BRUISED KNUCKLES ENCLOSED THE LIQUOR FILLED GLASS IN HER GRASP,

as she brought the beverage up to her lips for another sip. The brunette only winching slightly as the alcohol burned sliding down her throat. 

Marisol wasn't certain on what her drink number had reached, but she was aware of how the stinging sensations that illuminated from her knuckles and the pain from the splotch of darkening purple and blue forming around her left eye, had subsided. 

Just as she had averted her eyes from her empty cup to ask the barkeep for another, she met his piercing gaze. 

A sigh slipped past her lips as she considered looking away and pretending, she didn't see him. But the scowl that occupied his face as he continued to peer her way attentively, prompted Marisol to arch a brow as she looked at him with an expression that inquired 'what?'

Joel simply folded his arms over his chest as he leaned back into the brick wall, the stern look on his features, unwavering. 

With an eyeroll, Marisol departed the uncomfortable stool and made strides in the Miller man's direction. Hoping whatever stick Joel had up his ass was due to his usual issues and the trouble he seemed to find himself in and not because of Tommy. 

It had been less than twenty-four hours since she parted ways with Joel after finding out about Tommy's radio silence that had been going on for weeks. Yet, the raven-haired man hadn't left her thoughts since. A part of her felt guilty and blamed herself for not realizing his absence sooner, that she had to find out about it from Joel. But the other part of her was irritated, fuming at the possibility that the younger Miller man was more than alright and had on a whim decided to leave Joel in the dark, just as he had her. 

It was the latter that plagued her mind almost the entire evening prior. The thought that was more than partly responsible for the new bruises and injuries that scattered throughout her skin. 

As it was that she chose fixate on, finding it easier to be mad at Tommy than allow herself for even a second to consider the other grim possibilities. The grisly alternatives that would force her to confront the very much still present emotions she felt for him that she masked with anger. And Marisol wasn't sure if she was ready to stop being angry with him. 

"Hope you didn't pull me away from my drink just to say I told you so."

Joel released a sigh, causing Marisol to smirk as she could visibly see Joel restraining himself from doing just that as he looked at her nasty black eye. His hardened expression softening for a brief moment before he grumbled, "Tess told me she saw you in Fedra lockup last night."

Fucking Tess. 

"Well, I'm hurt she sold me out like that, thought our bound was stronger than that." Marisol shook her head as she placed a palm over her heart in faux woe. 

The Miller woman soon letting out a sigh of her own as Joel appeared far from amused. "Relax, it was no big deal, just Fedra needing a win and magically stumbling across the rings."

Joel simply hummed in reply, prompting Marisol to continue as she fought back an eyeroll at the mans almost scolding attitude. 

"Was hardly even in there, got let out before Tess and I could braid each other's hair." Marisol smirked, noticing the slight crinkles at the corners of Joel eyes as he suppressed a smile from fully forming on his lips. 

Just as Marisol parted her lips to let out another witty comment in hopes of maintaining the light atmosphere the two hardly seemed to find themselves in, Joel abruptly pushed himself off the brick wall. His lips falling into a familiar straight line and brow creasing as he attentively looked beyond her. 

Marisol shot Joel a look of confusion before peering her head in the direction of his gaze. Her eyes falling onto Tess as she appeared to be in deep conversation with a man at one of the stands. 

"You didn't call me over here just because of Fedra lock up, did you?" She questioned as she turned her attention back to Joel. The older Miller man's gaze flickering back to the brunette as he looked down at her with a conflicted expression. "I'm going out to find Tommy."

Marisol felt her breath hitch in her throat, "Joel."

Joel shook his head as he already anticipated the protests Marisol would begin hurling out. "I checked again and still nothing Mari. I can't just ignore it, he could be out there hurt, needing help." 

Marisol shakily nodded her head as she tried to further wrap her mind around Joel's words, the mission he already seemed hellbent on pursuing. No matter how tense matters became with Tommy, Joel would still go to hell and back for him, a sentiment Marisol knew and related with, all too well. 

