"Take cover!"

The bloater howled as it raised its heavy arms. It appeared like it was about to throw something—

"Get down!" Suddenly, the infected released this mass of spores. The ball of poisonous spores was thrown their way. It sounded like a dozen sparklers. It looked like a dozen of them too.

"Maeve!" Ellie yelled out, but Joel held her behind the cover.

All she could do was stand there in a frozen panic, her body refused to move an inch even though her brain screamed for her to get out of the way. One second, she stared at impending doom, the next, she was on the ground with TJ hovering over her protectively.

"You're damn stupid!" He hissed at her and got off her as he pulled his shotgun out. "Come and get me, fucker!"

BLAM!

The bloater was hit in its large fungus-covered stomach. It didn't seem much bothered by the attack, in fact, it pissed it off. It let out this deafening growl and it charged for TJ.

"Hey, over here!" Joel came out of cover, rushing toward the closed bleachers, cocking his own shotgun. The sound was almost as deafening as the barking of the bloater.

Nonetheless, the ugly creature turned its wrath onto Joel. Its boil-covered body twisted toward the man and shot a ball of spores his way. Of course, as if he predicted the bloater's attack, Joel hurried a safe distance away as he shot at the infected being again.

"Get up, Mae!" Ellie raced over to Maeve, who was peeling herself off the gym floor.

"I got it, I got it!" Maeve got pulled up by her sister. "That way!"

The sisters hurried behind cover as the guys kept the bloater busy. Or at least they tried to. They couldn't stay in one place because the bloater seemed to be able to handle all three of them quite easily.

"Holy shit!" Ellie cursed, panting as if she had run a whole mile without stopping. "We're totally sitting fucking ducks here!"

"Maybe not!" Maeve took her bag off and dug out the nail bomb she crafted earlier. "Bombs away."

"You're kidding right?" The girl beside her glanced at her warily.

"Not at all." Maeve left the cover with the nail canister in her hand. "Everyone, get down!"

The bloater snapped its attention to Maeve's shout she gripped the explosive in her hand before she shook it violently. She hurried to throw it, and it hit the floor, ricocheting off the ground. It hit the bloater's right leg and it settled in between its boiled legs.

KABOOM!

Yells coursed throughout the gym, and bright light and smoke engulfed the infected. It screamed out; she could feel its yell in her bones. Parts of its inner thighs were penetrated by the needles from the bomb, black blood oozed from the puncture wounds. It roared once again and catapulted another ball of spores in their direction.

"I think I pissed it off!" Maeve yelped as she and Ellie scrambled away from the oncoming spores.

"You think!?" TJ yelled from halfway across the gym.

"More infected!" Ellie yelled as a Runner crawled through an open window above the closed bleachers.

"Fuck!"

"Ellie, move!" Maeve grabbed her sister and forced her to run as the bloater charged their way.

"Holy—"

Crash!

The giant infected broke the large crate they hid behind. It shrieked out and whirled around, continuing at the girls. Its heavy footsteps thumped loudly, like someone stomping across hollow, rotted wood.

"Run, Ellie, run!" Maeve shouted and shoved her sister in a different direction.

She didn't know what happened—one second, she ran for her life, and the next, she was on the floor, the wind was knocked out of her lungs. And she was pretty sure she felt her arm sting. She gasped out and rolled onto her side just as the bloater stomped closer to her.

"Maeve!" Ellie cried out, but it was a little late for that.

Maeve screamed as the bloater's fungal-plated hand snatched her off the ground like a rag doll. She squirmed, as much as she could while its fingers tightened on her in a clumsy way. Her blood pounded through her eardrums; she couldn't hear anything else but her pulsating fear. She kicked at its belly but got her nowhere because it was as hard as concrete.

"Let. Me. GO!" By chance, and by miracle, Maeve reached her switchblade and stabbed the bloater in the skull.

Its scream deafened her. Every bone in her bone quaked. Its other hand latched onto her, and it wanted to tear her apart like string cheese. She knew it as the infected's grip hardened. She wouldn't have to worry about bruises. She went to yank out her knife and stab it again.

As if there was some god, the bloater suddenly is licked with fire. The bloater dropped her, and she landed hard. She watched as the enormous being tried to put itself out, much like the infected from earlier, which she also set on fire. It flailed its beefy arms, unable to put itself out. She watched it try and take the group out as it was still ablaze, but it never got the chance to finish what it wanted. The flames seeped through its fungal armor, burning it alive. Finally, the being collapsed, shaking the whole gym it seemed.

