... from the looks of things, maybe it wouldn't be so stupid?! No locks, no guards, no guns in their rooms... well, Parker did have a key for the back doors, though. And she just noticed something mounted near the light-- "What's that? Is that like..."
"A security camera, yeah."
There was a little red light blinking on it continuously. "So it's taking our picture right now?"
"I think so? There's a room with screens where they can see all the cameras -- all their pictures -- at once. But Caleb said they don't really look at them much. Like I said--"
"There's no one out here," Ellie recited. "Okay... any other rules I need to know about?"
"Don't think so. You ready?"
NO! "Yep."
She followed Parker into the hall. He closed and locked both doors behind her, and she took a look around. They were basically in a tiny entrance room -- a foyer?... except that sounded fancy, and the room was plain as fuck -- with a long hallway attached. Dingy white walls everywhere, brightly lit by bald light bulbs on the ceiling. Maybe she just wasn't used to seeing electricity anymore, but it felt even harsher than that porch light -- bright nearly to the point of being blinding. Like a flashlight! She heard indistinct male voices down the hall...
"Over here," Parker said softly, directing her to a sort of alcove with cubbyholes. He pulled his hoodie off, wrapped it around his pistol, and shoved it into one of the cubbies.
Ellie followed suit, pushing her sweatshirt-wrapped gun in front of Parker's and thanking God that she'd had the foresight to wear three layers (the bottom layer was long-sleeved to hide her bite marks, and she obviously had no intention of taking it off anyway!). There were garments in other cubbyholes... do I recognize any of them? She hadn't seen another horse outside, though... maybe they park them in different places? This building is LONG... maybe some of the guys were in one of those other two lit ones... or maybe people walk? I guess it wasn't all that far... wouldn't it make more sense to communicate with each other and horsepool? We don't have that many horses -- what if everyone decided to come on the same night? Fuck all the secrecy!
She realized Parker was watching her. Waiting for her. She forced another smile. "Okay. Next?"
"The stairwell is through here. And um... I'll tell Caleb to bring the guy to his room first. That way... if he's..."
...A huge sleazeball? Ellie wasn't too worried about that -- especially since she had her switchblade in her pocket. And her jeans were just loose enough that it wasn't obvious. No way was I gonna wear anything sexy here! -like those shorts Joel loved so much. They should frisk EVERYone, really... but I guess most people who make it this far in are just harmless whores-- er, beach people. Maybe the soldiers have been told not to mess with them... not to make their visit unpleasant in any way? So they keep coming back?
"Okay, that's cool," she said, because it seemed like Parker was waiting for her to acknowledge that she understood what he'd left unsaid.
"I'm sure it'll be fine," Parker said reassuringly (...did she look worried?). "But... just in case. If you feel uncomfortable, we can just leave. I won't be pissed."
The not-being-pissed part was probably a lie, but it was a sweet offer, nonetheless. "That's nice, really, but I am gonna be uncomfortable. This is so... weird to me. If I'm like... freaking-out-uncomfortable? Then... don't worry, you'll know."
"I was nervous the first time, too. I'm sure he'll understand. C'mon."
Ellie hated that Parker still thought she might actually have sex with this dude! But she couldn't very well say "Fuck that -- I'm just scoping out the battleground, maybe seeing how to blow things up from the inside." Which... wasn't even what she was doing? Hopefully? She wanted to get a good vibe from all this.
Parker led her up the stairs, pointing out the graffiti in the stairwell, most of which dated back to "before" -- the nineteen hundreds. Ancient history (though if the place had closed in the nineteen nineties, at least Joel was alive then). "Caleb's room is totally easy to find -- there's actual art painted on the wall in front of it. Not just like these lame scribblings here." He opened the door to the second floor...
...and Ellie saw red. Literally! "Whoa..."
"Oh yeah -- the hall light on this end is really cool, right?" Parker said, noting her awe. He held the door open for her and she brushed by him. "It's just a regular light bulb, except red."
"Huh. Like a night light, but bigger. Cool." YES! -- the hallway is clear...
"Down here." Parker led the way --
--and then a door opened, which made him halt in his tracks. Ellie nearly bumped into him.
The guy who came out of the room barely glanced at them. He went right on by to the stairwell they had just emerged from... with some kind of tote bag slung over his shoulder. Ellie waited until he was gone before speaking. "I totally could've kept my sweatshirt on," she hissed (although she was actually comfortably warm without it -- the building clearly had some kind of heating system!). "He didn't even look at us! Do you know him?"
"Um... maybe I've seen him around? I think they're playing poker downstairs. Sounded like it, anyway."
"Oh! I know how to play poker!" she exclaimed, loud enough to earn a shushing sound from Parker. "Sorry. But I do, so maybe I could go do that while I wait for you? Do you think they'd deal me in?"
"I have no idea. Caleb never plays... so I never have, either."
Ellie felt a pang of homesickness. She'd been the youngest poker player in the last tournament back in Jackson. She hadn't fared very well, unfortunately, but at least she had earned the opportunity to play in it! Joel did better. He made the final table. Got beat by a fucking straight. Hey, maybe me and Joel can come play poker here! That would be so fun!
...Except Joel would never do it. She could see him scowling at the soldiers already, and she felt irritated with him for ruining the fun -- as if he had actually spoiled something real, not just a fantasy.
"I guess you could try?" Parker continued, leading her past another hallway branching off to their right. "If you don't mind... uh... hinting at why you're here. Or you could make up something different, I guess."
Oh. RIGHT. "Okay, yeah, let's stick to the spare room thing."
Parker gestured to his left. "Like this one. Empty. That good?"
"Sure." Ellie looked for a marker of some kind to remember the spot... and figured the graffiti on the wall right there depicting a man's face with the word 'fuck' for a mustache was distinctive enough. She probably wouldn't need any help remembering, however, because it turned out that Caleb's was the next room over, just on the opposite side of the hall.
"Here we are. See the picture?"
Ellie studied the markings while Parker rapped on the door (in a pattern that must have been his special code -- how fucking cute). Then he opened it without waiting for an answer or invitation and greeted the room's occupant. "Hiiiiii..."
She wasn't sure if she should follow him in or give them a few moments alone, so she just stayed in the hallway and admired the art -- and it was art, in this instance, even if it was graffiti. Someone had painted a pretty sick skull with a pirate hat... and eagle wings? It had comic-book-level detail. So cool!
"Ellie... come in here. Meet Caleb."
She turned and saw blue this time. It's like a fucking rainbow up in here... She hesitantly stepped into the room. The light was coming from a funky-looking desk lamp on the little table beside his bed -- a bunk bed, not unlike what she used to sleep in at school (if a bit bigger). It seemed darker in this room than in the hallway, but maybe that was her imagination.
"Hey, Ellie." A man moved toward her with his hand outstretched.
Surprised at the polite gesture, it took her a moment to reach out and shake it. "Hi, Caleb. Nice to meet you." ...Now do you mind coming downstairs so I can judge you in decent lighting? Not that the room didn't look super cool, bathed in blue...
"Sorry, there's really nowhere to park in here besides the bed. Have a seat." He stepped aside, away from the bed. Parker was sitting on the edge of it, already busy lighting a joint he'd produced from... who the fuck knows where.
"Uh... thanks, but I'll stand." She frowned at Parker; she really wished he would lay off the weed tonight, but since she hadn't actually exacted a promise from him not to, she supposed she had no right to be annoyed.
"Sure you don't want some, Ellie?" he offered, rolling onto his back nearly up against the wall. Well out of her reach -- like he already knew she was going to refuse. "I'm telling you, it really helps."
"I'm good." She turned to Caleb. Now that he wasn't standing in front of the light, she could see him a little better. Relatively clean-shaven, tall (taller than Joel, anyway)... hair of indeterminate color (she doubted it was actually blue), cut very short... a nice-looking face. Very full lips. I bet it was easy for him to seduce Caleb with those wrapped around his-- AAAAHHH FUCK, don't get images like that in your head, Ellie! A more G-rated thought: it's a shame those lips are wasted on a guy who doesn't like kissing. She felt herself blushing furiously (...okay so FUCK being in good lighting!). "I don't know if Parker told you, but I'm not... I mean, I don't know if I want to... um..."