"I get it Joel, I get it." Marisol anxiously scratched her head as she knew there was no talking him out of his decision. "But you can't just stumble out there alone, having no idea where you headed, you're gonna get yourself killed before you even find him."

"He's in Wyoming and I'm not going alone..." Joel let out a exhale as he trailed off, his eyes shifting from Marisol's worried ridden features to the gravel at his feet. "Tess' coming with me. We're getting a battery and leaving tonight." 

"Oh." Marisol replied, taken aback by the sudden information as her stance faltered a bit. Ignoring the initial sting she felt at her chest as an idea began to manifest. 

At the prolonged silence that followed, Joel peered back up at her. The man quickly shaking his head as he recognized the look of determination that etched itself on Marisol's face. 

"No." 

"I didn't even say anything." 

"You ain't coming." Joel sternly voiced. 

"You're not allowed to make that decision for me." Marisol scoffed.

"You can barely stand on your own two feet, you aint gonna last out there." Joel continued. 

"I've more than lasted out there plenty of times." Marisol countered. 

"That was before." Joel pointedly spoke. 

As if on que a spasm ran down Marisol's leg, one that prompted her to bit down on her tongue as she fought back a grimace. It was now Marisol's turn to be the stubborn one as she took a step closer to Joel. "I'm going." She vocalized, tone final and unwavering. 

If it wasn't for the brunette attentively looking at the man in front of her in an attempt to ignore the growing discomfort her leg was causing her, she might've missed the worried expression that momentarily flashed across his face. 

"Am I interrupting something?" A familiar voice inquired, earning both Marisol and Joel's attention. 

Marisol shot Joel a glare before turning to the dirty blonde-haired women. Replying plainly with a, "Nope."

Tess quirked a brow, hesitantly looking between the two. 

Joel let out sigh before nodding his head. "She knows."

"Oh. Well, it cost us a couple of cards, but we got him. He's supposedly taking the battery to a red tagged building. But get this, corner of Stillman and Cross-" Tess explained. 

"Great, let's get a move on." Marisol interjected as she already began her pace. 

Leaving behind a confused Tess as she turned to Joel for any form of an explanation. The woman only managing to receive a defeated grumble in reply as the pair set off in the same direction as the brunette. 

──────────

Light rain pattered onto the ground as the trio made their way through the decaying building. Tess at the head of the group as she led them through the tunnels connecting the structure. Marisol's grip on her flashlight growing tighter with each step as she attempted to keep up with the pace of the other two. 

The Miller woman wishing she hadn't been so adamant on accompanying the pair along on their quest for the car battery after learning of how Joel and Tess originally found out about the power unit, and how Robert thought he could swindle them out of it. What a fucking idiot. 

Regret only settling more and more within Marisol as the ache that began creeping up her leg in the marketplace had now manifested itself into sharp pins and pricks. And her bag of alleviating blue pills were discarded at home. She just hoped whatever misunderstanding was had about the battery could be settled without having to reach for the gun secured at her waist band. 

"This is why I told you, you shouldn't come along." Joel voiced in a hushed tone as he fell back to walk alongside Marisol. 

"I have no idea what you're referring to." Marisol shook her head, feigning ignorance, the last thing she wanted to do was prove Joel right. 

Though her words could only convince so much as her frame trembled and steps grew uneven. 

"Mari, I know you're hurting." Joel placed an arm out in front of Marisol, halting her from continuing further. 

Marisol's eyes shifted from his arm to his face. Secretly grateful for the small break he forced her to take, but determined to tread on, show she would be able to make it on the perilous journey to find the younger Miller man. "Drop it, I'm fine." 

Joel scoffed, seeing through her untruthful statement. "How long it been since your last one? Three, four, five hours?" He retorted, his tone coming off harsher and colder than he intended. 

Marisol tried to ignore the stinging pang she felt at her chest in response to Joel's words, the judgment held in his voice. Though she did not let her true emotions reach her features. Instead, narrowing her eyes at him, a warning look etching on her face as she roughly swatted his hand away "I said I'm fine!"

