You play as Ellie

The sound of the theater doors rattling made Dina jump. She and Jesse exchanged a quick glance before hurrying to the entrance. When Dina pulled the door open, the sight that greeted her nearly knocked the breath out of her chest.

Ellie stood there, pale and trembling, her hands and jacket smeared in blood. Her eyes were wide, glassy—haunted. Dina had seen Ellie come back from patrols tired, scraped up, even shaken. But this… this was different.

“Oh my god… Ellie,” Dina whispered, rushing forward to steady her. Jesse’s voice cut in, sharp with worry.

Jesse: “What the hell happened?” Jesse said

Ellie’s breath hitched as she tried to speak, words tumbling out in fragments.

Ellie: “I—I found Nora. She… she told me. Abby’s… she’s at the aquarium.”

Her voice cracked on Abby’s name, and Dina didn’t miss the way Ellie’s shoulders curled in on themselves. The blood on her hands wasn’t just a stain—it was weight. Heavy. Crushing.

“Come on,” Dina said gently, sliding an arm around her waist. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

Ellie didn’t resist, only leaned into her as if her legs might give out. Dina led her through the quiet hallways of the theater until they reached the old dressing room. She sat Ellie down on the bench in front of a cracked mirror, the glass reflecting back the girl’s hollow, shaken expression.

Dina grabbed a cloth and a basin of water, her hands steady even though her chest felt tight. She knelt in front of Ellie, wiping gently at the blood smeared along her arms and knuckles. Ellie flinched at the touch, then looked down, ashamed.

“I—I made her tell me,” Ellie whispered, voice so small it broke something in Dina’s chest. “I couldn’t stop, Dina. I kept… pushing. Until she couldn’t breathe anymore. Until she was gone.”

Her hands trembled violently, and Dina dropped the cloth to catch them, holding them firmly between her own. “Ellie, look at me.”