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𝘔𝘐𝘚𝘚𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘍𝘐𝘕𝘎𝘌𝘙𝘚

⸝⸝ ʚ 🧟‍♀️ ! ⌗ °• ━━━━━━━━━ 𝑷𝑨𝑻𝑹𝑶𝑳𝑳𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑶𝑭𝑭𝑰𝑪𝑬𝑹𝑺 𝑾𝑰𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑵 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝒁𝑶𝑵𝑬 𝑯𝑨𝑫 𝑨𝑳𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑫𝒀 𝑩𝑬𝑮𝑼𝑵 𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑰𝑹 𝑯𝑼𝑵𝑻𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑭𝑶𝑹 𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑮𝑮𝑳𝑬𝑹𝑺 𝑻𝑾𝑶 𝑯𝑶𝑼𝑹𝑺 𝑩𝑬𝑭𝑶𝑹𝑬 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑪𝑼𝑹𝑭𝑬𝑾. With guns in their hands, and heavy duty uniform, they were already analysing the people on the street.

It was their way of instilling fear among the people within the walls, keeping them under their control. They made the civilians who sought out safety scrounge for a sliver of food for their hard labour whilst they sat on their asses and convinced people that they were protecting them at all hours of the day.

Robyn had been one of those civilians who wished for nothing but safety. And instead, the life she lived now was one she was forced to suffer. After a rough day in the zone of burning bodies of infected men, women, and children, she would wish that the knife she had threatened to crave herself with on that fateful night had actually done what it was supposed to. That the man that she now walked behind in the street hadn't been there. But, a part of herself was thankful he had. In an odd way, without him, she would not have her beloved boy.

Tucking her blade through a belt loop, Robyn pulled the red flannel over her waist so it remained hidden. Her eyes glanced up as a patrolling officer remained staring at her, adjusting the gun in his hands. Although she could not see his eyes through the dark shade that covered them, she knew. She was already being targeted.

"So, where we headed?" She asked, following closely behind Tess and Joel as she looked up at the sky, watching the clouds grow dark. A storm was bound to hit throughout the night. She just hoped they would beat curfew.

Tess glanced over her shoulder as they passed through a gate, allowing both Joel and Robyn through before closing it. Now, she walked along side Robyn while Joel lead them. Tess nudged the older woman, "Area 5. He's somewhere in a warehouse."

"How'd you manage to figure that out?" Robyn was impressed. Robert was a hard man to get your hands on. Personally, she found that most times it was his men that she had to deal with.

Motioning to the damage done on her face, Tess smiled, "this had a little something to do with it, I suppose."

"Hope you killed 'em."

Tess placed a hand on Robyn's shoulder, nodding, "of course." Then, her hand dropped as she joined to walk alongside Joel, leaving Robyn to the back.

      Passing through a tight alley, the sounds of a baby crying filled Robyn's ears. It was pained. She paused for a moment, and then glanced at the ration line that had been building up since the morning. Children were starving because these greedy pigs couldn't distribute their rations.

      "Ration line hasn't opened yet. Must be running low again." Tess followed Robyn's eyes before rounding the corner to bring them onto the main street.

      "Hey. How much longer?" A civilian asked the officer.

      And, she was met with a cold reply. "Lady, when the rations arrive, we'll open the door. Alright?"

      Robyn shook her head as an announcement that constantly blared over the zone echoed in her ears. "ATTENTION: CITIZENS ARE REQUIRED TO CARRY A CURRENT ID AT ALL TIMES. COMPLIANCE WITH ALL CITY PERSONNEL IS MANDATORY."

      Realistically, Robyn had no need for the ID. They knew her well enough. Not for all of her good deeds, of course.

      Being in the zone was a constant reminder of the control the people in power had. Distribution of rations was unfair. The people who worked hard would be outweighed by the military, who Robyn was sure were eating all the rations behind everyone's backs. She didn't want to say it, but... some of the officers were meatier in terms of weight compared to the average citizen.

      And, as they walked passed the execution ring, she was further reminded of their control. Public display of execution. Warnings. She remembered the night where she had been found sneaking around after curfew. Looting things from buildings while people slept. They waited until the next day to bring her out, rip the shirt on her back and administer plenty of deep lashes to show what happens when the people rebel. Joel Miller was in that crowd. That she remembered, too.

Four people lined up to meet their inescapable fate. Hands above their heads while they remained on their knees. Individuals in white hazmat suits told Robyn all she needed to know. Infected people who had managed to get into the quarantine. As she walked by, her eyes met one of the officers. The man from the previous day that had cheaped out on her ration cards.

"Keep walking, Cartier." He adjusts the gun. "Don't do anything stupid."

She stops and scoffs, now grabbing the attention of Joel and Tess who were father ahead. "Didn't realise walking by was a crime. Gonna shoot me now?"

"Hey!" Joel stormed over, placing his arms in front of the woman as she closely approached the officer. With his gun still tight in his grip, the officer smirked as he watched Robyn get dragged away from the scene.

Stopping once they were far enough away from any officers or civilians, Joel's tight grip on her upper arm remained. "The hell you think you're doing? You're gonna ruin our opportunity and get us caught."

