entry III : " Morse Code in wars "

Since it requires limited
bandwidth, it was ideal
for transmission via
ShortWave Radio (HF).
A skilled morse operator
could still 'read' the text
even if the signal was noisy
and disturbed. Morse code
was heavily used for (secret) transmissions during
WWI and WWII.

HEAVY RAIN POURED DOWN at the streets of Boston Quarantine Zone. The team of four passed through checkpoints and guard posts as discreetly as possible. Heavy equipment on her back plus the continuous pour of the rain made it challenging for Diana to walk at the fogged up pathway before them. She almost tripped sideways but Tess pushed the woman back on her feet.

Joel's apartment was closer to their former location so that's where they are heading first, in preparation and planning of their escape from the heavily guarded settlement. If only Diana's place was closer she would head there right away to check if her home is still intact or has the shop been wrecked into pieces. She needs to pack everything she can as well, all the woman has in her bag are empty ration packs and repair tools.

The minute they reached the apartment floor, Tess was quick to open it to let the two younger ones in. She then stays by the doorstep and turns the knob as soon as the two are in the living room.

"What the fuck?!" Ellie protested as the door behind them shut.

"Hey I need to get back to my place too, I don't have anything with me!" Diana doubts they care but one could hope they'll at least let her take a quick run at the shop.

While she slumped herself at the unkempt couch nearby, the other girl paced around the room as she pokes on the things laying around. Diana's head starts to spin as she takes in that she's in the presence of those two adults once again.... after how long it's been.

Her eyes fixated on the half collapsed ceiling above them. The apartment's interior is impoverished and disorganized but it's decent compared to the places they used to live at.

They.

A lifetime ago Diana was under the care of the two smugglers and their little band of survivors that came together during their time in the wilderness.

First it was only the little girl with Joel and Tommy. Then they were able to reunite with their youngest brother, Sam, at one of the outreach centers outside Austin. The boy was staying with a distant relative during the Outbreak Day. Unfortunately, he was the only one that was there. Still, there was a collective relief between the Millers that another family was still with them.

At some point in the constant need to transfer from one safe zone to another, they met Alexis, a former doctor who came into Diana's aid when she was severely injured during an evacuation. It didn't take long for the woman to join their group. A couple years later on the road, a local trader duo helped them seek shelter in a low infected city somewhere in Georgia. Those two were Tess and her original partner, Dante.

Ever since it's been their team of seven travelling almost every state by the east or north, in hopes of outrunning the virus and seeking a settlement safe enough to stay at permanently. There were others too who went along with them but they never really stuck around, some grew wary of the road life and others didn't make it.

It lasted for more than four years until they arrived at Boston Quarantine Zone, a major and decently functional outpost for survivors. Since then Diana hasn't looked back at the life she had to live after leaving Texas. All she had in mind was to get away from that moment, that place as far as possible and set out an independent life for herself.

So why is she even here right now? Planning to leave a perfectly safe haven, with the very same people she was with during her journey to safety. They went through hell to get here only to throw themselves on the same danger they ran from years ago.

The door slamming open and shut loudly prompted Diana to shoot up from her seat, Joel entered the room with an impassive look on his face. He threw down his backpack beside the dark haired.

"If you're going back to your place, do it now and be quick. We're leaving by night."

It didn't take twice for Diana to head out of the apartment, she looked back one more time at the other two she's leaving behind. While Joel just sat idle on the couch, Ellie stood in front of him with a thick binder of a songbook in her hands. The girl made a nod off towards Diana before she finally closed the door behind.

Area 6 of the quarantine zone is where the repair shop is located, just along the store and boutique shacks on 23rd Road. It took only at least an hour of walking from the apartment. Diana was instantly greeted by the sight of young children roughhousing each other by the gutterside. Some adults and teens had gathered on the sidewalk as well, mostly occupied by their personal business.

"Hey, hey. Get away from here, I got nothing in me," she immediately went when she noticed a group of pre teens crowding her doorstep. They didn't comply at first but when the woman motioned to get something from her bag. An immediate fear appeared on their pale faces and all of them pumped to their feet to run away.

