*An extra long chapter because yes.*

"Is that a bloater?"

Unlike earlier, where she offered her archery skills, she wasn't ready to try and take down a bloater again. Clickers and runners were easy, sure, but a bloater wouldn't be so easy to take down. Her arms hurt seeing it wobble around mindlessly.

"Two, actually," TJ carefully peered around the pickup they used for cover. At first, she didn't see the second one until the first one moved away. It was stood up but slouched a bit. It was weird to see a bloater rest like the runners did.

"There's a lot of them..." Ellie murmured, scanning the darkened tunnel.

"Okay, uh..." Joel wiped his mouth, carefully observing their surroundings, flicking his flashlight on to get a better view of the tunnel. "How many of those arrows do you have?"

"Not enough." Maeve answered solidly, tearing her focus away from the two bloaters.

"I'm seeing an exit over there." Joel pointed toward the area with the bloaters. Behind them was a pile-up of cars and a long semi-trailer blocking the tunnel, a large square crate sat atop the flipped-over trailer. "We get there, get over, we're safe. Now, how many arrows have you got?"

"Like, three or four." She counted.

"Make every shot count, then."

She nodded and notched a bow. The runners would have to go down first, she figured, like earlier. If they're aware of them, they'll wake the damned tunnel of infected. She wasn't particularly fond of being a bloater's meal or a rag doll. Maybe sneaking was a better idea.

Carefully, they made their way through the tunnel. With her limited ammo, she calculated out scenarios and outcomes. Four measly arrows, too many infected ambling about. There was a mail truck with its doors wide open, probably abandoned during the chaos of outbreak day, but that wasn't important. As quickly and quietly as she was able, she climbed onto the hood of the truck, and then atop the back. She glanced around, having a better view of the infected below. She felt stupid, quite so; she'd overestimated the numbers of the fungal beings.

She notched an arrow, aiming for the stumbling runner. Though still targets were easier, but she supposed moving ones wasn't as much of a challenge either. She just had to aim high enough. She pulled the arrow back, making sure her arm was steady before she released the arrow.

It silently whistled through the air, glinting from the broken street further ahead, and then sunk right into the back of the runner's neck. The impact of the shot caused the infect to topple forward, falling into the puddle, creating a splash, which alerted the infected. Her heart began to race when she realized she gave them away. Okay, maybe not away-away, but the sleeping infected were now awake and heading to the dead runner's body.

The movement came from the corner of her eye. She glanced to the right, and from another truck, one like the one she was perched on, Joel readied a Molotov, lighting the alcohol-soaked cloth, creating a flickering orange light. With a swift movement, the bottle was thrown at the gathering infected. Immediately upon contact, the flames dosed them, creating a bright explosion as well. Horrible screeches and roars echoed through the tunnel.

The two bloaters remained unfazed by the fire killing the runners and clickers, zoning in on where Joel and the others were.

"Hey, uglies!" Maeve shouted, quickly notching another arrow, releasing it at the giant-bodied infected. The arrow ricocheted off the fungal plates it had, but she got what she wanted: their attention. The bloaters roared this roar that caused her eardrums to quake. She was quick on her feet when one of the bloaters shot acid spores at her.

"Mae!" She heard Ellie.

She shot another arrow, this one miraculously lodging into the first bloater's face, which pissed it off more as the two tried to climb the truck she was on.

"Get off the truck, Mae!" Ellie called her.

The older girl gladly hopped off the truck, landing into the shin-deep puddle, strings of voltage rampaged her nerves. Her body caused a splash, her jeans and sleeves soaked now. She's said it before, she'd say it again. She hated soggy socks.

"Watch out!" TJ shouted out, cocking his shotgun before she could even try to move. A heavy body jumped down behind her, just a few feet away from where she landed.

"Fucking —" she grumbled to no one in particular, quickly hurrying from the bloater's reach. Its heavy leg stomped the water where she had been seconds after she moved.

BLAM!

Loud and near deafening, the shotgun went off. The bloater roared, most likely hit. Bits of fungal plate seemed to spray everywhere, and the second bloater seemed just as pissed as the first one.

"Get back, kid!" Joel yelled out to her, quickly preparing another Molotov.

She didn't need to be told twice and was on her feet again as the man threw the bottle at the bloater on the mail truck. It shattered and the flames consumed the bloater, licking it in the crevices and plates it had. It screamed out, in pain and in fury.

"Just die already!" Ellie shot at the two with her pistol.

After what seemed like forever, the bloaters were taken down. Their bodies sizzled in the water, bleeding profusely. She moved out of the puddle, the blood quickly dyeing it an awful dark crimson. Gross.

