Chapter six ━━ Other side of the wall
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ELLIE RUSHED TO THE WINDOW AS SOON AS THEY ENTERED JOELS ROOM. "Woah would ya look at that fucking view!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Would you watch your goddamn mouth and keep it down." Charlotte told the fourteen year old girl that stood in front of her. Tess and Joel went to talk in the hallway while Charlotte was stuck babysitting the teen.

When Joel re-entered the room he approached Charlotte and informed her that Tess went to sort a few things out and that they would leave after dark.

"So who's Bill and Frank?"

Joel and Charlotte turned towards Ellie.

"The radios a smuggling code right? 60s song, they don't have anything new, 70s, they got new stuff. What's 80s?-" Ellie was cut off as Joel snatched the book out of her hand. While Joel was pissed and annoyed, Charlotte was quite amused and impressed at the girl's intelligence. Maybe because compared to her own children Ellie seemed like Albert Einstein.

Charlotte watched as Joel laid on his back on the sofa.

"What are you doing?" Ellie asked.

"Killing time."

"Well what am I supposed to do?"

"I'm sure you'll figure that out." Joel retorted.

Ellie rolled her eyes before looking towards Charlotte, the woman offered the teen a shrug. Ellie sighed picking up a huge text book and walking over to the other chair. As she did she looked down at Joel. "Your watch is broken." She muttered.

Joel looked at his watch before glancing at Charlotte, their eyes met but Joel was quick to look away and get more comfortable on the couch.

Time passed. Charlotte began to write down a list of rules for her kids to follow while she was gone. She knew they wouldn't follow all of them but she had hope they would stay in safe range from bending the rules to putting themselves in complete danger. She tried to ignore Joel's mumbles as he slept. She could only imagine of what he dreams about. The bags under his eyes on the daily basis shows that he doesn't usually get any sleep on the regular, but the man needed his rest, especially if they were going to be smuggling a teenage girl out of the QZ.

Joel began to stir awake and it caught both Charlotte and Ellie's attention.

"You mumble in your sleep." Ellie commented. Joel sat up, running a hand through his salt and pepper hair. "I've never been on the other side of the wall. Look how dark it is." Ellie said gazing out the window. "Do you guys go out there a lot?" She asked looking between Joel and Charlotte.

"I guess." Joel replied.

"When was the last time?" The teen further questioned.

"Maybe a year. What's it matter?"

"But you know where to go? So we're gonna be okay?"

Joel looked to a very quiet Charlotte for a moment before answering Ellie with a simple "yeah" and leaning back onto the couch.

Knocks at the door sent Joel and Charlotte into full alert. "Not Tess." Charlotte stated. Tess, Charlotte and Joel had a certain knock to know if it were each other and not some person they fell in bad with or a FEDRA guard there to unnecessarily search the room.

"Then who the fuck is it?" Ellie asked taking out her switch blade. Joel drawled his gun as well.

There were more knocks against the wood. "Joel! Is mom there?"

"Son of a bitch." Charlotte groaned. "Lower the weapons, just my nut-headed children." Charlotte swung the door open finding Iris and Nash standing there mid knock.

Nash smiled. "Hey mom."

"Damn it what did I tell you two?" Charlotte said frustrated while wondering how she got stuck with two stubborn kids who couldn't listen to simple directions.

"Okay you told us to stay home. But since you don't inform us of anything we were wondering-"

"You wanna know what I'm wondering? I'm wondering how I got stuck with not one but two hardheaded kids with no concern for their well being." Charlotte said shaking her head in disbelief. She knew she was overprotective, but she needed to be in a world like this, knowing one screw up and she could lose everything. After Sarah the woman didn't want to take any chances. Her children's survival was her only concern.

Nash nodded his head acting as if he was taking in everything his mother was saying, but Charlotte knew he wasn't, his head was probably just drifting off to see Joel. "Hey Joel!" The boy waved.

Joel didn't answer as he tucked his weapon away in his waistband and covered it with his shirt. Nash frowned and turned back to face his mother.

"Alright sit." Charlotte said motioning her kids towards Joel's couch. "Me, Joel and Tess are gonna be going away for a bit, an-"

"Where are you going?" Iris interrupted.

"Can we come?" Nash asked.

"No you cannot come." Charlotte responded.

"Why not? and who's that?" Iris asked, her eyes set on Ellie.

"I'm Ellie." Ellie waved to Nash then her eyes fell on Iris, observed her as best as she could in the dim lit room, from her puffy cheeks, and long brown hair, to the ripped maroon hoodie that hang off her shoulder.

Iris looked away from Ellie to face her mom. "Mom who is that?"

"Alright Nash, Iris I need y'all to zip your mouths for a minute. Me, Joel and Tess are taking that girl to the state house, we're not sure how long we'll be, but this will help us get to uncle Tommy, so I need you two to stay safe while we're gone."

"Why can't we come?"

"Because it's too dangerous, and Joel and Tess don't feel like babysitting two stubborn kids."

"You think it's safer for us here? In the crappy QZ, where the fireflies or other rebels are probably gonna bomb us sooner or later, could be sooner, sooner as in as soon as you abandon us to take some kid to the state house." Iris argued.

"I bet we're the same age." Ellie cut in, clearly not fond of Iris's choice in words.

Iris ignored her awaiting her mothers comeback. "Not to mention the FEDRA soldiers are getting real nasty lately-"

"Dammit Iris, just give me a moment to think."

Charlotte walked towards Joel to consult the possibility of letting her kids come with them.

"You don't want to hear this but they're safer with us then they'd be here." Joel began.

Charlotte nodded. "It's only a weeks trip, there and back maybe less."

"I have extra masks."

Charlotte turned back around to head towards her kids. "Okay y'all can come with us, but you have to listen, whatever I say goes, understood?"

They both nodded eagerly. Charlotte didn't like that they thought of this as some adventure, she wished they understood the real dangers. Iris and Nash have both been out of the quarantine zone before, Charlotte, Joel, Tommy and Iris used to live outside the walls, but now was different. It's been awhile, possibly gotten worse beyond the walls, she didn't want them experiencing any of it.

Charlotte sighed before returning back to her chair at the small round kitchen table. Silence filled the room once again. All they had to do was wait for Tess to get back.

"So what's the deal with you anyway? You some kind of bigwigs daughter or somethin'?" Joel broke the silence to ask Ellie.

"Something like that." Ellie vaguely replied. "Oh the radio came on while you were sleeping."

"What? What was the song?" Joel asked leaning forward.

"Wake me up before you go-go." Charlotte informed him. She hoped the news wasn't as bad as it seemed, and would suggest they checked up on Bill and Frank after delivering Ellie to the state house.

"Shit." Joel muttered.

"Gotcha. 80's means trouble, code broken."

Joel wasn't amused by the playfulness in Ellie voice. Before he could say anything the door opened and Tess walked in.

"Some one forgot to lock the door." Is the first thing Tess said as she entered. "The spot under lancaster looks good. You got a Jacket in your pack?" Everyone's eyes moved to Ellie.

"Yeah." She told Tess.

"Okay get it." Tess's eyes moved to Iris and Nash.

"We're coming with." Iris informed her.

"Alright then. It's time to go."