Diana immediately checks the locks of the shop. Both the door and single window pane were shut tight. Inside, everything is the same as when she left. No signs of forced entry or looting. Her tools are still perfectly shelved along with the very few personal things the woman has. When she made sure nothing had been taken, Diana set down the duffel bag and started hammering against the drywall at the far corner of the room. She pulled out a backpack covered by plastic. It was a go bag she always had in place in case of an emergency, and their escape later qualifies as one.

There wasn't much to use on replenishing her pack but she worked with what she had: the three MRE packs and bottled water from the pantry, additional clothes, minor weapons at her safekeeping and of course the radio set up needed to communicate with Marlene. All the other stuff needed for a road journey was already stored in the bag.

Even at that very moment Diana had to remind herself that she's doing it for the basic necessities needed to survive another week, just so her mind will stop screaming how awful and reckless she is for accepting the job. It seems like she's dead either way, better to choose the option where she's not dead on her couch, gaunt bones and skin. You're gonna end up as a meal on some corner of Beacon Hill. Diana shoved back the grim thought.

When she's finally set Diana slung the slightly heavy pack on her shoulders and began relocking the shop, inside and out. She didn't leave right away despite Joel's reminder to be quick. The young mechanic stood in front of the dingy and worn out place of hers for at least a minute, she threw a one last look at it before finally settling it to herself that the job is necessary. And she will make it back at the quarantine zone, just like they did before.

━━━━━━━━━━

SOMETHING ABOUT THAT AFTERNOON brought Diana into an unwanted trip on the memory lane. All of the sudden the gut wrenching churn on the pit of her stomach is all too familiar. Her mind was riddled with anxiety the same way it was one night twenty years ago. The young woman wonders if it's due to the anticipation of setting foot beyond the safety she has grown fond of. Or being in the presence of her former guardian. It's more likely both though.

"You're really good at that huh."

Diana didn't notice the eyes observing her while working to test the radiotelegraphy she's bringing on the trip. As of now there's only slight static and the coded messages are directing on the channel just fine.

"Yeah, I am." She simply answered.

Ellie walked past her back to the window sill behind them, she sat down beside it with the afternoon sun illuminating her face.

"You've been out there before, haven't you?" She asked without looking away from the view outside, Diana couldn't see her but she could hear the curiosity in the girl's voice.

"Yeah," the older one replied. We're still here. Answer if you're there. She repeated the morse code on the radio keys, still no change on the neutral static of the channel.

"How old were you?" Ellie continued with the questions. To you she's cargo. Marlene's words echoed in her head, they were supposed to keep a distance from poking around the Fireflies' business, shouldn't it be the same way for them? Why is this girl not keeping it to herself? Hell with it, one conversation wouldn't hurt.

Diana opened her mouth to answer but a murmur from the sleeping man on the couch cuts her off. The two of them stared at each other trying to decipher the words of Joel's sleep talking. He stirred on the couch and his eyes fluttered open.

"You mumble in your sleep," the first words Ellie has for him when he wakes up. Joel only lightly rolled his eyes and sat up, facing the two of them. The man squinted at the laid out mess on the low table but decided not to comment on it.

"I've never been on the other side of the Wall. Look how dark it is…," the young girl returned her attention to the glass panel next to her. "You guys go out there a lot?"

They do. I don't

Joel and Diana's gaze met halfway like muscle memory on the mention of going beyond the borders.

"I guess," he answered.

"When was the last time?"

Joel exhaled heavily, "Maybe a year. What's it matter?"

"But you know where to go. So we're gonna be okay." It's evident that Ellie's immediate assumption came from a place of deep concern. Diana would be too had she been a kid who's about to travel on territories overrun by infected.

Joel took some time to answer but he did, "Yeah," he sat back in comfort. "So what's the deal with you, anyway? You some kinda bigwig's daughter or something?"

A small smirk formed on the girl's mouth, "Something like that."

None of them pushed the subject further and the whole atmosphere around the three turned quiet and awkward. Diana occupied herself by continuing her work instead of trying to participate in the conversation.

"Oh, the radio came on when you were sleeping," Ellie was the first one to finally say something after some time.

"What? What was the song?"

"He kept saying, like… Like, 'Wake me up before you go-go'?"

"Shit," Joel cursed softly.