"Is that all of them?" She looked around, hoping that it was. She was tired of fighting these things.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Okay, let's get out of here," Joel led them to the trailer. "Can you shove that crate down?"

"Yeah, no worries." Ellie was boosted up onto the trailer, and she pushed the said crate over the edge so they could climb on it.

Whew. This was all so exhausting, Maeve wanted to complain, but kept her mouth sealed. Complaining wouldn't help anything, anyway. Once Joel was up, she climbed up. The tunnel further ahead was semi-submerged. That would make it a little harder to get around. She released a sigh. Part of the water seemed shallower than the other parts of the portioned tunnel. Lucky them. Negativity came washing over her yet again, but she tried shaking it off as she dropped onto a vehicle on the other side of the trailer and hopped onto the un-submerged tunnel floor.

"Hey, that's what we can do once we're done here."

"What's that?"

"You can teach me how to swim."

Joel chuckled. "You got it."

"Maybe we can teach you now," TJ spoke up, sounding mischievous. "Just throw you in the water and watch the magic happen."

"You will do no such thing." Maeve smacked his arm.

"Yeah, please don't," Ellie laughed nervously. "I don't think Marlene will appreciate it if I was delivered dead."

"Oh, hush," Maeve rolled her eyes. "You're not going to die."

"Where'd Joel go?"

Now that it was brought to their attention, they realized the older man had vanished.

"Joel? Joel!"

"I'm over here!" Water splashed around a bit, much like someone climbing out of it. From the other side of the direction, they intended to go, which was also blocked by a passenger car of a subway train. Soon after they heard him out call, he appeared on top of the car, where he just so conveniently found a ladder concealed from their sight. "Here you three go."

"You should probably us if you're gonna make a grand exit, Joel."

"Yeah, a warning would be great."

The ladder falls down, clattering loudly. TJ prepped the stepping equipment onto the side of the turned-over train car and allowed the girls to climb up first.

"Spooky," Maeve commented. The tunnel darkened further ahead, but it didn't appear to be their route. "Even spookier." She saw the fenced-in exit off into the right wall. Probably for employees, or whoever used to maintain the tunnels.

Joel was already in the water, crossing to the opening, mentioning that it was shallow and they could walk along the side.

Ellie squeaked when she entered the knee-high deep water. "Oh, it's freezing!"

It was cold, but she wasn't bothered by the temperature. She just knew her shoes were wet and now she should get athlete's foot. Or trench foot. Either way, she was incredibly uncomfortable with both her sneakers and socks being soaked. She lifted herself out of the water, and onto the floor before the fence.

"Another locked gate," TJ grumbled, annoyed. "What now?"

"Alright, Ellie, come here." Joel sauntered toward the locked fence doors, having noticed an opening at the top. The younger girl did as he said and was boosted up. "Get that door open."

"Yes, sir!" She saluted with a grunt before she dropped down onto the other side.

A scream tore through the empty space, and a clicker that they hadn't seen came to life; ripping itself off the concrete where it laid, it lunged at Ellie. Before it even had the chance to grapple her, a few shots took it down.

"Ellie, are you okay?" Maeve grabbed the chain-link fence, eyebrows pinching together.

"Yeah," the girl sighed. "Just pissing my pants. Man, I can't wait for these things to be wiped out."

The door was unlocked, and they continued through a hall, ducking through a half-blocked doorway, and entering a flooded area. It looked like that one place in the sewers back near Pittsburgh, but no rotating equipment. Light poured in from a massive hole in the ceiling, or maybe it was a road. She wasn't sure.

"Hey, look, there it is!" Ellie's voice echoed off the bland bars and ductwork. Peeking through the opening, Saint Mary's Hospital was just in the distance. So close, yet still far. Its capitalized letters and red cross on the front corner seemed more like an omen than a blessing, and she couldn't quite shake the feeling bubbling the acid around in her stomach.

Maeve bit her lip. Okay...how do we get over there? She peered around, not seeing anything but a locked ladder high up and out of their reach. She observed the top railing area, and her eyes trailed to a set of steps. If Ellie was boosted up, she could grab that ladder and get it unlocked and they'd be on their merry way. But she had a feeling it wasn't going to be that easy.

"Maybe we can go around, or something." TJ looked up at the ladder, wiping his mouth as he brainstormed.

"Or something?" Maeve rolled her eyes. "Just boost one of us up to the ladder, we climb up the rest of the way, and kick the lock off. Simple as that."

"Gee, you really do put thought into what you say, don't you?" He deadpanned.

