rewritten: January-June 2025

The morning sun blazed down on the group of five as they slipped into a back alley. An hour had passed since their 'tour' of the museum, which turned into a disaster, but Maeve was especially relieved it was over. They narrowly escaped that close call.

"Whew..." sighed the older girl, fanning herself slightly. "It's getting a bit warm."

"It is summer," Ellie laughed, skipping down a set of concrete stairs.

"I almost forgot." Right. Because seasons still existed, even in the apocalypse. They might as well add rain as a season since it was almost always pouring. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and rain. She should call it the 'ripple season'.

"Found something!" Joel called out.

He found a body hidden away in an open space besides the stairs, just under a small awning. By now, Maeve was beginning to not be phased by bodies they came across in the city.

"Firefly," he said and Maeve grimaced.

"Crap..."

"So what if we get there and everybody is dead?" Ellie asked, her brows knitting together in concern.

"They won't be," Tess answered, perhaps a bit too urgently.

"How can you be sure?"

"I just—I just know, okay?"

Joel left the body concealed between the stairs and the building. It wasn't a grave by any means, but it remained as the person's final resting place.

"Hey, Maeve!" Ellie called, snapping the girl out of her long gaze at the body.

"Sorry. I'm right behind you." She turned around just as Joel dragged a dumpster from one the corners of the vacant area and rolled it toward the alleyway, which was blocked by a locked fence and scaffolding.

"Up and over, everyone."

"Yup!"

They climbed onto the dumpster to reach the street. Frogs and crickets chirpsed in their orchestra of nature. The street was inundated. Cars were half-submerged in murky green water. Lily pads and duckweed speckled the surface with agale.

"Um..." Ellie started, her voice tinged with anxiety. "Just to put it out there...I can't swim."

This revelation triggered a reaction among the three smugglers. They exchanged glances and sighed at one another.

"It looks shallow on the right side," Tess said as she stepped into the water.

"Can you swim, or are you also a sinker?" TJ questioned Maeve, his tone blunt as he followed Joel into the water.

"Oh, just shut it!" she shot back at him, lifting her bag over her head before going in. "I can swim."

"I'm really glad Marlene hired you guys," Ellie said wistfully.

"What do you mean by that?" Tess asked, curious.

"I know you're getting paid for this — but I just wanted to say thanks."

"Yeah," Tess chuckled softly. "No problem."

The Capitol Building was massive, with Roman pillars and pristine walls, well, weathered walls that had vines climbing them. Maeve had expected it to be bigger. But she was sure there were larger state houses out there.

"Here it is, E," Maeve emerged from the water and ascended the stairs leading to the building. She shook off the swampy water from her lower body, splattering the dry concrete steps. "Are you ready?"

Ellie fidgeted with her left ring finger and pinkie anxiously. She looked more nervous with each step they got closer to the building. The doors almost felt imposing the more they approached them. It also felt thrilling. They had arrived and were nearly prepared to be handed over to the Fireflies.

If Jordan hadn't been sent out three weeks ago,she would've been excited to see his face.

"I think so. It feels surreal." Ellie exhaled heavily.

"I know what you mean," Maeve nodded. "Do you want to hold my hand? For emotional support?"

Ellie smiled but shook her head. "Thanks, but I'm okay."

"Alright, kid," Joel said as he approached the door and grasped the handles. "Moment of truth."

The doors swung open, but rather than being welcomed by Fireflies, they found the bodies of Fireflies, sprawled across the floor in pools of blood. Someone,or perhaps, multiple someones, had got here first and killed them.

"No, no, NO!" Tess burst in, hurrying to the first body and kneeling beside it.

All the hope and excitement and giddiness Maeve had evaporated. She could almost burst into tears from the impossible disbelief and frustration; it couldn't possibly be so easy. Ellie seemed just as bewildered, her face reflecting the collective despair.

"What...what do we do now?" Ellie moved to the side, away from the bodies, glancing between the adults for any sign of direction. Any direction at all.

At that moment, Tess started searching the other bodies, ensuring no pocket was left unchecked.

"What are you doing, Tess?" Joel asked, running a large hand through his salt and pepper hair.

"Maybe they, uh, maybe they had a map or something that could tell us where they were going," Tess said as rolled the second body over to inspect his coat pockets.

"How far are we going to take this?" Joel motioned towards the empty space.

"As far as it needs to go!" Tess said with desperation, and then turned to the sisters. "Where was this lab of theirs?"

