"There we go. Home stretch, Tess." Joel said as we cross a hurdle and move to a swampy street nearby. "Um...just so it's out there. I can't swim." Elliot informed the adults as we approached a swamp. "Look, it looks like it's shallow on the right side. Follow me." Tess said as we slowly cross the swamp.

"I'm glad Marlene hired you guys." I said. "What do you mean?" Tess asked me. "We know you guys are getting paid for this -- but I'm trying to say thanks." I replied. "Yeah, sure thing." Tess said as we get to the steps of the Captiol. We enter the capitol building, only to find the Fireflies, that were supposed to take Elliot and I, were dead.

"No. No, no." Tess mutters, frantically, as she runs over to their bodies. "What happens now?" Elliot asked and I shurg as Tess frantically searches a corpse's pockets. "What are you doing, Tess?" Joel asked her, annoyed. "Oh, God. Maybe they, ah, maybe they had a map or something to tell us where they were going." Tess replied, frantically.

"How far are we gonna take this?" Joel asked her. "As far as it needs to go." She exclaims, tearfully. Then she turns to us  "Where was this lab of theirs?" She asked us. "She never said." Elliot replied. "Yeah...She only mentioned it was someplace out west." I replied, shrugging. 

"What are we doing here? This is not us." Joel said to Tess. "What do you know about us? About me?" Tess asked him, angrily, as she stands up to him. "I know that you are smarter than this." Joel said to her. "Really? Guess what, we're shitty people, Joel. It's been that way for a long time." Tess shouts.

"No, we are survivors!" He yelled at her. "This is our chance--" she starts to beg. "It is over, Tess!" Joel yelled at her, angrily, and she looks at him in shock. "Now we tried. Let's just go home." He said to her, calmly. "I'm not...I'm not going anywhere. This is my last stop." She replied, her voice full of tears. "What?" Joel asked her, confused. "Our luck had to run out sooner or later." She said as she shrugs. "What are you going on about--" Joel said as he starts to reach out to her but she jumps back. "No don't-- Don't touch me." She exclaims.

"Holy shit." Elliot whispered and I look over at him and noticed he had a shocked look on his face. "She's infected." Elliot said in shock and my jaw dropped as Joel looks over at her then he steps back as he look over at Tess, who looked on the verge of tears. "Joel..." she whispered.

"Let me see it." Joel said to her.

"I didn't mean for this--"

"Show it to me." Joel said, angrily and firmly, to her. She glares at him then pulls back her collar to reveal a fresh bite wound. "Oh God!" Joel exclaims. "Oops, right?" She said, annoyed, as she let's go of her collar. Then she looks over at Elliot and walks up to him. "Give me your arm." She said as she rolls up Elliot's sleeve, where his bite mark is. "This was three weeks. I was bitten an hour ago and it's already worse." She growls in tears and anger at Joel. She let's go of Elliot's arm and walks in front of Joel. "This is fucking real, Joel. You've got to get these kids to Tommy's. He used to run with this crew. He'll know where to go." 

"No, no, no, that was your crusade. I am not doin' that." Joel said, firmly. "Yes you are." Tess said as she steps closer to him, giving him a pleading look. "Look, there's enough here that you guys have to feel some sort of obligation to me. So both of you get her to Tommy's." She whispered.

At that moment, I heard a rumble of an engine and I look out the window and see a van coming up. "Shit." I mutter and Tess looks out the windows to see a military van driving up. "They're here." Tess said. "Dammit." Joel said. "I can buy you some time, but you have to run." said Tess and Elliot and I look at her as she pulls out her gun. "What? You want us to just leave you here?" I asked her. "Yes." Tess replied.

"There is no way that--"

"I will not turn into one of those things!" Tess yells, interrupting Joel. "Come on. Make this easy for me."

"I can fight--" Joel started to say but she shakes her head then shoves him. "No, just go! Just fucking go." She whispers. Joel stares at her for a few moments but she nods and gestures for us to leave. "Elliot, (y/n)." Joel said, addressing us, as he still stares at Tess.

"I'm sorry, I didn't -- I didn't mean for this." Elliot said. "Yeah, we're so sorry." I rambled. "Get a move on." Joel said to us, firmly, and the three of us run towards the back of the building, leaving Tess behind to fend for herself.

Joel shuts the door behind us and locked it while Elliot and I start to freak out a bit. "What the fuck!" I exclaimed. "I can't believe we did that." He exclaims. "Stop." Joel whispered just as we hear Tess fighting back. "We just left her to die." Elliot complains then Joel turns to us, sharply. "Stop." He said, firmly. 