Her eyes were on his as she leaned forward. "It's your plan, and your business, not mine."

"You two," Tess hit her hands to the sides of her thighs, "can we get a move on, please? Curfew is counting down."

Robyn yanked her arm back from Joel's grip, rubbing it with her other hand. That would definitely bruise in the morning.

      Keeping to the plan, they made their way toward the Area gate. Tess took it upon herself to disrupt the awkward silence. "Seems like more people are gettin' infected."

      "Just means more people are sneakin' out." Joel told her as they wandered up to the gate.

      An American flag hung high, probably the best maintained thing within the zone. It was clean, with zero damage to it. Speakers swarmed the light poles and military vehicles were on every corner to guard the gate.

      "I got us new papers. They shouldn't give us any static up there." Tess spoke to Joel, pulling the documents she needed. "Just play it cool."

      "Playin' it cool..." Robyn mumbled.

      The guarding officer immediately straightened up upon their arrival. "Let me see all of your IDs."

      Joel held up his, and Tess held up hers. The officer raised the clear guard that was attached to his helmet so he could see. Once confirmed, he looked between the two in front of them, staring directly at Robyn.

      "I need to see your ID, too."

      Tess and Joel swallowed the lump in their throats as they turned to the woman who blinked cluelessly before pulling something from her waistband. Holding it up by one side, the other papers opened wide to reveal her ID. She almost laughed at the relief on the two faces in front of her as the officer nodded. "Didn't think I forgot it, did ya?"

      "So, what's your business here?" The officer asked.

      Joel made up the lie. "We all got the day off. Just visiting a friend."

      "Alright," nodding his head, the officer stepped aside to let them pass through the metal gate, "head on through"

      "Thank you." Robyn smiled at the officer. That's probably the smoothest encounter she's had with one for a while. But, her smile faded as bullet shots rang out in the area. Using her hands to cover her ears the truck on the other side of the gate burst into flames. The heat from the fire could be felt through her clothes. An attack. Probably from the goddamn fireflies.

"Oh shit!" Tess shouted, covering her own ears. The gate in front of them was slid shut as the guard urged them to get out of the area. "Come on. We gotta go!"

As Robyn's eyes remain on the fire, Joel Miller gripped her hand roughly in order to yanking her along. "Hurry up!"

Pulling her hand back she scowled, "I can run for myself, goddamn it!"

"Why do you always have to be so difficult, huh?"

"Come on! Quit bickering!" Tess shouted at them, taking the lead as they sprinted back to where the execution ring was. Military were gone, and people were running for their homes in search for cover.

"ALL CIVILLIANS MUST CLEAR THE SURROUNDING AREA IMMEDIATELY." The speakers read over the zone as the trio pushed through a set of large doors just opposite where the people had been executed for their infection status.

Robyn pressed her back against the wall of the building as Joel shut the door behind them. "I thought this was supposed to be quick. In, and out, just as fuckin' fast."

"Yeah, well, we can't really predict the events of fireflies, can we?" Tess grumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose, "fuck... so much for the easy route."

"So, what now?"

Tess opened an arm wide, "we head through our secret tunnel. It should get us to Area 5. It'll take longer than what we would've wanted, but we got no choice unless we went to let Robert go."

Blowing the air from her nose, Robyn pushed back from the wall, "you reckon we'll make it back in time for curfew?"

Joel shook his head, rubbing the slight burn on his arm. "Maybe not."

"Shit." Robyn kicked the wall before turning back to the pair, her arms on her hips, "let's just get this over with."

      "Since when did you care about curfew?" Joel scoffed. He watched the womans face change as she got closer to him, rolling up the sleeves of the red flannel. She remembered when he stood in the crowd and watched her catch a beating at the hands of the military.

      "Since I got a fucking kid, Joel. How would my son survive if I'm dead? Didn't you tell me that yesterday?"

      "Enough. The both of you." Tess grumbled. It felt like she was dealing with stubborn children. "Are we doing this, or not? We're not going to get another chance like this. Who knows where Robert will be after today."

      "I'm in." Joel grumbled, rubbing his thumb into his aging palm.

      Tess directed her gaze over to the woman, "Robyn?"

      Robyn runs her hand over her face as she looks up at the ceiling. "If Miller can keep his words to himself, count me in..."

⸝⸝ ʚ 🧟‍♀️ ! ⌗ °• ━━━━━━━━━ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑼𝑵 𝑾𝑨𝑺 𝑩𝑬𝑮𝑰𝑵𝑵𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑻𝑶 𝑺𝑬𝑻 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑻𝑯𝑬𝒀 𝑯𝑨𝑫 𝑪𝑳𝑶𝑺𝑬𝑫 𝑰𝑵 𝑶𝑵 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑨𝑹𝑬𝑨 𝑻𝑯𝑬𝒀 𝑵𝑬𝑬𝑫𝑬𝑫 𝑻𝑶 𝑩𝑬 𝑰𝑵. Luckily, Tess and Joel, well... mostly Tess, had been kind enough to give a few of their supplies to Robyn. After all, the woman had only brought the knife tucked in her belt loop, not the gun that she left in one of the top drawer in the kitchen.

