PetrA

Chapter twenty-nine: Henrik

Henrik didn't know what to do with Ellie. She was running on the stairs going through every floor in the building, and you'd think she'd stop after the fifteenth floor, but she just kept running. Forcing the doors open one way or another. It seemed like that each floor had been painted a different colour. How somebody managed to do that with a Zombie Apocalypse, looming over their heads was a mystery to Henrik. Much to Joachim's dismay, they followed Ellie to each floor, just in case something would go wrong, and judging from her breathing, she could pass out any given second. Finally, she reached the top floor and opened the door and she stepped in carefully. All around on the floor was sleeping bags, belongings and different body parts. Henrik lifted his knife, and Joachim his club. The air was foul and he didn't like what he was seeing. Stepping further into the room he noticed that people cut in half hung out of the window. The upper bodies snarled and growled at them trying to move. Henrik quickly cut whatever was holding them to the windows and let them fall to the pavement below.

Ellie hardly seemed to notice the bodies. She just searched the place, every little corner, crook and behind each and every door. Several times, she found a brain dead body and muttered something Henrik did not understand. Finally, when he thought she was done, she started pulling the dead bodies over to the window and threw them out, seeing no other choice they started helping her, once the last cut off finger was thrown out of the window she slumped against a wall and stared at the city stretching below them. Her breathing heavy and eyes unfocused. Henrik sat down on his knees, he put a hand in front of her eyes and waved it, but there was no reaction. She didn't even blink. "What's wrong with her?" Joachim asked staring at Ellie with a frown. "I don't know." Henrik said slowly. However, he did have an idea, and it certainly involved Kim and her little brother Gordon.

Henrik let her stay where she sat and went to gather one of the sleeping bags spread on the floor. He picked the one that didn't have any human remains in it, or body parts and spread it over her. The sun outside had finally started to go down and beautiful colours spread across it in front of them. In Henrik's head, it shouldn't be allowed to be so beautiful, not at a time like this. Ellie fell asleep and curled up in a ball on the floor. She mumbled something and stuck her thumb into her mouth. Even though her hair was a rat's nest, and cut uneven, and still had brain goo all over her face and upper body, she still managed to look cute. It baffled Henrik how she managed it.

"He's lucky." Joachim grumbled over from the window, he was looking down at the street. "Who?" Henrik asked and joined him by the window. Down on the street dead milled around like it was rush hour at Mc. Donald's. "Kim." Joachim muttered, "He's lucky." Henrik frowned and cast a look at Ellie. "Even though Ellie can be scary, and is unbelievable strong..." He rubbed his throat and Henrik almost laughed, instead he settled for a knowing smirk. "You're starting to get a little crush on her, aren't you?" Henrik asked smirking. Joachim shook his head quickly, a little too quickly. "Are you mad? That girl hates me more than raw meat, and I'd very much like to stay in one piece." He said. Henrik laughed and shook his head. "I don't actually think she hates you that much, at least not as much as she did." Henrik said. He was thinking about that Ellie had given Joachim the responsibility for Gordon. With a lot of death threats and unflattering words, but none the less she had trusted him with her little brother. Henrik knew that it wasn't something she usually would trust just anyone with. It was easy to see how much she cared for her little brother, and now he was probably the only family she had left.

"What are you thinking?" Joachim asked bringing Henrik out of his head. "What?" Henrik asked. "You went silent for a long time scowling out of the window." Joachim said poking his head. Henrik swatted away his hand scowling, "To say what I said, yes she hates me." Henrik sighed. "Then why did she trust you with her little brother, and not Daniel or any of the others?" Joachim fell silent and thought about it, "She was under pressure. I was probably just the first person she saw." He muttered. Henrik didn't say anything else, though, he knew that it wasn't just that. Somewhere along the way, Ellie must've started to trust Joachim. Maybe she didn't exactly like him, but she didn't hate him.

Henrik found a sleeping bag that hadn't been infected by any form of body fluids or body parts. He silently thanked god for that and found a place close to the wall, he spread the sleeping bag and used his bag for a pillow. Soon he drifted off, but it didn't last long as he was jolted awake only three hours later by Ellie's screams. "NEJ, NEJ, NEJ!" He didn't understand what she was screaming, but she repeated the word several times. She was trashing wildly in her sleep, "FAR, JOANNA!" she screamed and screamed, Henrik didn't understand a word of what she was saying, the only thing he actually understood was when she screamed a name. "Nej! Løp, kom jer væk, NEJ!" Henrik had a hard time getting to her without her somehow hitting him or kicking him. Joachim seemed to have woken up too, by Ellie's screaming because he came over and muttered some unintelligent words. "Help me." Henrik said trying to wake her up. "Ellie, wake up. Ellie." Joachim said trying to help wake her up, but it was like talking to a wall of bricks.

Henrik hoped that the dead couldn't climb buildings or open doors, because otherwise they'd have a problem. They shook her until she jerked violently and her eyes snapped open as if she'd been dunked in a tub of ice cold water. She kept muttering and they didn't understand Jack shit of what she was actually saying. "Ellie, calm down. It was just a bad dream." Henrik said trying to get contact with her. It must've been quite a nightmare to leave her like this. Her wide eyes fixed on him, they were full of fear and tears glistened as they rolled down her cheeks. Henrik stroked her hair gently, "It's okay. It was just a dream." He said quietly. Joachim sat beside Ellie and watched. He didn't know what to do.

EventuallyEllie calmed down and she was able to talk so they understood, but she didn'tsay much. "Go back to sleep." She said finally sitting up. Henrik didn't wantto leave her alone, but at the same time he knew that pushing Ellie wasn't agood idea. Joachim had done that enough times, and it didn't bring him anythinggood.