CHAPTER SEVEN.
we're ashes on the ground

     EZRA WINDSOR thought about him a lot — his dad.

     He couldn't remember much about him. Mostly because his father died when he was a young and naive kid. Fifteen years was plenty of time to forget the many characteristics about a person, even someone as important as his own father. But it wasn't enough to erase him from his memory completely. Ezra simply couldn't, and he wouldn't allow himself to forget him either. He didn't have it in himself to erase the face of a kind and brave man. Someone with courage in their heart, and eternal strength in their veins, pulsating sharply to strive for the very best future for him and his son.

Ezra would never forget the time his father eased his fears in the simplest way possible. Growing up Ezra developed an uneasy fear of thunderstorms. He was past that overwhelming and crippling fear now ( although on a bad day you could find him shaking in his sleep when he would hear that first low rumble in the sky ). But as a scared little boy living in the apocalypse, he was terrified that the storms were warning signs, telling him to run before the thunder led the Infected right to them. Most nights he would cry himself to sleep in hopes that he would still be alive in the safety harness that his parents provided him with their endless love and protection.

One night though, after witnessing his father get attacked and badly hurt, he was scared that the thunder would lead the raiders straight to them. His father stayed by his side the entire night, whispering reassuring words, and cradling him in his arms until the storm came to a close, and the sun came up the next morning. That was the first time Ezra Windsor truly believed his dad would be around forever. He was the kind of the man that could survive anything after all.

But the boy was proved wrong when he witnessed his own mother injure his dad just enough to weaken him, to slow him down, before she closed that door and left him behind to die a slow and agonising death. Ezra believed at first his mother did the right thing, just like she had told him, but as the years passed him bye, he thought about his dad more, and began to wonder if he had gotten what he deserved. Especially after he protected their family from the monsters roaming the Earth for so long without any question, or hesitation. Jack Lawson was a good man with kindness in his heart and noble blood pulsating in his veins, and that was the thank you he got after years of protection.

     That was why Ezra couldn't forgive his mother. She took away the one good thing he had. The person who was suppose to still be here, standing side by side with him, was dead and gone because his mother hated his dad enough to take his life away. He didn't care about her. He didn't care that she had withered her way back into his life after years of separation. He didn't care if she lived or died because maybe death was what his mother deserved after taking his dad away from him without remorse or deep sadness for what she did.

     However, when they were fighting for their lives in that museum against the Infected threatening to rip them apart, when his mom told him to take Ellie and run knowing there was a slim possibility she would die protecting them, he was scared for her. Ezra couldn't believe he was admitting it to himself, but he was genuinely terrified that he would lose his mother. He thought about the Clicker tearing her flesh from her bones and it sent a chill of fear up his spine that he couldn't seem to shake.

     Even as Ezra emerged into daylight once again, climbing out of a window and onto a rooftop, high above the road beneath him, he couldn't help but glance over at his mother, concern burning in his gaze. But every time he looked at her, he saw the woman who killed his dad. That was when Ezra Windsor realised he cared about his mother enough to know he didn't want to watch her die. However, if there was one thing he knew for sure, it was that he would never forget about what she did fifteen years ago, what she took away from him that night. The boy may never stop caring about the only living family member he had left, but he could never forgive her either.

     With that in mind, maybe leaving her behind and going their separate ways in just a few hours would be a lot more easier than he thought. Maybe it was better that way after everything that's happened between them.

Ezra then looked over into the distance. "Ellie, come on." He told the younger girl, gesturing towards the plank of wood joining one building to the other. It was wobbly at first, causing for Ezra to stop in his tracks and suck in a sharp breath, before he continued to walk until he jumped down onto the second rooftop.

Ellie sighed and stepped onto the wooden plank while Joel helped Tess out with her ankle. "I know. It looks scary." He told the girl, occasionally casting his gaze on Ellie in the process.

     "That was scary." Ellie declared, gesturing towards what they had only just managed to escape alive and unscathed. "This is wood." She informed, a hint of amusement laced in her voice while she spoke before she walked the rest of the way and jumped down, joining Ezra on the second building across from them.

     Vienna tried her best to hold the grin tugging at the corners of her lips. It was strange how a child she had only met a few weeks ago could have this much of an effect on her. It was like she had awoken a part of Vienna that she believed had died a long time ago — the part of her that still yearned to be a mother. Even if that one person wasn't blood to her. However, it was a quick thought Vienna quickly shrugged off, turning back to glance over at Joel and Tess, her eyes flickering between the pair for a moment before she parted her lips to speak.