"Oh my god! Maeve, are you alright?!" Ellie hurried to her sister's side immediately.

"Ow..." Maeve groaned while she was helped to her feet. "That's going to hurt for a while..."

"No shit," her sister sniffled a laugh. "I thought you were a goner."

Maeve winced. "Me too."

Ellie peered over at the bloater's burning body. "Aw, jeez...what was up with that big guy?"

"He's been infected for a long time. We call them bloaters." Joel explained as he wiped his hands on his jeans.

"Bloater..." the younger girl nodded. "Okay, go it."

"I hate to interrupt your little biology lesson, but can we get the fuck outta here?" Bill was by the bleachers. "Let's get on top of these bleacher. Gimme a boost Joel."

The older man looked damn near worn. Everyone seemed so worn, especially after that battle. Maeve didn't want to have the spotlight on her, at all, but her arms throbbed from where the bloater grabbed her.

She tenderly rubbed her biceps, intending to soothe the throbbing stings. It was seconds ago, but it felt like a bad dream. She was almost killed by...was it again? A bloater? And she thought Clickers were terrifying.

"You okay?" TJ approached her.

"That was the one of the scariest shit I've ever experienced." Maeve held her hand over her chest, her heart still thumped erratically.

"But that bomb took out most of its fight." TJ mentioned.

"I hoped it would've been more boom than dud," Maeve slumped her shoulders. "If I had nails and razors to go with it, then it'd do more damage."

"I guess we gotta keep our eyes peeled, then."

"How kind of you," Maeve nodded, but unsure to think of his calm attitude.

"Let's go, people," Joel waved the younger specimens over after he lifted Bill up.

Bill was on top of the bleachers now, waiting for the next person to be lifted. Ellie was next in line for lifting. Joel had her up easily, but he seemed to struggle a little from exhaustion.

"Okay, now you," Joel gestured for Maeve to come closer so he could lift her up.

"Thanks," Maeve murmured and placed her hands on his shoulders while she put her left foot in his palms. She was instantly lifted up and grabbed an outstretched arm of Bill. He pulled her up without hesitation.

"Behind you!" Ellie called out suddenly, her voice bouncing off the empty walls. But the growls of infected overwhelmed her shrill.

"Son of a bitch!" TJ groaned and got his shotgun out.

Two runners slipped out of a hole that seemed to be above the bleachers on the other side of the gymnasium. They hungrily growled as they launched themselves at Joel and TJ. Luckily for everyone and the two males, they took care of the infected quickly and easily.

"Oh," Ellie grunted. "I fucking hate those things!"

"Ditto." Maeve commented.

"Alright, you got 'em," Bill reached down for the guys. "Let's go. Come on up."

First, it was TJ, as Joel insisted. And then Joel himself. After they were within the safety of being on the bleachers, they egressed out of the far bleacher window, which had been shattered open. They dropped out into the alley that split the school and neighborhood apart.

"This way!" Bill bolted toward the right. "We're sitting ducks here!"

"There's another ladder over there!" Sure enough, Ellie was right. Conveniently leaning against the fence, was, indeed, a ladder.

"Keep going, I'm right behind you!" Joel had his gun out as the infected rounded the corner.

It took too long for one person to even climb the ladder. Bill was up first, and then Ellie. TJ had jumped the tall wooden fence, Maeve had debated doing so, but with the height of the fence, she knew she wouldn't have been successful. After Bill dropped into the yard, Maeve hurried to climb the ladder.

"Hurry, Joel!" She looked back at the older man who shot at a runner that dashed at him.

She hopped over the top of the fence; Joel followed suit.

"Inside the house," Bill ordered when the ladder jostled and fell, the screaming of the infected was near deafening. "Now!"

The girls and TJ were ushered through the back sliding door. Inside everyone was relieved in their newly found safety. All five of them were safe, at least, for now.

The living room was about average size with the second story blocked off by stacked furniture, so there wasn't a way up to see what was there to collect. And...a dishonorable mention was the body hanging from the beams styled to make the high ceiling seem pretty. But she knew one thing for certain, the man had a series of bites all over him. His decomposing flesh was marked from his wrists to his neck. The girl figured he had more on the rest of him. She gulped and averted her eyes to her sister.

"So...that worked out well." Ellie was eyed down.

Maeve flashed a tired smile and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "We'll just...check out this side of the house."