Ellie's face lit up at the reaction. "Gotcha," she smirked. "80's means trouble. Code broken."

His expression instantly fell at the realization that the girl tricked him into revealing what the code meant, while Diana only snorted in slight amusement.

"Listen—," the man raised stood up, he was about to warn the girl but was cut off by the arrival of his partner at the front door.

"The spot under Lancaster looks good," Tess informed the group, Diana began dissembling the radio set up in case they needed to go now.

"You two got a jacket in your pack?"

"Yeah." The two younger ones replied in unison.

"Okay, get it. It's time to go," she told them and motioned to leave the room. Both Diana and Ellie pull out their worn out jackets while Tess throws a thick, brown one at her partner.

Darkness already dawned at the entire city walls when they got out of Tess' tunnel route. Patrols were crawling in every street of the quarantine zone, warning citizens of the strict laws they must obey in this hour of the night. Evidently that no longer concerns the group of four, a discreet escape at the closed borders is their current priority in mind. Grunts sounded from an opened manhole as they climbed up after another, the ratty jacket on Diana had been covered by clumps of dust and mud.

The three of them stayed in a crouching position behind the rows of concrete roadblocks that circled the area of the sewer they got up from, on the other hand Ellie was too distracted to do the same.

"Holy shit, I'm actually outside!" The girl gleamed with excitement just as a bright light from the rounding trucks hit their spot. Tess cursed under her breath, pulling Ellie down. Diana made a mental note to herself of remaining calm and collected, despite the overwhelming pressure to safely sneak past FEDRA's military.

"Okay, we're gonna take the left edge around the buffer zone, you stay close and you follow my lead."

"Yeah. Yeah, of course," the girl nodded at the older woman's instruction.

The four of them start trekking on the uneven terrain of the less guarded zone by the edge of the border, they almost crawl in all fours just to stay low and unseen by the passing patrols. When one truck got closer to the path they were walking on, the group stopped and ducked in unison. They waited until complete silence returned to the area before continuing their route. Tess led the way to a lateral tube parked nearby, drizzle of the rain began to pour down on its insides. Soaking the already ruined jacket Diana wore, they crawled farther until they were out of the enormous pipe.

Diana was momentarily blinded by a distant lightning from the heavy skies, when it faded she almost stumbled at the pitch darkness surrounding them but Joel had his hand on Diana's backpack. His grip remained at it until they made it to a less slippery area.

"What the hell?!" A voice exclaimed from the far left of Diana. Her hand instinctively reaches to hold the closest person.

"Hey, hey. Don't move!" She can see a FEDRA guard emerging from the dark corner, it looks like he's been there before they even passed by. They all raised their hands for surrender in compliance with the soldier's request. It took a few blinks of lightning on their faces until the man reacted.

"You gotta be shittin' me." He said in quite disbelief.

"Okay, let's talk this out." Joel started. Diana's chest was already threatening to explode against her ribcage, she can feel the rough dryness on her mouth and throat. They were so close, a couple of feet and they were out of the quarantine zone. In all of the two smugglers' sneak outs, why does this get to be the one they are caught?

"Turn around," the guard commanded them, a bright flashlight in their faces. The younger woman was the first to do so, she had her face as low as she could while her hair covered it.

"Hold on...," Joel is still trying to reason out.

"Get on your fuckin' knees. Get on your fuckin' knees!"

She should have just stayed home and starved to death. Now she's thinking of what kind of rope will be designated for her hanging.

"Now hold on...,"

"You idiots just do what he says!" Diana shouted at the people with her.

"What did I fuckin' tell you, man?" He referred to Joel. "I said stay the fuck home. Get on your knees!"

"Just get on your knees, just get on your knees," Tess urged her partner and the kid with them. She lowered herself to the ground but continued talking. "Listen, you let us do this run... We split cards with you."

At this point it's clear that the two know who the guard is. Most likely a client of theirs on smuggling and trading stuff underground. Diana could only hope they have something on him to work as a leverage, a big one. Because if there's nothing, they'll be turned over to FEDRA in a heartbeat.

"Oh, will you?"

"Yeah?"

"Oh I'm so blessed," he only replied in a condescending manner. "Hands on your head. Eyes forward."