     "I'll give you guys a minute." She told them before she turned back around and walked across the plank of wood.

     Once Vienna had reached Ezra and Ellie, she stood beside her son and looked out at the breathtaking view displayed in front of her electric green eyes. She has never been this high above the ground. At least she hasn't been in a long time. She had almost forgotten how beautiful it was, like the world below didn't exist, and there was just. . . peace. The sight of the yellow and orange hue mixing together into one perfect burning sun, peaking just over the old State House in the distance, it was a sight Vienna Windsor soaked up every second of, a ghost of a smile forming across her lips.

"Hey, mom..." A familiar voice broke through the brief moment of silence, causing for Vienna to tense for a moment before she turned her head to the side to see Ezra looked straight back at her. "For what it's worth, I'm glad you were alive after all this time. And once we go our separate ways, just take care of yourself, and don't get yourself killed." Ezra elaborated, shuffling uncomfortably where he stood in the process.

     Vienna could tell it took a lot for him to say that, but she was grateful that despite the hate he felt for her, a small part of him still cared about her deep down. "Thank you, Ezra." Vienna paused, inhaling sharply. "And I hope you take care of yourself. Smuggling is a dangerous job. I don't want you getting hurt any time soon." She elaborated further, and although Ezra would never admit this out loud, deep down, he wanted to laugh and bask in the middle of a moment that wasn't surrounding by death and violence.

     "Wow. What a touching moment." Ellie spoke up, sarcasm laced in her voice while she continued to speak, her gaze drifting over to Ezra. "And you got through it without being a dick." She added, causing for Ezra to roll his eyes in response while Ellie could only laugh.

As the laughter from the girl died down, the trio were soon joined by Joel who stood beside Ellie, adjusting the bag on his back for a second before he looked out at the view in front of him. "Is it everything you hoped for?" He asked Ellie, nodding towards the old State House in the distance.

Ellie was quiet at first, a sigh leaving her lips before she shrugged her shoulders in response to Joel's question. "Jury's still out. But, man, you can't deny that view." She replied.

In that moment, Vienna found herself slowly turning her head to the side once again to glance over at Joel, however, to her surprise, she already caught Joel staring back at her longingly. When Vienna caught the man looking, he was quick to snap his gaze away from her, swallowing thickly in the process whilst he continued to stare at the breathtaking view displayed in front his eyes. Vienna felt a chill run up her spine as her gaze drifted down to the concrete ground beneath her. It felt almost strange to be feeling this way over someone who was more like a stranger than a friend. But Vienna wouldn't allow it to happen. She wouldn't let him in again. And he wouldn't let her in either.

     Maybe going their separate ways was what was best for everyone.

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     The final stretch to the old State House seemed to be the hardest for them all. Not because it was physically challenging, or anything like that. They didn't even encounter a single raider or spot a sign of the Infected. However, mentally, it seemed to the hardest thing they ever had to do. Especially for Vienna Windsor. Before she believed it was easier this way, to leave the people she once knew behind and continue on with her journey, and her duty to not just the Fireflies, but the entire world, too. She just wished she didn't have to sacrifice her future with the ghosts of her past to do that.

     But Vienna knew deep down she couldn't think about them. She couldn't led her heart lead her down the wrong path. She had to focus on one thing and one thing only, and that was to get Ellie safely to the old State House, and then to the doctors working on the cure. If she did that first, then maybe everything she did within the last twenty years would finally mean something. It all had to mean something, right?

Vienna lifted her gaze, easily spotting the old State House in the distance, standing tall in all of its glory. There was a strange foreboding feeling that weighed heavy in the woman's chest. One that withered through her ribcage, and wracked her with all kinds of nerves. Not because she was heading towards the next step of her ongoing journey to save the world from itself. But because she was scared she wouldn't have it in herself to say goodbye to the people from her past all over again. And the more she looked between Ezra, who was walking ahead of her, and Joel, who continued to walk beside her, the truth was becoming more obvious. Leaving them would be the hardest thing she's ever done.

     But maybe if she said goodbye now, it would be a lot easier when the time comes in just a few minutes. So, the woman sucked in a sharp breath before she sorted her lips to speak, hoping to break the silence between Joel and herself. "Hey, before we go our separate ways, I just wanted to say thank you for saving my life back at the museum. I didn't even see that Clicker coming. If you didn't push me out the way when you did, I'd be dead right now." She explained, a small smile tugging at her lips in the process.