And then the elder sister led the younger one away from the obviously frustrated tension. They entered the garage, where they find an old blue and white four-door pickup. Its hood was up like someone was messing with the motor. Maeve peeked around the hood and saw nothing that seemed to be missing.

"Oh, bingo!" Ellie seized the vehicle.

"This is one nice ride," Maeve went around the front of the truck. "Do think it'll start?"

"One way to find out." Ellie shrugged and opened the driver's door. She hopped into the driver's seat, looking around for the keys, which she had found were already in the ignition. "The keys are in here, what do you make of that?"

"Guess someone must've forgotten them," Maeve replied and approached the passenger side, and opened the door to sit in the car seat. "Try turning it."

"Here goes," Ellie clasped her fingers around the car key and twisted. The engine revved, sputtering out what little life it had. She tried it again, but the engine refused to be revived.

"Well, dammit." Maeve pursed her lips.

Ellie looked at Joel, who seemingly heard the truck revving and decided to investigate, with TJ and Bill.

"Look what we found!" Ellie grinned at them. "It's got some juice in it."

"That's my battery. That fuckin' asshole," Bill growled under his breath. "Get out. Get out."

"Okay, jeez..." Ellie hopped out of the front seat before Bill dragged her out.

Maeve hurried out of the vehicle to avoid Bill's estranged wrath as he tried to ignite the engine again.

He sighed and rubbed his jaw. "Battery's drained but the cells are alive."

"Meaning...?" TJ trailed.

"Meaning we push it, get it started and the alternator will recharge the battery."

"Is that your guess?" Joel quipped.

"Look, you wanted a "plan B". This is as good as it gets," Bill replied irately

"What're you thinking?" The sisters looked at Joel, who seemed to ponder strategic methods.

"Thinkin' one of you drive and we push."

One of them? Maeve and Ellie share uncertain glances with each other. The younger girl shrugged, and Maeve returned to the passenger seat.

"Jesus..." Bill grumbled when he examined a duffel bag of supplies and some ammunition. "That's more of my stuff. You just...steal my stuff and run off? That it, Frank?"

Frank. Maeve tilted her head at Bill as he shut the hood of the truck, jostling its body some. She observed his behavior toward this mysterious Frank character. It seemed he was someone Bill cared about a lot. Was Frank the body that hung in the living room? Maeve gnawed the inside of her lip. Had Frank been Bill's partner? Like a lover? It sure didn't sound like Frank was his brother.

Maeve knew what heartbreak sounded like when she heard it. When she lost Jordan, er, more specifically when he left her to join the Fireflies, she was pissed at the world. All of her anger was just simmering to a high boil. When she didn't know any better, when she was ignorant of why he left, she took that anger and depression out on everyone around her. Even Ellie, who also was left by Riley.

"You should probably search the house. I'm sure there's more supplies."

"That's a good idea," TJ hummed, already bounding for the living room, or wherever.

"Let me know when you're ready to finish this thing!" Bill called to them.

"I'll give you a holler," Joel responded from one of the other rooms, his voice a bit muffled.

Ellie settled in the driver's seat once again, her hands drumming against the wheel. She did a little dance in the seat and then looked at Maeve with a sheepish grin.

"Oh, sorry, did you want to...?"

"You're the better driver." The older girl saluted playfully.

"I am, aren't I?" Ellie hummed with pride.

"Hey now, I'm not stroking your ego," Maeve lightly whacked her shoulder. "I'm just saying you're the better driver."

"What difference does that make?"

The older sister sighed in defeat, realizing it really didn't differentiate anything. "None, I guess..."

Ellie snorted and continued to drum the wheel until Joel approached the door. He seemed to have found everything he needed. She also took it as a cue, so she shut her door.

"You gonna be okay with this?" the older man asked her.

"Yeah, not a problem." The younger girl looked at him.

"You're doin' a good job," he mentioned to her, and then looked at Maeve. "Both of you. I figure y'all should know that."

Maeve felt a bubble of warmth arise within her. It felt nice to be complimented even though she was practically compromising everything. The sisters shared a look with each other, nodding.

"I won't let you down."

"Do you need any help?" Maeve hurried out before Joel could walk away from the window.

The man twisted toward Maeve, peering at her through the opened car window. "No, we got this."

Needless to say, it stung to be useless. She didn't have a gun, not that she wanted one, but having any weapon would allow her to feel somewhat useful. Bombs and first aid, she could do. Why was it so hard for her to accept that?

