"Off-Road" (Nature)

=Chapter 4: Off-Road= “Annabelle, look!” Elliot jovially pointed up to one of the leaves which was curving down towards him and his stepsister – water was trickling off of it, as the rain overhead began picking up.

“Natural water… Oh my god, this stuff actually tastes good! And it’s worth… so much! If we can get enough of it, we can split it between drinking and selling. Maybe if we get enough of it, we can trade it for materials to buy that wooden cabin in the mountains you and Olivia had always dreamed of!” Annabelle’s excitement had gone too far, as Elliot shivered and turned away at the mention of Olivia’s name.

“Wait… Elliot, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” Her eyes dropped out of remorse and regret, as Elliot raised his hand. “It’s ok, I understand. I’m over it. I’m over her. The dead are gone. The survivors are still here. I’ve accepted that. There’s no time to mourn anymore…” Elliot put on a brave front, despite how obvious it was to Annabelle that he clearly missed Olivia a lot, and it pained him to remember that she was no longer alive.

Elliot picked up a metallic water bottle from his side, he bashed it a few times to clean some of the dust around the lid away.

“Elliot! Hush! The Reapers might hear that!” Annabelle looked around, concerned. Elliot smiled at her, ingeniously. “Good, that’s what we want… Think about it, if someone sends out a Reaper in this weather, the rain will fry the circuits! And no human can hear us over the sound of, well, pitter-patter,” he spoke softly, giving Annabelle chills. Elliot then aligned his water bottle under the leaf in the perfect position so that it would collect all the water running down from the tree. He looked over to his stepsister, “Haven’t you got a water bottle?” He sounded surprised.

Annabelle shook her head, “We have plastic cups, and we have a water well, back at Camp Hackley… That’s right Elliot, we literally made a water well. Honestly, the people at that place work wonders. It’s all thanks to Reed. In our absences and the belief that mum is dead, he’s taken control of it. He’s got it all covered.” Elliot could believe that, after all, Reed was his most reliable friend.

“Annabelle, I can’t come back. I know you want me to, but I can’t. There’s too much risk of someone seeing me. I just… I can’t let anyone hurt you, to get to me. I…” This time, it was Annabelle who put her hand up. “I understand, Elliot. It’s alright. I’ll say hi to Reed for you, and the others.” It appeared that Annabelle was putting on a brave front as well, only in a hopeless attempt to cover up the emotional side which was clearly showing through.

Remembering that there were still at least two human threats beyond the trees – a sniper and a truck – Elliot and Annabelle had opted to remain in the small woods overnight. Although Elliot had told his stepsister that she could sleep and he would keep watch, she was too alarmed to do so, instead opting to stay awake with Elliot.

The rain continued to gently fall through the night, dripping down the leaves. Elliot’s bottle was filling up slowly, yet seemingly quicker than expected as well. It was so light that the sound of grasshoppers could still be heard in the area surrounding them.

Annabelle noticed that Elliot appeared to be down. “You’ve hardly said a word since you told me you aren’t coming back. Elliot, I don’t like it, but I know I have to accept it,” she spoke slowly, trying to get him to understand. “We’ve all got to make sacrifices, I know. Your sacrifice is having to stay out here. I think now is probably the best time for you to tell me why you even became a criminal in the first place.”

He took a deep breath, remaining leant back against the tree, but finally speaking, “The fact that even you refer to me as a criminal is just… It’s not right. There are no criminals anymore. You can’t rebuild society this far in to the end of the world. If you consider me stealing resources from other people to be a ‘criminal’ offense, then what would you consider dicing people into pieces and trading their parts off as edible meat?”

She didn’t respond, knowing his point to be valid.

“What would you consider massacring entire camps and groups of people using military drones? What would you consider fighting to the death over a gallon of water? Or placing a bounty over people’s heads for water? Would you consider that to be, I don’t know… Legal?” It was clear Elliot fully defended his actions.

“Elliot, it’s different. You’re wrong. We can rebuild society. This is the only way. We survive because we do what we must. Sure, it may be ten times more brutal than the life we were all once living, but it’s still a life, Elliot. People who will attempt to break the system should be punished for what it’s worth. The only reason why I’m making an exception for you is because you’re the only reason my mum and I have made it this far… You’re my friend. You’re my brother, Elliot. I trust you with my life; With my mother’s life, even. Everything you stole, I know you stole with good intentions.” She put her hand on his shoulder to try and make him feel better.

Elliot brushed her hand off, “I’m sorry, Annabelle. But that’s not true… I had no good intentions when I stole everything which I did. All I cared about was surviving. I thought I was going to live out the rest of my life alone. How many people do you reckon I killed to obtain that rocket launcher? That cost me eight and a half gallons it did. Some ex-military guy desperate to keep his wife and new-born child alive.”

Annabelle smiled ever so slightly, “That right there, Elliot. That’s the reason why we must rebuild society. That new-born child. It will never know what life was once like. Even if it lives to be a hundred years older, it’s never going to know about holidays, or finance, or education, or politics, all it will know about is surviving at any costs… Unless we change that. Society can’t be exactly the same, that’s a given, but it can at least be something. That’s why people go to extreme lengths for water, Elliot. That’s why you’re considered a criminal, Elliot. That’s why I care about you so much, brother…”

Elliot finally turned to face her warm-smiling face, embracing his stepsister.

Moments later, the rain picked up heavily, as a low rumbling thrusted across the sky. Both Elliot and Annabelle broke away from their hug. Elliot reached down to his rocket launcher, as Annabelle pulled out her revolver.

“Oh, it’s thunder…” Elliot smiled even more warmly now. “No Reapers here, sis!” He lowered the rocket launcher once again, as the two began laughing with each other.

