THE AFTERMATH

"Wishing I'd stayed, look at how my tears ricochet."

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CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

The Aftermath

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Ellie swirled a drink in her hand, pressing her back against the bar. The party was bustling around her, everybody in Jackson dancing to their heart's content. She watched as Willow smiled, spinning herself across the floor. She obviously had never been to something quite like a Jackson dance, so Ellie wanted to let her have fun, even if that meant standing near the back. She rubbed her stomach, feeling the scar from Robin all those months ago.

Jesse stood beside her, forcing her to turn her head over to him. "I hate these things." He remarked, making Ellie nod in agreement and gaze back at Willow.

"Tell me about it." She scoffed.

"Your old man really laid into me today." He claimed, making Ellie tense up. She still hadn't talked to Joel since everything went down at the hospital. Even though Willow had tried to convince her, nothing was going to break her. At least- nothing soon. She didn't want to forgive him just yet. He needed to face the consequences of keeping something like that from her. Ellie turned back to Jesse, pretending to have not spaced out. "He had another lecture about my patrols. Don't go here, don't go there. It's funny how involved he gets whenever you're scheduled to go out."

Ellie sighed, looking down at her drink. In honesty, she did appreciate how much Joel cared about her, but sometimes it got to a point where it was ridiculous. "Yeah." She replied softly, turning back to Willow. She beamed as she danced, still having not noticed that Ellie had even shown up to the party in the first place. Nothing could replace Willow's smile in Ellie's eyes. Over the time they had spent together, they truly cared for each other.

Jesse coughed, interrupting her train of thought. "She's putting on quite the show." He remarked, gesturing to Willow.

The girl smiled in return, her lips upturning as she gazed over Willow. "You can't blame her. She's never had this kind of experience." She replied whole-heartedly.

"I guess you're right."

Willow finally seemed to take notice of Ellie, smiling widely in her direction and walking over. "What took you so long?" She asked kindly, tilting her head slightly. Blonde hair brushed against her cheek as she beamed towards her almost-girlfriend.

"I'm here now, aren't I?" Ellie replied sarcastically.

The girl only rolled her eyes, grabbing onto Ellie's arm and pulling her out onto the dance floor. She was stunned for a moment as she gazed into Willow's eyes. It was a sight that she would never get bored of, especially not when she was wearing a party-like outfit. Well, it was classed as a party-look in the world they were in. It was a simple black leggings and a white button-up shirt. Ellie believed that she looked beautiful.

"Are you enjoying the party?" Ellie asked Willow, watching as her arms snaked around her neck. They swayed back and forth as they talked, ignoring the stares they were getting from the other Jackson residents surrounding them.

She nodded. "It's way cooler than I imagined." She revealed. "I have a very serious question for you; how bad do I smell?" Willow asked, making Ellie chuckle.

The brown-haired girl leant in, taking a sniff and faking a look of disgust. "Like a hot pile of garbage."

Willow rolled her eyes. "Okay, how about this?" She asked, rubbing her cheek against Ellie's. She faked a gag, when in reality, all she wanted was to stay there for as long as she could.

"Gross." Ellie remarked.

"You love it."

She didn't deny it, instead opting to look around the room. Stares had accumulated from every inch of the large venue, and she turned back to Willow. "Every guy in this room is staring at you right now."

The younger teenager pretended not to be grossed out by the thought. She liked women. "Maybe they're staring at you." She smiled, trying to lean in closer to Ellie without making it too obvious.

"They're not." Ellie scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Maybe they're jealous of you."

"I'm just a girl. Not a threat."

"Oh, Ellie." Willow whispered endearingly, pushing back a stray strand of Ellie's ponytail back behind her ear. "I think they should be terrified of you."

They both leaned forward, Willow taking the first move and pushing her lips against Ellie's. Her mouth tingled as they connected, sparks seeming to soar above their heads. For Ellie, it was almost heaven. It had made up for all the nights they had spent together in Seattle and not making a move. It made up for the times she wished she had taken a chance and kissed Willow. Somehow, waiting was worth it for the moment that their lips connected.