"Hey," TJ appeared on the passenger side. His sudden appearance nearly scared Maeve out of her own skin.

"Jesus!" Maeve gave herself whiplash practically breaking her neck to look at him.

He furrowed his brows. "Sorry—I found these."

The blond reached toward her through the rolled-down car window, a jar with a rusty lid screwed on clutched in his hand. She could see clearly that there were a few nails, long or short, with a couple of nuts, and a razor inside.

"What—"

"You said nail bombs are more effective with nails and razors, didn't you?" TJ cut her off as if he recalled her words from earlier.

"Yeah, but," Maeve took the jar and shook it, causing the nails and such to make metallic clinks. "I didn't think you were listening to me."

"Tch," he rolled his eyes and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Give me some credit! I was raised to listen."

Maeve let out a breathy chuckle. "Thanks."

"Keep that jar, we can fill it up with nails and such." He walked away.

Well, that was generous of him, Maeve pursed her lips and watched TJ through her side-view mirror. She narrowed her eyes at his back until he positioned himself behind the right taillight.

"That was sweet of him." Ellie grinned.

"Ellie..." Maeve sent her a bemused look. "No."

"What?"

"I know what you're thinking," she took her bag off and put the jar in. "Stop thinking it."

"Pssh! Phu-leeze! The only thing I'm thinking of is not screwing this shit up." The younger girl was practically sweating pinballs as she took hold of the gearshift, putting the gear into first.

"Alright, Bill, let's do it." Joel called the estranged man to the tailgate.

"Okay, kid, put 'er in first."

"Already did it!" Ellie shuffled in her seat, gripping the wheel every few seconds.

"Just keep your foot on the clutch and when we get to roll—"

"I know how to pop a clutch." Ellie cut him off.

"How the hell do—? Y'know what, I don't care," Bill opened the garage door and went to the tailgate to push with Joel and TJ. "Just don't fuck it up!"

The truck's wheels groaned out when the guys pushed the back. Slowly, but surely, the truck began to roll. Ellie readied to pop the clutch as the vehicle staggered down the small dip of the driveway and into the deserted street before it sputtered out a dying gasp.

"Hit it! Hit it!"

Ellie groaned in frustration when the truck didn't start, even when she did pop the clutch in time.

"It's okay, Ellie," Maeve encouraged.

"Perfect," Bill grumbled. "Hey—good job, kid!"

"Bill, not helpin'," Joel shut down Bill's complaints. "Ellie— we're gonna give it another go. Stay focused!"

"Jesus. Just keep turning right," Bill got back into position at the tailgate, pushing on it with the guys. "Let's get to the hill at the end of the street."

They began pushing the truck again, getting it around halfway to the hill when there were screams from the infected. A runner appeared to just have magically materialized out of thin air, going for the guys, and then a few buddies following suit.

"Dammit!" TJ brought out his shotgun to deal with the infected himself. "Keep the truck moving!"

Bill and Joel didn't argue and let the blond deal with them.

"Oh fuck!" Maeve let out breathlessly as she watched him from the back window. He ducked an arm, hitting one of the runners in the nose with the butt of his gun. It went down from having its skull shoved in. It was incredible, he effortlessly dodged their attacks and incapacitated them.

"We gotta go faster!" Ellie called to the guys.

"Shut up and drive, baby shroom!" TJ surveyed the yards of the houses they passed and kept his gun at the ready.

"Don't call me that!" Ellie briefly glared at him.

"More infected!" Maeve alerted TJ, pointing at an old vehicle as a runner Grudge-crawled out from under it, and then on the other side of the street, a couple of clickers were disturbed of their slumber.

"Damn!" TJ cocked his shotgun, rushing at the runner first.

BLAM!

The head of the infected was blown from its shoulders, its body flopped lifelessly onto the weed-covered sidewalk. He dodged the oncoming clickers and led them away from the truck so Bill and Joel could get it over the hill and started.

"Ah!" Maeve was keeping an eye on TJ, and she didn't see the runner rushing at her from its hiding place. It grappled her through the car window, its dirt-caked hands snagging her hair and shirt collar.

"Get the fuck off her!" Ellie abandoned her station and stabbed the infected in the eye, which killed it.

Maeve grunted as the body fell onto the street. Its fingers had been entangled into her already tangly braid and tore a few strands of hair out of her scalp. Her hands seized her head.

"Thanks, E."

"You owe me one," Ellie smirked and returned to her position. Maeve rolled her eyes and scoffed at that.