"You're not sold. Yeah, he just told me before you came in." Caleb jammed his hands in the pockets of his pants, which looked like jammy pants (or sweats?), and kind of rolled his feet back and forth from ball to heel. "I get it. You don't have to do anything you don't want to, okay? Shell is... he's all right. Kinda quiet."
Ellie wasn't sure what quiet had to do with being decent or nice or not-gross... and why does Caleb seem so like... JITTERY? "Did you say Shell? Is that short for... Sheldon?"
"Shelby, actually. And yes, it's usually a girl name," Caleb snickered, relaxing his feet finally.
She couldn't recall ever hearing that name for a girl or a boy, actually. Shelby... I like it. It's pretty! No one with such a pretty name could possibly be a dickwad, right?
"I think he's at the game downstairs," Caleb continued. "Hang tight, I'll go get him."
"No no, don't interrupt his game!" Ellie cried. She stopped short of asking if the three of them could just chill together without involving her 'date' for the evening.
"It should be ending soon. I doubt he's actually still in the game... even if he is, I know he'd forfeit to come up here and meet you."
Ellie backed up into the doorway to block Caleb from leaving. "But... I was hoping I could ask you some questions first?" Now that we're here, why don't I just ask Caleb all my questions? I don't even need to meet this dude! Parker was totally expecting me to chicken out anyway!
"Like...?" asked Caleb.
She wished he didn't seem annoyed. "Like... uh... how does this even work? He just... decided he wants someone young and like... put in some kind of request?" She was imagining the maintenance request box in Jackson.
"Request? ...I guess you could think of it like that. I dunno -- you can ask him what his thought process is when he gets up here. Okay? Just relax... take a hit off Parker... don't worry." Caleb nudged her toward Parker -- toward the bed. "Yo, save some of that for me, will you?"
He just wants to go and get back up here ASAP to get high with Parker, Ellie realized. It was just as well; she needed a broader sampling to judge the operation as a whole, didn't she? "Okay, I'll just... I'm not smoking that shit, though."
"Dude, you really should," Parker drawled. "It's awesome."
"Dude," she mimicked, "I'd rather keep my wits about me. So now that you know the name of my secret admirer... do you know this Shelby person?" They were alone now. She perched on the edge of the bed, pivoting a little to look at Parker.
He was almost entirely obscured by the shadow from the top bunk, though. "Like... I've heard Caleb mention him, I think? I assumed Shell was a last name. I mean... Shelby? Seriously?"
"I think it's a pretty name."
"...Yeah, okay. Maybe he's a pretty guy. Hey -- what did you think of Caleb? Pretty hot, huh?" He poked her playfully with his socked foot (and she hadn't even noticed him ditching his shoes... ?).
"I guess," Ellie shrugged.
"C'mon, I won't tell Joel if you say he's hot. Promise."
"You better not tell Joel about any of this! You said--"
"I knowww -- chill! I mean like... if you wanna admit Caleb is smokin', I won't tell Joel you said so. Shit."
"You're the one who's smoking, genius. Aren't you supposed to save some of that for your boyfriend?"
Parker snorted, then erupted in a fit of... giggles, she supposed she'd call them?! "Smoking -- ha! You are funny. FUNN. NEEE. Funny."
And you are NOT... you just sound stupid! she told him in her head. That shit kicked in fast!
She idly wondered, not for the first time, if Joel would sound like this if he were high. She might have to try harder to convince him to do it for amusement purposes only, because she couldn't even imagine him going all stupid and stoner-like, or fucking giggling. Ha! That would be--
STOP IT. Don't think about Joel right now... you should be concentrating on YOUR MISSION! She was glad she wasn't counting on Parker to look out for her with this Shelby dude. And she figured Caleb would be equally useless soon.
"Make him wooooork for it," Parker advised.
"What?"
"This dude. Make him give you stuff first. Or make him, like... get you off without fucking. You're the one in control. You have what he wants."
Ellie sighed. "Just shut up, okay? I'm not gonna-- --Maybe I'll just talk to him."
"Whatever."
But Parker did shut up, seemingly content to just lay back and get high...er. The unique stench of the marijuana was making her nauseous in a way that it didn't at the beach. Maybe because they were indoors, in a pretty small room. Maybe because her stomach was already all twisty from the dread of having to--
What am I even doing? Why the FUCK did I come here? I should just tell Parker I want to go NOW. He might hate me... and Caleb would certainly hate me... fuck -- Shelby would hate me without even meeting me... but I wouldn't have to feel like this anymore. I could go climb back into bed with Joel like nothing happened...
She hadn't quite made up her mind yet though when she heard footsteps in the hall. Too late to be a dick now! Caleb entered the room first. "Ellie, Shelby."
"Their names sound amaaaazing together!" Parker observed... even though they totally didn't!
It was a few beats before the man actually walked in... like he was reluctant, too?! Caleb practically dove for the bed, which made Ellie rise automatically to get out of his way. She couldn't even look at the guy by the door. Couldn't make herself smile at him or anything.
"Ellie... hello," said the man. Shelby. "Thanks for coming."
He has a nice-enough-sounding voice, I guess? But she still couldn't fucking look at him! She couldn't look at Parker, either, because she heard murmuring over there... clothes rustling... are they getting naked while I'm standing right here?! She sneaked a peek -- no, they weren't. But Caleb's hand was already down Parker's pants. Oh God I do NOT want to see my friend's dick, that would be SO awkward -- just remember what you're doing, Ellie. She stepped toward Shelby. I'm close enough that he could reach over and touch me... is he going to? If he grabs me right here, it's the perfect excuse for me to just--
"What say we give these two a little privacy, hm?" said Shelby... and he didn't touch her. In fact, he moved away from her, back into the doorway.
So much for the four of them hanging out talking! "Um, I don't know... what he told you," Ellie muttered to her feet.
"You're shy. I don't mind."
I'm not SHY! Fuck-- "I just wanna talk first." ...FIRST?! "I mean -- I just wanna talk."
"Sure, sure -- no problem. Right this way..." He disappeared, and Ellie could look up again.
"Are you right next door?" she called to him.
"Yep. Just down the hall."
...So, NOT right next door... She looked back at the bed warily. Both boys were like... giddy? A little giggly? Caleb was lighting another joint, and Parker was--
She looked away before she could get an unwanted eyeful. And yes, they both seem like boys now... younger than me... is Caleb really twenty-eight?! Maybe she was just so spoiled by Joel's maturity that everyone younger than him seemed young as fuck. One thing she knew for sure: Parker was definitely enjoying himself. More than she'd ever seen. He was like a different person from the one that skulked around the beach -- and she'd even seen him get high there at times. He really does LIGHT UP around Caleb... ha! I'm so punny! They certainly looked more like true boyfriends than dude-and-prostitute.
"You comin', honey?"
Ellie mentally cringed at the term of endearment. Shouldn't those be earned? But then... hadn't Jan started calling her 'honey' the day they met? Some people did toss them about casually, so maybe it was no big deal. Casual... that's what this is... casual sex... which I'm NOT having... but if I was, that's what it would be... how the fuck do people do it?! She forced herself to step into the hallway.
Shelby was standing in front of the awesome eagle pirate skull, patiently waiting for her. She glanced at him, still not daring to take a full look (not that the eerie red lighting would even afford her that?). He was shorter than Joel, but taller than her -- because practically everyone on the planet was taller than her. He was kind of stocky... something about him reminded her of...
...What, exactly? One of the hunters in Sacramento? But she'd never recovered full memory of that time -- only flashes. And that guy was HUGE... that's sort of all I remember... this guy's smaller, so what the fuck?... And she did not need to be thinking about that right now. "Wait... down there? Where it's all dark?" She had expected him to walk in the other direction.