The other three remained half complying to the order, prompting the officer to shout at them. The whole group stayed still on their knees with straight faces and hands on heads. Diana can see the internal turmoil of the two adults with them.

"Really man?" Tess reacted at the scanner pressed on her neck.

"Yep. We're doing this by the book."

"Jesus Christ. All right, what about three quarters?" The woman offered.

The scanner snaps green, indicating negative for the Cordyceps virus. Diana could see a nervous look stirring on Ellie's face as the guard moved in the line up, it can't be that bad. Surely none of them will turn up positive since it's said that the fungus only spreads through bodily fluids from an infected person. They had almost zero contact with any other person since noon.

"Unauthorized exit. They'll hang you for that," the FEDRA soldier warned. Diana's insides felt like they were in a blender.

"Fine, everything off of this run! And half off on all the pills!" Joel started to sound more and more desperate for a deal to get them out.

"Half off? All off, " the man insisted. The  scanner on his hand blinked green, Joel came back clean and Diana was next.

"Risk my job for half off…,"

"You're out of your fuckin' mind."

It stung a little bit on the nape of her neck but she was all good as well, clean from the virus just like the first two. Diana didn't anticipate the next moment to unfold, the scanner was only in Ellie's neck for a second when she attacked the armed guard behind them. Her knife slashing against his thigh.

"Ellie! Ellie, stop!" Diana pulled back the girl while Joel put himself between her and the man. Who's now holding his heavy weapon towards them. She's totally lost at the reason behind the girl's sudden, violent attack but it just placed them in a much dangerous and possibly, inescapable situation.

"Get out of the fuckin' way!" The guard screamed at them.

"Whoa, whoa," the older man is still blocking the two younger ones behind him. "We can fix this."

"Move." At this point it's obvious nothing can convince the FEDRA officer otherwise, he's injured and angry. One more wrong move and his rifle is prepared to shoot at them. Diana felt nauseous at the scene unfolding in front of her, it's almost a little too familiar. The darkness of the night that spread around them, a disrupted escape, Joel in front of a weapon about to go off.

The young woman began to slip away as a sharp ringing burn in her ears, the steady light from the firearm strained her eyes until she could no longer make out what's in front. And then the woman was back on that same night, the coldness of September fall wrapped her shivering and frightened spirit. The world was ending once again. And Diana Adler was six years old and running towards gunfire instead of the other way.

Gunfire. Right now it's everywhere. It's all she could hear.

Gunfire... and screams of help from a girl with a voice she no longer remembers. Blood coated her beautiful curly hair and brown skin like rust on metal, its stain cannot be removed no matter what. Almost impossible to scrub off.

The blood stays on forever.

More gunfire... No those are Joel's knuckles connecting a fistful of punch against the now fallen guard. He's still as a dead corpse but the man only continued beating against his face. It only stopped when he noticed a pair of eyes staring straight at him, though Diana's gaze was empty in reality and everything that happened escaped her almost completely.

"No, no! No, I'm not sick!" A panicked scream sounded from Ellie.

It wasn't enough to pull Diana back but when Joel grabbed her by the face she flinched away from his touch.

"Joel, Joel. Joel!" Tess called out the man, the scanner on her hand was bright red. But the girl continued to protest that she's not sick until she pulled up the sleeves covering her arm.

"Look! Look! This is three weeks old," Ellie held it out to show the woman. "Nobody lasts more than a day!"

"You're bitten?" Diana questioned in a low voice. She inched closer to the girl to see the bite marks more clearly, the veins bulge around where the teeth had sunk but the skin on it was healed and flushed with blood. The mechanic had to blink twice to make sure she's no longer hallucinating.

"Does this look a day old to you?!"

"I should fucking kill you! When did it happen?" Tess was furious to an extreme.

"It doesn't matter! You have to trust me! They're gonna catch us if we don't run!"

The other smuggler grabs the two on her side while she tries to convince her partner to leave now, "Joel, we gotta move. We gotta move, Joel!"