Joel was silent at first, his gaze occasionally drifting over to Vienna for a moment before he cleared his throat. "Was I just suppose to let that thing tear you apart?" He asked, sarcasm laced in his voice.

"Can't you take a simple thank you without turning it into a debate?" Vienna replied in a rhetorical manner, her choice of words causing for Joel to shake his head, and the woman could've sworn she saw a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. But decided to leave it be. "So, after all of this is over, and we go our separate ways, the plan is to find Tommy?" She asked.

"That's the plan." Joel nodded. "And you can go and chase a damn fantasy." He told her, speaking coldly towards the woman, almost like he was trying to push her away. It must have worked because it didn't take long for Vienna to grow silent once again before she picked up the pace, leaving Joel further behind.

When they arrived outside the old State House, it was quiet, too quiet to be exact. It was unusual. A group of Fireflies would never be this silent in an area uninhabited by the Infected and raiders. Furthermore, they knew there should've been at least a Firefly or two keeping watch outside to make sure they didn't receive any unwelcome visitors. Vienna knew that better than anyone. From her time spent with the Fireflies, she knew how they worked and operated. This type of silence was unusual. It didn't make sense to her at all.

The overwhelming silence was enough to send a chill up Vienna's spine while both her and Joel moved forward, weapons in hand, while the others stayed hidden behind an old, rusted car in the distance. If there was trouble, then they could warn them and get away fast. Vienna inhaled sharply whilst she followed Joel closer to the truck parked outside the old State House, her pistol pointing ahead until Joel rested his back against the vehicle. The pair exchanged a series of looks before Vienna nodded her head, allowing Joel to quickly open the door while Vienna pointed her pistol forward, only to find specks of blood splattered across the dash.

"This doesn't look good, Joel." Vienna told the man, an uneasy feeling bubbling in the pit of her stomach.

"That's something we can agree on." Joel mumbled quietly, but loud enough for the woman to hear. "Come on, let check the back of the truck." He pushed, earning a nod of agreement from Vienna in response.

Together, the pair continued to walk around the truck, and Vienna aimed her gun at the ground when she spotted what appeared to be a now dead Firefly lying limp on the bloody ground. The woman shuddered at the sight, beginning to realise that someone terrible must have happened to the group if one of them was dead. It usually meant the entire team had gone down with him. Vienna and Joel then opened up the back of the truck to see it was completely empty, not a single survivor in sight.

Soon afterwards, the others joined Vienna and Joel by the truck with looks of confusion and concern plastered across their faces. That was when Ellie spotted something the rest of them clearly missed. "They went inside." She pointed out, nodding towards a trail of blood leading into the old State House.

Vienna made an attempt to speak. However, Tess was quick to grab Ellie, her gun in the other hand while they walked up the steps leading towards the building. Vienna sighed before she followed them, walking up the steps before she entered through the double doors, her mouth falling open in surprise when she found the entire team of Fireflies had been massacred. Pools of crimson red surrounded their pale and mangled bodies, leaving no one alive. There wasn't a single survivor in sight. Not one that could help them anyways.

"Fuck." Ezra breathed out from behind the woman as him and Joel entered the building to witness the horrors in front of him. "What do we do now?" He then asked.

Tess let go of Ellie before she holstered her gun, beginning to rummage through the large pile of weapons and mechanics in hopes of finding something useful. "I mean, there's gotta be a fucking radio or something, right?" She muttered underneath her breath.

Vienna noticed a change in demeanour from within the woman. Before she was calm and collected, and now she was being controlled by blind desperation. It made Vienna wonder why she would suddenly become desperate enough to believe that Ellie was humanity's last chance for salvation. What had suddenly changed?

"Who killed them?" Ellie's voice broke Vienna out of her train of thought. "FEDRA?"

Vienna turned around to see Joel shaking his head. "No. One of them got bit. The healthy ones fought the sick ones. Everyone lost." He bluntly replied, his voice beginning to shake for a moment.

Tess then turned around, her eyes flickering between Vienna and Ellie while she waited for an answer. "Where did Marlene say that she was taking you?" She questioned curiously.

"I don't know." Ellie replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Just West."

     Tess turned around as she started to pace, beginning to search the dead bodies in hopes of finding something useful. This caused for Vienna to part her lips so she could speak. "Tess, are you okay?" She asked, concern laced in her voice, but the woman got nothing more than a long string of incoherent words, like Tess was talking to herself.