They were both startled as a lightning bolt struck through a tree not too far away from them. This only prompted them to laugh even harder, looking up with their arms out, feeling the rain.

“You were right about one thing, Annabelle,” he looked over to her, “People will go to extreme lengths for water!” He joked with her, as more thunder and lightning ravaged the area around them.

While looking over at Annabelle, Elliot’s eye was caught by the revolver which she was holding. He grabbed it from her, examining it closely. “Elliot? What… Oh, Oh… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…” She realised that Elliot was affected by the revolver due to it being the one which Olivia had carried until her death…

“Why… Why do you carry it?” Elliot was in emotional confusion, as he raised his voice to communicate with Annabelle over the now heavy rain. “You could’ve used any sidearm at all. Any handgun… But you carry hers’… why?”

Annabelle noticed a small tear forming in his eyes. She decided to risk telling him the truth, “I carry it for her. In her honour, Elliot. Olivia was an amazing girl – I know you two were just teenagers when you first met. Can’t believe it took an entire global apocalypse to bind you two into a relationship.” Annabelle quirkily smiled at Elliot, but he still appeared to be devastated by the revolver’s presence.

“I loved her, Annabelle. I loved her so much… She didn’t deserve to die. She wasn’t meant to die. Her death, it just doesn’t make any sense.” Elliot’s voice had lowered slightly, though he was too emotional to notice or care. Annabelle could barely hear him, as the thunder and the rain drowned him out.

As Elliot caught a flash of lightning in the corner of his eye, he kissed the handle of the revolver, returning it to Annabelle. He rose to his feet, tidying his robe, and pulling his hood down. He began marching towards the edge of the trees. “Elliot! What are you doing? Get back here!” Annabelle tugged his robe, trying to stop him.

“Just let me go, Annabelle! The storm is not to be feared! I will not run and hide anymore. I will not steal from lowlife traders anymore!” He ran out onto the road, pulling away from his stepsister’s grip.

“Here I am!” He stood in the middle of the road, hood down, arms up in the air, being absolutely drenched by the torrential rain. “Do what you do best, God! Take another life! Strike me down with your electrical hands!”

Atop the mountain, Sonia had set up a tent to take shelter from the rain inside of. While most of her body was covered by the tent, the edge of her face and the end of the rifle were still exposed, she looked through the scope and noticed Elliot on the road. Due to the rain droplets, she struggled to get a clear shot on his leg.

“What are you waiting for? Am I not good enough to die, oh ever so mighty lord? Well, newsflash! Neither was Ryan, neither was Lucy, and they died before you punished us with this apocalyptic curse! Oh, don’t even get me started on how many died after Day Zero!” Elliot ranted and screamed out to the night sky, rain still drenching him. Annabelle watched his fury from under the cover of the trees still.

“Oh, still alive, am I? Well, in that case, I will give you the list of everyone who didn’t deserve to die after your miserable ‘curse’! Gwen’s husband, also known as Annabelle’s father, did he deserve to die? What for, trying to protect his family?”

Annabelle could just about make out what Elliot was saying, as she remembered fond memories of her father from when she was a lot younger.

“How about Steven, then? Did you take his life because he tried killing me? He thought he was protecting his sister! Speaking of which, she is bloody dead as well! The woman I loved. The girl I loved when we were younger… Just as I found hope in this desolate world, you blew it away from me! Are you done playing with your toys yet, God? Are you?” He screamed, as the thunder was the only response which he got.

From further down the road, Annabelle spotted headlights – there was a vehicle headed towards Elliot. Her eyes widened, as she tried to catch his attention. “Elliot! Look out!” She waved her arms about, doing everything she could while still keeping herself safe and under cover – but he was still too busy raging at the sky above him.

“Oh, I’ve got one! How about, Vincent… Actually, nah, he deserved to die. But guess who had the guts to do that? That was I, God! It took me to get rid of Vincent, not you! Like I’ve said before, I kill the ones who deserve to die… Looks like you’re the one who kills the survivors that deserve to live! How about Andy then? You corrupted Annabelle’s mind to make her kill him!” Elliot was now completely unfazed by the thunderstorm around him.

Annabelle heard Andy’s name, and again her mind was taken back to memories of a better time. She snapped back to reality, noticing the headlights gaining on Elliot, the vehicle stopping only several metres behind him. The torrential rain had drowned out the sound of the engine. “I’m sorry Elliot,” she mumbled to herself, as she receded further back into the trees.

“Oh, and how could I forget, Seymour and his group. They sacrificed themselves destroying the parasites which they believed caused this whole thing! I know it wasn’t parasites. Oh, believe me ‘lord’, I’ve been all over, and I have heard everyone’s theories. But everyone’s wrong. Nature did this, I know that… But you… Well, Screw you!” He pointed upwards fiercely, clenching his fists. His chest rapidly expanded and compressed again as he caught his long overdue breaths.

Then, he used up all his oxygen on screaming out loud in agony. He dropped to the ground as a bullet ripped straight through his shin. His first impulse was to check the back of his leg – fortunately, there was an exit wound. But nonetheless, he still cried out in agony. “Dammit!” He gritted his teeth as he clenched the wound.

From behind, he felt two arms apprehend him, as he was dragged back across the road – blood leaking from the wound. “No! No! Bastard! Let me go!” Elliot struggled to speak, as he was unable to grip his wound again. Elliot was picked up and thrashed against a metallic surface – he was in the back of a pickup truck. His arms and his eyes rolled back, as he passed out.

From the trees, Annabelle watched the truck drive away with her brother in the back. Looking behind her, she noticed Elliot’s rocket launcher was still there. Picking it up, she ran back towards the road…

-Elliot and Annabelle remember the deaths of several of their former comrades, including: Olivia, Seymour, Andy and Vincent.

-As stated back in 1x02, Elliot is still agnostic over a year later.