Willow pulled back, pressing her forehead against Ellie's. A large, playful smile plastered itself against the older teenager's face, no matter how hard she protested against it. Their breath mixed as they stood their for a few moments, swaying back and forth to the soft tune of the music. As many times as Willow had thought she had seen the most beautiful thing she could have ever seen in her life, nothing could compare to the face that Ellie held.

Loud, pounding footsteps approached them, causing them to pull their bodies apart. Seth stood in front of them, an annoyed glare in his eyes. "This is a family event." He remarked harshly towards the two girls. His body reeked of alcohol, so Ellie pulled her hand towards Willow's, enrapturing it in her own as they made their way away from the party. "Remember next time that there's kids around." Seth stated again, making Willow's blood boil.

"Yeah." She scoffed. "Like you're setting such a great example." She remarked sarcastically, referencing the obvious stench of beer and vodka radiating from him.

Ellie tugged on Willow's hand, pulling her further towards her as Seth spoke again. "Just what this town needs, another two loud-mouthed dykes."

That was a tipping point.

Rage filled Ellie as her hand pulled away from Willow's, instead balling it up in a fist. "What the fuck did you just say?" She asked angrily, giving into the fury that was bubbling up in her stomach.

Willow stood behind her, eyes soft. "Ellie, don't. " She spoke.

Before things could get out of hand, Joel walked into the scene, pushing Seth backwards and forcing him to face the bearded man. "Get the hell out of here." He yelled.

"Get your hands off me-"

Maria quickly intervened, standing in between the two men. She looked to Joel first. "Enough." She turned to Seth. "Come on, let's go for a walk."

"What about them-?"

"You; worry about yourself." Maria stated harshly. "Let's get some fresh air."

Seth left the venue with her, but Ellie's eyes still held anger as she looked to Joel. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" She asked harshly. Joel gulped deeply, his eyebrows furrowing. Willow took the chance to grasp onto Ellie's hand, squeezing it softly in comfort.

"He had no right-"

"And you do?" Ellie retorted. "I don't need your fucking help, Joel."

He gazed to the ground, defeated with his eyes saddened. "Right." Joel walked away, leaving Ellie and Willow in the center of the party. Without exchanging any words, the younger teenager pulled her outside of the venue, breathing in the fresh air of Jackson.

They stayed silent amongst each other, holding onto the porch railing. Willow placed her hand overtop of Ellie's, rubbing the back of it lightly. No words were spoken between the two, no words needed to be spoken. So, they stayed content, letting the light breeze brush against their bodies and faces. Willow took a hold of Ellie's ponytail, pulling the elastic out and letting her hair hang loose. She brushed her fingers through the brown locks, trying to comfort Ellie a little.

"He means well."

Ellie sighed. "I know."

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Months had passed since Robin had last seen any sign of Jackson. As far as she knew, they were still living with electricity and comfort. She was envious, of course, but the life she lived was much better now that she had closure. Closure from Kam, Ollie, Ellie and Willow, her life couldn't be any better. At least, that's what she believed. She believed that she had made the right choices, and it led her to where she would stay for the rest of her life.

Robin looked out at the familiar, abandoned buildings of Michigan. She had a group of people she was staying with, one even becoming her boyfriend. It wasn't the best or most comfortable type of life, but they were living. They weren't being torn apart by infected, they were truly making a name for themselves amongst the other groups in the United States. Of course, they would probably never become as well-known and comfortable as Jackson once was but having a bit of electricity would get them close.

The woman- the leader- of the group gazed over to the man she had grown to fall in love with, who had walked in the room of the skyscraper behind her. She smiled at him warmly, emotions bubbling up from her stomach. She had finally found someone who genuinely loved her just as much as she loved him. It was such a fresh change from Kam, and she soon realized that he had wasted most of her life chasing after a love that never existed in the first place.

They both stood next to each other, glancing towards the large windows that sat in front of them. The first snow of the year fell softly down onto the Michigan roads, the snowflakes making their place on the thick concrete. A gray fog was setting just above the skyscrapers, making them seem like they never ended. Winter wasn't a welcome time for most of the people who were still alive, but to Robin, it reminded her of her old home.

Bo- Robin's boyfriend- placed his hand against her shoulder lovingly and comfortingly, rubbing the shirt sleeve around the skin. He was an ex-Seraphite. As much as he hated his past, Robin adored the scars that ran up from the sides of his lips to his ears. At night, she would trace them when she couldn't sleep, almost as if they were tattoos that littered his skin. Nothing was as unconventional as an ex-Seraphite and an ex-WLF soldier being in a relationship, but together they made it work.