Diana felt like half drunk, half asleep walking on the muddy pathway towards the edge of the borders. Tess pulled back the ripped opening of a wired fence to let out the little girl and the younger woman before her. The light rain has now turned into a heavier one, a thick veil of smog covering the rest of the horizon they are about to walk on. Diana relished the fleeting relief of finally escaping and avoiding a close call to death. Because it seemed like she won't be having a lot of those in the meantime.

━━━━━━━━━━

MILES AWAY FROM THE QUARANTINE ZONE the group of four had camped at one of the abandoned buildings on the ruins of Boston. Sleep came as easy as it left Diana, it's only seven on her pocket watch and she was already tinkering with her equipment. Since it was a simplified set up of an amateur radio, the only means of communication left to their society two decades after the apocalypse, Diana found it extremely difficult to restart the connection to the frequency. She went two more floors on the building she's at in hopes for better frequency, which is further away from where Joel and Tess strictly told her to stay.

Up until last night, Diana remained clueless of the exact intention as to why the Fireflies were so hellbent on transporting a single person that far, even assuring that Ellie will be monitored every step of the way. Marlene went as far as paying a huge exchange just to ensure the girl's complete safety and arrival at their state house. But the revelation during their narrow escape shed some light to the truth, it may not be the whole picture but Diana can see why they are so eager to get Ellie out of the quarantine zone. Perhaps there's advanced medical care under the Fireflies command at Capitol Hill and they are trying to cure less advanced infection.

She wouldn't want to overthink the matter but it's hard not to ignore the curiosity rooted from their discovery of Ellie's condition.

"Yes!" Diana exclaimed softly when the radio began to beep with less white noise this time, she turned it on once again at the frequency line given by Marlene and started to tap the code equivalent of her message.

Out of the QZ. Heading northwest. Safe.

She repeated it twice just in case. The mechanic was careful not to make any excessive noise on getting out of the building, though they have cleared the perimeter before settling in the area one can never be too sure on a wasteland like this. The place where the other three were staying is just across where Diana currently is, it didn't take long for her to join them again.

"How's your ham radio?" Tess was the one who greeted her first while Joel just nodded.

"Took me some time but I sent the message," she sat at the empty chair next to two, the entire floor in front of them is covered by overgrown patches of plant life. The girl with them has made herself comfortable in the middle of it, she's still sound asleep with a backpack as a pillow. Direct sunlight from the hole on the ceiling shone over her, while the other three huddled in the darkness of the room.

"You think she'll turn?" She can hear Tess murmuring to the man next to her.

"We don't know anything about that, but we know what those things are and what to do with them," Joel answered.

"So if she does. We got that handled."

"Yeah."

Tough years may have changed their appearance but Diana still recognizes the same brazen and cutthroat temperament beneath it. The way they communicate or act towards each other shows the survival hardened growth they had shared for the past decade, Diana was among the few people who witnessed their development from two hostile strangers to an inseparable pair.

Ellie started to wake up from her spot and the pair immediately went into a prepared stance. Their watchful eyes focused only on the girl in case of another unexpected scenario.

"Morning," Ellie greeted them casually, still half dazed from the long rest. When she tried to draw closer at them, Joel pointed the rifle in his hand at the child's direction. Which prompted her to stay back.

"Do I look infected to you?"

"Show us your arm." Joel demanded, cold and stoic.

Ellie pulled up the jacket sleeve to show them the healed scars on her, they can see it clearer in the morning sun compared to last night when Diana only caught a quick glimpse of it. The three studied it closely in silence.

"Yeah it's not getting any worse, is it?"

They exchanged silent glances with quite uncertainty on their collective reaction. Diana swallowed from the uneasy feeling just by looking at the bite mark, it still baffles her how the girl surpassed the twelve hour mark of infection.

"If we're in the open city, then why aren't we getting swarmed?" Ellie questioned them.

"Don't worry about that."

"Well I'm gonna."

Instead of engaging in a different direction of their chat, Tess led with a question that Diana has in mind too. "What was Marlene doing with an infected kid?"

"I'm not infected," she immediately objected. There was pause on her answer, as if hesitant to reveal the whole picture. "She found me after I was bitten."

"And she didn't shoot you."

"Clearly not," Ellie shot back. "She locked me up and had her guys test me every day to see me if I was getting sick."

"Test you how?"

"I have to pee."