Maeve and Ellie shared looks. "Oh—she never said. She only said it was somewhere out west."

Maeve observed Tess closely, noticing the alarming signs of her clamminess and paleness, with a distant look in her eyes. Something felt...off about her. She seemed entirely different from the impression Maeve had when she first met Tess.

"What're we doin' here? This is not us." Joel said, prompting Tess to rise to her feet.

"What do you know about us? About me?"

TJ stood off to the side with the sisters. It was evident to Maeve that this was a matter for the adults and didn't concern him, at least not for the time being.

"I know that you are smarter than this," Joel replied.

"Really?" Tess looked at him. "Guess what, we're shitty people, Joel. It's been that way for a long time."

"No, we are survivors!" Joel countered strongly.

"This is our chance–"
"Is it over, Tess!" The older man exclaimed, then softened his tone. "We tried. Let's just go home."

"I'm not–I'm not going anywhere," the woman's expression dropped. "This is my last stop."

"What?" Joel blinked in confusion as the woman began to pace about.

"Our luck had to run out eventually," Tess turned her back on Joel, only him to attempt to grab her.

"What are you goin' on about—"

"No, don't — Don't touch me." The woman reacted brashly to his touch and smacked his hand away. She cast her gaze at the floor in shame.

Then it dawned on her.

Tess's desperation. Her incessant reassurance about the Fireflies still being alive, The reason she looked so dazed and clammy. It all clicked into place. Maeve had a chilling sensation surge through her veins.

"Holy crap..." Ellie somehow articulated Maeve's thoughts, causing Joel and TJ to turn their attention to her. "She's infected."

The man stepped back from Tess, disbelief etched on his face. Maeve noticed TJ go pale as the realization hit him too.

"Joel..." Tess attempted to speak.

"Let me see it."

"I didn't mean for this to happen—"

"Show it to me." Joel demanded, interrupting Tess.

Her expression, once lost and frightened, turned empty, cold, hard, and serious. She grasped her collar and pulled it back to expose the bite. The flesh of her collarbone bulged out from the injury, swollen and raw.

"Oh, Christ!" Joel exclaimed.

"Oops, right?" Tess covered the bitemark. She glanced toward Ellie and approached her, "Give me your arm." She seized Ellie's right arm and yanked her sleeve up, showing the bite mark. "This was three weeks. I was bitten an hour ago and it's already getting worse! This is real, Joel." Tess released Ellie, who retreated to the safety of Maeve's side while she adjusted her sleeve back down. "You need to take this girl to Tommy's. He used to be part of this crew. He'll know where to go."

"No, no, no," JOel protested, shaking his head. "That was your crusade. I ain't doin' that."

"Yes, you are!" Tess stepped closer to the man. "Look, there's enough here that you should feel some sort of obligation to me. So you get her to Tommy's."

Maeve felt a tension in the air as she watched the scene unfold. She could almost feel the sadness as if it were her own. She couldn't imagine the anguish Tess was handling. For a split second, she thought back to when she thought Jordan had been bitten. She couldn't imagine what she would've done if she'd lost him. But seeing Tess have so many emotions flit through her eyes, she knew what could've been. Heartache.

Her eyes became hot from the intense emotion. Not for herself and the 'what if' going through her head, but for Tess.

Then they heard a motor-y noise outside.

TJ glided over to the window. "Shit. Military."

Tess squared her shoulders and brought out her pistol, checking the magazine. "I can buy you some time, but you have to run."

"You want us to leave you?" Maeve asked, cold.

"Yes." The woman faced the front entrance way.

"Bullshit! We're not leaving you!" TJ disagreed strongly.

"There's no way that–"

"I will not turn into one of those things!" Tess exclaimed, her voice high with emotion. She calmed herself and glanced at the guys, eyes brimming with tears. "Come on...make this easy for me."

"I can still fight–"

"No, just go!" Tess exploded as she shoved Joel away. "Just fucking go."

The man took a step back, maintaining his gaze on her.

"Kids," Joel said, his tone stern.

"I'm sorry, I didn't — I didn't mean for this to happen," Ellie said, watching Tess.

"Get a move on."

Reluctantly, Maeve headed to the other room, followed by Ellie. TJ stormed past them, his face flushed, but he remained silent. In the next room, there were two sets of stairs. One to the right was completely blocked by furniture, while the left one was clear. It was obvious which path they'd have to take.

Behind them, Joel closed the door. He grunted as he locked the bolts, gripping the handles tightly as if he were silently bidding Tess a final farewell. Her heart ached for him; it was clear how much Tess meant to him and TJ.

