iv. into the darkest night
FLY ME TO THE MOON
iv. INTO THE DARKEST NIGHT
❝I'M WITH YOU TILL THE END.❞
THE REMAINING RAYS OF SUNLIGHT HAD FADED OVER THE HORIZON, plunging the city of Boston into unsettling darkness. The warm weather had quickly been replaced with thundering clouds that blocked out what little light the moon and stars provided, adding to the eeriness of the night. Only soldiers were permitted to travel the streets after curfew, while the citizens were expected to stay locked up in their homes. Boston followed a strict curfew ━━ six p.m. to six a.m., where all citizens were to stay off the streets, and anyone found wandering outside would be arrested on the spot. However, it wasn't as if Julia paid much attention to the curfew. She often ran errands for the Fireflies and the best time to do so was at night. After all, her WANTED posters were plastered all over the city with a hefty award next to her name. Soldiers were limited at night, leaving more areas empty which allowed easier passage. It was only reasonable to smuggle Ellie out of the city at night, ensuring everyone's survival.
For the time being as they waited for Tess' return, Julia had tried to get some rest. But, the wooden dining table was uncomfortable and left an ache in the woman's neck. It made a slight groan leave her lips as she buried her face in the crook of her arm, trying to catch the fleeting moments of sleep. Her mind continued to wander, making it impossible for Julia to rest. Had Marlene's wounds been worse than she anticipated? It had been a gunshot wound to her side, causing Julia to clench her jaw as thoughts of Marlene dying from blood loss flashed across her mind. Loss was common in the world they lived in ━━ even more for the Fireflies as their people died in high numbers as each day passed. But, Julia could not stand to lose Marlene. She was all Julia had left.
Her overwhelming thoughts stopped when she heard Joel's voice fill the silent air. Yet, the man was not awake as he continued to lay on the aged couch. A few more incoherent words came out of his mouth, but Julia swore she heard her name muttered once or twice. She did not comment on it. Neither did Ellie, but she did notice. The young girl was seated at the window, fully content on watching the rain hit the window. Ellie had spoken up a few times, but the three had eventually fallen into a comfortable silence. She hoped Ellie had gotten some rest, knowing they would be up for the whole night to make it to the Capitol Building by morning. A yawn left Julia's lips, making her rub the sleep from her eyes as she waited for them to adjust to the darkness.
"Do you think we can trust them?" Ellie's question was sudden, making Julia jump when she noticed the teenage girl standing next to her. A frown marred her features, keeping her gaze cast downward. Her leg bounced as she wrapped her arms around herself, showing clear signs of anxiety that made a small sigh leave Julia's lips.
It wasn't as if she blamed Ellie for feeling anxious. She, herself, feared the journey ahead as the thought of being alone in the city of Infected filled her mind. But, she had a job to do ━━ protecting Ellie. She would have to set aside her fears for the greater good, knowing how important it was to get the young girl to the Capitol Building. Marlene had kept most of the details hidden, explaining it was information that Julia didn't need to know. But, she did know that Ellie held the key to making the vaccine for CBI. Julia gestured for the girl to sit in the seat next to her, wanting her to calm down a little bit before Tess arrived. Ellie did as she was told, tapping her fingers against the table as she stole a glance at the sleeping Joel. "Why do you ask that, Ellie?"
"Well," Ellie drifted off, gathering her thoughts as she looked at the scratches in the wooden table. It gave Julia the chance to look at Joel, taking in the scowl on his face. He flinched here and there ━━ no doubt, a nightmare plagued his mind. "You must have left him for a reason?"
"Hey, don't stress about it," Julia assured, giving Ellie a brief smile. However, it did not meet her eyes. She patted the young girl's back, letting out a humorless laugh as she remembered the events that had led up to their separation. It felt like a lifetime ago, making her feel as if the Joel she had loved no longer existed. "What happened between Joel and me..." Julia paused, feeling her throat dry as she pushed down the memories that begged to resurface. "Look, it wasn't like he stabbed me in the back. People change. They grow apart and... that's all there is to it. Nothing more than a mutual break-up."
"Okay," Ellie whispered, nodding her head. For a moment, she glanced at the ring that hung around Julia's neck. It was apparent the girl was looking at the decades-old wedding ring, but Julia pretended not to notice. Perhaps, it would be wise to hide the necklace. After all, she did not need any teasing from Tess or Joel getting the wrong idea that she still had lingering feelings. "If you trust them," Ellie continued, "then I do too."
With those last words, Ellie walked off toward the window again to watch the rain slide down the window pane by the hundreds. Julia decided it would be best to check her inventory, opening her backpack to see what she had for the journey ahead. In the pack, she kept her handgun (nothing special, a 9mm handgun) with a few boxes of ammo for it and for her rifle. It would be enough to last her the week if she was careful. Her combat knife was tucked away in the backpack as well, but she would strap it to her thigh when they left for easier access. Some rations of food and medical supplies were tucked away at the bottom ━━ enough for three days, max. It was only supposed to take a day to reach the Capitol Building, but Julia wanted to be safe in case something happened. She was ready for the trip, but she knew one mistake would cause them to lose everything. But, the only "cargo" that mattered was Ellie. Anything else, it could be sacrificed to make sure she made it.
