Three weeks later...

"When's Marlene getting back?"

Pulled from deep mirth, Maeve flickered her attention toward the side. Her sister's smaller figure adjusted so she could face her.

Ellie's youthful face was tired, but still very energetic.

The older teen writhed, becoming slightly annoyed by her fourteen-year-old sister, inwardly grimacing as she was asked that again. It was the third time she was in an hour, and an hour since Marlene left them in this rundown coffee shop. Dust caked the display bar, the register, the tables, counters, and well, pretty much everything in sight.

The sun drew through what would have been the cafe windows with them being all boarded up and shit, causing the room itself to be warm. She would've melted if she had a long sleeve tee on.

"I don't know," Maeve smarted off, earning a glare from Ellie, "Probably around the same time you started asking," and then she sighed, adding, "It's only been an hour, E."

"Yeah-a fucking hour. She could be in trouble," Ellie had her switchblade out, rubbing it on her right sleeve as if to clean it. "Maybe we should-"

"She told us to stay put," Maeve snapped, her vision shot to her sister. "And don't even think about trying to go off on your own. It's dangerous."

"But it's fucking boring!" Ellie groaned loudly and threw her head back.

It was boring, yes. Maeve had to admit that she itched for something do other than trace random shapes and scribbles along the seams of her jeans or fiddling with her pendant or bracelet.

"Well, I mean, I have this comic I brought if you wanna read that-" Maeve was ready to grab her worn-down backpack.

"It's okay," Ellie rejected her offer.

"What?! But you're a fucking nerd! Don't you like things like comic books?" Maeve burst, dropping the bag in surprise. "You're so fucking bipolar, I swear."

"You just hate me 'cuz you ain't me~" Ellie smugly said as she smirked.

"Don't flatter yourself, squirt," Maeve mirrored the smirk haughtily and puffed out her chest. "Why would I hate someone who has less than I do?"

She knew it was a hit below the belt with that one. She was the one who had the boobs in the family. Personally, she liked to think she took after their mother in that department. And she kept telling Ellie puberty would work its magic, but she would be brushed off all the time. Ellie seemed to get so embarrassed when it came to the talk or about periods and shit like that. Given she already knew about how the female body worked, it took a little off Maeve's plate.

"Oof," Ellie feigned being shot. She smacked her sternum and leaned back onto the wall. "I'm wounded! Bleeding out!"

"You're a dork," Maeve laughed, pulling her legs onto the counter, hugging her to her chest and resting her chin on her kneecaps.

"And you're a bitch."

"It wouldn't be fun if I wasn't," the older teen smirked before relaxing a bit. "Y'know, this a good thing."

Ellie looked at her curiously, folding her switchblade and pocketing it. "Whaddaya mean?"

"For starters, everything's going to change."

"We don't know that."

"Don't we?" Maeve had this fantasy that swirled in her head about an infected-free world, no soldiers, no Fireflies, and the most important, no infected.

"Mae," the younger girl frowned abjectly. "A cure won't bring them back."

"I know," She looked down, disheartened. "But it's nice to have hope, right? I mean, what else can I have after everything-"

The icebox door banged from the other side, which startled the girls. Both of them whipped out their knives so they would be ready for a fight or any signs of danger.

That's when the door was forced open, and a body collapsed to the floor.

"Marlene?" Maeve recognized the woman...and the growing blood stain on her side.

A man, far older than the two girls, rushed in to help the woman up.

"Get the fuck away from her!" Ellie lunged at the man with her knife.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Through the door, a woman with a short brown hair appeared and grabbed Ellie by the wrist.

"Ellie!" Maeve jumped off the counter and rushed to aid her sister. She brandished her switchblade.

Much to her surprise, a boy her age appeared and seized her wrist. The knife is twisted out of her hold, causing it clatter on the ground. She yelped at his strength, rendered powerless as he rushed at one of the tables and slammed her body on the surface of it. He practically lifted her up and freaking body slammed her, as if she weighed nothing to him!

If that wasn't the worst of it, maybe having her hands pinned above her head was. His arms were long, and he barely had to lean over her while he held her.

"What the shit! Get off!" She struggled against him, though it proved futile.

"Don't even think about it!" His lips curled away from his shockingly pearly teeth.

"Mae!" Ellie yelled, trying to yank herself away from the woman.

"Hey, enough!" The man near Marlene shouted, expressing his authority and caused everyone to stop. "Tess, TJ."

"But Joel she-" the boy went to argue, flickering his attention over his shoulder.

"TJ."

The boy clicked his tongue and returned to look at Maeve. His nose scrunched up at her before he reluctantly released her. He moved away from her, going back to the man and woman-Joel and Tess.

Maeve sat up on the table she got planted on, glaring at the blond boy. She was very much about to tell him, but she sealed her lips once she saw the look Marlene gave her.

