"Look. There's the school."

Maeve had just climbed out of the second-story church window. The sun had dropped from the center of the cloudless blue sky to just miles away from the horizon. The light hit their path well, which allowed her to survey their destination: the school.

Like any high school, there was this dried-out football field with a broken sign of the goal scores. The building stood there as if nothing ever happened, just rotting for twenty years. If she squinted hard enough, she could see the tiny figures of infected stumbling about.

"Ready?" Bill dropped into the graveyard.

"Guess we'll find out." Joel dropped.

The older teen girl sighed and blew a strand of hair from her eyes. Seemed like their quest was not yet finished. Ugh...Maeve inwardly groaned with exhaustion. She wondered when they would be allowed a breather that lasted longer than a minute.

"You okay?" Ellie bumped her shoulder.

Maeve tore her gaze away from the school, settling her focus on Ellie's concerned face. She inhaled deeply and let the heavy breath leave her. She shook herself off and gave her sister a small smile and then gestured to the graveyard area.

"I'm fine," She lied through her teeth. "Let's get this over with."

Her body jostled when she landed in the graveyard, the nerves in her calves disrupted like a thousand electrical currents. It wasn't the most pleasant feeling, but it prickled away rather quickly once she stood straight up. Smoke whiffed into her nostrils, causing them to flare and for her to cover her face with her hand.

"Ugh..." the smoke led to a burn pile of dead infected corpses.

"Oh, man..." Ellie blanched at the sight.

"C'mon, you don't need to be lookin' at that." Joel gestured for her to look away.

"I've seen worse."

"Like what?" TJ questioned after he jumped from the first-floor roof.

"Like...Like...worse stuff." Ellie stammered.

The blond snorted and walked past the sisters.

Maeve scoffed and rolled her eyes. "What an ass."

"I mean, he does have a nice one." Ellie tilted her head to get a better view of TJ's behind.

"Dude!" Maeve whacked Ellie's shoulder. "Stop looking at him, you weirdo!"

Ellie smirked at her. "A little looking isn't gonna hurt anybody ~"

"Hey! Are you two following?" Bill growled from the cemetery arch entrance.

The sisters broke from their stare-off and hurried after the men. They entered a part of the graveyard, unkempt hedges and cement walls created a maze of greenery and mystery.

"Past this gate, it's all new territory to me."

So, Bill didn't know every nook and cranny of this town. Interesting. Maeve eyed the man, and then Joel. She wondered what was going on in their heads. What was their game plan? She figured she wouldn't know; a man's mind was this complicated enigma that gave her migraines.

"Hey—you guys hear that?" Ellie whispered.

Then she heard it. That annoying, yet ominous clicking. A sigh almost escaped her. Of course, there were Clickers in a graveyard. Maeve wanted to smash her head against one of the stone angels. Why were there Clickers everywhere?

"Keep quiet," Joel shushed the girl before he led the group through the maze-like area. There weren't many infected, but definitely enough for if one of them so much as steps on a dry leaf or twig, it would be over for them.

It was extremely difficult for Maeve to crouch and hold her breath at the same time. The Clickers weren't just standing around, they were stumbling about as if they were pacing. Her heart pounded painfully, her fear grew to an all-time high. Sure, she had killed one of them earlier, but that was different and she had confidence then. She didn't have an ounce of that confidence now, it was gone. Nonexistent, diminished.

She almost gasped, a sleeping Clicker was in front of her, and she had nearly bumped into it. Okay, forget fear. What she was trembling with was far beyond fear. It was like dread and panic had a baby, and that baby turned out to be much worse than its parents. It swallowed Maeve's mind even as she tried to remain calm, for Ellie. Her baby sister was of utmost importance, and if she lost it, Ellie would too.

"Oh, shit...it's locked," TJ whispered sourly as he quietly jiggled the lock of the courtyard door.

"Hold up," Bill heavily waddled to the gate, his heavy thumps weren't at all quiet, but the clickers didn't seem to rear into a frenzy. "I got a key for that gate."

The gate was unlocked, and they filed into a neighborhood's alley. Wooden fences around the yards and such.

"Fuck, Runners!" Maeve's breath hitched seeing to unmoving infected by a couple of knocked-over trash cans.

"Calm down," TJ flagged her down as if to tell her to breathe.

"Easier said than done," She mouthed to him.

Joel and Bill crept behind the Runners, swiftly killing them, They laid the bodies on the ground and headed for the first yard. They had decided sneaking around would be a better choice than wreaking havoc and making noise. The yards were infested with infected, not at all of them, but still a frightening amount of them.

