"𐌕𐋅𐌄𐌓𐌄 𐌉𐌔 𐌀𐌋Ꮤ𐌀𐌙𐌔 𐌋𐌉Ᏽ𐋅𐌕. 𐌉𐌅 Ꝋ𐌍𐌋𐌙 Ꮤ𐌄'𐌓𐌄 𐌁𐌓𐌀ᕓ𐌄 𐌄𐌍Ꝋ𐌵Ᏽ𐋅 𐌕Ꝋ 𐌔𐌄𐌄 𐌉𐌕. 𐌉𐌅 Ꝋ𐌍𐌋𐌙 Ꮤ𐌄'𐌓𐌄 𐌁𐌓𐌀ᕓ𐌄 𐌄𐌍Ꝋ𐌵Ᏽ𐋅 𐌕Ꝋ 𐌁𐌄 𐌉𐌕."

ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳ ᶠⁱᵛᵉ: 

ᴼᵘᵗ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ᵒᵖᵉⁿ.

__________________

|ᴼᵘᵗ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ᵒᵖᵉⁿ.|

Warning: Longish chapter. Mention of children screaming. 

Madison and Malia stepped outside, they both had to blink as soon as the light invaded their vision. Joel, Tess and Ellie stood waiting. The two older adults surveyed the area seeing it was clear. Madison looked around at the abandoned cars sat untouched by humans, ivy growing and wrapping around cars, building holding them like an untouched treasure. Mother nature coming back to claim what society had ruined. Broken rubble of the building, that look to unstable to even go near. 

If they weren't always running for their lives, it would be a lovely scenery to look at. Malia watched as Ellie looked around in wonder, she never had been outside since she was little, so she was taking everything in. Joel stood on. A rock looking out in the distance, for anything that could put them in harm.

Silence..

Waiting..

Nothing

They walked out a little, Malia looked around and took a breath, she loved the clear air, she hated being inside, in cramped quarters, where she has no way of getting out. Malia was great with a bow, she in any situation was the sharpshooter, she could shoot people from up high, and almost never miss her target. Madison made sure to teach her it. 

Madison was a natural with a gun, and knives. But mostly a gun, she taught Malia hand to hand combat in case she doesn't have her bow, which she doesn't, she left it in a hide out, out west. Before they were taken by the fireflies, because of the whole bite and the military preparatory school. 

"Malia, come on" Ellie called out to her sister, as she walked towards where Tess was standing. "It's like a fucked up moon" Ellie told her sister as they approached the massive crater in the earth, pipes exposed out of the ground. "Is this where they bombed?" Ellie and Malia both asked Tess.

She nodded before answering as she looked around and then into the creter. "They hit most of the big cities like this. They had to slow the spread somehow" Joel walked off already knowing the story of what happened, The three girls stood back listening intently as tess explained "Worked here, but it didn't in most places." She started walking off, Madison held onto the straps of her bag as she walked looking around admiring the beauty of this place, before she had to scream and run. 

They walked past the creter, stopping when they say a crumbled building in front of them, they were supposed to be able to walk through which would get them to the other side quickly and with minimal chance of running into infected. "How long would if be if we could walk straight?" Madison piped up standing next to joel with her sister standing next to ellie and ellie standing in between the two older adults. 

"About ten minutes if we could walk straight" Tess answered with a less than pleased face and tone to her voice about having the short way blocked. 

"So-" Malia began but was cut off by joel, "Long way or short way?" He asked in a hurry, no time for patients in a already dying world. He turned his head to The shorter brown haired women awaiting her answer. 

"I mean, its the long way or the 'we're fuckin' dead' way" She shot back, the silent looks the two younger girls gave each other as they both voiced their problems with the short way "Well, I vote long way just based on that limited information" Ellie sarcastically said "I second that" Malia's hand shot up like it was a vote of the masses. 

"Yeah your routes suck" 

Madison voiced her opinion causing, Joel to glare at her "your opinion is not needed"  He stated before moving his gaze to Tess who just shook her head as Madson flipped him off making a mocking face at the man. "We have to check it from the hotel first." Tess nodded before starting the walk to the hotel.

They walked passed cafes vines climbing up the tables and into the empty cup, the place could have been packed with guests, people on dates feasting on food, and drinking wine as soft music played through the air and soft chatter hummed around the building, about their day and work and whatever else they talked about. But is was desilet, no memory of what once was and only of what has happened. 