A sharp gasp sounded from the man, making the two women look in his direction as he shot up on the couch to survey his surroundings before he realized where he was. Julia met his eyes for a moment, and she immediately knew what the nightmare had been about. She looked away, zipping her backpack as she grabbed her rifle off the ground to make sure it was in working condition. His nightmare was something Julia had seen many times in her own mind, being plagued by memories of the past that she so desperately wanted to forget.
"You mumble in your sleep." It had been Ellie to speak, catching Joel's attention as he turned to look in her direction. She wore a calm expression, facing Joel with a small smile. At least, it seemed as if she was trying to get along with him. "I hate bad dreams."
"Yeah, me too," Joel mumbled, rubbing his hand over his face before he stood to his feet. He gave Julia a nod, acknowledging her presence before he walked toward the window to see what waited for them beyond the walls. The rain continued to pour, but bright spotlights of the patrols still inspected the grounds for people or Infected. Despite it being their job to keep Infected out of the Quarantine Zone, FEDRA tended to focus on keeping people inside the walls instead. Oh, and hunting down Fireflies seemed to be a fun hobby for them as well.
"You know, I've never been this close to the outside," Ellie commented, speaking to either Joel or Julia. However, it wasn't clear as she kept her gaze on the faint outline of the city beyond the wall. Joel walked away, starting to collect his things as he anticipated Tess' return. Still, Ellie continued to speak as the smile on her face grew. "Look how dark it is!" she exclaimed, barely able to make out the tall skyscrapers. "I wonder what they look like up close."
For a moment, her expression faltered as she remembered something. It made Julia frown, noticing the sadness that lingered on the young girl's expression. Julia didn't know much of Ellie's life, hearing snippets from Marlene. Her younger sister had been friends with Ellie's mom, Anna, but Julia had never met the woman. But, Julia knew that Marlene cared for Ellie as if she was her daughter. And, for Julia? It hadn't taken her long to take Ellie in as her own.
"Can't be any worse out there," Ellie continued, letting out a small sigh as she settled back down in her seat. She looked at Julia, meeting her eyes. "Can it?"
Joel paused, looking from Ellie to Julia. He narrowed his eyes, approaching the older woman before he towered over her. Julia did not react, looking up at him with a raised brow as her hand rested on her rifle. "What on Earth do the Fireflies want with her?"
However, before Julia could answer, the door opened to reveal Tess as she walked into the apartment. A grin upon her features as she walked straight toward Joel, pulling him away from Julia before she spoke to him. "Hey, sorry it took so long," she said, stealing a glance at Julia and then Ellie. "Soldiers scattered fucking everywhere."
"How's Marlene?" Julia asked, catching Tess' attention. The woman's posture was relaxed, leading Julia to believe that her sister had to be okay. But, considering she had not come along with Tess, it meant she wasn't in any condition to travel.
"She'll make it, said she'll catch up with another group of Fireflies after she's healed up. Wants you to go ahead with them, take Ellie all the way," Tess replied, nodding at Julia. Her words earned a reaction from Joel, making him frown as he stole a glance at the dark-haired woman. But, he didn't say anything as Tess continued to speak. "I saw the merchandise. It's a lot," she whispered to him, acting as if Julia and Ellie couldn't hear her. Her tone could only be described as a child on Christmas morning, giddy with excitement. "Wanna do this?"
Joel nodded, trusting Tess completely. It made Julia narrow her eyes, wondering what had caused him to become so agreeable after so many years. However, she supposed it worked out in her favor. It wasn't as if she couldn't take Ellie to the Capitol on her own, but she did not want to risk her safety. With Joel and Tess around, it meant extra protection for the young girl, and that's what mattered. "Yeah," Joel's gruff voice sounded, pulling Julia out of her thoughts. "Whatever you say, Tess."
"Alright," Tess smiled, nodding her head as she collected a few things around the apartment and quickly put them into her backpack. Everyone else did the same, making sure they had everything they needed. Once prepared, Tess took the lead. "Let's go."
She led them through the door in the back, entering a sparsely decorated bedroom with a bookshelf that housed tattered books and a wooden desk in the corner with random machine parts littered across it. Julia stood beside Ellie, watching as Joel and Tess moved the bookshelf to reveal a poorly hidden hole in the wall. The two continued to speak in hushed tones, but it wasn't difficult to pick up their conversation due to the silence that overwhelmed the room.
"Don't you think it's a bit strange they're having us do their smuggling?" Joel asked, gaze darting toward Ellie for the briefest moment before he looked back at Tess. Perhaps, all the secrecy did make it strange to the two smugglers. To them, it looked as if the Fireflies were smuggling a random teenage girl out of the zone. But, the truth was something they would never accept and Julia did not want to take the chance.
"Marlene wanted to do it herself. I guess she and Julia were supposed to go together," Tess answered, grunting with each step as the weight of the bookshelf started to take its toll. She looked at Julia, giving her a gritted smile. "Isn't that right, sweetheart?"