"Tess you, how?" Tess' tone grew a bit more aggressive.

"They'd make me count to ten and hold out my hand and keep it steady. But you know I think what really impressed them was the fact I didn't turn into a fucking monster." Ellie reveals to them. Diana could see that constitute as a simple test of physical symptoms for Cordyceps, but it does not assure medical diagnosis. The girl in front of them could easily be as infected as any victim of the virus. Diana fought the urge to blow at Marlene and the Fireflies over a crappy radio.

"Now can I please?" Ellie attempted to leave her spot but was once again threatened by the gun on Joel's hands.

"Fine. Back there. You can find a spot," Tess finally gave it up. "And here," she then throws a torn-out magazine at the girl which she perfectly catches. "Tear out a few pages."

"There's not gonna be anything bad in here?"

"Just you."

"Oh funny." Ellie rolled her eyes.

Diana would have chuckle on Joel's sentiment if he didn't deliver it in such a stern tone and if the matter is less concerning. As soon as the girl was out of the sight, the calm facade of three adults crumbled to extreme uneasiness.

"Fuck...," Diana cursed almost inaudible. Her body hunched lowly on the seat she's at. The other two with her are almost in the same shape, Tess buried her face between her shaking hands and Joel just holds on tight at the weapon he's holding as he tries to keep himself still.

"She made it through the fuckin' night, Joel."

"It doesn't matter. It's gonna happen sooner or later," her partner quickly disapproved of the observation. "All right? We're still close to the wall. We sneak her back with Diana into the QZ. We'll find a different way to get the battery."

Diana let out a sigh, running her hands through her tangled hair. "I'll just radio Marlene. Tell her we're coming back after... knowing this..."

She started to get up from the chair but was pulled down by Tess. "Sit down, anchorman." The mechanic grunted at the nickname and sat back down on defeat.

"This is our best shot," the older woman insisted. But Joel only looked away in clear disagreement. "We take her back to the QZ. Someone's gonna notice her arm, they're gonna scan her, then they'll kill her."

"Well, better them than us!" His voice grew louder. "You gotta stop talking about this kid like she's got some kinda life in front of her."

That hit Diana like a sharp metal on her chest. Ellie may have survived that long since she was bitten but ever since then she's been living on a game of luck. Waking every day in both relief and fear why she hasn't turned yet. What is life to her beyond that?

Upon the girl's return, the other three quickly went back to silence and a neutral expression plastered on their faces. Ellie slid the magazine back to Tess and sat down on the moss covered floor with a good distance from them.

"You hungry? You can share some of ours," the woman offered, bringing out a half wrapped ration from her pocket.

"Thanks. Marlene sent me with my own."

While the rest of them calmed their hunger by the dried, bland mini bars from an MRE pack. Ellie indulged herself on a chicken sandwich. Diana's stomach grumbled even more at the sight of a tasty snack.

"You wouldn't fuckin' believe me if I told the Fireflies gave me chicken salad yesterday," she mumbled at her side. The other two stared at her with obvious disbelief for bringing up the idea of a nicer meal.

"Sorry." Diana mumbled.

"Is that chicken?"

"Yeah, Marlene said they get it from smugglers," Ellie answered, tapping her half eaten sandwich. "Guess not you guys."

The comment struck quite a nerve on the woman, she dropped the dry food from her hands and marched straight to where the girl was sitting.

"Hey, hey." Joel motioned to stop his partner. Even Diana got up from her seat to hover next to the woman.

"Why...," Tess only waved her hand at him. "Why are you so important to Marlene? And don't lie to me or we'll take you back."

"You take me back, you don't get your battery," she countered back.

Tess scoffed with a snarky smile, "You heard that?"

Ellie just stiffen her shoulders. Diana glared at the two smugglers next to her and then at the girl, in an attempt to highlight how they are close to losing their cool. But that seems to fly over her head.

"Then you must've heard that he wants to shoot you," the female smuggler's tone turned less friendly. Uncomfortably silence reigned between the group, Tess then sat down closer in front of Ellie.

"I'm gonna talk to you like you're an adult, okay?" She premised. "Joel and I aren't good people. We're doin' this for us. Because, apparently, you're worth something. But we don't know what you're worth if we don't know what we have."

