End of the journey. Homebound Jackson!

Lush pine and linen rivers filled the air, and Maeve couldn't help but bask in the intense saturation of the forest. It was cooler, but she didn't mind. Fresh air was fresh air, after all. The mountain trail overlooked an even grander forest of taller pine trees and oak trees. It was almost solitary, perfectly tranquil. How the aviaries chirped and cawed, the chittering of rodents scuttling around the forest floors.

A soft breeze weaved through the open SUV doors. Maeve liked how cooling the wind was, it calmed her jittery nerves. She turned her head toward the engine of the vehicle, hearing a grunt of frustration. The was slammed shut, jostling the car's body. Her eyes focused on TJ's greasy hands and smudged chin while he spoke to Joel in a low tone.

Miles back, the SUV began to sputter. She figured they were low on fuel, but after a few stops, it seemed the battery barely had life. She guessed TJ and Joel thought they knew what they were doing and parked the SUV close to a blocked-off road. They were close to Jackson, anyway, so it didn't matter if they walked the rest of the way. She wasn't looking forward to hiking again, but it was nice to stretch her legs after a day of non-stop driving.

Still, they were just a hike away from Jackson. Surprisingly enough.

Maeve pushed her shortened hair away from her face. She frowned. It was still short, but it had grown half an inch. The ends of her auburn hair tickled her neck in the breeze. It irritated her how slowly her hair grew; she hated having short hair. She tried not to remember the horrible events. She forced the memories down; she was getting good at suppressing her emotions.

She shook her head and twisted around to peer out of the left side of the vehicle. Ellie was silent as she sat opposite of her. Her head was hung down, and she couldn't see her expression. Her lips pressed together while she tried to psychically link with her, not that she could anyway; she wondered what Ellie was thinking about, what was going on in her mind. Maybe she should ask, or maybe she should keep to herself and let Ellie be with her thoughts.

"Looks like we're walking, ladies." Joel's voice rumbled in the spring breeze.

Maeve launched herself out of the SUV, landing on her feet with a soft grunt. Sharp tingles burst through the nerves in her heels and toes, but it didn't last long. She breathed in the linen air, stretched, and grabbed her bag, sliding the straps over her shoulders.

She met Ellie's eyes and sighed.

Her sister was just as lost as she was, or was the right word empty? Maeve was vastly aware of how Ellie must've felt. She couldn't begin to try and imagine what she was going through. She was told there was no cure, and that her immunity meant nothing.

Give it to Joel to make hope turn to ash. She, herself, knew it was a lie. She hadn't asked what they did, or the events that followed their decisions. She vaguely recalled popping noises coming from the halls of that hospital, and an alarm. That could've been a number of things, though. Maybe they set off the alarms when TJ and Joel got away and went to save them. Something in her gut told her something much worse had happened, maybe something Joel would be less than forthcoming about. She gathered much about TJ as well. The two were related, after all; not to mention TJ was raised by Joel and had grown to match the man's mannerisms. Getting the truth would not be so easy.

She was more afraid of what Ellie would do; knowing her, she'd do something stupidly impulsive.

"Actually kinda pretty, ain't it?" Her ears perked up hearing Joel speak again. It took her a solid second to realize he was talking about the scenery. Ellie mumbled out an agreement, though it didn't sound like she was enthusiastic about it.

They go off the road and to a barb-wire fence. Joel steps on the two bottom wires and grabs the top two, stretching them as far as they would go to make an easy path. First, Ellie ducked under the wire, then Maeve, and finally, TJ, who held the wires apart for Joel.

The older man groaned. "I'm feelin' my age now..."

"Admitting you're old?" TJ jabbed him.

"Keep going."

They hiked further into the woods and Joel began talking again. "Don't think I ever told you, but Sarah and I used to take hikes like this. I think, ah...I think the three of you would've been good friends. Think you would've liked her. I know she would've liked you."

"I bet we would've."

They venture further until they come across a vista of Jackson in all its springtime glory. If she were more emotional than she already was, she probably would've cried at the sight. Like before, her breath was stolen by Jackson's homely beauty. The sun lit the town just right, creating a welcoming glow that she was ready to embrace.

"Wow..." She murmured as they were about to cross a small stream that grew wider, eventually spilling into a narrow waterfall.

"Shut your mouth," TJ jokingly nudged her. "You'll catch flies."

She cast a half-hearted glare his way but didn't say anything.

Across the streaming river, Joel lifted himself onto a higher ledge. The trunk he used as a step stool gave away, falling onto the ground before Ellie could climb onto it.

"Alright, kiddos," Joel kneeled, stretching his arm to help Ellie up. "Come on up."

Each of them was helped up onto the ledge. Jackson was closer now, just a walk down a steep hill and messy, muddy path.

"Hey, wait," Ellie stopped them all with a shaky voice. "Back in Boston — back when I was bitten — I wasn't alone," Maeve gestured that she didn't have to, but she tugged at her fingers and continued. "My best friend was there. And she got bit too. We didn't know what to do. So... she says "Let's wait it out. Y'know, we can be all poetic and just lose our minds together." I'm still waiting for my turn."

"Ellie, you don't have to."

The younger girl shook her head and bravely met Joel's eyes. "Her name was Riley, and she was the first to die. And then it was Tess. And then Sam."

Maeve realized it too late, it seemed. Her sister carried the burden of their deaths on her shoulders.

"None of that is on you, you hear?"

"No, you don't understand."

Joel held his hand up weakly. "I struggled for a long time with surviving. And you — no matter what, you keep finding something to fight for. Now, I know that's not what you want to hear right now, but it's—"

"Swear to me," she cut him off. "Swear to me that everything you said about the Fireflies is true."

Silence swept over the four, another cooling breeze weaving past their bodies. The pregnant pause seemed to last forever. She wondered what he would say if he would confess that blur Maeve slightly remembered or not. Before she could ponder, he briefly nodded. And then Joel spoke:

"I swear."