"Alright, Ellie, get ready..." the truck came upon the hill. "Alright, Ellie, start it up!"

The vehicle teetered on the top of the hill, and finally dropped forward. Maeve watched her sister turn the initiation frantically. To their luck, the engine roared to life, causing both sisters to beam. By the time they got to the bottom, the truck was ready for a few good miles of a drive. The guys hurried down the hill.

"Hear that sound, Bill?" Joel peered around.

"Yeah, well it means the infected hear it too. Let's get in the fucking truck," Bill hopped into the back of the pickup. "Get in the fucking truck!"

Joel and TJ hop into the back. "Go, go! Floor it!"

Ellie quickly put the truck in four-wheel drive and stomped the acceleration peddle. The truck jerked at first, but then it took off like a street racing car, the tires squealing against the aged pavement.

After some time of driving, Maeve watches as a Leaving Lincoln County sign passed by. They were by some urban buildings and a few houses.

"Alright, this'll do! Stop!" Bill patted the fender of the left-back wheel.

Ellie slowed down, putting the truck in park. She rubbed her palms on her jeans soon after.

"You did great, Ellie," Maeve gently patted her shoulder. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks," she was given a lopsided grin.

"Just keep it running, alright?" Joel said to Ellie as they exited the back.

Bill wandered off to the sidewalk of the older red-brick buildings. He and Joel talked amongst each other in a low tone, and Maeve wasn't able to hear them.

Maeve watched as Joel turned toward the truck, but Bill stopped him, tossing him a siphon hose. They shared a few more sentences with each other. But she for sure heard one thing out of their conversation: "Then get the fuck out of my town."

After that, they hit the road.

Maeve sat up in the middle seat of the front, cinched between Joel and TJ, despite the both of them disagreeing her about it. She wanted to give Ellie space to sleep, though she could've let her sleep on her lap. Not that it would've mattered, she knew she wasn't snoozing. She, in fact, knew that her baby sister was reading those comics they stole from Be of his nose tenderly.

"Oh, man!"

Joel flinched from his tired state and glanced back at Ellie. "Hey, what happened to sleeping?"

Ellie sat up and held up the comic she'd been reading for the past hour, "Okay, I know it doesn't look like much, but this here is not a bad read. Only one problem. "To be continued!" I hate cliffhangers."

Maeve twisted around awkwardly and reached an arm back, plucking the comic from her hands.

"Hey!" Ellie exclaimed.

"Sorry, dude!" Maeve wasn't the least bit apologetic. "It's my turn with Savage Starlight."

Joel glanced at the comic, his worry lines creasing. "Where did you get that?"

"Uhh..." Both sisters grinned sheepishly at the older man. "Back at Bill's. I mean, all this stuff was just lying there!"

"Is this what I saw you stashing in your bag?" TJ pinched the corner of the pages closest to him.

"Why, yes," Maeve smirked and went on to read the colorful comic.

Joel sighed, rubbing the bridge between Joel and Maeve's shoulders, proffering a sing cassette tape, "Here. This make you all nostalgic?"

Maeve snorted at Ellie's remark about Joel's age, but the man didn't seem that much offended, and he took the cassette from her fingers and waggled it in the air.

"Y'know, this is actually before my time. This is a winner though." He stuck into the radio and this country music began to play through the speakers.

"Well, better than nothing," Ellie shrugged it off. "Oh, I'm sure your "friend" will be missing this tonight."

Ellie took out the porno magazine Maeve snatched earlier

"Mm-hmm." Joel didn't at all concerned...at first.

"Light on the reading, but it's got some interesting photos." She had opened the pages to find shirtless men, nothing too exposing. Yet.

Joel peered back to see the magazine in her hands. "Now, Ellie, that ain't for kids."

"Whoa. How...how the hell would he even walk around with that thing?" She moved away from grabbing hands.

"Get rid of that. Just—"

"Hold your horses," Ellie flipped to another page, this page was definitely not for children's eyes. "Oh...why are these all stuck together?"

Maeve couldn't help herself, she burst out laughing. It was hilarious to her, Joel and TJ's expressions, they were so uncomfortable. She didn't have to see them to know.

"Um..."

"I'm just fucking with you." Ellie laughed, scooting to the door, rolled down the window, and tossed the magazine out. "Bye-bye, dude!"

"You know what? This isn't that bad."

Joel shook his head at the grief she had just given him. "Why don't you try and get some sleep, alright?"

"Pft—I'm not even tired."