Joel opened his mouth, most likely to let out a sentence of jumbled, remorseful words. Ones that would ease the strain between him and Marisol, but not fully take accountability for his part in it. The exchange of empty apologetic statements that had become a norm for both parties in the recent years. To the point neither one of them was sure if they truly meant even one word of their expressions of regret. 

And with the throbbing of her injured leg growing more and more tender by the second, Marisol wasn't sure if she was capable of accepting another one of Joel's 'apologies'. 

The brunette grateful a shout from Tess pulled their attention and sent them hauling ass before Joel could speak a word.  The pair rounding the corner in a haste as they each drew their guns. 

"Jesus Christ." Marisol uttered as her flashlight illuminated what it was that had shaken up Tess.

The infected corpse splayed out on the wall in front of them as vines of cordyceps continued to bloom from and around it. Marisol couldn't recall the last time she had seen anything like it, if she had ever even seen anything resembling it. 

  "This one's done." Joel voiced as they each lowered their weapons.  

Tess shakily released a sigh. "Yeah. I know, I just wasn't expecting it."

"Take it, he wasn't down here last time?" Joel quipped. 

Marisol fought back an eyeroll as the three of them further shinned their light on the infected, cautiously inching in closer to get a better look. 

"No. You think he came down after he was infected?" Tess questioned, looking between Marisol and Joel. 

Joel exhaled, shifting his flashlight away. "Well, maybe down here is where he was infected." 

A silence fell over the group as they all looked over each other, unsettled. Marisol felt her blood run cold at the possibility of an infected or even a hoard idly roaming the tunnels of the QZ. 

"Let's keep movin." Tess suggested. 

"Yeah, good idea." Marisol agreed, not waiting for Joel as she continued on after the blonde.

Tess led the three of them further through the tunnels for what realistically couldn't have been more than five minutes, though with the growing discomfort Marisol's leg was causing her, she could've sworn it felt like forever till they finally reached a ladder. 

One Marisol had to inhale a deep breath for, before ascending, grateful she went after Joel as her steps were uncalculated and each movement had her biting her bottom lip to contain a groan. 

"It's like they reframed the structure. " Joel's voice cut through the air, grasping Marisol's and Tess's attention. "Probably in the 80s. Everyone was cutting down on apartment sizes to sell more condos." Joel rambled on; his tone softer than usual as he recalled the life from before. 

"This has been 'Construction Corner' with Joel Miller." Tess teased with a breathy chuckle. 

Marisol smiled to herself, catching a glimpse of the life she carried two decades away. The people she and her boys were, her girls.. her baby...

The once happy and cherished memories, now stained an ugly tint, tainted by what was lost. She will never recall Sarah again without thinking of the blood that stained her hands as she held her cold frame, nor would Sam cross her mind unaccompanied by the guilt she felt, how she failed as an older sister, and Johnny, tragically, she recalled her short time with him, every time she saw a mother with her young child, wondering how his laugh would've sounded, if he would've grown up to resemble her or tommy more. Her thoughts going quiet once the reality, that she had never even gotten to hear his cry, nor feel his warm skin on hers, set in. 

Just as soon as the smile reached Marisol's lips, it faded. The elastic band like ache in her leg reminding her of where she was, ascending a never-ending rickety ladder. Though, at least she was at the end of trio and didn't have to deal with the disapproving groans she knew she'd hear from Joel if he saw her frequent stops and heard her hitched breaths. 

 "How far up we going?" Joel questioned as Marisol wondered the same. 

"This far." Tess replied moments later, grunting as she reached the top of the ladder and jumped onto the platform. 

Joel boots hit the concrete not a beat after as the only one left on the ladder was Marisol. The brunette let out a huff as she neared the top, her eyes shifting from the railing she clung onto to the calloused hand extended in front of her.

If it had been any other predicament, Marisol would've shoved his hand away just to be difficult, but after the climb she just endured, she was in no position to turn down assistance. 

Marisol took Joel's hand, allowing him to do most of the work as he pulled her forward and onto the raised surface. His grasp lingering longer than what was necessary as Marisol gained her footing and caught her breath. 