"Oh, sorry... the light is out. Not sure what's wrong with it 'cause we put a new bulb in and it still won't work. Been meaning to fix it. But the light in my room works, don't you worry."
Every fiber of her being was screaming RUN! ... but... she didn't. She was braver than that. She did stay rooted to the spot, though. It occurred to her that maybe she ought to close the door to Caleb's room, but they hadn't asked her to, and... she liked the idea of it being open. Like they were still accessible to her or something.
"I can go get a flashlight, if you want," Shelby offered. "Or we can go downstairs. Lots of light down there."
"I have a flashlight." But that reminds me-- "You were playing poker downstairs, right?"
"I was. Got my rear end handed to me," he confessed with a chuckle. "But it's fun, hangin' with the boys."
Okay -- he said 'rear end' instead of 'ass,' or even 'butt'... like he's afraid of offending me or something. Because who SAYS that?! And he could've bragged about how good he is, cuz it's not like I'd ever know if he was lying? but he didn't. This guy does NOT seem like an asshole. Ellie pulled her little flashlight out of her pocket and shone it down the hall. "It's okay... we can stay up here... if you really do have a light in your room."
"I do." He took a few steps down the hall... and waited for Ellie to start following before taking a few more. He still hadn't made any move whatsoever to touch her.
And the room wasn't that far down; it was barely past the point where the red died out. Ellie half-expected to see a flood of green or something when Shelby disappeared into the room to switch on the bedside lamp... but it was a normal color, yellow and warm. The brass base of the lamp was shiny... new-looking. The room was tidy... cozy... not at all like what she imagined the lair of a pervert would look like. She went in, purposely leaving the door open. When he moved behind her to close it, she backed up into the doorway to stop him. "No! Can we leave it open?"
"We can... we just might have interruptions, that way. An open door around here is like an invitation. Closed door, no one bothers you. But I understand. I want you to feel comfortable." And he moved away... over to the bed. Because these guys apparently didn't believe in keeping chairs of any sort in their rooms -- even an overturned crate or something would work, but nope! Bunk bed, nightstand, dresser. That was it.
Loud music wafted down the hallway... from Caleb's room, she presumed. Something heavy on the bass. O...kay? So we have to be quiet as fuck on the way in, but it's totally cool to play that shit loud enough for the whole hall to hear it? As if on cue, a door slammed shut, muffling the noise a bit.
Ellie pondered the Shelby-door situation for a moment. She didn't really want anyone else to see her here; they would undoubtedly jump to the wrong conclusion, even if she and Shelby were only talking. That one guy they'd passed in the hall had seen her, but she had been with Parker, which seemed... less skanky? She didn't want any of this to somehow get back to Joel. She was the only teenage girl on the beach, so word could get around without anyone else even knowing her name... like if one of the other guys mentioned it to one of her whore neighbors...
She tested the door by closing and opening it -- okay, duh, obviously it's not gonna lock him in his bedroom from the inside -- I can still make a run for it... but she shouldn't have to. Didn't Joel just say the other day that it was normal for others not to push reluctant people into having sex? And Shelby would want her to like him -- enough to keep coming back. It's all VOLUNTARY.
She turned around and took a good look at him for the first time as he perched on the bed -- in the same spot she'd occupied on Caleb's bed. He was definitely not what came to mind when she thought of a "dirty old man" (a term Joel still stupidly used sometimes in reference to himself). For one thing, the guy looked quite young. Still old -- maybe around Caleb's age, or a little older? -- but not... well, nowhere near Joel's age. Clean-shaven (albeit stubbly) like Caleb, short brown hair, and a... rather feminine-looking nose, Ellie thought: small and round. Small mouth, too. Thin eyebrows, long eyelashes... if Shelby's really a female name, maybe his mom thought he was a girl when he popped out? Ha! He was wearing a greenish T-shirt, the graphic on the front faded. Drab-colored cargo pants. Worn-looking clothing, but clean, and not nearly as tattered as some of the stuff she herself wore. He must have kicked his shoes off while she was fussing with the door. No shoes means he's... NOT planning on chasing me if I run away? Maybe it was illogical to link that observation to anything regarding his character, but it wedged itself into her collection of "this guy's not a perv" thoughts anyway.
Shelby produced a small bottle of brown liquid from one of his pants pockets and offered it to her. "You want?"
"No thanks," she said automatically; she didn't have to ask what it was to know the correct answer to that one.
"Alright... thought maybe if you don't like weed, this might... take the edge off."
"My edges are fine," she snapped.
"Okay then. ...Hope you don't mind if I dull mine a little. Bit nervous here."
...Is he waiting for me to give him permission to drink? Another point for NOT a perv, I guess? "Whatever." And Ellie was pretty sure pervs didn't get nervous. Fuck... that's almost CUTE!
"Offer's open, if you change your mind." He took a swig, then patted the spot next to him. "Don't just stand there, now..."
"I'm not sitting on your lap," she informed him -- even though he hadn't even invited her to. Fuck, Ellie, do you have to be such a bitch to the poor guy?
"That's fine. Look, I left you all this room... you can lean back against the wall, there -- take the pillow -- I'll stay right down here." Another swig.
She kind of just wanted to sit on the floor, but that would probably prompt him to sit on the floor, and if he was gonna make a move on her, he could do it from either place, couldn't he? She might as well be comfortable. She sat on the edge of the bed as far away from him as she could... but the nightstand prevented her from utilizing the entire length of the bed to achieve that, so she followed his suggestion and leaned against the wall at the head of the bed. She curled her legs up beneath her, safely out of his reach. -A casual reach, at least, if not a lunging one. She was a little boxed in, this way, with the nightstand right there... it would be better if they both sat on the top bunk, really... ...huh, this bed is neatly made... pervs don't make their beds, do they? And he didn't even know I was coming -- he must just do it on his own. Or -- duh, army rule! Don't be STUPID--
"Aren't you gonna ask me to take my clothes off?" she challenged... bitchily. She rethought her sitting position and pulled her knees up to her chest instead. I can totally kick him in the FACE if he so much as--
"I thought you just wanted to talk." A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"I do!" she confirmed, annoyed at his amusement. Man, he's not even... maybe he doesn't WANT me to get naked? ...which is a GOOD thing... so why do I suddenly feel offended?! "I just thought you wanted... like..."
He ignored that and took another long swig. "Oh hey, I'm sorry -- didn't mean to be rude -- since you don't want any of this, do you want some water?"
"Yes please," she replied immediately, because that would make him get up and walk away from her, at least...
Except he started to move toward her -- but then seemed to think better of it. He set his bottle on the floor and walked over to a door that Ellie had assumed was a closet, but no, it led to a bathroom, she could see now. He was going to set the bottle on the nightstand, she realized. But I sort of... flinched? So then he didn't. This guy seemed to be what Joel would call 'a gentleman.'
Joel... man, he would SO kill me if he saw this right now... and he'd probably kill Shelby, who hasn't even DONE anything! Curiosity made her lean over and sniff at the clear, unlabeled bottle; it was definitely alcohol, but her nose wasn't discerning enough to know which kind. A NASTY kind, though... blech! She recoiled into her former position when she heard the water shut off; she didn't want the dude to think she was suddenly interested in drinking that shit.
She noticed he left the bathroom door open when he returned. "You don't have to close that?" she asked stupidly. WHY DID I POINT IT OUT?
He handed her a plastic tumbler. "Nah. Unless you want me to? I thought... with it open, you might feel less--"
"No, it's fine!" ...Did he just sit a WEE bit closer than before?
"It's shared with the next room over, but there's no one in there, so... yeah. You can drink that. I didn't drug it, I promise," he chuckled.
Ellie had heard him getting it straight from the tap, so she figured it was safe. It hadn't occurred to her that he might have tampered with it afterward (and she could already hear Joel lecturing her for that in her head). But wow, this guy... pointing out possible dangers I (stupidly) didn't even think of myself? Yet another point for NOT A PERV.