In fact, most of their group used to be part of the militia group or the cult. Some of them were strays before they joined, and some were prisoners or workers from the Rattlers off the coast of Santa Barbara. They all fit together, even though they all had different beliefs. Prophet writings were freely scribbled on the walls, meaning that the ex-Seraphites could still pray to their religion in peace, without the worry of being killed.

"What are you thinking about?" Bo asked lovingly, noticing Robin's deep, tense nature. Her eyes softened as she gazed to her left, looking at him. "There is obviously something bothering you." He assumed. His body turned to face hers, both of their faces planted across from each other.

Robin sighed, shaking her head. "Everything I sacrificed to get here." She spoke softly. Her mind flickered to Ollie, and then to Ellie and Willow. "Sometimes I wish that I never let them go, maybe if I had just taken the chance to kill them when I could have, I'd be happier." She let out a shaky breath as Bo placed his hand against her cheek in comfort "Maybe their deaths would be worth it if I had killed them both."

He shook his head in response to Robin's mumblings, pushing his other hand against the opposite cheek and completely cupping her face. "It would have brought you nothing but pain." Bo replied. "It gets easier, love." She trusted his judgement, he had been through so much from growing up around and being led by the Seraphites. "You will be able to sleep at night without nightmares, just give yourself the time and space you feel like you need."

"How long will it take?" Robin asked timidly, her voice small and dry from the lack of hydration she had gotten in the last few weeks. Bo seemed to take notice of this, and he swiftly reached down beside one of the windows, grasping onto one of the plastic water bottles. He opened the cap and handed it to his girlfriend, letting her sip lightly on the liquid. The sweet relief of hydration filled her mouth, making her sigh deeply as she awaited Bo's reply.

"Long." He replied, making Robin look to the ground, hopeless. "But only if you make it long." Bo continued. "You control your own movement. If it must take a long time to recover from that trauma, then you must let it take that long." Robin glanced back up into his eyes. "But if you keep yourself at a pace that you can handle, it will not take long at all." She hated waiting, but she convinced herself that it would be worth it to forget their faces.

Robin looked to the side, seeing a few more of the group members step into the sectioned-off room of the skyscraper. They looked disheveled. The one on the left, Kieran, was also an escaped WLF member, just like Robin. He and Alison- the girl to his right- had both come from the same district of the Seattle Stadium, and they had joined the group together. They had taken the initiative in the group to take a look for some surrounding supplies, but judging by their tousled hair and ripped clothing, they most likely got into some form of riot with an infected.

Bo took notice of the two first, turning to his side and looking at them both with a worried gaze. "What happened?" He asked.

"Just a horde outside of the city area." Alison replied shortly, brushing some extra dirt and runner blood off her pants. "Sounds like the WLF are pushing their share of the infected out of the surrounding areas and trying to get out here."

"Yeah, well, apparently they're planning to attack the island sooner or later." Kieran added, pushing his hand through his blonde hair.

"At least they're doing something." Robin stated, pushing her foot down and leaning against her right heel. "Isaac would never shut up about it, but it took him a year to actually put the plan in motion." She scoffed, shaking her head. She would never forgive Isaac for the torturing he forced her to inflict on the Seraphites. They had barely done anything wrong against the WLF before the land began to become more and more valuable.

Alison cracked her knuckles, rolling her wrists back and forth. "Hopefully, this will cause the members to scatter." She spoke softly. "This could be the downfall of the WLF." It would be a miracle if what were to happen on the Seraphite Island tipped everything. No more attempted governments, only groups that were placed from coast to coast. Maybe they'd never have rules and protocols that were set in stone, but it was worth it to be free again.

The two left Bo and Robin alone again, returning to the rest of the skyscraper to get fixed and cleaned up. Silence washed over the couple like the water in Seattle, but it was a comfortable silence. One that they both relished in whenever they got the chance. As they gazed out the window, leaning on each other, Robin felt at peace. Something in her realized that nothing would be different, even if she had killed Ellie and Willow all those months ago.

She was finally at peace. With herself and with everyone she had lost.

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