"What the hell! I can't believe we just did that!" Ellie voiced her shock.

"Stop." Joel said.

"But we just left her to die!"

"Stop," Joel reiterated, his voice raised slightly. "You two stay close to us. We need to keep moving."

As they ascended the open staircase, the sounds of a brutal fight reached them, the gunfire reverberating off the walls in a horrifying symphony.

"Oh man.." Maeve winced.

"Just keep pushing ahead." Joel said, his tone void of emotion.

Amidst the gunfire, a scream pierced the air and Maeve knew it was Tess. They'd gotten her.

"Oh my God..." Ellie gasped as they crept onto a balcony that overlooked the front entrance. Tess laid motionless near the Fireflies, and just by the door, two dead soldiers were sprawled on the floor.

A few soldiers poured into the building, their assault rifles aimed with mechanical precision.

"Target neutralized. She took out two of my men," one soldier reported into his earpiece radio. "Copy that. You, take out that door. And you, come with me."

The four of them rushed into another room, which resembled a press room. Maeve had seen old news channels, or rather, videos of them. She hoped she was right about it being a press room. Though it didn't matter right now.

"They'll be here any minute."

Yes, Ellie, we all understand that. Maeve was practically chewing her fingernail as they darted around the room like headless chickens.

"Here," Joel gestured to a hole in the side of the building, where a board was conveniently wedged out, allowing them to leap to another section of the structure.

One by one, they made their way into the new wing.

Maeve grimaced seeing a skeletal corpse slump against a central archway leading to a somewhat lengthy corridor. The body was adorned with an excessive amount of protective gear, and its bony fingers gripped a scoped rifle.

"Hm." Joel couched, grabbed the gun, and inspected the stock for ammunition.

"Any lead in there?" Maeve asked.

"Enough." He simply responded.

That didn't quite answer her question, but she didn't ask further. Maeve and the others followed after him through the arch, ducking behind some covered boxes abandoned in the hall.

"Down!" She and Ellie were pulled into hiding as several soldiers entered from the opposite end of the hallway.

"What do we do?" Ellie asked, looking between the guys. "Joel?"

"...I've got this. Stay where you are." He silently moved around the art and cover.

Maeve's heart raced in her chest, praying she wouldn't hear any gunfire. To her surprise, there was only silence. After what felt like an eternity, Joel called out to them.

"Alright, let's go."

Fortunately, Joel had knocked the soldiers out cold, which explained his delay. How incredibly clean of him.

"Wow, look at you, Joel," TJ commented to the older man, who brushed him off.

"Let's move before more of them show up."

They exited the hall, descending to the ground floor via a broken staircase.

"...comb through the area."

"Crap! Get down, get down!" The four of them ducked behind a toppled display.

Two soldiers chatted in the narrow hall that led to a larger room, and eventually the exit. Their rifles were ready in case of an ambush.

"They still haven't located the last four."

Unlike their comrades, these soldiers appeared to lack helmets or heavy bulletproof body armor. Maeve suspected their vests were concealed under their uniforms, as was standard for soldiers, especially while on patrol.

"I heard one of them is just a kid," the second soldier said.

"Does it even matter? They took out several of our men."

"Jesus," the second soldier clicked his tongue. "Well, after today, this whole Firefly bullshit will be behind us."

They entered the room where the group was and split up to search both sides of the room. TJ and Joel crept up on the guards, swiftly knocking them out and dragging their unconscious bodies into the stairwell to avoid detection by other unsuspecting soldiers.

"There's the exit," Ellie indicated, the exit appearing so far yet so close.

"I see it," Joel replied. "Stay low; I'm not sure how many more are around."

"So, are we just going to wait until they all check this room and send them off to the sandman?" Maeve raised an eyebrow. "Do things without lead and blood?"

"No, no," TJ disagreed, shaking his head. "That'd take too long. We need to keep moving."

"Alright, alright," she responded with a lazy salute.

"We're gonna split up," Joel decided, then gestured to himself and Ellie. "We go left, you go right."

"What? No!" Maeve turned her attention sharply to Joel, brows knitted. "I'm staying with Ellie."

"A larger group will just draw their attention faster. Go around and meet us at the exit."

Maeve opened her mouth to protest but then pressed her lips into a thin line. "You stay close to him."

"Ditto." Her sister gave her a salute with two fingers and a wink.

The trouble we're getting ourselves into...Maeve sighed inwardly and followed after TJ.