Joel only released her hand as Tess investigated the wooden wall, beckoning the pair over. "So, this opens up into the hallway." She began to explain, placing her hand on a plank attached to a shuttered door. "What the fuck? Somebody put a piano in front of this?" She questioned as she attempted to push open the door, only for it to not so much as budge. 

Marisol furrowed her eyebrows, stepping past Joel as he looked over their surroundings with a flashlight. She stabilized her footing as much as she could as she assisted Tess in prying open the door. "What the hell." She muttered shortly after as only a creak was heard. 

"You smell that?" Joel questioned, halting both women from their actions. 

The pair scrunched up their noses as they identified the lingering smell in the air. "Yeah, gunpowder."

Marisol took a step back, heeding the viscous sensation under her boot as she slid it back. Whatever she had stepped in, there had been a substantial amount of, as her balance faltered. Her back collided with Joel's chest as he was quick to catch her, flashing his light down to the unidentified substance. 

A puddle of dark red gleamed under the illumination as the trio tracked the stream steadily seeping in from the other side of the door. 

Marisol grimaced. "You've got to be kidding." She wiped her boot as best she could on the gravel, noting the weariness that grew within her stomach at the new development. 

Perhaps, they would be needing their guns after all. Joel unholstered his firearm, prompting Marisol to do the same as they silently tried to adjust to the unexpected curveball. Though before a word on how they were going to proceed could be uttered, Tess mustered all her strength and succeeded in getting the door open, carrying on ahead of the pair. 

"Tess!" Marisol called in a hushed voice, cautiously following after the woman. 

A thump reached her ears soon after as she caught up to Tess who lingered by the now fully open door. Marisol didn't have to avert her gaze to piece together the weight that had blocked them from opening the door prior was due to a body. 

The Miller woman instead, chose to focus on surveilling their surroundings as she slowly made her way out into the hall alongside Tess. Her grip on the gun tight and firm as the blonde shined her flashlight, maneuvering it from the dead man responsible for the pool of blood, to the battery they had gone through all this trouble for, only a few mere feet away. Tess's steps frantic as she rushed over to inspect the device. 

Marisol's eyes fell onto the corpse, only to be diverted as she caught sight of the others that scattered the hall. Her breath hitched in her throat as they all appeared to have the same injuries and were slumped over in a similar manner. A fight had taken place, a nasty one at that as blood coated the floors and splattered the walls, and from the look and smell, it hadn't been too long ago. And Marisol sure as hell did not want to stick around to find out if there were any survivors. 

A hand at her shoulder caused her to violently veer her head, intent on placing a bullet between the eyes of whoever dared touch her. 

Her shoulders however, slumped back down as she quickly recognized Joel. The man removed his hand, furrowing his brows as he looked at her with an expression that could be only read as an apology for startling her. 

Marisol nodded her head in acknowledgement, glancing back at Tess as she declared, "Well, the battery's no good." with a sigh. 

Marisol and Joel stepped closer at Tess's words, inspecting the battery she squatted in front of. With the light shining onto the encrusted and beat up part, Tess's statement seemed more than accurate. It was beyond any type of repair. 

"And he still tried to sell it. Twice." Tess spoke, her tone switching from dejected to pissed. "Greedy fuck."

Marisol shared her sentiment; the entire afternoon was wasted on a wild goose chase. All for a car battery that appeared to be past its prime even before the apocalypse. They were right back where they started.  "What an asshole." Marisol scoffed. 

She lowered her weapon in dismay, holding it by her side as she began to rack her mind for where in the QZ they would even have the chance of finding a working battery. Her list quickly coming up short. Their 'plan' was crumbling before their very eyes, and they hadn't even made it onto the road yet. Perhaps Joel was right, and she should've just stayed home. She wasn't young nor as put together as she used to be to go on excursions on a whim. Maybe it would be in the best interest of everyone if she went back to her place, drowned her sorrows in her shitty liquor, and passed out on the back aching springs she called a bed. 

