Rewritten: January-May 2025

"That was too close!" Maeve muttered under her breath, feeling the weight of her anxiety as the soldiers surrounded them. They were everywhere, like ants! If that wasn't an understatement, she didn't know what was. The area was crawling with them, especially after discovering the bodies of those soldiers Tess and TJ killed. They were pissed off. Not that she could blame them, it was a brutal ending for them.

Even in the trenches, the soldiers' flashlights swept dangerously close; Maeve's heart rate spiked every time a beam flickered near them.

"Move faster!" TJ quietly nudged her as Joel squeezed through a broken sewer pipe. She shot him a glare but pressed on, trying to keep pace with her sister and Tess. It was unnerving. She was under duress and he was nagging at her to be faster. As if escaping from soldiers wasn't stressful enough. With her anxiety coursing through her, she felt like she was lagging behind. It was tough to crouch and duck-walk through the pouring rain while navigating the embankment.

The waterlogged trench they crept through reached up to their shins. Being trapped beneath a potentially unstable concrete road was unsettling; the thought of being crushed by a misstep from a soldier was terrifying. If that happened, they'd be serious trouble, possibly caught in a hail of bullets. Fortunately for them, the soldiers struggled to navigate the chaotic concrete maze, their trucks hampered by the limited roads and space.

Every moment in the trench was unbearable for her, er, them. Though she had several complaints about trudging through water. She forced herself to ignore her soggy shoes and socks.

After a few close calls and dodging in some half-crumbled buildings, they make it to a caved-in road, which led to underground maintenance tunnel.

"Do you see anything ahead?" Tess whispered to Joel.

"All clear, but there's a drop."

A drop? They were going into the earth... At least if they were shot, they'd have somewhat of a grave.

Suddenly, Maeve lost her footing on the rocky path and fell deeper into the ground, landing hard on her feet. A sharp gasp escaped her as a wave of pain shot through her calves, tingling up to her knees before it numbed away.

Ugh. She was glad she stayed during training drills, if she skipped like she wanted, this drop would've knocked every ounce of breath out of her. Though, she clearly didn't spend enough time training because her muscles protested with faint aching, and her mind was no better off.

Soon, they found themselves navigating a labyrinth of abandoned maintenance tunnels and sewer lines.

As she crouched under a broken hole in the wall, tiny pebbles dug into her palms. The others were quick, and her primary concern was to keep up with Ellie and their gallant smugglers.

"You look out of breath there," Ellie teased. "It's like you've got the stamina of an old lady."

"Och!" Maeve scoffed, rising to tower her sister's five-foot frame. "I'm just two years older than you, you little bullshitter!"

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes. "Old lady."

"Don't get too cocky, fetus. Before you know it, your hair will be as gray as mine," Maeve said, playfully tugging at a few messy strands of Ellie's fringe.

Ellie snorted, swatting Maeve's hand away and even giving her the finger.

Their entire exchange had their smuggler escorts all of the above: perplexed, amused, and a little irritated. They also seemed to find humor in their teasing. She hoped they'd been around siblings before, because she and Ellie's sense of humor was god-awful, and they both enjoyed giving each other a run for their money.

"How's it look?" Tess' voice was hushed.

"I think we can fit through here." Joel answered, though this time, they didn't have to duck-walk through another pipe, which Maeve immensely grateful for.

They found themselves in a collapsed long room, likely a lounge area for pre-outbreak workers. It wasn't as wet as their previous paths were, which was a relief.

"Charlie Squad, report!"

Maeve nearly jumped out of her skin, the thunderous voice coming from above. Two soldiers stood on either side of the collapsed roof, engaged in conversation. She hoped, wished they didn't suddenly have the bright idea to look down.

Joel quickly darted to the side, hiding within the shadows cast by the road slabs. The others followed suit.

"The target's still on the loose, sir!"

"Break off pursuit and report back to Sector Eleven!" commanded the first soldier, stepping back from the broken roadside.

Maeve waited anxiously for the other soldier to do the same, his body twisting as he gestured with the wave of his arm. "Understood. Back to your vehicles!" With that command, the gunmen withdrew, allowing the group to safely cross the remainder of the trench, though to be on the safe side, they all stayed in the shadows. The ground trembled beneath the rumbling weights of the military Humvees.

They continued further.

"This looks promising," Tess commented, her voice bouncing off the concrete walls of the surprisingly stable basement they rushed into. "Joel, TJ, search around. See what you can find."

It was near pitch black, too dark to see what was what. "Yes, Ma'am."

The place is suddenly illuminated, the shadows chased away by the guys' flashlights. She squinted, the sudden light stinging her eyes for a second. She glanced around, and then realized this wasn't a basement at all; it resembled a locker room. There were lockers, some power boxes, and a dusty table clattered with cans and various other items. She watched TJ approach the lockers, pulling on the handles and locks. With a swift motion, he drew his pistol and smashed the butt of it on the locks, which seemed to be brittle, easily breaking them. The metal fragments fell to the ground with soft thuds.

Maeve shifted her attention to Ellie.

"Are we safe?" her sister asked Tess, who wielded her own flashlight, directing the beam onto the floor.

"For now," the woman said. "But take a moment to catch your breaths."