"Who the hell are you, anyway?" She slid off the table.

"Maeve," Marlene chastised her weakly. "They're here to help."

"Help?" The auburn-haired girl repeated dryly as she reclaimed her switchblade from the floor. "Yeah, I definitely want his help after he manhandled me."

"You had it coming!" the boy - TJ - growled from his place by Tess.

"I'm sure," She walked over to Marlene, choosing to ignore him and his stupid attitude. "You're hurt."

"This is fixable," Marlene appeared to juggle her pain well. She looked like she was in a great deal of it. "I got us help."

"Them?" Both of the girls cast judging looks at the trio of newcomers.

They looked roughed up, covered in dirt and caked in their own sweat. None of them looked up to escorting them at all, in fact, they looked like they would keel over if a wind blew on them-not to mention homicidal. Well, more or less. From her perspective, they didn't exactly look equipped for the voyage.

"But" Marlene leaned herself against the register counter, seeming more and more flushed. "I can't come with you."

"Well, then we're staying." Ellie said.

Maeve glanced at her sister and nodded agreement. Marlene was too injured to be left alone, especially with all the blood she's seemed to have lost. Neither girl wanted to leave her.

"Girls," The chocolate-skinned woman begged softly. "We won't get another chance at this."

"Wait," Joel interrupted the conversation and motioned between the sisters. "We're smuggling them?"

Marlene nodded, her brows furrowed, "There's a crew of Fireflies that'll meet you at the Capitol Building."

"That's not exactly close." Tess said.

"You're capable. You hand them off, come back, the weapons are yours," Marlene said, "Double what Robert sold me."

"Speaking of which-where are they?" TJ chimed in, apparently unfazed by the tension in the room.

"Back in our camp."

They scoffed and shared similar expressions and looked back at the wounded Firefly.

"We're not smuggling shit until I see them." Tess said firmly.

"You'll follow me," Marlene told her wearily. "You can verify the weapons, I can get patched up," she pointed at Maeve and Ellie. "But they're not crossing to that part of town. I want Joel and TJ to watch after them."

"I don't think that's the best idea-"

"Bullshit! We're not going with them!"

"Like fucking hell I will!"

The four began to protest, their voices overwhelmed one another. So much so, Marlene seemed like she got a migraine from it, and she rubbed her temple.

"Girls!" Her own voice powered over them, and their complaints were cut off.

"How do you know them?" Maeve asked lowly.

"I was close with his brother Tommy. Said if I was ever in a jam, I could rely on him."

"Was that before or after he left your little militia group?" Joel asked snidely.

"He left you too, remember?" TJ grunted out, only to whacked upside the head by Tess. "Ow!"

Maeve had to hold in her snicker. It felt nice to watch him get hit, not in a sadistic way, but satisfied way. However, TJ glared at her when he saw her smirking. That's what you get, you prick! Yeah, she had an attitude, but she especially hated when she met a new person and they gave it to her first. It opened a whole new unwelcome wagon in her and was entitled to being a bitch. First impressions were important to her.

"Just take them to the north tunnel and wait for me there."

They looked at Tess incredulously.

"Are you fucking with me right now?" TJ grumbled.

"Jesus Christ..." Joel pinched the bridge of his nose.

"They're just cargo, Joel." Tess patted the man's broad shoulder and approached Marlene.

"Marlene..."

"No. No more talking-you'll be fine," The woman strained as she stood. "Now go with them."

She knew then that it definitely wasn't up for a debate. Who exactly were these people? Their names told her nothing about them. She didn't trust them, but if Marlene trusted them enough to take care of them, then she would at least have to try.

"Are you coming or not?" TJ barked at them.

"Chill dude!" Maeve hissed at him and hurried to get her bag. She slipped her arms through the straps and followed after them with Ellie hot on her heels.

"Don't take too long," Joel told Tess and turned to the girls as TJ was already out the front door. "And you two, stay close."

"Aye, aye, captain!" Maeve sarcastically saluted the older man.

The summer heat engulfed Maeve, and the sun was still shining its brilliance on the broken world...and the bodies strewn out on the alley grounds. Blood pooled around their bodies, seeped from the bullet wounds they had received.

"Whoa...we heard all the shooting, but...what happened?" Ellie asked, which earned her a side glance from Maeve.

"The Fireflies. Same thing's gonna happen to us if we don't get off the street."

"You're the pros. We're following you."

TJ scoffed at Ellie's remark. Maeve resisted the urge to march up to him and whack the blond out of him. It irked her how rude he was being. She got they're strangers and all, but they knew each other for, like, five minutes. Even if their trip was going to be a short one, couldn't he at least try not to be a dick?

They moved along into a small stairway next to the street, TJ and Joel seemingly walked quickly. For Maeve, it seemed like they were using their long leg advantages on purpose because she and Ellie had to practically jog to keep up with them.

