Rewritten: January-May 2025

"Mae, it's time to wake up." Maeve felt a nudge from an elbow, causing her to jolt in her awkward position on the chair. With a groan, the auburn-haired teen squinted at the culprit. Both annoyance and relief washed through her, recognizing Ellie, who stood in front of her with her hands on her hips and a mischievous grin.

The room was shrouded in dim light from the distant flood lights, offering little visibility.

"Leave me alone," she muttered, shutting her eyes again and readjusting in the chair.

"Tess is back, and we're leaving. Get your ass up!" That voice wasn't Ellie's; it was deeper, and Maeve felt stupid for mistaking it. Her foggy mind struggled to think clearly. They both turned to see TJ slinging his knapsack over his shoulder. Maeve shot him a glare and finally pulled herself off the chair, yawning. She stretched a little and pursed her lips.

"Touchy, aren't we?" she sent a sharp look at him. "What an ass."

Giving attitude to someone who just woke up was a big no-no in Maeve's book. She was liable to give it all back, tenfold. Well, Mister TJ, I can play that petty game too. She yawned again, stretched one more time and picked up her bag from the floor.

Once she adjusted her bag straps comfortably, Maeve noticed Tess and Joel chatting in the corner, occasionally glancing at the probe lights outside.

"How's Marlene?" she asked, gaining their attention.

"She'll be fine," Tess replied with a nod. "Let's get this over with."

"Uh, alright?" Maeve furrowed her brows at Tess's enthusiasm, only to realize she wasn't directing her comment at her.

The older woman went into the next room, with Joel following closely behind. Ellie trailed after them, but Maeve hesitated a bit before moving.

"After you," TJ said, motioning for her to enter the door.

Maeve glanced at him, wanting to speak but holding back. She understood the futility of arguing, so she stepped into the somewhat small room as Tess pushed a shelf aside to reveal a hole in the wall. She watched her squeeze through the hole, followed by Ellie. Joel turned to Maeve with expectation, and with a grimace, she too slipped through the opening. Once inside, she rushed to join Ellie at the makeshift elevator as TJ and Joel entered the tiny room and began activating a generator to start the lift.

"Who're we meeting at the drop-off?" TJ inquired.

Maeve stood behind him as they lowered, her eyes narrowing at his ponytail. She despised his height. Fidgeting with her thumbs, she silently wished Jordan had been able to come with them. She knew Marlene wouldn't let him. She bit her bottom lips nervously.

"She mentioned some Fireflies coming from another city. They must be important," Tess remarked, peering at the sisters. "What's the deal with you two? Are you some big shot's daughters or something?"

Maeve exchanged a knowing glance with Ellie, "...or something."

"Still, you've gotta be pretty important," TJ continued, his voice softer than before. "Especially if you have to be snuck out of a quarantine area."

"How long will this take?" Ellie asked Tess.

"If everything goes smoothly, we should get to them in a few hours," Tess replied as the lift reached the tunnel. "Ellie, Maeve, once we get out, I need to stick close and follow my lead."

The sisters nodded, knowing they had no other option but to trust Tess, especially since they'd never been outside the zone before...

"Let's go, ladies," Tess signaled for them to follow, crouching as she entered the tunnel.

The tight corridor opened up into a passage with a ladder affixed to the wall, which Joel had already begun to climb. He pushed the boards away from the entrance and scanned the surroundings, suddenly ducking and lowering the pallet. "Hold on, there's a patrol ahead—okay, we're clear. Let's move."

Joel shifted the pallet aside and climbed out of the hole, signaling for the others to follow. First it was Ellie, then Tess, then her, and finally, TJ.

As Maeve ducked beneath the scaffolding hiding the north tunnel, raindrops fell on her.

Great...she frowned, feeling her scalp become damp. The temperature outside was cooler than inside the rendezvous point, sending goosebumps prickling across her arms and neck.

"Don't tell me you're cold," TJ noticed her discomfort.

"Shut it," she shot back, blowing a raspberry at him. "I'm not cold. It's just the rain."

"Right," he smirked, ducking under a pole, stepping onto the ruined street.

Frustrated, Maeve gritted her teeth and glared at him for a moment before removing her bag and pulling out Jordan's jacket. It was a bit oversized for her, but it'd keep her somewhat drier and warmer.

"This rain isn't gonna help us," Joel said after covering the tunnel entrance.

"Oh my God, Mae! We're really outside!" Ellie exclaimed, clinging to her older sister's arm and shaking her with excitement.

The outside was a complete disaster, utterly ruined. The roads—if Maeve could even call them that—were basically rubble, cracked and broken into pieces of all sizes, with massive potholes that resembled pools. The buildings loomed ominously, leaning precariously, making Maeve anxious about the slightest gust of wind that could send them toppling down like...well, bricks.

"I see that," she said, pulling her hood over her head. "It'd be nice if it weren't raining, though."

The rain certainly didn't help. Every step they took resulted in splashes, with puddles forming everywhere. She wanted to grumble and complain about her now damp and soggy socks. If there was one thing she hated more than anything else, it was the feeling of wet socks.

"Worried you'll slip and fall into a puddle, princess?" TJ teased, purposely stomping through the puddles, splashing her in the process.

"On the contrary," Maeve began, a hint of defiance in her voice. "I like the rain."

"Not being in it." Ellie quipped with a grin.

"We need to move quickly," Joel grunted as they made their way toward a long trailer, its door creaking in the rainy breeze.

