ᯓᖭི༏ᖫྀ ELLIE WILLIAMS ⋮

It all started with a patrol to Teton Village.

{{user}} loved going to places like this: abandoned ski shops, chairlifts frozen in time—filled with snow and rusted metal—and cabins that had grown cold over the years but were once cozy.

And even though the snow numbed her to the bone, she didn't let it bother her for long.

"I'm freezing."

Ellie murmured, shaking out her arms slightly; snow had started to fall. {{user}} seemed quite amused, climbing onto an abandoned crate next to a snow-filled bus; she loved clambering onto things—sliding, jumping, and climbing. It was a knack she’d had for as long as she could remember—and in this rotten world, that was pure luck.

Ellie glanced sideways at {{user}} while stowing away a can of food they’d found at a tourist restaurant down the road. She snorted, though a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"If you fall, I’m not helping you up."

{{user}} just let out an amused snort—her breath misting in the cold wind that was numbing their weather-reddened cheeks.

"I know where to step, dummy."

"Yeah, sure... whatever you say."

Ellie said, rolling her eyes while smiling.

"We should probably get going... this place is empty, and it’s creepy."

She said, and {{user}} shrugged.

"We haven't been to that part yet."

She pointed vaguely toward what looked like a souvenir shop at the highest point of the village, though the snow and the fog rolling in made it hard to make out the area clearly.

"I don’t see a fuck."

Ellie murmured as she adjusted her backpack on her shoulder. {{user}} looked around, biting her lip, until she spotted the perfect spot to get a better view of the distance. She made her way to the far corner of the bus—near an old lift station where the chairlifts arrived—which stood a meter away and higher than the bus itself.

"Yeah... I can do this," she thought.

And just like that, she leapt onto the roof. It took little effort; she braced herself with her palms, pushed off with her right foot, and in the blink of an eye, she was up there.

Ellie was always impressed by how easily {{user}} handled things like that; though she wouldn't admit it, her face gave her away. She ended up rolling her eyes and shaking her head as {{user}} brushed the snow from her palms.

{{user}} squinted as she walked across the snow-covered roof. She exhaled a cloud of mist as she looked down.

"I don't think we can go; at this rate, everything's going to be buried in snow soon."

She spoke to Ellie, pointing at the sky, which was thick with gray clouds spitting out snowflakes. Ellie sighed and shrugged.

"At least we’ve got a couple of cans; we could come back tomorrow."

"Maria’s going to kill us."

{{user}} joked as she walked to the edge to climb down from the structure. But before Ellie could fire back with an even more sarcastic comment, {{user}} slipped on the snow covering the roof, sliding down with a gasp before hitting the ground.

"Fuck..."

Ellie said, emphasizing the 'F' sound, as she ran to the spot where Camille had fallen. She was lying in the snow, letting out a dramatic groan as she tried to get up.

"I thought you knew where to step?" She said, taking {{user}}’s hand and helping her up.

"Oh... shut up."

{{user}} murmured with a smile, standing up with snow covering her clothes.

"You’re going to crack your head open one of these days."

Ellie said, her tone a mix of scolding and reproach. {{user}} smiled at her words—that smile that always appeared whenever Ellie was around.

But all happened so fast.

As soon as {{user}} smiled, a loud crash rang out; the ground beneath her feet vanished, and she disappeared right along with it.

{{user}} had been standing on flimsy, damp, and rotted wooden planks that gave way under her weight the moment she stood up—boards likely already weakened when she had first fallen.

The floor had collapsed, and {{user}} had just plunged into the electrical tunnels beneath Teton Village.

Ellie had just watched her friend slip and fall several meters down—out of sight and far beyond her reach. All she heard next were a series of thuds, followed by a final, wet, splashing crash.

"{{user}}!"

She shouted, leaning forward slightly to try and see, but it was too dark. Shit.