He leaned in a bit, like he was going to reach around her knees and take the tumbler from her. "Here, I'll prove it to you--"
"No! No, I believe you. Um, thanks." She took a sip. It was cool and refreshing, and Ellie suddenly realized how dry her throat was. She gulped down half the glass. Something caught her eye on top of the dresser across the room. "Is that... Spider-man?!" It was an action figure in an odd pose, like he had just landed, maybe? on a... pedestal-type thing. It looked like a child's toy.
"Yep. That was here before my time. Before any of us were here. Not valuable enough for anyone to run off with, I guess. This base was basically trashed... random stuff everywhere... and this little guy was just chilling in one of the bathrooms."
"He was chilling?" Ellie smirked.
Shelby smiled... and it was a nice smile, not a pervy-looking one. "Okay, you're right -- he doesn't look very chill. He looks ready to spring into action. Fitting the character, I would say. So you know Spider-Man? You read any of the comics?"
"A little, yeah... but my favorite comic is Savage Starlight. Do you know that one?"
And he fucking did! They actually chatted about Daniela and the other characters, the plot, even the artwork... for a solid five minutes or so. Ellie reverted to her less-defensive posture, with her legs tucked beneath her, as she felt increasingly more comfortable with him. She didn't even notice he'd moved closer to her...
~Continue to PART 2~
Title: "Singularity" Chapter 7: "Seeing Red" [7/49]
Fandom: The Last of Us (first game only)
Characters: Ellie, Joel, Tommy, Maria, OCs
Pairings: Joel/Ellie
Word Count for this chapter: 13,517 for both parts
Rating (for fic as a whole): R
Author's Note: The location depicted in this chapter is more "inspired by" the real place mentioned. Although I've kept its history, and it does happen to be an abandoned army base located in the Monterey area, this fictionalized version is farther inland, and I've taken some liberties with the layout and such. (...the Spider-man thing though is TOTALLY real. And the wall art! I just moved it)
Warnings: Underage. Warning for this chapter: I don't want to spoil anything but I feel I need to mention that there is a scene in this chapter that might be upsetting or triggering for some readers. If you need more info before reading, please let me know -- I am happy to spoil on an individual basis at whatever level of detail is necessary. Then if you decide you'd rather skip that part altogether, I can advise you where to stop reading.
~
If Ellie thought she was nervous before...
It's stupid to be this anxious, she tried to tell herself. You've faced hordes of Infected and hunters... and NOT always with Joel nearby. You've taken care of plenty by yourself. These soldiers are friendly to us, and no one's killing anyone... everything is VOLUNTARY...
But then, Parker had kind of assumed at first that her agreeing to go with him meant she was... well... volunteering. Would the interested soldier feel the same way? But he doesn't know I'm coming, so it's not like I'm disappointing him or something. What the fuck am I even going to say to him? I want to find out what this... 'trade' situation really is... I want someone's view besides Parker's cuz he might be blinded by love. Can I just like... interview the guy? Will he be willing to answer my questions? If he's not, how far would I be willing to go to make him more receptive to--
--Okay, so that wasn't even a real question. The answer was not far at all, as in: NOWHERE. If she didn't have Joel, would it make any difference? That was a better question... but she still felt like she wouldn't do anything even slightly whore-y, no matter what. She remembered what Parker had told her about Caleb's behavior, in the beginning... how he'd been all about making Parker want to keep coming back for more. That was the approach she had to take with this dude. Hi, I'm Ellie, and I'm thinking about possibly fucking you, but you have to convince me first. ...except perhaps not quite that direct. And she had to hide her revulsion at the thought of fucking anyone besides Joel, or it would never work.
"There it is," Parker announced. "Fort Ord. I turn the light off right about here so I don't accidentally shine it in someone's window... some of these guys are light sleepers. And anyways there's lights on, see, so we don't need ours."
That was about all Ellie could see from this distance. Shifting in her seat or leaning out to expand her limited view didn't help, because it was fucking dark. "Wait, are we waking these guys up?"
"Um... maybe? Caleb's usually awake when I get here... like we don't have a schedule or anything, but if I get there before midnight... your guy, though, I dunno."
"He's not my guy," Ellie replied reflexively -- and she wondered why they didn't just have a schedule. Maybe that makes it seem too whore-y?
"Well, I don't know who it is or I'd use his name, okay? You know, Caleb prob'ly wouldn't mind if you got baked with us first. That might help you if--"
"You're getting high?"
"Remember, I said--"
"Yeah I know but like... I didn't think you'd do that this time. With me here."
Parker chuckled. "Don't tell me you care. At campfire, you don't seem to mind all the--"
"That's different! And, if you'll remember, me and Joel never do it." And she did mind, somewhat: the shit reeked! She'd gotten used to it, but still. How much worse would it be in an enclosed space?
"So... now's your chance? Without Joel around."
Ellie snorted. "That's actually the opposite of when I would."
"Huh?"
"He would look out for me," she explained. "Being high is kind of dangerous Outside, dude."
"We're not Outside -- we're at a fucking military outpost. There's like... at least ten or twelve soldiers around. More if they're doing training -- they bring people in for that. Over that way... you can't really see it now cuz there's no lights over there... but they have this cool fake city where they do drills and stuff."
Ellie didn't even bother looking for it in the dark. "A fake city?"
"Yeah. It looks real in some ways but when you get up close you can see it's just a bunch of plain gray building shells. And they have shooting ranges -- but you know about those already cuz if you go out far enough when you're hunting, you can hear them. Caleb gave me a tour of the place once. When I was here in the daytime."
Ellie could see rows of plain-looking rectangular buildings ahead... with bright porch lights illuminating only three of them. And not three in a row -- the lit ones had dark ones in between. They all appeared to be two-story structures. It certainly looked like there were more than a dozen men living here... because really, couldn't they all fit into one of those long buildings? Even if they did have extra guys there for training? Maybe they use different ones for different things... She wanted a tour herself, but working that into the agenda might be difficult, this late at night. Hey, wait a minute-- "I thought you said you only come here at night."
"Yeah... it was a mistake. To show up here in the daytime. Caleb was working. I thought I'd surprise him, but..."
"He didn't like the surprise," Ellie surmised.
"It was my fault. He was on duty, and... I'm more like a secret boyfriend?"
Well, Joel is MY secret boyfriend -- when we're in Jackson, anyway -- and he never seems annoyed when I show up somewhere unexpected! ...ASIDE FROM THAT ONE TIME! But that one was too stupid to count. "Was he at least happy to see you?"
"Yeah. He just told me not to do it again."
Asshole. But Ellie didn't want to make Parker even more defensive... and she supposed it was possible she was being too judgmental -- again. "So... why would they train people here when there's a zillion abandoned cities? And shooting... you really don't need a range to learn that."
"It's actually a really old base," Parker replied. "It was abandoned in nineteen-ninety-something... so the fake city was built before the Cordyceps changed everything. Back when cities all had people living in them and stuff. They designed it specifically so they could do different types of scenarios... you'd have to see it in the daytime. Maybe we can come back. Joel could come, too."
Oh yeah, sure... Joel absolutely fucking hated soldiers. He'd probably be twitching with the urge to kill every single one he saw, even though these were friendlies. "Maybe we will," she lied. "So this was a legit base, back in olden times? It doesn't look like what I would expect."
"We're coming in the back way," Parker explained. "It's closer to the barracks. The front part looks more fancy. But they fenced off this whole area here... to right over there... you can't really see it in the dark... and this gate is really the front now. The training areas are outside of it. -You can stay on, I'll just be a sec." He dismounted and approached the aforementioned gate. "There's a little trick to it... this thing in the ground, see? Er... you can't see it, really, you have to feel for it."
Ellie didn't need to see what he was doing; if she decided she needed to come back, it would probably be with Joel (because this reconnaissance work was really the only thing she couldn't include him in!), and she was confident that they could figure it out. If everything was cool, this would be her only trip. "So you don't have to have a key or anything. You just... walk right in?"