They had given her a spare backpack, a singular bandage, some extra bullets, and a small pistol that would suffice for now. A gas mask was now attached to her belt, too, after dealing with spores in one of the buildings they passed through. Her clothes were slightly dampened in the blood of the infected they had to deal with. It had been while since she had been this free from the zone. It was odd that she would ever venture out quite this far. Typically, she'd be in close range when orchestrating her cahoots with Robert.

Jumping out of the window connected to a building constructed of brick and riddled with vines, the staircase ended and they were forced to jump onto the ground from quite a far distance. When Robyn landed in the puddle, and her knees ached, she finally felt her age. She missed when she would do shit like this when she was younger. It definitely wasn't the same now.

      "So, Robert fucked you over, too?" Tess broke the silence, hopping over a concrete barricade in the alley that was supposed to work in preventing people from coming through.

      Robyn hummed as the group were forced to duck beneath a fallen structure, her jeans struggling with the amount of movement they were enduring. "Why do you think he's already missing a finger?"

      Joel perked up after ducking, "that was you? You're the one responsible for all the people walking around with a missing finger?"

      "Well, you'll notice they never have two..." She shrugged, "they're the ones that learnt their lessons. Guess Robert hasn't yet."

      "Hah," Tess laughed and clicked her tongue, "I was always wonderin' why there were all those people. Though it was some kind of cult..."

      Pushing open a random door to a building Robyn had never seen, Tess instructed Joel to shut it behind them, which he followed. The paint on the walls had almost completely peeled, and there was a lingering smell of the dampness within the walls and the floorboards. There were empty boxes, and cans stacked on one another.

      "Hey, you two, take up that ammo. Sure we'll need it," Tess addressed the two behind her. Robyn and Joel shared a glance before she went one way toward the benches against the window, picking up a few bullets laying around. She slipped them in her pocket, and by the time she had turned around, Joel was beside Tess. Damn, he's quick.

      A staircase of a few steps lead to a metal door, a slim window being the only source of light other than the flashlights they had that were attacked to their backpack straps. Tess gave the door a few knocks, and a boy — around seven or eight — greeted them at the door. There was a distinct sternness in his features as he looked the group over.

      But, Tess eased the tension and gave a small and genuine smile, extending her hand out with a few ration cards in her palm. "Hey, little man. Make sure the coast is clear. No soldiers. None of Roberts men. Yeah?"

      Taking the ration cards immediately, the door creaked and the boy shut it roughly. Robyn could see the slight shadow on one of the boarded up windows where the boy ran off to the side.

      "You know he's expecting us."

      "Technically, he's only expecting you and me," Tess addressed Joel, before glancing over at the other woman who ran her fingers through her chest length curly hair. "And you, well, that'll make it more interesting."

Two knocks sounded on the glass where Robyn saw the shadow of the boy once again. "Good to go?"

Tess nodded, "good to go. C'mon."

When the door opened, Robyn looked around. She hadn't been to this part before. Sheets and tarps hung from building to building as some sort of shelter for the people who resided on this side. Dogs whined behind a fence and upon their arrival, Tess was already getting hassled to make some deals that would have been "worth her time", or at least that's what the sellers were saying.

Most of the civilians were already hostile. Looking the group up and down as Joel lead the way. A few of them kept their eyes on Robyn, and she recognised a few of them. Luckily, none of them were individuals that had missing fingers. But, that didn't seem to matter. Because they must have remembered her from word of mouth. After all, the henna style tattoo across her chest was a distinct feature.

One of the men slung a crowbar up to rest on his shoulders as the group walked by, and another hit the wooden bat across his palm while staring directly at Joel.

After the hostility of the tight space, they were welcomed into a small bus. The windows were boarded up but Robyn could still see the fight happening through the wood. A circle of men and women encouraged the ongoing fight. Must have been for the sake of ration cards.

"Well, ain't this place just sunshine's and rainbows." Robyn linked her thumbs between her skin and her jeans, hiking them up just a little more.

"Where do you think you're goin'?" A man stood from one of the bus seats, extending his arm until his fingers brushed Joel's clothing.

Tess boarded the bus, shaking her head, "Malik. Sit back down, will ya?"

He backed away from Joel, taking his seat in his original spot, "sorry, Tess. Didn't realise you three were together. Go ahead."

"Thank God you have connections..." Robyn whispered. She hardly ever had anyone willing to do these kinds of things for her. Her breath left her body as she hopped out from the bus, waiting for Tess to catch up. "You reckon this will break out into a fight?"

Tess laughed. "Most definitely. So, I hope you're a good shot."

"I used to snipe for the military in the zone. I'm sure I'll be a good shot."

⸝⸝ ʚ 🎮 ! ⌗ °• ━━━ '' - «❕»‧₊˚𓍯 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚
╰┈➤ HELP I DISAPPEARED FOR A MONTH AGAIN 😭 i hope people still read this fic tho bc i was excited to publish this chapter. and a new cover !