Just as it seemed the three of them were about to declare the car battery a dead end, rusting and shifting nearby caught their attention. Joel the first to move from his position, as he warily made strides down the hall.

Tess and Marisol hot on his trail as he halted his steps and peered his head around the corner. Whatever laid beyond the corner seemed to be worth it in Joel's eyes as he raised his gun and treaded out into the hall. 

Marisol turned to Tess, concern evident on her features as she waited for a cue from the woman on how they were going to proceed. Tess shook her head in response, signaling for her to stay put. But as Marisol took a peek into the hall, she made out two other people with their backs turned to Joel. The possibilities of what two against one Joel could look like, bringing no ease to the Miller woman, prompting her to ignore the hushed protests from the blonde as she too stepped out into the hallway. 

Though the second she rounded the corner with her gun raised, a grunt and harsh slam reached her ears. Her line of sight fleeting to a young girl hunched over as Joel trained his weapon on her, kicking away a blade from her reach. 

As it seemed Joel had whatever situation had rapidly unfolded, under control, Marisol's focus shifted to the two unidentified people. The chaotic scene reaching their radar as well as they both swiftly turned around. 

With all four of the adults now facing each other, Marisol registered the two across from her as Marlene, leader of the fireflies, though she had seen better days, and one of her followers. A firefly she vaguely recalls passing by in one of the meetings Tommy had brought her to years back. A way for the two to come together and close the growing gap between them, he claimed. How wrong he turned out to be. 

"Joel? Marisol?" Marlene questioned, brows furrowed seemingly from both confusion and pain. 

"Marlene?" Joel replied, just as caught off guard. 

Though confusion seemed to be a shared sentiment among the group. Their weapons still remained raised and trained as uncertainty lingered in the air. 

"You okay?" Marlene questioned, her eyes momentarily fluttering to the girl on the floor. 

"Yeah" She responded out of breath, attempting to reach for the knife held under Joel's boot, only for his stance to grow firmer as he shook his head in warning.

The girl clearly displeased with the outcome as she glared up at him before retreating back against the wall. 

"Ellie!" Marlene called, garnering the girl's attention in an instant. 

With her free hand Marlene motioned for the girl to calm down. Prompting her to shift her gaze to where the woman's other hand laid. "Oh shit!" she shouted as she caught sight of the emerging splotch of blood on Marlene's shirt as her red stained hand applied pressure. 

She inched forward as if she wanted to run over towards Marlene but stayed in place as the woman reassured, "It's alright, I'm ok. And you can't be stupid like that.' she scolded.  

Marisol quirked a brow at the encounter, she couldn't recall a time, if there were any where she witnessed Marlene acting so, gentle, almost maternal. Whoever this 'Ellie' was, she had to mean a great deal to Marlene and the fireflies. 

As the firefly across from her lowered her weapon, Marisol mirrored her actions. Her eyeline fleeted to the mysterious young girl, finally getting a good look at her. The first defining feature she noticed was her juvenile face, she couldn't have been older than fourteen or fifteen. Though she wasn't fearful or shy in the slightest given the way she previously charged at and challenged Joel. 

If they were under different circumstances, Marisol might've let a chuckle slip off her lips. 

Clattering behind Marisol prompted everyone's recognition as a familiar tone snidely remarked, "So this is who Robert screwed us over with? The Che Guevera of Boston?"

Marisol bit the inside of her cheek to suppress any kind of reaction to the woman's blunt demeanor. While she was focused on keeping the interaction conflict free, at least till she got a better read on the room, Tess was never one to bite her tongue.

"War must be going pretty shitty for you to be buying from scumbags like him." Tess further added. 

"Yeah, it kinda has been." Marlene sharply countered. "The merch was bad, and he obviously didn't take 'fuck off' for an answer."

"Gimme my knife." Marisol faintly heard Ellie demand. 

Her request falling on deaf ears as Joel's hold on it remained unyielding. "What do you need a car battery for?" Before Marlene could answer, Ellie defiantly reached for the weapon under his boot. Instantly being met with a gun in her face as Joel coldly warned "Don't."