"Yeah. It looks locked -- see the padlock there? But the chain slides right out. And you have to know about the pin thing in the ground. Besides, people would have to be pretty stupid to try to break into a place that has so many armed men, don't you think? And Infected can't bust through these fences."
The chainlink fences did look more formidable than most. Joel wouldn't like that gate, though... "You'd think they would at least lock it up for reals at night."
"They're prob'ly supposed to. But then how would we get in?" Parker swung the gate wide, led the horse and Ellie through it, then closed it behind them, taking care to replace the just-for-looks chain and the pin in the ground. It was way easier than leaving Golden Sands had been, what with having to get the horse through the gate, then lock the gate and sneak around to the secret exit below the main floor, then come back up the driveway on the hill to the front gate to get the horse. That had been nerve-wracking, as the gate wasn't the quietest of things... why didn't I think of that when I asked Joel to open the window? Hopefully she'd fucked him into sweet oblivion. Anyway, when she'd asked if anyone ever just went out via the gate and left it open so they could get back in the regular way, he'd said it was made very clear to him that they were never to do that. "You have to swear you'll never do it either," he'd told her. As if she'd be making regular return trips.
It still seemed odd to her that the soldiers would be so cavalier about the unlocked gate. "Shouldn't someone at least stand guard, then?" she asked, and oh my God I fucking sound like JOEL.
"What for? There's never anyone around. Don't worry -- you're totally safe here," he assured her as he remounted the horse.
...Or tried to assure her; Ellie didn't feel safe at all. Because I'm too reliant on Joel now, I guess?! And actually, she should be glad as fuck that there wasn't a guard -- he would probably want to scan her! She should've thought of that before and asked Parker about the security over here. Lucky for me, security doesn't seem to be a big concern! "So no one ever... thinks you're an intruder and starts shooting or something?" she asked warily.
"Never."
"But you said some of them are light sleepers..."
"Maybe they wake up? I dunno. But no one's ever shot at me here. Ever. I think... they just know. You know?"
If they all KNOW, then it's not much of a secret, is it?! Ellie thought, but she kept that to herself. Parker hitched the horse to a tree and started walking towards the barracks -- one of the three with lights on. It looked like there were rows and rows of dark ones, going far beyond what the lights could show. She could make out some vehicles nearby: a jeepish/tank thing... a regular jeep... no helicopter, though! Didn't Keith say they had a helicopter? "So... do you just walk right in the door, too?" she asked, falling in step beside him. They were approaching what appeared to be the back door of one of the buildings.
"Almost. You have to know where the key is. Unless you have one of your own, like I do. Caleb gave it to me."
Ellie thought he sounded quite proud of that gift. "Okay, cool. Hey... can you wait a sec?" she touched his arm to stop him from ascending the 'deck' stairs (although the deck was barely large enough for both of them to stand on). "Can you not get high tonight? Please?"
He looked at her -- and now they could see each other, thanks to the bright light coming from the wall lamp next to the door. "What are you afraid of? It'll wear off by the time we leave. Not that there's ever anyone around. Don't worry, okay?"
Ellie frowned. "It's not just that. It's..." ...fuck, I don't even know what I expect from him... I DID tell him I wouldn't interfere with him and Caleb, if I want to leave earlier than he does... which OF COURSE I'LL FUCKING WANT TO...
"It's what?" he prompted.
"Nothing. If I don't like this guy, where do you want me to wait for you?"
"Maybe you will like him. Give him a chance."
"But if I don't." Even if she didn't hate the dude, she couldn't imagine spending the next two or three hours with him.
"Um... I guess you can come get me in Caleb's room?"
But that seemed rude. "I told you I wouldn't bug you guys. I was thinking I'd just wait somewhere. With the horse, maybe?" She didn't like the thought of hanging out inside the building with a bunch of possibly-douchey soldiers -- soldiers who would wonder what she was doing there, naturally, and then probably jump to the wrong conclusion.
"You don't have to do that. There's lots of empty rooms in here. Some still have beds in them. We'll pick one, and if you come back to Caleb's room and I'm... still busy? Then you can wait there."
Ellie snickered. "So you want me to listen at the door and see if I can tell if you guys are still fucking, and if--"
"You can just knock," he laughed.
Maybe that wouldn't be so bad; she could take a little nap to pass the time. The chilly night air and the anxiety/adrenaline/whatever was making her feel wide awake at the moment, but she was used to going to sleep early now -- and Joel isn't the only one who gets worn out from long lovemaking sessions! -- so she would probably crash hard as soon as her mission was over.
"Okay." She smiled a little. "Maybe he won't like me."
Parker rolled his eyes. "Yeah right. He'll like you. C'mon, let's go in."
How does he know that?! Ellie wanted to keep stalling, but she forced herself to follow Parker up to the door.
"Just be quiet in there," he warned her. "Some of the guys are still up."
Shouldn't we be quiet for the ones who are already asleep, though? "What, we have to sneak around them?"
"Not... exactly? We just don't wanna startle anyone." He fiddled with the key in the doorknob on the screen door. "I've been stopped in the halls before."
"...What did you do?"
"I told them the truth -- that I was visiting someone."
That's it? "And they just... let you go?"
"Yeah but they watched where I went... they saw me go to Caleb's room. He says it's a secret, but I know some of them know." He unlocked the inside door.
"All they did was watch you? Fuck -- you could've gone in there to kill him or something," Ellie pointed out.
He turned around. "Oh, didn't I tell you? No weapons. They're not allowed to have any in their rooms. I'll show you where we put ours, just inside here... don't worry, no one will take it or anything... and actually, you're wearing something under that sweatshirt, right? You should take it off -- the sweatshirt. Like I take off my hoodie and leave it with the gun."
"Uh... okay... why are we doing this?" The weapons part was understandable.
"Too easy to hide a weapon under it. And I don't think you wanna get frisked in the hallway."
Oh hell no she didn't. "Well... I could hide a gun under my T-shirts, too, you know."
"Not really. You can see it. The outline of it."
"So... I take my sweatshirt off, they don't touch me. Cuz they can just look."
"Right. Your clothes are tight enough."
That's stupid -- I could sneak in something very FLAT! And she fully intended to. "They've never touched you? -Frisked you?"
"Nope."
She supposed it fit with the unlocked gate thing; the soldiers clearly weren't concerned about people trying to break in for whatever reason. Maybe because, like Parker had said earlier, they assumed that a person would have to be pretty fucking stupid to mess with them. The ironic thing was... from the looks of things, maybe it wouldn't be so stupid?! No locks, no guards, no guns in their rooms... well, Parker did have a key for the back doors, though. And she just noticed something mounted near the light-- "What's that? Is that like..."
"A security camera, yeah."
There was a little red light blinking on it continuously. "So it's taking our picture right now?"
"I think so? There's a room with screens where they can see all the cameras -- all their pictures -- at once. But Caleb said they don't really look at them much. Like I said--"
"There's no one out here," Ellie recited. "Okay... any other rules I need to know about?"
"Don't think so. You ready?"
NO! "Yep."
She followed Parker into the hall. He closed and locked both doors behind her, and she took a look around. They were basically in a tiny entrance room -- a foyer?... except that sounded fancy, and the room was plain as fuck -- with a long hallway attached. Dingy white walls everywhere, brightly lit by bald light bulbs on the ceiling. Maybe she just wasn't used to seeing electricity anymore, but it felt even harsher than that porch light -- bright nearly to the point of being blinding. Like a flashlight! She heard indistinct male voices down the hall...
"Over here," Parker said softly, directing her to a sort of alcove with cubbyholes. He pulled his hoodie off, wrapped it around his pistol, and shoved it into one of the cubbies.