"You two stay close to either me. We need to move." He said and the three of us head upstairs and walk along the floor. Then we come upon a balcony of the front area and we could see Tess's dead body on the floor, along with a couple of guards that she was able to take with her. "Oh my God. Tess..." I whispered, tearfully, while Elliot places a hand on my shoulder.

"Target neutralized. She took out two of my men." One guard said. Then he looks over to another guard and said. "You, take out that door." Then he points at another guard and said. "You, with me." And they start to disperse.

"They're gonna be here soon." Elliot informed Joel and we start to make our way through the holding by escaping to another wing of the building. "What do we do? Joel?" I asked as we see some of the squad coming into the room. "We got this." He said as he pull out his guns and starts taking out some of the men.

We head to the ground floor as Elliot asks. "What're we doing?" I shrug and said. "I don't know." Then I turn to Joel. "Joel, how're we gonna get outta here?" I asked. Before he could answer, we heard some of the squad talking amongst each and we duck and hide. "Alright. We're gonna have to go through that hall." Joel said as he points through the archway were we could see an exit. "Stay down. We don't know how many more there are." He said and we, quietly, make our way around the guards by hiding behind huge crates. 

"There's the exit." I whisper to them. "Yeah, I see it." Joel whispers as we get close to the exit. Joel looks around the corner of a crate, we were hiding behind, as I hear the guards walking past us then he whispers. "Go!" And we take off running outside and towards an old subway entrance then we head down the stairs.

"They're going into the subway! Stop 'em!" We heard a voice yell then a large vehicle coming closer. "Shit." Joel mutters. "They're following us!" Elliot exclaimed and we take off running deeper into the subway as they fire at us.

"Damn it, spores." Joel said and he puts on a mask then I grab my mask out of my bag and put it on. "Get down." Elliot said to Joel as he and I pull Joel down behind cover. "There's a soldier over there." He points out as we see a couple of guards. Joel looks over at him and notice that he doesn't have anything to protect his face. "How the hell are you breathin' in this stuff?" He asked Elliot. "We weren't lying to you." Elliot replied and I nodded. Joel shakes his head for a moment before he goes and kills the guards.

Elliot and I let out a sigh as we walk through an abandoned subway train and move onto a submerged portion of the station. "Hey, uh, I can't swim." Elliot informed Joel and he looks back at us. 'I'll figure something out." Joel mutters. "You need help? Cause I can swim." I said him. "No, I got this." He grumbles and he dives into the water.

"Pfft...whatever, man." I muttered and I look over to the side and see a walkway. "Over here. This looks shallow enough." I said to Elliot and we walk on the walkway.

"Elliot?! (Y/n)?!" Joel calls out once we make it over and see he had emerged from the water. "We're fine." Elliot and I called out. I look around me and saw a wooden pallet. "There! We can use that!" I said as I point at the pallet. Joel then begins to swim over to it and start to bring the pallet over to us.

"Get on." Joel said to Elliot. "Really?" He asked, questioning, as he looks at the pallet. "Elliot." Joel said, exasperated. "Okay. Okay." Elliot said and he jumps on it while I jump in the water and helped Joel guide the pallet to the other side. Once we get Elliot over, he jumps on the platform and pushes down a ladder for us.

I go to climb up the ladder first then Joel follows. "Alright. Let's get out of here." He said and we turn a corner to see stairs that leads up and outside. We climb out of the tunnel and walk outside then Joel and I take our masks off. He coughs a bit then sits down on a tree trunk and I take a deep breath while putting my mask away.

"Hey, look, um....about Tess...I don't even know what to--" Ellior started to say and I start to speak as well. "Yeah...we are so sorry...we didn't..." I started to say but Joel cuts us off. "Here's how this thing's gonna play out. You two don't bring up Tess -- ever. Matter of fact, we can just keep our histories to ourselves." He said then he turns to Elliot. "Secondly, don't tell anybody about your condition. They'll think you're crazy or they'll try to kill you." He said then he looks between us. "And lastly, you two do what I say, when I say it. We clear?" He said to us, firmly.

"Sure." Elliot mutters as I nod.

"Got it." I said.

"Repeat it." Joel ordered us and we sigh at this. "What you say, goes." Elliot and I said, in unison. "Good." Joel grumbles then he stands up and turns his back to us. "Now, there's a town a few miles north of here. There's a fella there that owes me some favors. Good chance he can get us a car." 

"Okay." I said, softly. "Let's get a move on." Joel said and he starts ahead as I turn to Elliot and give him an exasperated look. He rolls his eyes and shakes his head before he gestures with his head towards Joel and we follow the man.