After they sneaked around the yards and avoided the infected, they came to an empty garage. It was their ticket out of the area of infected.

"You weren't kiddin' about this place, were ya?" Joel joked quietly.

"If you guys give us a gun, I could help you kill some of these fuckers!" Ellie hissed.

"Shut up," Bill snapped his attention to Ellie. "Just shut up."

"Don't talk to my sister like that, asshole." Maeve glared at Bill.

"Okay, enough," Joel shushed them before they could start in. He quietly stood and grabbed the door, trying to open it. "This way—shit. Tied on the other side."

Great. Maeve felt the sweat trickle down her spine. She could practically feel her anxiety dancing around her stomach.

"What about going through here?" Ellie pointed at the doggy door, which was boarded up.

"What, the doggy door?"

"Be very careful." Joel grabbed the board and pried it off. It wasn't quiet, but not loud enough to attract the attention of the infected.

"Of course," Ellie promised and lowered herself to the flap and crawled through.

"Maybe you should've given her a gun." Bill mentioned sardonically.

"Okay, Bill."

Maeve was crouched there, next to TJ, anxiously waiting for Ellie to unlock the door, and then they could get away from the infected. She hadn't worried for long when Ellie skillfully opened the door.

"There's more of those clicker things inside the house." She informed them quietly.

"They ain't seen us yet. Just stay down."

On the patio, there were two slumbering Clickers, totally unaware they had fast food in their yard. She almost laughed at herself for thinking they were fast food. It wasn't like they would know any difference as they passed. The group quietly crept into the back door, through a kitchen and the living room, which had a Clicker snoozing away.

They were almost out.

But...

As she passed the laundry room, a bag of powder caught Maeve's attention. Explosive powder? In a family home?

"Mae!" Ellie whispered out. "Maeve!"

"I'll be right back!" Maeve crept into the room and over to the shelves. It was, indeed, a bag of explosive powder. She guessed during the outbreak, people got desperate to protect themselves from the infected and looters.

"You're damn stupid, you know that?" TJ shot at her the second she sneaked into the sideyard.

"I acknowledge it, yes," She wagged the bag in the air. "I'll make you a present with this if you shut up."

He rolled his eyes and climbed onto the RV the others had. Wow, okay. Rude. Maeve frowned, cradling the bag between her right arm and side as she climbed onto the RV behind him. And she just so happened to catch a glimpse of his rear. I guess Ellie was right about him having a nice butt—What. The Shit. Get your mind out of the gutter, Maeve! She scolded herself as they crossed onto a board into a tree house in the next yard.

"Who the hell left this here? You got friends in town?" Ellie eyed the structure while jumping down to the backyard, which had an empty pool.

"No," Bill said. "Although I have some idea who mighta come through here. School's on the other side of this house. Let's get inside."

"Whew, that shit was crazy," Maeve sighed as she made it to solid ground.

"You're tellin' me," Ellie huffed.

"C'mon, kids. I think we're good." Joel stalked off toward the house.

"For now," Bill grumbled. "Goddamn, those things. Nobody's bitten, right?"

"Nope. We're good," Ellie said, though she and Maeve shared a knowing look.

They entered the house and began to explore. Joel ventured upstairs, Ellie lingered not far behind him, Maeve assumed she wanted to apologize about Tess. She saw it in her eyes, even if she laughed or smiled, she was guilty about her death. Being older, and slightly mature, Maeve wanted to hug Ellie and tell her it wasn't her fault. But, Ellie probably wouldn't listen if someone tried to reassure her.

Maeve bit her lip and scanned her surroundings. Maybe she could try and scrounge up something for that nail bomb now. All she needed now was a canister of sorts.

"Do you know how to make shivs?" TJ held up a broken pair of scissors and a small mostly used roll of scotch tape.

"Don't you have a knife?" Maeve lifted a brow up.

"I do—shivs help open locked doors," TJ responded.

"Right," the auburn-haired girl nodded awkwardly. "Let me put this together first."

"Sure thing."

Maeve wandered into the kitchen, and TJ followed behind her. She searched the cabinets for a canister of some kind.

"What are you looking for?"

"A container," she replied, opening another cabinet door. "Preferably a metal one."

"Oh, like this?" TJ held up a can with a lid that was screwed on.

"Yes!" Maeve hurried to the island and reached out for the can in his hands, but the boy pulled it out of her reach. "No! Come on, dude!"

"Just answer something for me." The blond seemed serious.

"What is it?" She wanted that can.