She didn't need to be twice. She relaxed her shoulders and scanned her surroundings again. The air was cool, full of dust. She fought the urge to just drop to the ground and rest, her knees burned from the crouching and jumping and duck-walking through muddy and watery paths.

"Hey, Tess! We found a way out!" Joel's voice broke through the silence.

"Really?" the woman perked up, motioning for the girls to follow her.

Ugh...she was exhausted. Not just physically, but mentally. She pushed herself to continue on.

"Hey, Mae," Ellie suddenly said. "Remember the time you locked Olive out on the roof during that storm?"

Maeve let out a snort. "Yeah, she had it coming."

"You actually locked someone out in the rain?" TJ said with a tone of disapproval.

"She took my candy."

"What are you, five?"

Maeve rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find candy that hasn't expired? Being locked in the rain is nothing."

"She got the flu," Ellie reminded her. "But you guys had a weird friendship."

"That's enough! Let's finish the rest of this trip in silence," Joel interrupted loudly before Maeve could reply. He rubbed his temples, as if soothing a headache.

The girls fell silent. Maeve couldn't help but wonder it Joel had kids at some point; he had a certain aura about him, like a commanding dad vibe.

They climbed over a jagged, uneven patch of ground and squeezed through another pipe that allowed them to walk in a line. Joel's hair touched the top of the concrete pipe. Her ears perked up at the sound of splashing ahead, her focus shifting to what lay in front of them. She couldn't see around Tess or Ellie. But when it was her turn, she became a little nauseated.

"Oh my cheese," she gasped, her face flushing of color at the sight that greeted her. "What is that?"

The sewer pipe led them a to murky pool filled to the waist with filthy water littered with unknown debris. Joel had already entered the mysterious depths, creating large ripples as he made his way across. Tess was behind him, while Ellie had just slipped in, the foul surface rising her chest.

"Our way out," TJ said from behind her. "Now go."

"Ugh," Maeve groaned, feeling increasingly nauseous as the green water surrounded her. She carefully lowered herself in, lifting her bag above her head to keep it as dry as she could. "This is disgusting."

She tried to remain quiet, but her discomfort was hard to hide. The water was icy, sending chills across her skin, and she had no idea what slimy substances she was stepping on. Who knew how long this stagnant water had been here, collecting algae and bacteria?

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! This is so disgusting!" She whimpered, already almost halfway across.

"Suck it up, buttercup," TJ commented, wading in after Maeve. "And hurry up. You're wasting time."

"Well I never!" the auburn-haired teen huffed, quickening her steps as much as she could without losing her balance.

Above them, another Humvee thundered by, its tire crunching over the storm drain. Soldiers were shouting, discussing their return orders. There were new voices.

"Up here, this here's our way out." Joel hoisted himself out of the water, heading for the sewer opening and pushing the barred door open, which creaked.

"Are you serious?" Maeve gasped.

"Nope," TJ replied with a grin, popping the 'p', "Get up there!"

Fantastic. Once Ellie was safe out of the water, Maeve climbed onto the dry-wet ground. They emerged from the drainage area into the light drizzle. She figured she was just going to be soaked and smelling like sewage from now on. As she waddled to the side, she tried to discreetly undo her water wedgie.

Ellie let out a heavy sigh and sank onto a large rock by the exit. Maeve rested against the rock as well. Just after an hour, her knees were like jelly, ready to give out. She wiped her nose with her sleeves and watched their escorts as they whispered among themselves.

"Looks like we're in the clear," TJ determined, though he still looked back where they came out of.

Tess approached them, crouching in front of Ellie. She glanced between the sisters. "So, what's the plan? Say we get you to the Fireflies, then what?"

"Marlene said..." the sisters shared a look. "She said they have their own quarantine zone with doctors still searching for a cure."

"Where have we heard that before, Tess?" Joel chimed gruffly, hands on his hips, seemingly unimpressed by their claim of Ellie's immunity.

Tess shot him a quick glare before turning back to the sisters, "And?"

"And..." Ellie hesitated, her voice trailing off. "...that whatever happened to me could be the key to finding a vaccine."

"Oh, Christ."

"That's what she said!" Maeve shot back at him.

"Oh, I'm sure she did," TJ retorted roughly, crossing his arms over his chest. He was about to continue when Joel interrupted.

"Tess, what are we doin' here?"

The woman stood up, observing everyone, deep in thought. She was quiet for a good minute. "What if it's true?"

"You can't seriously be buying this crap, are you?" TJ was...in shock.

Tess' expression steeled. "What if? We've come this far, let's just finish it."

"I can't believe...." Joel muttered, dragging his hand down his face in disbelief. He gestured to the chaos behind them. "Do I need to remind you what's out there?"

Maeve watched Tess approach Joel, shifting her gaze between her and Ellie and Joel.

"I get it."

It was strange for Maeve to suddenly notice the height difference between the adults. Tess was only a head shorter than Joel, and he practically loomed over her. Unlike what Maeve typically witnessed, he didn't try to intimidate her, even when they disagreed. They locked eyes for a charged moment as thunder rolled overhead.

"Let's move, ladies," Tess finally declared, brushing past Joel without another word.