sleepover
Quinn
Quinn’s apartment was set up similarly to Ellie’s–-a studio, no separations, and all laid out in the open. She was feeling slightly self-conscious as Ellie’s eyes raked around her apartment, across the stolen posters and haphazard comforter, the dishes Quinn has yet to do thrown in the sink. She anxiously scratches the back of her neck and turns on lamps as Ellie walks around.
“I can’t believe I haven’t been here before,” Ellie says, smiling and shaking her head. “Is that on purpose, Quinn?”
Quinn laughs, reaching for the TV remote.
“Of course not, Williams,” Quinn says, flopping on the couch and searching through the channels. She knows nearly nothing will be on. How dare post-apocalyptic cable not have a variety of good shows? Ellie continues wandering through the room. “Feel free to snoop.”
“Already on it,” Ellie calls from behind Quinn. Quinn turns to see Ellie in the “bedroom” portion, staring at Quinn’s walls and sparse decorations. She admires the meager bookcase, housing a few books that Quinn has read thousands of times and any knick-knacks that Quinn has collected throughout her survival years. Talk from the TV enters the room, babbling on about something that may have been relevant twenty years ago to which neither girls understood.
“What’s your favorite book?” Ellie calls, and Quinn smiles, leaning her head against the back of the couch.
“Hmm,” Quinn says thoughtfully. There weren’t many to choose from. “Probably Sula. I’ve reread that probably twenty times.”
Ellie grazed her fingers along the books, before turning back to Quinn, hands on her hips.
“Got anything to eat?”
Quinn gestures to her kitchen. “Help yourself.”
The rest of the night was filled with a terrible movie that Ellie found on Quinn’s side table and their ceaseless comments, popcorn, and random conversations until they were both nodding on the couch together.
Quinn blinked open her eyes to see Ellie knocked out, curled up awkwardly on the couch. Quinn stands up, grabs a pillow, and gently lifts Ellie’s head. Quinn grabs a blanket, covering Ellie, before flopping onto her own bed.
Quinn wasn’t asleep long before she was woken up by some mumbling and groaning. She sits up, rubbing her eyes and feeling slightly discombobulated before realizing it was coming from the couch, almost forgetting that she wasn't alone. She tiptoes over to Ellie, who had her eyebrows furrowed and was mumbling something. Quinn goes to Ellie’s side, gently shaking her shoulders.
“Ellie,” Quinn whispers, but Ellie tosses her head. Quinn shakes a little firmer this time, repeating her name until Ellie gasps and opens her eyes, sitting up. Quinn stands, keeping a hand on her shoulder as Ellie takes in her surroundings, breathing hard and grabbing her chest.
“It’s just a dream,” Quinn soothes, and Ellie looks up at her. The look on Ellie’s face broke Quinn’s heart: fear, sorrow, guilt. No nineteen-year-old deserves this.
“Come sleep with me,” Quinn offers, nodding towards her bed. She didn’t even realize what she was saying until she said it, and for a brief moment, she thought Ellie would decline. But slowly Ellie nods and stands up, making their way over to the bed. They climb in together, Ellie laying in the crook of Quinn’s right arm, Quinn’s right hand gently stroking Ellie’s soft hair. In mere moments, they fell asleep, safe in each other’s arms.
Ellie didn’t have a nightmare that night.
— — — —
Quinn woke up to an empty bed, hearing Ellie shuffle around through the apartment. She vaguely remembers last night and feels heat rise in her cheeks. The light was filtering through Quinn’s blinds, casting a warm glow throughout the apartment. She throws her legs over the bed, walking toward the kitchen to see Ellie searching through the cabinets.
“Sorry,” Ellie says once she notices Quinn was awake. “Did I wake you?”
“Nah,” Quinn mumbles, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She took forever to wake up and tried to not feel half-dead. “You’re good.”
Ellie closes the fridge but doesn’t move, seemingly scrutinizing the one picture Quinn has pinned to the fridge door. It was of Quinn and her parents, one of the few things that Quinn managed to stash before abandoning them. Ellie tears her eyes away from the picture and looks at Quinn, taking a deep breath.
“I’m going to visit Joel again today and then…” Ellie trails off, her eyes darting around the room. Quinn walks over to Ellie, cupping her face and forcing Ellie to look into Quinn’s eyes. Ellie was silent, the only sound of their breathing in the air.
“Listen,” Quinn whispers. “I’m going with you, right? But I think we should wait just a few more days. We need to gather supplies and plan a strategy. Abby knows that Joel escaped and is probably expecting someone to come for her. We need to be smart about this. I know how much you want to run in guns blazing.”
Ellie’s eyes search Quinn’s and then fall, staring at the floor.
“Okay,” she whispers.
So they stayed for three more days. Quinn and Ellie had an unspoken agreement and continued to sleep in the same bed, a ritual to defend themselves against the constant nightmares. During the days, they gathered supplies, figured out where in Washington (Seattle) the WLF was hiding, devised a plan, and--finally--said goodbye.
On their last day, Ellie and Quinn walked into the med center where Joel was standing and talking to some nurses. The two exchange a look of surprise before walking up to him. He turns, a small smile spreading across his face.
"All healed," he says, almost proudly, and Quinn's heart squeezed, knowing what they were here for. Joel's face turns to a puzzled concern as he sees their stoic faces.
“We’re leaving,” Ellie says softly. Joel’s face immediately drops. The two did talk about it the other day, nearly turning into an all-out argument, but Joel was more or less convinced. If Joel walked up to Abby with Ellie and Quinn, there would be no negotiating, only a shot in his heart that won’t miss. Ellie relays their conversation with Quinn, where she nearly begged to have him stay and let her do this. It was the only way to ensure Joel stays alive.
Without saying a word, Joel wraps Ellie into a hug. Quinn awkwardly watches, feeling like she was intruding on the kind exchange.
“Come back alive, please,” Joel says into Ellie’s shoulder, giving her a tight squeeze, and then they part. Joel's hands were planted firmly on Ellie's shoulders, and she smiles sadly, nodding, before turning to Quinn and raising her eyebrows. Quinn nods, setting her face into a look of what she hopes was confidence.
“Let’s go.”