With a sigh, Maeve quickened her pace to keep up with the others. Joel was the first to climb inside, followed closely by TJ. She was all too aware of the pattern: the first to enter were often the first to meet their doom. At least, that was the lesson from countless horror films. Their military school might've been subpar, but it was still equipped enough to avoid power outages and jittery soldiers.

Maeve pulled herself into the trailer, trying to match the speed of her companions.

"Don't try anything stupid," a sudden voice warned, causing her to freeze. Her hood was yanked off, and a cold metal barrel pressed against the back of her neck. The voice was unmistakably a soldier's. Her heart raced and out of fear, she raised her hands in surrender. "Keep moving."

She stepped forward, joining Joel, Tess, TJ, and Ellie. They'd been caught in the act and were about to face judgement. Would this be the end for them? As stragglers, they were likely marked for immediate elimination. Anxiety churned Maeve's stomach, her heart rapidly racing.

"Turn around," commanded the soldier, gun aimed at Maeve's head. "Get on your knees and place your hands on your head. You scan them, I'll call it in." Maeve complied, eager to avoid provoking the woman. Ellie was on Maeve's right, shifting anxiously. As the soldier moved towards TJ, Maeve noticed her sister in deep thought. They exchanged concerned looks.

"Aright," said the second soldier, a man, as he retrieved a Cordyceps scanner. "Keep your hands on your head."

Maeve reminded herself to stay calm, breathing slowly as the rain dripped down her forehead, a tickling sensation she fought to itch. No sudden moves, or it'd be the end.

"This is Ramirez from Sector Twelve. Requesting pickup for five stragglers," the woman spoke into her earpiece. She was silent for a few seconds, nodding as she was answered. "Copy that."

"I'm getting tired of this shit," the soldier scanning them grumbled sourly.

"Mm-hmm." the soldier who called in backup hummed in agreement.

Maeve could hear the scanner beep as the soldier checked Tess and Joel. She noticed TJ muttering to himself as the scanner was pressed into his neck. Anxiety flushed through her, glancing at Ellie, who was next in line. The scanner grazed her neck and Ellie's face twisted tightly.

"Sorry!" the fourteen-year-old exclaimed as she pulled out her switchblade and plunged it into the soldier's thigh.

"AH!" he cried out, kicking Ellie away and drawing his rifle, pointing it at her.

"Don't!" Maeve attempted to tackle him but was met with a backhand that sent her to the ground, the gun was trained on her now. To her greatest astonishment, TJ leaped at the soldier, wrestling for the weapon. The blond managed to overpower the soldier and knocked him to the ground.

BANG!

The other soldier fell, shot by Tess, while TJ finished the one on the ground.

"Oh fudge!" Ellie gasped, leaning against a crate beside the trailer, panting as if she'd sprinted a marathon. "I thought we were gonna...hold them off....or something."

Maeve pushed herself off the ground and crawled over to her sister. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay, Mae. You're the one who got hit," she replied, eyeing her sister's face.

"It's nothing," Maeve shrugged, dismissing the stinging in her cheek.

"Oh my God. Joel."

The girls turned to see TJ tossing the Cordyceps scanner to Tess and Joel. Maeve felt a chill run through her, noticing their expressions harden. Tess drew her pistol and aimed it at Ellie.

"Marlene set us up?" Joel growled, shifting her gaze between the girls and Tess. "Why the hell are we smuggling an infected girl?"

Tess stood still, completely bewildered. Words failed her as she shrugged her shoulders.

"I knew we shouldn't have trusted Marlene! She set us up!" TJ growled, cocking his pistol, his finger poised on the trigger. "I say we kill them before they can infect us too."

"We're not infected!" Maeve quickly interjected, her hands raised defensively.

"Then was this lyin'?!" Joel threw the scanner to the ground, its screen flashing positive for Cordyceps.

Maeve opened her mouth to respond, but Ellie pulled her sleeve up, revealing her bite mark. Despite it being healed over, it was still a bit swollen and had cyst marks.

"Look at this!"

"I don't care how you got it!" Joel cut her off.

"It's three weeks old!" Ellie pressed on.

TJ scoffed. "Everyone knows you turn two after a bite. Stop bullshitting us."

Ellie shook her head. "It's three weeks, I swear. Why would I lie to you?"

"I ain't buyin' it." Joel said, fornwing and sharing an expression with Tess.

"What about ? You bitten too?!" TJ aimed his pistol at Maeve.

"Don't point that damn thing at me!" she shouted, glaring fiercely. "I'm not infected!"

They locked eyes in a tense standoff until TJ glance back at the adults. When he turned back, he almost did a double take, eyes narrowing. "Crap." A Humvee approached in the distance, its headlights blindingly bright. Panic surged within Maeve.

Oh no. Oh hell no!

"Run!" Tess shouted, sprinting through the rain. "RUN!"

With no second to waste, Maeve was yanked upright by Ellie, who urged her to run. Her legs protested against the abrupt movement, and her mind felt oddly disoriented, but she brushed it aside. The pressure of Ellie's nails digging into her elbow didn't make it any easier.

They hurried after their escorts over a roadblock and behind a weather-worn van. Maeve tucked herself to the rusted vehicle, unsure if she was visible to the soldiers who had just pulled up to find their fallen comrades.

"We need to sprint again, ladies," Tess glanced around the car. "When I say go, you stay on my tail."