"C'mon, keep up, you two!" Joel called from ahead.

"We are!" Maeve barked, already fed up with these escorts. "Can you believe these douches, Ellie?"

From over her shoulder, she saw her sister shrug and blow her bangs from her eyes.

Eventually, they entered an abandoned apartment yard. It was super creepy, and Maeve didn't like it.

"Where are we going?" Ellie asked.

"Yeah, this is extremely creepy..." Maeve glanced around the empty area.

"Up there, you dumbass," TJ pointed up to a wide fire escape. "That'll get us to the north tunnel."

Maeve opened her mouth to pop off on him, but Ellie cut her before she could do any damage, "How are we supposed to reach that?"

"Just gimme a minute." Joel ambled off to find something they could climb on.

While they waited, Maeve decided to observe TJ, just drinking in his appearance. He was tall, noting his height from before. And his dirty blond hair was forced into a tiny wolf's tail. And if she looked long enough, she could see his surprisingly baby blue eyes. He had the sharp jaw, and it somehow defined his features handsomely. His nose was slightly out of place-he had probably broken it at some point.

Not that she had anything to croak about, he was kinda...cute. She suddenly had this sour taste on her tongue just thinking that.

"What?"

Maeve blinked and became red. She'd been caught staring and looked away, although her crime had been acknowledged. "Nothing!"

"Well, obviously it's something you're staring at me!"

"It's nothing, drop it!" she sighed in relief when Joel came back...pushing a dumpster?

He rolled it to the escape and climbed to get to the stairs. One by one, they climbed up after him.

"This tunnel...you use it to smuggle things?" Ellie asked.

"Yep." Joel said oh-so enthusiastically.

"Like illegal things?"

"Sometimes." 

"You guys ever smuggle a kid before?"

Maeve laughed inside. Oh, the patience on these guys! Their nerves must be steel if they can endure Ellie's constant badgering. It wasn't all bad, Maeve knew it was a part of who Ellie was.

"No, that would a first." Joel said.

The older teen adjusted her back straps as they turned into a corridor which led to a bridge above the street below.

"So, what's the deal with you and Marlene, anyways?" TJ asked, eyeing the sisters suspiciously.

"I don't know," Ellie and Maeve shared a look with each other. "She's our friend, I guess."

"Your friend, huh?" Joel gave a breathy chuckle. "You're friends with the leader of the Fireflies? What're you, like twelve?"

Maeve frowned at that, but she said nothing.

"She knew our mom, and she's been looking after us. And I'm fourteen, not that has anything to do with...well, anything." Ellie replied snidely.

Up a short set of stairs and a right turn. They entered a small corridor.

"So where are your parents?"

"Where are anyone's parents?" Maeve chimed in glumly, fidgeting with her bracelet. "They've been gone a long, long time."

"So instead of just staying in school, you decide to run off and join the Fireflies, is that it?" Joel made another right turn and headed up another flight of stairs, much to Maeve's dismay.

"Look, we're not supposed to tell you why you're smuggling us, if that's what you're getting at." Ellie narrowed eyes at Joel and TJ, but they weren't paying any attention to her.

"You wanna know the best thing about my job? I don't gotta know why. Be honest with you, I could give two shits about what you're up to." The older man said rather firmly.

"Well great." Ellie hooked her thumbs into her pockets.

"Good." Joel slowed his pace, stopping at a non-barricaded door at the end of the hall. He looked at the door in exhaustion and then opened it. "This is it."

Oh. That was pretty fast, Maeve blinked. She peered inside cautiously This must be the north tunnel they were talking about. Didn't look like a tunnel to her. It was small with a few pieces of furniture, namely an ugly yellow couch, a side table next to it, and a chair adjacent to the couch. It wasn't much, but it wasn't like she could complain.

"Get inside, you weirdo." TJ nudged Maeve through the doorway.

"Okay, jeez..." the teen glared at him after she corrected her sudden stumbling. "You don't gotta shove!"

"Then move your ass." He emphasized 'move' and stepped inside, shutting the door not-so quietly.

Jeez...this guy had some serious issues...Maeve turned toward Ellie, who curiously looked around. She focused on Joel as he reclined on the couch and put an arm over his eyes. Maeve noticed the watch that adorned his wrist, it was broken. She felt a curious flare inside of her, she wondered how it got that way.

"What're you doing?"

"Killing time." Joel mumbled.

"What are we supposed to do?" Ellie gestured between herself and Maeve.

TJ had already made himself comfortable on the floor and leaned against the wall next to the door, hoodie pulled over his head and seemingly snoozing away.

"I am sure you will figure that out."

Wow, okay. Maeve moved around Ellie to take over the chair by the window.

"Your watch is broken." Ellie told Joel and he made this breathy annoyed sigh while she joined Maeve by the window that overlooked the QZ's outskirts.

It was going to be a long night.