 "Not at her." Marlene ordered, raising her gun. 

The firefly beside her, followed her lead as her firearm returned to its prior position, trained on Marisol. Eliciting the same response from the brunette as the group found themselves back at square one. 

"Point it at me." Marlene continued. 

Joel's eyes veered from Marlene to Ellie. The girl's hands now held up in surrender as her chest rapidly rose up and down from panic. Though, the scowling expression on her face as she stared down Joel, remained. 

Marisol jotted down a mental note not to cross the girl, though she could appear as unintimidating as a girl scout, she was ballsy as hell. 

Joel shifted his gun back to Marlene as the hall filled with hurried glances and breaths, everyone's fingers looming over their triggers. 

"And to answer your question, I need it for a better reason than you do." Marlene at last responded, slowly lowering her gun. "No offense, but Tommy's just one man."

Perhaps it was the smugness that still occupied Marlene's voice despite being at deaths door, or the throbbing of Marisol's leg that now caused sweat to gather at her hairline, it was enough to warrant the Miller woman's composure to slip as she scoffed, "Right? and he holds no use to you anymore."

Marlene disregarded Marisol's comment, only glancing at her with a pointed look before vocalizing, "It's our business to know things." 

"'Know things'" Joel quoted with a sneer, "You're the cause of it, you turned my own brother against me." 

Marlene sighed, "Okay Joel." Her debilitating state catching up with her, leaving no room to argue or counter the accusations she'd been battling Joel and Marisol over for years. 

"That was a lot of gunfire." the firefly beside her spoke, "Fedra's gonna be on the way."

Her words reminding the hall of people what predicament they were currently jammed up in. 

"I know." Marlene acknowledged, turning to look at Ellie. Hesitation visible on her features for a second before speaking, "We were gonna move Ellie out of the zone tonight."  

Joel's and Marisol's eyes flickered to the girl. 

"But we won't make it anywhere like this. Not for a while anyway." Marlene exhaled, appearing to be stuck in thought for a moment before looking back at the three adults opposing her. "So now I'm thinking, you're gonna do it." She spoke as if it was a command. 

Before Marisol could even probably discern Marlene's words, Joel and Ellie made their protests known. "The hell we are!", "I'm not going with them!"

"Let me take her." The firefly suggested. 

"We don't have time for this." Joel shook his head, straining his neck to look between Marisol and Tess. 

"Oh, you don't have time?" Marlene inquired. 

"Who is she?" Tess questioned; her curiosity peaked. 

"To you? She's cargo." Marlene firmly responded.

Ellie's eyes shifted between the disputing adults, locking onto Marisols for a second before breaking away, though long enough for the brunette to distinguish the nervousness that consumed her features. 

She was not going to leave this girl to fend for herself. She couldn't. "Joel." Marisol called. 

"We don't smuggle people. Sorry." He sternly stated. 

 "I can do it." The firefly insisted.

 "Kim, you don't have a fuckin ear on your fuckin head. Could you please?" Marlene voiced through gritted teeth as the woman beside her fell silent. 

Marlene deeply inhaled a shaky breath, "There's a team of fireflies waiting for her at the old State House."

Joel scoffed, as a growingly desperate Marlene continued her pitch. "I know what's out there. We were going with an entire squadron for that very reason. But now I don't have a truck, I don't have a squadron, and Fedra's five minutes away."

Marisol glanced at Ellie, prepared to speak up if Joel wouldn't.  

"What I do have is you. And I know what the three of you are capable of."

Marisol's line of sight pivoted back to Marlene, her eyes narrowing at the woman's comment. 

"For better or worse." She finished. 

A beat of silence fell over the hallway. 

"What are they capable of?" Ellie cleared her throat, looking between the three adults. 

"You get her there safely, and they'll give you what you need. Not just a battery, the whole damn thing." Marlene promised, the mentioned of a vehicle causing Joel to perk up. "Fueled up trucks, guns, supplies, all of it. I swear."