Ellie followed suit, pushing her sweatshirt-wrapped gun in front of Parker's and thanking God that she'd had the foresight to wear three layers (the bottom layer was long-sleeved to hide her bite marks, and she obviously had no intention of taking it off anyway!). There were garments in other cubbyholes... do I recognize any of them? She hadn't seen another horse outside, though... maybe they park them in different places? This building is LONG... maybe some of the guys were in one of those other two lit ones... or maybe people walk? I guess it wasn't all that far... wouldn't it make more sense to communicate with each other and horsepool? We don't have that many horses -- what if everyone decided to come on the same night? Fuck all the secrecy!
She realized Parker was watching her. Waiting for her. She forced another smile. "Okay. Next?"
"The stairwell is through here. And um... I'll tell Caleb to bring the guy to his room first. That way... if he's..."
...A huge sleazeball? Ellie wasn't too worried about that -- especially since she had her switchblade in her pocket. And her jeans were just loose enough that it wasn't obvious. No way was I gonna wear anything sexy here! -like those shorts Joel loved so much. They should frisk EVERYone, really... but I guess most people who make it this far in are just harmless whores-- er, beach people. Maybe the soldiers have been told not to mess with them... not to make their visit unpleasant in any way? So they keep coming back?
"Okay, that's cool," she said, because it seemed like Parker was waiting for her to acknowledge that she understood what he'd left unsaid.
"I'm sure it'll be fine," Parker said reassuringly (...did she look worried?). "But... just in case. If you feel uncomfortable, we can just leave. I won't be pissed."
The not-being-pissed part was probably a lie, but it was a sweet offer, nonetheless. "That's nice, really, but I am gonna be uncomfortable. This is so... weird to me. If I'm like... freaking-out-uncomfortable? Then... don't worry, you'll know."
"I was nervous the first time, too. I'm sure he'll understand. C'mon."
Ellie hated that Parker still thought she might actually have sex with this dude! But she couldn't very well say "Fuck that -- I'm just scoping out the battleground, maybe seeing how to blow things up from the inside." Which... wasn't even what she was doing? Hopefully? She wanted to get a good vibe from all this.
Parker led her up the stairs, pointing out the graffiti in the stairwell, most of which dated back to "before" -- the nineteen hundreds. Ancient history (though if the place had closed in the nineteen nineties, at least Joel was alive then). "Caleb's room is totally easy to find -- there's actual art painted on the wall in front of it. Not just like these lame scribblings here." He opened the door to the second floor...
...and Ellie saw red. Literally! "Whoa..."
"Oh yeah -- the hall light on this end is really cool, right?" Parker said, noting her awe. He held the door open for her and she brushed by him. "It's just a regular light bulb, except red."
"Huh. Like a night light, but bigger. Cool." YES! -- the hallway is clear...
"Down here." Parker led the way --
--and then a door opened, which made him halt in his tracks. Ellie nearly bumped into him.
The guy who came out of the room barely glanced at them. He went right on by to the stairwell they had just emerged from... with some kind of tote bag slung over his shoulder. Ellie waited until he was gone before speaking. "I totally could've kept my sweatshirt on," she hissed (although she was actually comfortably warm without it -- the building clearly had some kind of heating system!). "He didn't even look at us! Do you know him?"
"Um... maybe I've seen him around? I think they're playing poker downstairs. Sounded like it, anyway."
"Oh! I know how to play poker!" she exclaimed, loud enough to earn a shushing sound from Parker. "Sorry. But I do, so maybe I could go do that while I wait for you? Do you think they'd deal me in?"
"I have no idea. Caleb never plays... so I never have, either."
Ellie felt a pang of homesickness. She'd been the youngest poker player in the last tournament back in Jackson. She hadn't fared very well, unfortunately, but at least she had earned the opportunity to play in it! Joel did better. He made the final table. Got beat by a fucking straight. Hey, maybe me and Joel can come play poker here! That would be so fun!
...Except Joel would never do it. She could see him scowling at the soldiers already, and she felt irritated with him for ruining the fun -- as if he had actually spoiled something real, not just a fantasy.
"I guess you could try?" Parker continued, leading her past another hallway branching off to their right. "If you don't mind... uh... hinting at why you're here. Or you could make up something different, I guess."
Oh. RIGHT. "Okay, yeah, let's stick to the spare room thing."
Parker gestured to his left. "Like this one. Empty. That good?"
"Sure." Ellie looked for a marker of some kind to remember the spot... and figured the graffiti on the wall right there depicting a man's face with the word 'fuck' for a mustache was distinctive enough. She probably wouldn't need any help remembering, however, because it turned out that Caleb's was the next room over, just on the opposite side of the hall.
"Here we are. See the picture?"
Ellie studied the markings while Parker rapped on the door (in a pattern that must have been his special code -- how fucking cute). Then he opened it without waiting for an answer or invitation and greeted the room's occupant. "Hiiiiii..."
She wasn't sure if she should follow him in or give them a few moments alone, so she just stayed in the hallway and admired the art -- and it was art, in this instance, even if it was graffiti. Someone had painted a pretty sick skull with a pirate hat... and eagle wings? It had comic-book-level detail. So cool!
"Ellie... come in here. Meet Caleb."
She turned and saw blue this time. It's like a fucking rainbow up in here... She hesitantly stepped into the room. The light was coming from a funky-looking desk lamp on the little table beside his bed -- a bunk bed, not unlike what she used to sleep in at school (if a bit bigger). It seemed darker in this room than in the hallway, but maybe that was her imagination.
"Hey, Ellie." A man moved toward her with his hand outstretched.
Surprised at the polite gesture, it took her a moment to reach out and shake it. "Hi, Caleb. Nice to meet you." ...Now do you mind coming downstairs so I can judge you in decent lighting? Not that the room didn't look super cool, bathed in blue...
"Sorry, there's really nowhere to park in here besides the bed. Have a seat." He stepped aside, away from the bed. Parker was sitting on the edge of it, already busy lighting a joint he'd produced from... who the fuck knows where.
"Uh... thanks, but I'll stand." She frowned at Parker; she really wished he would lay off the weed tonight, but since she hadn't actually exacted a promise from him not to, she supposed she had no right to be annoyed.
"Sure you don't want some, Ellie?" he offered, rolling onto his back nearly up against the wall. Well out of her reach -- like he already knew she was going to refuse. "I'm telling you, it really helps."
"I'm good." She turned to Caleb. Now that he wasn't standing in front of the light, she could see him a little better. Relatively clean-shaven, tall (taller than Joel, anyway)... hair of indeterminate color (she doubted it was actually blue), cut very short... a nice-looking face. Very full lips. I bet it was easy for him to seduce Caleb with those wrapped around his-- AAAAHHH FUCK, don't get images like that in your head, Ellie! A more G-rated thought: it's a shame those lips are wasted on a guy who doesn't like kissing. She felt herself blushing furiously (...okay so FUCK being in good lighting!). "I don't know if Parker told you, but I'm not... I mean, I don't know if I want to... um..."
"You're not sold. Yeah, he just told me before you came in." Caleb jammed his hands in the pockets of his pants, which looked like jammy pants (or sweats?), and kind of rolled his feet back and forth from ball to heel. "I get it. You don't have to do anything you don't want to, okay? Shell is... he's all right. Kinda quiet."
Ellie wasn't sure what quiet had to do with being decent or nice or not-gross... and why does Caleb seem so like... JITTERY? "Did you say Shell? Is that short for... Sheldon?"
"Shelby, actually. And yes, it's usually a girl name," Caleb snickered, relaxing his feet finally.
She couldn't recall ever hearing that name for a girl or a boy, actually. Shelby... I like it. It's pretty! No one with such a pretty name could possibly be a dickwad, right?
"I think he's at the game downstairs," Caleb continued. "Hang tight, I'll go get him."
"No no, don't interrupt his game!" Ellie cried. She stopped short of asking if the three of them could just chill together without involving her 'date' for the evening.
"It should be ending soon. I doubt he's actually still in the game... even if he is, I know he'd forfeit to come up here and meet you."