"How do you know how to make bombs?"

"Seriously?" Maeve eyed him, baffled. "Didn't you already ask that?"

"Just answer the question."

"I told you—a friend taught me," Maeve repeated her words from earlier.

"And the Molotov?"

"Again, a friend."

"This friend must be a gearhead to know so much about explosives." TJ handed the can over.

"Yeah," Maeve took the can as her eyes grew warm with the painful recollection. "He was."

Whatever it was TJ was trying to get at, he didn't ask another question. She felt his gaze on her the whole time she poured the jar of needles into the can along with the explosive powder. She mixed some extra, more "secret" ingredients, which were just some chemicals she found in with the needles. If she had razors or actual nails, this could probably shred someone to death. But, alas, only needles.

"That's not how Bill makes his nail bombs," TJ commented.

Maeve released an exasperated sigh. "I have to shake the canister and throw it. When heat is added, the chemicals will help the powder to combust."

"I don't understand."

"Then, I suppose you can stay clueless because it'll take more time explaining than it does to show," the girl carefully placed the bomb in her bag.

"You sure that's safe in there?" he eyed her.

"Not at all," Maeve grunted. "But, with all the infected we've seen, it's better safe than sorry."

"Am I having a stroke or something? What happened to the scaredy-cat who was practically pissing her pants earlier?"

"Excuse you!" Maeve glared at him. "I'm not brave and I'm certainly not here for my entertainment. I am here because I want my baby sister safe. Even if I'm scared to the point of pissing my pants, I will protect Ellie. I'll do anything to protect my sister."

"No need for the monologue." TJ held his arms up in surrender.

"And here I thought you were actually being a decent human being." Maeve rolled her eyes and put her bag back on. "Give me your stupid shiv."

TJ didn't have time to give her the items before she ripped them from his hands. He watched her skillfully craft the shiv as if she had done it a million times. After she was done with it, she thrust it back into his hands.

"Hey, Joel?" Bill called from the garage of the house.

By then, Joel and Ellie had reappeared. Ellie seemed awkward, but somewhat relieved.

"Yeah?"

"Gimme a hand with this."

"You okay?" Maeve shuffled close to her sister.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm great." Ellie rubbed her sleeves nervously.

Maeve glanced between her and Joel. A few negative thoughts crossed her mind. Had he done something to her sister?

"No." Ellie broke Maeve's train of thought. "I know that look. We talked, that's all."

"You sure?" Maeve pried; a burst of protectiveness flooded her.

"Yeah. We're cool."

"If you say so." She would let it go. For now. Sure, the guy seemed trustworthy, but when it came to her sister, she would do anything to protect her.

"Oh, hey look." Ellie was off, to the back wall of shelves. She grabbed a bow that had laid on one of the shelves. "This is neat."

"Let me take that." A long arm slipped between the girl's heads and snatched the bow right from Ellie's hands.

"Hey!" They protested.

"You don't get weapons that shoot." TJ prompted and shouldered the bow.

"Ugh! You're such an asshole! What if you're occupied and we need something?" Maeve stomped her foot and balled her fists.

"I'm sure you can make your bombs and fire bottles."

"Don't be an ass wipe, dude!" Ellie bit.

"Oh, you'll be fine." He rolled his eyes and went to help Bill and Joel with the garage door.

The sisters seethed, steam came out of their ears while they fumed.

"You think Joel would be pissed if I stabbed TJ right now?" Maeve itched to grab her knife.

"You think he'd be pissed if we both stabbed him?" Ellie glared at the blond.

"I dunno. Maybe we should try and see what happens." The older teen narrowed her eyes on the boy.

"Come on, ladies!" Joel called as they ducked under the garage door.

"Ugh!" Ellie groaned. "I hate this! We're sitting ducks!"

"You're not the only one," Maeve sighed. "Let's go before they drag our asses."

The sisters leave the garage, following the guys behind cover when they spotted infected.

They're all over...Maeve couldn't see any end to them. There could've been twenty of them. Hell, there could be over thirty, or even forty. She wasn't keen on finding out the exact number of infected that were here.

"What'd I tell ya," Bill pointed off toward the school, more specifically, to a truck that was lodged into the building. "There's that truck, sticking outta the school right there."

"Are you gonna give me that bow back now?" Maeve looked expectantly at TJ.

"No." He said.

"Why not?" Maeve burned red.

"Because I don't trust you with it."

"You've got fucking issues, dude. I'm not going to shoot you with it. I'm probably a better shot than you, anyway."

"I doubt that." TJ scoffed. "You're not getting this bow."