"It's better than venturing off like you guys always do. We don't have time for puzzles or mazing our way around this." She blatantly dismissed him. "I mean, considering my suggestions are more responsible."

"Sometimes." Ellie added in.

"Okay. Sometimes my suggestions are responsible."

"I get what you're saying, though," TJ said with a nod. "It's better to not split up."

Right. Because that was what she was getting at. She wanted to explain what she really meant, but the energy seemed to be sucked from her, and she kept her lips sealed.

"Who volunteers?" The girls were looked at.

"Uh..." They glanced at each other.

"You?" Ellie pointed at Maeve.

"What? You're the smallest!" The older girl retorted.

"Yeah, but you're the one who suggested it!"

Well played, Ellie. Well played, Maeve slumped her shoulders and sighed. "Fine. Boost me up, Joel." She walked to the wall with the locked ladder.

"Alrighty." The man followed after her, crouching some and lacing his hands together for her set her foot in them.

"This feels very weird," Maeve said to no one in particular while she put her hands on Joel's shoulders. "Whoa!"

Her body was thrust upward, to the ladder. Quickly, she grabbed the bottom bars, yelping when the ladder made a loud clacking sound. For a second, she thought it would give out and cause her to fall. She heard her sister's breath hitch.

"You okay?" She was called to.

"Yep!" She replied with a grunt, using whatever upper body strength she had to climb up. By the time she up on the high grounds, she was exhausted, and her biceps burned from the sudden cardio. Notching a bow was hard, but not as hard as pulling one's entire body weight against the pull of gravity. A hasty sigh left her lips while she caught her breath, and then she turned to the locked ladder. "Okay..."

She stomped the second ladder, the friction of the rust refusing to let up. She stomped it a second time, as hard as she could, and this time, the ladder dropped down. It squealed as it did so.

"Oof! Nice job, Mae!" Ellie praised from below.

"Yeah, I'm a real hero." She murmured, looking down the ladder, and watching Ellie start to climb up. As she climbed to the top ladder, the lower ladder creaked loudly, too loud, and the rusted, bitter gears and bars suddenly cracked. The metal broke apart, and three voices yelled out in surprise. Ellie yelped, immediately clinging to the ladder bolted to the cement wall as the lower ladder toppled backward and at the guys below; they dodged the falling equipment. The ladder clattered onto the metal catwalk in a deafening way.

She swore the metallic noises echoed off the water, maybe even down the way they had come. They'd taken care of the infected in the previous section of the tunnel, but further on, they had no way of knowing if there were more infected or not.

"You guys alright?" Maeve peered down as Ellie hurried to climb up the rest of the way.

"Yes." Joel grumbled, picking the ladder off the ground. "Just stay there, we'll find some other way across."

"Yes sir." The girls saluted him after shaking their shock off.

"Hey, Joel, what about this—?"

Maeve stopped paying attention to the guys for a moment, glancing to the enormous hole in the street and subway system. The hospital seemed so damning yet beckoning. A beacon for survivors wanting to "change" the world for the better. It seemed all too surreal. Everything was happening so quickly. The world around her flew past before she could grasp the reality of it.

"Mae?"

Blinking, Maeve glanced at Ellie, who she realized was full-on staring at her.

"What?" Maybe she said that a little roughly, but she never was one to like being stared at.

Ellie's face pinched and then she shook her head. Her auburn ponytail tousled with her movement. "Never mind. It's nothing."

"What's wrong?" She urged, stepping toward her sister, copying her furrowed expression.

"I don't — just..." Ellie struggled with her words, rubbing the nape of her neck, and looking away from her. "I dunno...we never really got to talk about what happened back at the lodge."

"What's there to talk about? It's done and over with," Maeve bit her lip and averted her gaze to the wall. "End of story."

"But I — you're right. Sorry for bringing it up." And then she backed off.

Now Maeve felt awful. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk about what happened, more like, she was scared to. For reasons alone, she understood that. She hadn't meant to be so emotionally indecent that she neglected to console her own sister. Understanding each other's traumas and disturbances would probably help. Or not. She didn't enjoy stomping on Ellie's parade. At all.

Even a few months into the new season, she felt she could never get over what happened. Maybe that was just her.

She didn't think it was weird. Much.

Relying on others to help her cope with her problems wasn't the most ideal idea she wanted to have.

"I just want you to know you're not alone." She met Ellie's hazel eyes "We're sisters, we should be able to rely on each other, through thick and thin, even if we disagree."

Maeve stayed silent. What could she even say that would ease Ellie's mind? No number of reassurances would convince her, she knew her too well. They knew each other too well. It was a bit scary sometimes. She opened her mouth to say something, but she heard more metallic clattering.