Ellie backed up into the doorway to block Caleb from leaving. "But... I was hoping I could ask you some questions first?" Now that we're here, why don't I just ask Caleb all my questions? I don't even need to meet this dude! Parker was totally expecting me to chicken out anyway!
"Like...?" asked Caleb.
She wished he didn't seem annoyed. "Like... uh... how does this even work? He just... decided he wants someone young and like... put in some kind of request?" She was imagining the maintenance request box in Jackson.
"Request? ...I guess you could think of it like that. I dunno -- you can ask him what his thought process is when he gets up here. Okay? Just relax... take a hit off Parker... don't worry." Caleb nudged her toward Parker -- toward the bed. "Yo, save some of that for me, will you?"
He just wants to go and get back up here ASAP to get high with Parker, Ellie realized. It was just as well; she needed a broader sampling to judge the operation as a whole, didn't she? "Okay, I'll just... I'm not smoking that shit, though."
"Dude, you really should," Parker drawled. "It's awesome."
"Dude," she mimicked, "I'd rather keep my wits about me. So now that you know the name of my secret admirer... do you know this Shelby person?" They were alone now. She perched on the edge of the bed, pivoting a little to look at Parker.
He was almost entirely obscured by the shadow from the top bunk, though. "Like... I've heard Caleb mention him, I think? I assumed Shell was a last name. I mean... Shelby? Seriously?"
"I think it's a pretty name."
"...Yeah, okay. Maybe he's a pretty guy. Hey -- what did you think of Caleb? Pretty hot, huh?" He poked her playfully with his socked foot (and she hadn't even noticed him ditching his shoes... ?).
"I guess," Ellie shrugged.
"C'mon, I won't tell Joel if you say he's hot. Promise."
"You better not tell Joel about any of this! You said--"
"I knowww -- chill! I mean like... if you wanna admit Caleb is smokin', I won't tell Joel you said so. Shit."
"You're the one who's smoking, genius. Aren't you supposed to save some of that for your boyfriend?"
Parker snorted, then erupted in a fit of... giggles, she supposed she'd call them?! "Smoking -- ha! You are funny. FUNN. NEEE. Funny."
And you are NOT... you just sound stupid! she told him in her head. That shit kicked in fast!
She idly wondered, not for the first time, if Joel would sound like this if he were high. She might have to try harder to convince him to do it for amusement purposes only, because she couldn't even imagine him going all stupid and stoner-like, or fucking giggling. Ha! That would be--
STOP IT. Don't think about Joel right now... you should be concentrating on YOUR MISSION! She was glad she wasn't counting on Parker to look out for her with this Shelby dude. And she figured Caleb would be equally useless soon.
"Make him wooooork for it," Parker advised.
"What?"
"This dude. Make him give you stuff first. Or make him, like... get you off without fucking. You're the one in control. You have what he wants."
Ellie sighed. "Just shut up, okay? I'm not gonna-- --Maybe I'll just talk to him."
"Whatever."
But Parker did shut up, seemingly content to just lay back and get high...er. The unique stench of the marijuana was making her nauseous in a way that it didn't at the beach. Maybe because they were indoors, in a pretty small room. Maybe because her stomach was already all twisty from the dread of having to--
What am I even doing? Why the FUCK did I come here? I should just tell Parker I want to go NOW. He might hate me... and Caleb would certainly hate me... fuck -- Shelby would hate me without even meeting me... but I wouldn't have to feel like this anymore. I could go climb back into bed with Joel like nothing happened...
She hadn't quite made up her mind yet though when she heard footsteps in the hall. Too late to be a dick now! Caleb entered the room first. "Ellie, Shelby."
"Their names sound amaaaazing together!" Parker observed... even though they totally didn't!
It was a few beats before the man actually walked in... like he was reluctant, too?! Caleb practically dove for the bed, which made Ellie rise automatically to get out of his way. She couldn't even look at the guy by the door. Couldn't make herself smile at him or anything.
"Ellie... hello," said the man. Shelby. "Thanks for coming."
He has a nice-enough-sounding voice, I guess? But she still couldn't fucking look at him! She couldn't look at Parker, either, because she heard murmuring over there... clothes rustling... are they getting naked while I'm standing right here?! She sneaked a peek -- no, they weren't. But Caleb's hand was already down Parker's pants. Oh God I do NOT want to see my friend's dick, that would be SO awkward -- just remember what you're doing, Ellie. She stepped toward Shelby. I'm close enough that he could reach over and touch me... is he going to? If he grabs me right here, it's the perfect excuse for me to just--
"What say we give these two a little privacy, hm?" said Shelby... and he didn't touch her. In fact, he moved away from her, back into the doorway.
So much for the four of them hanging out talking! "Um, I don't know... what he told you," Ellie muttered to her feet.
"You're shy. I don't mind."
I'm not SHY! Fuck-- "I just wanna talk first." ...FIRST?! "I mean -- I just wanna talk."
"Sure, sure -- no problem. Right this way..." He disappeared, and Ellie could look up again.
"Are you right next door?" she called to him.
"Yep. Just down the hall."
...So, NOT right next door... She looked back at the bed warily. Both boys were like... giddy? A little giggly? Caleb was lighting another joint, and Parker was--
She looked away before she could get an unwanted eyeful. And yes, they both seem like boys now... younger than me... is Caleb really twenty-eight?! Maybe she was just so spoiled by Joel's maturity that everyone younger than him seemed young as fuck. One thing she knew for sure: Parker was definitely enjoying himself. More than she'd ever seen. He was like a different person from the one that skulked around the beach -- and she'd even seen him get high there at times. He really does LIGHT UP around Caleb... ha! I'm so punny! They certainly looked more like true boyfriends than dude-and-prostitute.
"You comin', honey?"
Ellie mentally cringed at the term of endearment. Shouldn't those be earned? But then... hadn't Jan started calling her 'honey' the day they met? Some people did toss them about casually, so maybe it was no big deal. Casual... that's what this is... casual sex... which I'm NOT having... but if I was, that's what it would be... how the fuck do people do it?! She forced herself to step into the hallway.
Shelby was standing in front of the awesome eagle pirate skull, patiently waiting for her. She glanced at him, still not daring to take a full look (not that the eerie red lighting would even afford her that?). He was shorter than Joel, but taller than her -- because practically everyone on the planet was taller than her. He was kind of stocky... something about him reminded her of...
...What, exactly? One of the hunters in Sacramento? But she'd never recovered full memory of that time -- only flashes. And that guy was HUGE... that's sort of all I remember... this guy's smaller, so what the fuck?... And she did not need to be thinking about that right now. "Wait... down there? Where it's all dark?" She had expected him to walk in the other direction.
"Oh, sorry... the light is out. Not sure what's wrong with it 'cause we put a new bulb in and it still won't work. Been meaning to fix it. But the light in my room works, don't you worry."
Every fiber of her being was screaming RUN! ... but... she didn't. She was braver than that. She did stay rooted to the spot, though. It occurred to her that maybe she ought to close the door to Caleb's room, but they hadn't asked her to, and... she liked the idea of it being open. Like they were still accessible to her or something.
"I can go get a flashlight, if you want," Shelby offered. "Or we can go downstairs. Lots of light down there."
"I have a flashlight." But that reminds me-- "You were playing poker downstairs, right?"
"I was. Got my rear end handed to me," he confessed with a chuckle. "But it's fun, hangin' with the boys."
Okay -- he said 'rear end' instead of 'ass,' or even 'butt'... like he's afraid of offending me or something. Because who SAYS that?! And he could've bragged about how good he is, cuz it's not like I'd ever know if he was lying? but he didn't. This guy does NOT seem like an asshole. Ellie pulled her little flashlight out of her pocket and shone it down the hall. "It's okay... we can stay up here... if you really do have a light in your room."
"I do." He took a few steps down the hall... and waited for Ellie to start following before taking a few more. He still hadn't made any move whatsoever to touch her.