"Fine," Maeve growled. "Fuck you then."

Sneaking past the infected wasn't particularly easy, but it was doable. The runners that paced around the lot were taken down one by one, thanks to Joel and Bill. And yes, Maeve and Ellie were made to stay back like two helpless damsels.

"Well, that was easier than I thought," Bill wiped his hands together. "They must be holed up somewhere else."

"Yeah, well, let's not test our luck." TJ cracked his knuckles. "How do we get inside?"

The group searched around the cars and eventually came to a fence that had a school bus punctured through it. There was also a ladder on the roof of it.

"Someone left a ladder on the bus," Ellie pointed out. "Here, get up there and I'll drop it to you."

"Don't get killed up there." Bill called up to her.

"Thanks, Bill." She replied just as sarcastically and dropped the ladder for them.

One by one, they climbed the ladder to the roof of the bus. They each hurried onto the other side of the fence, just feet away from the school when they heard the wails and screams of the infected.

"Shit. You hear that?" TJ looked around the bus, and sure enough, there was a shit ton of infected headed their way.

"They're coming! Move it, kids!" Bill commanded them, ushering them to the doors by the truck. "Alright, we're gonna get in quick. We're gonna get the battery and we're gonna get the hell outta here."

"Oh, fuck!" Maeve's breath caught in her throat, fear gripped her again as she watched the infected piled up outside the fence. "They're piling over the fence! It's not gonna hold!"

Bill pushed on the door, only to find it jammed. "The door's locked!"

Joel hurried to find another way. He went around the corner and called for them. "Go, go, go, you three! Go!" He made Maeve, Ellie, and TJ crawl through the window first.

Maeve scrambled to her feet when Joel was grabbed by a Clicker. The infected jumped on his back and was ready to bite and infect him.

BLAM!

The Clicker's head exploded. Its fungal head plates and bits of skull and brain and blood went everywhere. Maeve didn't get to cover herself; it was so sudden. Bill reached out for Joel and tugged him inside with a strong arm.

TJ slammed the window shut, even locked it.

"That's not gonna hold." Ellie flinched as the infected banged on the glass.

"Bill, make it fast!" Joel shouted and then took a metal shelf, moving in front of the door that was being furiously pounded by the infected.

Maeve pulled her knife out, keeping the blade outward. She eyed TJ, who got his shotgun out and cocked it. He was going to cause her and her sister to get killed. Sure, she had her bombs and fire bottles, but without supplies, she had only her switchblade. Nothing else.

"It's empty."

"What?"

Everyone looked toward the truck. Its hood was lifted, but the battery was missing. There was just an empty space of where it was supposed to be.

"It's fuckin' empty!"

"Guys!" Ellie yelped, the metal shelf rattling against the door.

"Bill, where to?" Joel grappled for ideas.

"Uh..."

"Bill, where?!" Joel growled.

"Anywhere but here." Bill backed away from the truck and headed for the door that led into the school.

"Get ready to haul ass. C'mon!" Joel and Ellie ran after Bill.

"They've broken through!" Bill yelled out.

The five hurried into the high school corridors, escaping the horde. But it wouldn't be long until they were chased down again.

"Let's, um...We'll sneak out the back." Bill cleared his throat.

"You four, follow me. I'll get us outta here." Joel took the lead.

"Be my guest."

After stumbling upon a few infected in a science classroom, the group made it into another corridor lined with lockers. And a way out.

"Help me open this." Joel motioned for TJ to help him.

They pushed and pushed on the door. It was blocked by something. Bill joined the pushing. With the three of them, they managed to open the door just enough for them to slip through one at a time. That seemed to be a reoccurring thing.

"C'mon!" Joel slipped through, and then TJ.

"Shit! There's more on the way!" The girls slid through the door and into a gym. "Barricade the door!"

After Bill was in, the guys forced the gym equipment back against the door to prevent the infected from getting inside.

"This ain't gonna hold long," Bill wiped his mouth warily.

Suddenly, the gym rumbled. This loud, and grungy growl vibrated the floors and walls. It was like a thousand dogs growling at the same time.

"That doesn't sound good..." Maeve gulped.

The equipment room doors slammed open, the sound bounced off the high ceiling and walls. And this...this large, grotesque infected came out. Its body was piled with fungal plates, and its head was split like a Clicker's. Its mouth was salivating, and the drool dripped down its cleft lips.

"Ho-oly fuck..." The girls went pale at the sheer size of the infected and it roared.

"What the fuck is that?"

"It's a goddamn bloater!"