They wandered onto a highway past grass and vined cover cars, windows shattered and picked through, by thieves and survivors. Mushroom and wild flowers grew in the cracks of the road, Its funny how fast mother nature claims back her earth and her world after twenty years.  Past abandoned children toy, like a stuffed giraffe, which made the oldest sister's heart ache. She could imagine the chaos that spread through here like wildfire. The screams and cries of confused children, hopeful mothers running like crazy to get out of their to get past the cars and find some hope for their children to survive, but then to realize that that hope was squashed like a bug the moment they couldn't find or make a vaccine.  Joel saw her staring at the toy doll the others seemed to just walk by. He could tell by the emotions flickering through her eyes "Keep moving, don't linger on it for to long" He spoke softly, Madison blinked dumbfounded it was the first time he had ever not been moody and grumpy this entire time. So she nodded slowly ripping her eyes away from him to turn to the stuffed animal and then continued walking.  

 "Where the fuck are they already?" Ellie exclaimed to Tess, as she was the closest to her, as they were walking upfront. Malia walking in the middle and Joel and Maddison trailing along behind. "You'll know when they're close" 

"We didn't know last time" Malia spoke up falling back to walk with Madison. "How did you get bit?" Tess said loudly to the blonde haired girl. They stopped so Madison could walk and talk next to tess. "You know the old mall in the QZ?" Joel kept looking from Tess to Madison, How could someone be so close to someone that is infected. Even he didn't stand next to her, he stood near her but a little bit away. 

"The one that's sealed off and boarded up, and no one's supposed to go in, ever? That one?" Tess's tone made her whines "Okay it wasn't my idea" Madison said as Ellie rolled her eyes "I snuck in." Ellie interrupted abruptly as they walked past more cars. "Wanted to see what it was like. Didn't think there was gonna be anything in there, and then out of nowhere one just came at madison" Ellie took over telling the story, she loved telling the story sometimes dramatic sometimes not. "Thought i got away butt" She pulled up her sleeve showing Tess. "Obviously not. 

"So it was just you two, or was miss quiet with you too" Tess gestured with her head to malia. The three sisters look at each other not wanted to tell anymore "Yeah it was just us" Malia said quietly, The three girls looked down before continuing the walk, memories flashed past their faces. Jazz, Riley and Theo..Madison's heart clenched, She felt she could throw up from the painful memories. The memories that had made her cry.

Tess stopped and turned to the three sisters "how old are you three?" She asked "fourteen." "Fifteen" "thirty two" The three said in turn. Tess eyes darted to Joel for a split second so quick no one noticed, well except Joel. He glared at her already knowing what his friend was insinuating.  "you've got some ball on you" She looked at the three sisters. Ellie smiled at the compliment "thanks" 

A car that clearly had been knocked over by a plow or another car stood in their way. Tess climbed over first, Then Ellie then Joel had to reposition the way his gun was sitting, so he could easily climb over. Then Malia then Madison, But malia was still holding her hand so when she jumped down a little she accidently pulled Madison with her, her feet weren't planted well on the car, so she went topping to the ground. She squeaked as she was pracing herself to fall face first to the ground but she never met the ground. Strong arms held her from falling, she looked down to the person. Seeing joel there, he helped her down then almost as he realised what she is, he moved away taking his hands away from her waist and started walking behind everyone again, as they all had taken off. 

"Nobody's gonna be comin' after you all, right?" Malia and Ellie shook their heads. "No parents?, boyfriends?, Friends?, other relatives?" She listed off.

"I've just got Madison and Malia. and, no." Ellie responded walking on the ledge with malia standing behind her. "What about you, miss quiet?" Tess redirected her question to fifteen year old girl. Who ran her hand over the plants that wrapped around the railing 

"No." It was a plain and simple answer. Malia wasn't one to talk to strangers unless enraged. "Everyone said that the open city was insane filled with infected?" Madison said genuinely confused about why there wasn't hordes of infected as the military school said and news that passed through the radio, if you could ever get a good frequency.

"Not exactly like that." Joel responded. "People like to tell stories." 

"So, there aren't super-infected that explode fungus spores on you?" Ellie asked. This caused Malia to look at the two adults. "Shit, i hope not." Tess's ruff voice 

"Or ones that with split open head that see in the dark like bats?" Malia piped up, This question caused Tess to look at joel they looked at each other and silently communicated with one another. But they both turned around when they heard a loud screech. A runner in the far distance. Madison's hand when to her knives that was resting on belt hips, her gun in her back. The crows flying and cawing from the trees. They stopped waiting and listening. Looking around them just in case, beauce where there's one, they is going to be many more.