     "Tess, it's over." Joel's loud voice echoed throughout the building as he began to approach the woman, watching as she rummaged through the pockets of some dead man. "We are going home—"

     "That's not my fucking home!" Tess shouted loudly, her sharp and harsh tone causing for Vienna to furrow her brows together in confusion. Once she had calmed down, Tess stood back up onto her feet and shrugged her shoulders, a sigh filled with defeat leaving her lips. "I'm staying. I mean, our luck had to run out sooner or later." She added.

     "Fuck..." Vienna turned around to face Ellie, watching as the young girl continued to stare at Tess, a mix of sadness and shock glimmering in her eyes. "She's infected."

     The second those words left Ellie's lips, everyone turned back around to face Tess. The woman made an attempt to approach Joel and Ezra, wanting to plead to them, but both men took a step back in fear. "Show it to us." Ezra breathed out, his voice shaky while he spoke. Vienna believed that was the first time her son's shown some other emotion that wasn't anger, or resentment.

     Tess did as the boy asked and grabbed the collar of her shirt before she pulled it back to reveal a large bite mark imbedded into her skin, tendrils already beginning to grow underneath her skin, and specks of blood splattered up her neck. Vienna felt her breath hitch in the back of her throat. She didn't know Tess well. But during the time they spent with each other, especially after today, Vienna had grown a sort of fondness for the woman. She didn't expect her to die such a horrible and gruesome death, to allow the infection to spread through her body like wildfire.

     "Take your bandage off." Tess spoke up, breaking the uncomfortable silence between the group. Ellie did as she said while Tess approached her, grabbing ahold of her arm, a small smile of relief breaking out across her face in the process. "This is real. Joel, Ezra, she's fucking real."

     Vienna looked down to see Tess starting to twitch, the sight being enough to make the woman stare back at her with sad eyes. Tess quickly grabbed her own hand, putting an end to the unnerving and continuous twitching, her smile fading in the process as she swallowed thickly. "I need you to get her to Bill and Frank's. They'll take her off your hands. They'll handle it from here." She explained.

     Ezra shook his head. "No. Bill will put a bullet in her head the second he sees that bite mark on her arm." He argued, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

     "They will 'cause you'll convince them. I never asked you for anything..." Tess trailed off, tears of her own welling up in her eyes while both Ezra and Joel began to argue with the woman. "Shut the fuck up 'cause I don't have time. This is your chance. You get her there, you keep her alive, and you set everything right. All the shit we did. Please say yes. Please." She was begging them at this point, like it was her last dying wish.

     All of a sudden, before anything else could be said, before Joel and Ezra could give Tess the answer she wanted, a low growl echoed through the air and Vienna turned around to see an infected corpse come back. However, Joel was quick to take out his gun and pull the trigger, killing the creature in the process. But when Vienna got a closer look, she saw what seemed to be fungus tendrils growing from the ground as it wrapped around the body of the rotting corpse. It didn't take a genius to realise what they had just done. They disturbed the hornets nest, and now it was just a matter of time before they were all torn apart.

     Joel was quick to run towards the door and push it open slightly, staring out into the daylight for a moment before he returned back to them in a hurry. "How many?" Tess asked.

     "All of them." Joel answered, panic beginning to settle into his bones.

     Vienna grabbed the man by the arm, putting an end to his brief pacing. "How long have we got until they get here?" She asked him, staring deeply into his eyes for a moment.

     Joel soon calmed down slightly, backing away from the woman. "No more than a minute. Maybe even less than that." He replied.

     Suddenly, Vienna turned around to see Tess picking up a used gun, using it to knock off the top of a gasoline barrel before she pushed it over, the flammable liquid spreading across the floor. Vienna then watched as the woman pulled over another, and threw a box of grenades across the ground in the process. "Tess, what are you doing?" She asked.

     "I'm making sure they don't follow you." Tess told her.

     "Whoa, hang on..." Ezra spoke up, raising his voice at the woman. "We're not just gonna leave you."

     "Yes, you are." Tess snapped back, dropping the gun before she walked towards the boy, a sad look in her eyes when she saw the tears in Ezra's. "You go, and you save who you can save...both of you." She told him, diverting her gaze over to Joel.

Left with no other choice, the others did the only thing they knew they could do — run.

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authors note.
So I know this chapter is kinda bad, but I just wanted to get this episode done and set up Ezra's character development which will start in a couple of chapters time. Tess's death will have a lot of repercussions for him and the whole "save who you can save" line is going to lead to something explosive that happens later in the story, so there's a little hint for you guys 👀

Until then I hope you guys did enjoy this chapter and I'll update again soon!!