It earned both the girls' attention. The guys found their way around the ductwork, having settled on the other side of the room, closest to the hole in the ceiling. The ladder was placed over the large gap between the next catwalk and over the pool of water.

"Oh, I see..." Ellie observed their genius and grinned a little. "Good idea."

"Now that we're across," TJ and Joel climbed the short set of metal stairs. "Let's continue, shall we?"

The rush of rapidly flowing water entered her ears.

"Oh, my god..." She didn't want to believe her eyes while they climbed onto the broken wall leading into another tunnel of cars, only to find it flooded with a fast-moving current splashing around and over the submerged vehicles. Needless to say, it was an absolute fucking mess. "Do we go another way? Because I don't like this way."

"It's just water." TJ dismissed her concerns.

"Uh, did you forget I can't swim?" Ellie sharply added, staring at the rushing currents with uncertainty.

"Just stay close to us," Joel decided, carefully making his way onto a half-submerged trailer. "Follow my lead, ladies."

Maeve made a face. "R-right..."

The trailer vibrated in the current, which made her feel like it the water would sweep them off of the solid platform if they made one wrong step. The vehicles seemed to make a conveniently placed bridge, which for them, was beyond a miracle and luck.

They zig-zagged around atop the cars and trucks. Though their walking path stayed stable, it didn't ease any of Maeve's nerves. The currents looked rough enough to drown her, but thankfully, the water seemed to be calm while they mazed over the vehicles.

"Okay...you're okay...just stick to the middle..." She heard Ellie mutter under her breath.

After a moment, they make it to a trailer with a large gap and a vent hanging from the tunnel ceiling. Whether it was sturdy enough for them or not, Maeve wasn't sure, but Joel and TJ didn't seem to care, as they had already begun their leap over the rapids and onto the vent.

"If you think we're going to follow you, you're out of your minds." Maeve laughed nervously.

"Just jump, scaredy cat," TJ taunted her and held his arm out for her. "I'll catch you."

"Haha, you're so funny." She made a face of distraught, glaring at the water again.

"I won't let you fall." He said, making her look him in the eyes. "I promise."

"You better not." She reached over the pooling waters, feeling the mist of the currents rush by, and clamped her fingers onto his jacket sleeve. As she did, his larger hand encircled her wrist. With as much leg strength as she could muster, she hopped over the gap, securely held onto by TJ.

"See? Not so bad." He patted her shoulder once she was safely over.

"Oh har har." Maeve rolled her eyes and wiped her clammy palms on her thighs, continuing forward a bit so Ellie would have room to jump over. As bad as her nerves were, the jump wasn't bad at all. Her anxiety made it out to be so much worse than it actually was. Her nerves had been so jumbled lately, it wasn't even funny.

"See?" Joel said lightly once Ellie had jumped over. "You didn't even need me."

Ellie sighed deeply and nervously. "Let's get the hell off this thing."

"Ahead of you!" Maeve carefully lowered herself onto a turned-over bus that acted as a bridge to the exit, or more like, to another doorway that wasn't flooded. She hurried across as TJ and Ellie bumbled after her. And Joel got on the bus. She wasn't saying he was fat, just that all of their weights combined caused the bus to shift.

"Shit!" Maeve jumped onto the catwalk, safe from the unstable bus now. "Ellie, your hand!"

No words were exchanged as the sisters helped each other to safety. But the guys didn't seem so lucky. The windows under their feet broke under their weight and the water's pressure. They fell into the currents, pulled under the dangerous waters.

"Guys!"

"Ellie, no!" Maeve tried to grapple her younger sister from jumping onto the bus doors but to no avail. She resisted the urge to facepalm and jumped after her. Joel and TJ were struggling inside the vehicle, the water stirring them around near violently.

"Stupid thing! Open!" Ellie stomped the doors. "Maeve, help me!"

"Hold on, we'll get you out!" Maeve stamped her heel onto the glass as hard as she could. They hurried to pry the doors open, but unfortunately for them, the doors were fucking stubborn and didn't want to open.

"Piece of shit! Open up!" Ellie tried kicking them again.

"Gimme your hands!" Joel yelled from the opening of the door, reaching his hand out just as the door was forced inward, and it knocked him in the face.

"Hold on, we're —" Maeve felt the bus churn awkwardly, the metal frame groaning and hitting the concrete walls of the tunnel from within the currents. A high-pitched yelp left her, her body suddenly suspended in the air before feeling the undeniable frozen rush of liquid engulf her body. The currents thrust her body around violently and flailing her limbs to try and gain control didn't seem to help much.

Pain exploded in the back of her head.

And everything went black.