There's a terrified look surfacing on the little girl's eyes, but Diana can't disagree that it's better she's aware of the reality of the situation she's in. And who really are the people with her. Children like her born after the Outbreak Day surely aren't new to moments like this.

"So answer my question," Tess insisted.

Ellie covered her face with her left hand, clearly against the idea of answering them with the truth.

"She told me not to tell anybody," her voice was almost inaudible, she also refused to meet anyone's gaze. "And now I'm telling the first people that I...,"

Judging by the extreme hesitation and uneasiness on the girl's voice made Diana worry about how much more dangerous this job she accepted really is.

"There's a Firefly base camp somewhere out West, with doctors," Ellie revealed at last. "They are working on a cure."

"I've heard this before," Joel hummed, sounding unconvinced by the information.

"And whatever happened to me, is the key to finding the vaccine."

The girl and the other adult spoke the last sentence in unison. But Joel shook his head, skepticism dripping from his voice as he took in a news they have heard over and over again, each time sounding even more ridiculous than the prior.

"Don't fuck with us, this world has ran out of doctors and medical aid a decade ago." Diana grimaced, the scowl in her face grew larger.

"I'm not!"

"That's what this is?" Joel continued, "We've heard this a million times. Vaccines, miracle cures. None of it works. Ever."

"Fuck you, man. I didn't ask for this," Ellie spat back and stood up, her snark has turned into a growing anger.

"You and me both! This isn't gonna end well, Tess," the man warned the other smuggler, he no longer sounded doubting of what decision to make. "We need to go back."

Tess stood up alongside their small circle, she looked back and forth to the other three people with her before speaking.

"Let's just finish it," the brown haired decided. "It doesn't matter if she is or she isn't what the Fireflies say. If they believe that she is then, we get what we want."

The three adults exchanged silent glances to each other, none of them showed any form of disagreement.

"If she so much twitches...,"

Ellie started to make sounds and twitches of an infected as a mockery but was scolded by Tess, she stops it with a sheepish look.

"Okay?"

"Okay...," Joel and Diana replied in unison. The girl then started packing her things when Tess signaled them to move out.

"Hey, can I have a gun?" Ellie asked out of nowhere.

"No!"

"Absolutely not!

"Okay, Jesus. Fine. I'll have to throw a fuckin' sandwich at them."

The four of them then prepare to leave the building with Joel on the entrance to make sure the area is clear. Bright sunlight peeked inside the room as he slowly pushed back the door.

"It's clear." The man declared after a few seconds. Diana walked just a couple of steps behind Ellie to make sure the girl isn't the last on their trail.

Complete ruins of a major city in daylight looked mesmerizing and gut wrenching at the same time. The woman squinted her eyes to adjust from the darkness they just got out of, she gasped for air as her gaze travelled on the endless wasteland surrounding them. Skyscraper buildings that once stood in an urban setting leaned against each other like fragile steel beams. There is no sign of life besides the team of four in the edge of the city, all that surrounds them are rot and decay of the previous life that existed on where they are standing.

"Woah...," Ellie beamed at the sight.

"Yeah, looks different in the daylight, huh?"

"We should get moving." Joel spoke.

Diana's eyes twinkled at the desolated view after them. Decades of architecture and modern civilization now reduced to overgrown vegetation, abandoned by the same hands that shaped it.

&&&

ashara's
endnotes !

WOOHOO! it's out yesss! I was looking forward to writing this chapter because it covers the scene where Diana's PTSD will be demonstrated. As terrible as it is, it's heavily attached to her character and story.

Also this is just the start of the reunion between Diana and Joel (as well as the former group she used to be a part of) their interactions will grow in the future chapters but for now this is just it.

Lastly, I know I've already announced this on my MB but I let my impulsive ideas win and now I have a new secondary OC on this fic: Sammy Miller aka the third Miller brother. that being said I've added some mentions of him in past chapters so you might wanna reread it (I'm so so sorry for the inconvenience, I wish I thought about him sooner) He's not making an appearance soon but he will and he will play a significant part on act two of this fic.

Don't be shy to drop your feedback on the comments, it helps with motivation and writing inspo! I'll be happy to read my readers thoughts <33