 At the hesitation of the rival trio, as the too good to be true offer hung in the air, Marlene repeated herself, "I swear." 

Marisol examined the woman's face for any kind of inkling she was lying or fabricating her promise. Yet, the only emotion present, was pure desperation. This truly was their last-ditch effort. 

The severity concerning Marisol yet cementing for her that the only decision was to oblige. She turned to Joel, who's eyes were already trained on her. Her stance on the matter evident on her features, which seemed to ruffle Joel a bit as he looked over to Tess. Marisol followed his gaze as Tess tilted her head to the side, insinuating the three of them needed to have a serious side bar. 

Joel's weight on Ellie's knife finally lifted as he kicked it away from her immediate vicinity and followed the two women down the hall. The Miller man earning himself an "asshole" from the young girl.

"You trust her?" Tess questioned in a hushed whisper, referring to Marlene. 

 "Not as far as I can throw her." Marisol honestly replied.

"Me neither, but she seems desperate." Tess agreed. 

"And the kid... she's tough as shit, but she won't make it on her own." Marisol voiced, attempting to keep her tone and voice as neutral as possible. "And we have no other options for a car battery."

Tess nodded her head, her and Marisol turning to Joel as a beat passed without his input. 

He cleared his throat, before speaking "Firefly vehicle usually means repurposed Fedra stuff. So better than decent chance makin it to tommy in one of those." 

 Marisol's head perked up as it seemed Joel was in agreement. Though his face still remained stern as he continued "The second we hand that kid over-"

"Y'all talk it through, but please remember I'm bleeding out." Marlene loudly interjected. 

Joel pinched the bridge of his nose, sharing a look with Tess and Marisol. The three of them all silently coming to a consensus. This was the only way they'd have a chance of making it to Tommy. 

"Okay, here's the deal." Tess spoke up, breaking off from Joel and Marisol. "We'll get her to your crew at the State House. But before we hand her over, they give us everything that we want. if not, we kill her, there and then." She finished clearly and without faltering.

Marisol ignored the way her stomach dropped at the threat, knowing, hoping it was an empty one as she rejoined the group. 

"Deal." Marlene agreed without skipping a beat. 

Her abruptness resulting in a "Really? That fast?" from Ellie. 

"You are all that matters." Marlene assured, "My team will not jeopardize that."

Ellie grew silent, leaning her back against the wall instead of replying. 

 "Remember what I told you? Now go get your backpack." Marlene ordered, adding a "Now Ellie." as her stubbornness persisted. 

With a huff, she pulled herself off the ground, less than pleased with the newly agreed upon plan as she entered the room she previously busted out of, appearing moments later with a bag clung over her shoulder. 

"Let's go." Tess stated as her and Ellie began to tread down the hall. 

Marisol casted one last glance Marlene's way, uneasy with the entire situation and weary of the lengths Marlene was willing to go to secure Ellie's transport to the city. As she turned back on her heels to join Tess and Ellie, she hoped they had made the right decision. 

Marlene's last words of "Don't fuck it up." doing little to ease her worries. 

── GABRI SPEAKS!

hey guys... so it's been.. a minute

wish i had a better excuse but life and adulting are really what happened, trying to find the balance between crappy jobs and responsibilities that in the end left me drained and creativity stuck for the longest.

it was actually the bsf lia and the tiktok ban (that lasted not even a day) that got me to reopen this fic and this half finished chapter from over a yr ago (yikes.. sorry)

crazy all it took was not being able to mindlessly scroll for a few hrs to get me to lock back in 😭

but im glad it did as i found myself genuinely happy to get back to writing, especially for this oc, marisol, my love, my shayylllaaa

fully expect this chapter not to do nearly as well as my others bc of how long it's been since a last update and i do apologize if my writing style seems a little out of place (remember half of this was written in like 2023, 2024), but i hope you decide to stick around and offer me grace while i get back into the flow of things.

and pls pls pls leave a comment or vote (preferably both) to let me know y'all are still here and enjoying this fic!! it's greatly appreciated and i love reading your thoughts lol <33