"What was that?" Madison asked her voice quivered a little. 

"Lets keep movin'." was all joel replied with. The group wasted no time in walking, Madison stayed close to her sister, ready to kill anyone or anything that tried to touch them. 

After a little bit they reached the hotel they were heading too, the lower building was filled with water, busted pipes and the transparent liquid dripping into the already massive body of water. Ducks swimming around enjoying their duck life, not a care in the world, just swimming around, having fun, not getting eaten by people and ending up on a dinner plate. Just being ducks. Moss and plants flourished in this area, algae growing on everything that the moist air touched. A piano sat untouched like a memory of when people would listen to beautiful music dance around the room bouncing gently off the wall and echo down the hall, now a haunting melody locked in time frozen never to be seen again. No one ever knows what they have until you can never get it back. 

The group walked inside after the loud creak and screech the door gave after being unused, birds flew away at the noice not use to it. a frog sat on the piano accidently pressing the keys making a eerie noise bounce around the wall. Ellie and Malia stated at it marveling at the look no matter how it looked now with chairs half sunk and the room in a total disarray. "Have you ever stayed in a place like this?" Malia asked softly as Ellie said you've got to be kidding me. "Uh no, a little out of our league." Tess answered her. 

"How do you even know what this is?" He asked the two "have you heard of book?" Ellie answer back sarcastically. Earning a look of disapproval fro. Joel and tess and a laugh from Madison. 

Joel took his steps into the water that started at the stairs "wait are we going in there?" Ellie asked as she stared at the green liquid that was unclean, you couldn't see the bottom which made Ellie look at her sister warily as she eyed the large pool. "Yeah we have to get across to the other side...to the stairwell" Tess explained looking at the stairs on the other side. "Cause i can't swim" she began taking steps away from the water. Afraid of it. "seriously" Joel asked "do you think we have pools in the QZ, jackass" Malia defended her sister immediately. 

"No." He jumped of the step it was only up to the calf and gave a 'are you serious look' 

"How were we supposed to know that?" Ellie said huffing as she began walking in the water. 

"Mads, Lia. Check it out"

Sloshing around in the murky water not to far away from Joel, Madison's eyes scan her surroundings, before grabbing Malia's hand and pulls her to where Ellie already was.  "Malia, go around to the front and I'll go take El's luggage to her room."

"Ding, ding." The bell echoes through the desolate hotel. Joel and Tess looked unimpressed with the three sisters. as they started at their little play

"Yes, sir. I would like your finest suite, please" Ellie said in a high pitched voice. causing Malia to laugh as she did a deep voice and pretended to type into a computer "We have your room ready for you, John what do you say?" Malia looked toward her older sister who was sitting on the bench watching them her feet dangling in the water.

"Yes, ma'am would you like me to take your luggage?" Madison did a really deep voice as she hopped off the desk and walked towards the luggage rack. "yes, ma'am" Ellie voiced "RIght away ma'am" Madison said deeply as Malia and ellie held onto the rails of the cart. "You're a weird family" Joel stated giving them a deadpan look. As Madison glared at the man. 

"You're a weird family" The group mocked the older man causing him to roll his eyes but his lip twitched up a little. He was indeed enjoying watching this. Ellie and Malia pushed the rack together struggling a little against the water. But quickly gasp  and jumped back in shock and surprise when a dead person's skeleton fell down towards them. Their backs hit the piano behind them when they moved back it rang out a horrid noise. Madison and Joel quickly rushed over, Madison already holding her knives out ready to throw. But they both relaxed over just seeing a skeleton. Joel pushed the head in the other direction as Ellie and Malia both apologised over their reaction. Joel held his hands out for them to grab, but quickly let go. As they walked away the water moving could be heard echoing around. 

"You okay?" Tess voiced her concerns as Malia and Ellie reached her "Yep" "Fucking fabulous" 

"You might want to wrap it up" Madison said looking at his still sore hand. The man just looked at her "Also don't let it touch the water, it could get infected with how dirty it is"

"Like you?" He pointed out raising his eyebrows like he had a point "Fuck you, Miller" Madison spat before walking away not even sparing a glance at the man. "Fucking prick" She mutter as she reached the stairwell. 

After they got to the top , Tess was huffing and puffing in exhaustion. "Come on it wasn't that bad" Malia said, she was starting to talk more to the smugglers she was still weary but at least she's talking to tess. "You try walking up all those fucking stairs with our knees then see how you feel" Tess sassied back. 

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