And the room wasn't that far down; it was barely past the point where the red died out. Ellie half-expected to see a flood of green or something when Shelby disappeared into the room to switch on the bedside lamp... but it was a normal color, yellow and warm. The brass base of the lamp was shiny... new-looking. The room was tidy... cozy... not at all like what she imagined the lair of a pervert would look like. She went in, purposely leaving the door open. When he moved behind her to close it, she backed up into the doorway to stop him. "No! Can we leave it open?"
"We can... we just might have interruptions, that way. An open door around here is like an invitation. Closed door, no one bothers you. But I understand. I want you to feel comfortable." And he moved away... over to the bed. Because these guys apparently didn't believe in keeping chairs of any sort in their rooms -- even an overturned crate or something would work, but nope! Bunk bed, nightstand, dresser. That was it.
Loud music wafted down the hallway... from Caleb's room, she presumed. Something heavy on the bass. O...kay? So we have to be quiet as fuck on the way in, but it's totally cool to play that shit loud enough for the whole hall to hear it? As if on cue, a door slammed shut, muffling the noise a bit.
Ellie pondered the Shelby-door situation for a moment. She didn't really want anyone else to see her here; they would undoubtedly jump to the wrong conclusion, even if she and Shelby were only talking. That one guy they'd passed in the hall had seen her, but she had been with Parker, which seemed... less skanky? She didn't want any of this to somehow get back to Joel. She was the only teenage girl on the beach, so word could get around without anyone else even knowing her name... like if one of the other guys mentioned it to one of her whore neighbors...
She tested the door by closing and opening it -- okay, duh, obviously it's not gonna lock him in his bedroom from the inside -- I can still make a run for it... but she shouldn't have to. Didn't Joel just say the other day that it was normal for others not to push reluctant people into having sex? And Shelby would want her to like him -- enough to keep coming back. It's all VOLUNTARY.
She turned around and took a good look at him for the first time as he perched on the bed -- in the same spot she'd occupied on Caleb's bed. He was definitely not what came to mind when she thought of a "dirty old man" (a term Joel still stupidly used sometimes in reference to himself). For one thing, the guy looked quite young. Still old -- maybe around Caleb's age, or a little older? -- but not... well, nowhere near Joel's age. Clean-shaven (albeit stubbly) like Caleb, short brown hair, and a... rather feminine-looking nose, Ellie thought: small and round. Small mouth, too. Thin eyebrows, long eyelashes... if Shelby's really a female name, maybe his mom thought he was a girl when he popped out? Ha! He was wearing a greenish T-shirt, the graphic on the front faded. Drab-colored cargo pants. Worn-looking clothing, but clean, and not nearly as tattered as some of the stuff she herself wore. He must have kicked his shoes off while she was fussing with the door. No shoes means he's... NOT planning on chasing me if I run away? Maybe it was illogical to link that observation to anything regarding his character, but it wedged itself into her collection of "this guy's not a perv" thoughts anyway.
Shelby produced a small bottle of brown liquid from one of his pants pockets and offered it to her. "You want?"
"No thanks," she said automatically; she didn't have to ask what it was to know the correct answer to that one.
"Alright... thought maybe if you don't like weed, this might... take the edge off."
"My edges are fine," she snapped.
"Okay then. ...Hope you don't mind if I dull mine a little. Bit nervous here."
...Is he waiting for me to give him permission to drink? Another point for NOT a perv, I guess? "Whatever." And Ellie was pretty sure pervs didn't get nervous. Fuck... that's almost CUTE!
"Offer's open, if you change your mind." He took a swig, then patted the spot next to him. "Don't just stand there, now..."
"I'm not sitting on your lap," she informed him -- even though he hadn't even invited her to. Fuck, Ellie, do you have to be such a bitch to the poor guy?
"That's fine. Look, I left you all this room... you can lean back against the wall, there -- take the pillow -- I'll stay right down here." Another swig.
She kind of just wanted to sit on the floor, but that would probably prompt him to sit on the floor, and if he was gonna make a move on her, he could do it from either place, couldn't he? She might as well be comfortable. She sat on the edge of the bed as far away from him as she could... but the nightstand prevented her from utilizing the entire length of the bed to achieve that, so she followed his suggestion and leaned against the wall at the head of the bed. She curled her legs up beneath her, safely out of his reach. -A casual reach, at least, if not a lunging one. She was a little boxed in, this way, with the nightstand right there... it would be better if they both sat on the top bunk, really... ...huh, this bed is neatly made... pervs don't make their beds, do they? And he didn't even know I was coming -- he must just do it on his own. Or -- duh, army rule! Don't be STUPID--
"Aren't you gonna ask me to take my clothes off?" she challenged... bitchily. She rethought her sitting position and pulled her knees up to her chest instead. I can totally kick him in the FACE if he so much as--
"I thought you just wanted to talk." A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"I do!" she confirmed, annoyed at his amusement. Man, he's not even... maybe he doesn't WANT me to get naked? ...which is a GOOD thing... so why do I suddenly feel offended?! "I just thought you wanted... like..."
He ignored that and took another long swig. "Oh hey, I'm sorry -- didn't mean to be rude -- since you don't want any of this, do you want some water?"
"Yes please," she replied immediately, because that would make him get up and walk away from her, at least...
Except he started to move toward her -- but then seemed to think better of it. He set his bottle on the floor and walked over to a door that Ellie had assumed was a closet, but no, it led to a bathroom, she could see now. He was going to set the bottle on the nightstand, she realized. But I sort of... flinched? So then he didn't. This guy seemed to be what Joel would call 'a gentleman.'
Joel... man, he would SO kill me if he saw this right now... and he'd probably kill Shelby, who hasn't even DONE anything! Curiosity made her lean over and sniff at the clear, unlabeled bottle; it was definitely alcohol, but her nose wasn't discerning enough to know which kind. A NASTY kind, though... blech! She recoiled into her former position when she heard the water shut off; she didn't want the dude to think she was suddenly interested in drinking that shit.
She noticed he left the bathroom door open when he returned. "You don't have to close that?" she asked stupidly. WHY DID I POINT IT OUT?
He handed her a plastic tumbler. "Nah. Unless you want me to? I thought... with it open, you might feel less--"
"No, it's fine!" ...Did he just sit a WEE bit closer than before?
"It's shared with the next room over, but there's no one in there, so... yeah. You can drink that. I didn't drug it, I promise," he chuckled.
Ellie had heard him getting it straight from the tap, so she figured it was safe. It hadn't occurred to her that he might have tampered with it afterward (and she could already hear Joel lecturing her for that in her head). But wow, this guy... pointing out possible dangers I (stupidly) didn't even think of myself? Yet another point for NOT A PERV.
He leaned in a bit, like he was going to reach around her knees and take the tumbler from her. "Here, I'll prove it to you--"
"No! No, I believe you. Um, thanks." She took a sip. It was cool and refreshing, and Ellie suddenly realized how dry her throat was. She gulped down half the glass. Something caught her eye on top of the dresser across the room. "Is that... Spider-man?!" It was an action figure in an odd pose, like he had just landed, maybe? on a... pedestal-type thing. It looked like a child's toy.
"Yep. That was here before my time. Before any of us were here. Not valuable enough for anyone to run off with, I guess. This base was basically trashed... random stuff everywhere... and this little guy was just chilling in one of the bathrooms."
"He was chilling?" Ellie smirked.
Shelby smiled... and it was a nice smile, not a pervy-looking one. "Okay, you're right -- he doesn't look very chill. He looks ready to spring into action. Fitting the character, I would say. So you know Spider-Man? You read any of the comics?"
"A little, yeah... but my favorite comic is Savage Starlight. Do you know that one?"
And he fucking did! They actually chatted about Daniela and the other characters, the plot, even the artwork... for a solid five minutes or so. Ellie reverted to her less-defensive posture, with her legs tucked beneath her, as she felt increasingly more comfortable with him. She didn't even notice he'd moved closer to her...
~Continue to PART 2~