river wash
Ellie
Quinn was indeed a very comforting person to travel with. She was logical and level-headed, making things ten times easier than if Ellie were to go alone. Although Ellie didn’t necessarily want Quinn to get involved, she was secretly glad Quinn volunteered to go with her.
They had moved on from their forest campsite earlier and were about four miles northeast. Ellie had woken up that morning at around seven o’clock to discover Quinn already up, quietly packing things up and feeding the horses.
“Morning,” Quinn said to Ellie with a grin. Ellie blinked away the sleep in her eyes, taking a moment to admire Quinn in the morning light. She was taller than Ellie, lean and strong, with long, black, wavy hair that almost reached her elbows. She always complained about the length but had the most creative hairstyles which Ellie always admired, because she opted for short hair since it was less work. Ellie’s eyes followed the curve of her nose and the shape of her lips, traveling along her jaw.
Suddenly aware of what she was doing, Ellie looked away, trying to busy herself and hope Quinn didn’t notice.
They were now on their horses heading north along the river, Quinn leading the way and the map unfolding on Ellie’s map. Ellie kept going over the plan when confronting Abby: rehearsing what she would say, prepping for any resistance. Despite every bone in her body fighting to just impulsively resort to violence, talking with Abby and trying to sympathize with her might be the best bet. At least, Ellie hopes. Regardless of everything they’ve been through and Ellie’s mixed feelings, she needs Joel alive, and bargaining might persuade Abby rather than violence.
Ellie looks up from her thoughts to see Quinn glance over her shoulder, a sly smile spreading across her face. Ellie raises an eyebrow, recognizing that mischievous look because she’s done it herself so many times.
“What?” Ellie asks with a laugh.
“Just follow me,” Quinn calls and steers her horse to the right through the forest. Ellie wordlessly followed, not having a clue what Quinn might have up her sleeve. They maneuvered through the woods, Quinn keeping her rifle ready in case any trouble was to happen. It made Ellie slightly uneasy since there was no strict path to keep to, but eventually, they made their way through the woods and emerged onto the beach on the river.
It looked truly breathtaking, the sunlight glimmering and bouncing off the river. Mountains lined the horizon, the grass beginning to turn from ugly brown to spring green. It was relatively flat around this area of the river, before winding around away from them. Quinn tied Bucky to a tree nearest the shore before walking along the sand to the water, dragging her backpack along with her. She stops and removes her sweatshirt, wearing only a tank top and cargo pants. Ellie laughs uneasily before removing her own sweatshirt and taking her backpack, shivering in the March air before making her way to Quinn.
“It looks cold!” Ellie calls, dropping the backpack on the ground and wrapping her arms around her to keep her warm. Quinn takes off her socks and shoes, turns to Ellie with a shrug, and then winks.
“I guess we’ll find out!”
Before Ellie can even shout in protest, Quinn dives into the river. Ellie’s jaw drops, and Quinn emerges with a shriek, running toward Ellie. Her arms were crossed across her chest, laughing maniacally and shivering. Ellie laughs at her, shaking her head.
“What are you doing?”
“Ellie…it is so cold,” Quinn gasps, falling onto her hands and knees. She looks up at Ellie, squinting, with a grin on her face. “But a great way to wash your clothes. Don’t mind me.”
Quinn rummages through her backpack before pulling out a t-shirt. She peels off her tank top and Ellie widens her eyes before looking away, slightly blushing. She scrutinizes her surroundings, awkwardly shoving her hands into her pockets before she hears Quinn chuckle.
“You can look, Williams.” Ellie looks at a now fully-dressed Quinn, watching her squeeze out the water in her hair. “I’m telling you, it’s refreshing. But you might want to stay on the shore.”
Ellie narrows her eyes at Quinn’s tone. “Is that a challenge, Quinn?”
Quinn innocently shrugs, and Ellie stares at the water, slightly apprehensive. She takes one last look at Quinn before closing her eyes and turning her face back to the water, letting out a battle cry.
Ellie runs and dives into the water. Immediately, the cold encases Ellie’s skin, making her yelp underwater. She frantically swims up to the surface, racing to the sand. Ellie’s arms immediately wrap around her chest, her teeth chattering. Quinn was cackling, and Ellie glared, trudging up next to Quinn.
“You are awful,” Ellie mutters, snatching her backpack and trying to find a pair of pants and a shirt. She peels off her clothes, quickly stepping into the dry pants and slipping a long-sleeve shirt on, sitting down on the sand, and laying her wet clothes out on the ground. Quinn was standing a few steps away in front of the water, wringing out her clothes before also laying them on the ground, letting them dry in the sun. Ellie watches Quinn brush her fingers through her hair before deftly separating pieces. Ellie was captivated, watching her quickly separate the top half of her hair into two braids, and then bring the braids and the lower half into one ponytail.
Ellie wasn’t sure when quick glances at Quinn turned into prolonged stares, or when Ellie noticed her cheeks heating up at slight physical contact, or when she began to long for Quinn’s comforting arms at night, but Ellie didn’t try to fight it too hard. She just wasn’t sure what Quinn was feeling, or if she even thought of her that way…
“Williams?” Quinn asks, now leaning over and snapping in Ellie’s face. Ellie blinks, realizing she completely zoned out. Quinn’s lip twitches before sitting next to Ellie, their shoulders touching. Ellie brought her knees up to her chest, staring into the sky.
“Remember when Joel taught me how to swim?” Ellie asks softly. She feels Quinn look at her and Ellie turns, staring into Quinn’s dark brown eyes. Quinn’s eyes were soft as she does an encouraging nod, searching Ellie’s. Ellie felt strangely exposed, so she looked back at the river. “I was so scared, but I trusted him with my life.”
“Now look at you,” Quinn says, bumping Ellie’s shoulder. “Diving head first into a river.” Ellie smiles, staring at the ground, and shakes her head.
“I had trusted Joel so much, putting my life in his hands multiple times, whether it was teaching me how to swim or saving me from a horde of clickers…” Ellie trails off, embarrassed as she felt herself get suddenly emotional, and her voice cracks. “I’m trying so hard, Quinn.”
Quinn doesn’t say anything, just puts a steadying hand on Ellie’s shoulder before completely wrapping her arms around Ellie. Ellie rests her shoulder on Quinn’s, grateful for the comforting yet silent gesture, and the two sit there for a while, an understanding silence between them.
“We should probably go,” Quinn whispers after a few moments. Ellie nods, but the two don’t move. Ellie moves her head to look at Quinn who was already looking at her. Ellie was surprised to notice that Quinn smelled sweet, an enticing mix of earthiness and flowers. Ellie swallows, her heart in her throat, before tearing her gaze and pulling herself apart from Quinn, practically jumping to her feet. She turns to Quinn, who was scratching her neck, a look that Ellie couldn't quite decipher across her face. Ellie holds out a hand to help her up, shaking away any questioning thoughts.
They collect their semi-dry clothes, pack their backpacks, and put on their shoes. Ellie self-consciously runs her fingers through her already-drying hair, and they make their way back to Shimmer and Bucky.
“Alright, Williams,” Quinn says to Ellie as they make their way back to their original route. She mockingly points a finger in the distance. “Onward!”