"You two weren't our first choice or our second," Julia retorted, knowing she would have never picked Joel or Tess for this transport if it wasn't for Marlene. She had promised to never see the man again after the two had gone their separate ways, but it seemed as if the universe was hellbent on forcing her to break her promises. She sighed, shrugging her shoulders as she tried not to let personal feelings get into the way of the mission. "We've lost a lot of people. Not a lot of folk left we can count on."
Tess hummed, nodding her head at the older woman's response. "Beggars can't be choosers."
"Yeah, let's just hope there's someone still alive to pay us," Joel muttered, mulling over Julia's words. The Fireflies were more than capable of handling FEDRA soldiers. Of course, there would be someone alive to take Ellie. At least, Julia hoped so.
"There will be," Julia added, following the two of them through the hole in the wall that led them into a secret room with a small platform elevator with a makeshift generator hooked to it. Joel took the liberty to turn it on, letting everyone else on before he joined. He pressed the button, taking them down.
He turned back to look at Julia. "Who's waiting for us at the drop-off?"
"Fireflies from another city," Julia replied, keeping out the details. It would be better to keep Joel and Tess in the dark, considering they were only there for a paycheck anyways. Even though the guns that Marlene had promised them were something they needed for the journey, and they had fairly bought them off Robert but it wasn't like Julia had much of a say in what happened.
"Girl must be important," Tess pried, facing Ellie's worried expression. Ellie stayed close to Julia's side, brushing against her every so often as she kept moving around in her spot. "What is the deal with you? You some big-wig's daughter or something?"
"Something like that," Ellie answered, keeping her answer vague as Julia had done. The older woman didn't say anything, feeling somewhat proud that Ellie picked up on her behaviors. Finally, the elevator reached the basement of the building. It was dark, but their flashlights provided enough light for the four of them to see. Ellie spoke first, sparing a glance in Tess and Joel's direction. "How long is this going to take?"
"If everything goes as planned, we should get the two of you to them in a few hours," Tess replied. Her demeanor had changed rather quickly, going from playful to strict within moments. "Once we get out there," she continued, "I need the two of you to follow our lead and stay close."
Being outside the wall was something Julia had some experience with, but she knew Joel and Tess specialized in it due to the nature of their jobs. It would be wise to stick close to Tess and Joel. Julia turned to Ellie, giving her a reassuring nod. "Stick close, okay?"
Ellie nodded. "Always."
Joel led them into an artificial wooden tunnel with ominous red lights that hung above them to illuminate their path. She could feel the ache in her lower back as they crouched to make it through it, but she would take the back pain over the rats that scurried past them due to their heavy footsteps. The tunnel led into another room that was colder than the one before. It had a ladder that led upward to a hatch, leading outside. Some light came through the hatch, but it was difficult to distinguish if it was light from the patrols or the moonlight.
"Climb up there and check if the coast is clear," Tess ordered Joel, causing the man to do as he was told.
As he opened the hatch, the sound of rain echoed as it hit the metal. The chill from outside caused the room to drop a few more degrees, making them shiver in their thin clothing. But, it was nothing any of them were concerned with. "Hold up, patrol up ahead," Joel warned, reacting to some bright lights in the distance. After a few quiet moments, he nodded. "Alright, we're good. Come on up and watch your step."
Julia shivered, feeling the rain soak into her hair and clothing. It was still a drizzle, but it showed signs of getting worse. The weather could work in their favor, but Julia didn't want to get hopeful yet. Mud covered her boots, causing their footsteps to be louder than they would have liked, but they continued to walk. They were outside the wall, being able to see the spotlights overhead that surveyed the lands. The area was demolished, left alone after the bombings had occurred. No one had bothered to rebuild, knowing Infected could overrun the area at any time. Julia recognized the area and didn't find it anything interesting, but she could tell Ellie was amazed by what she saw.
"The rain won't do us any good," either Joel or Tess had spoken, but Julia had not been paying attention as she watched out for the patrols. She had figured the rain would cause the patrols to take the night off, but they still seemed heavy in numbers.
"Holy shit," Ellie's voice rang out as she rushed to Julia's side, giving her a bright grin as she held her hand out to catch a few raindrops. Being outside the wall was something Julia had taken for granted. For someone like Ellie, who only had experiences inside the QZ, it was a significant accomplishment to see the outside world. "I'm actually outside. Pinch me, I think I'm dreaming."
"It's a big world out there," Julia commented, returning the young girl's smile. It made Julia think, wondering what had happened to the other countries after the initial outbreak. Perhaps, some places had succumbed to the infection. After all, it had been said that seventy percent of the world's population had died off. And, that was before the governments had fallen. It was a big world, but it was filled with Infected rather than people.
"Up this way," Joel said, leading them into a fallen seafood cargo truck with its doors open. It was the only way to make it over the debris and onto the other side. He hopped out on the other side, but before any of them could react, the butt of an automatic assault rifle was smashed into the left side of his face.
Joel fell to the ground, cradling his new injury but he could not react as the gun was pointed at him. "Don't do anything stupid," a female soldier spat out, shining a bright light in his face as she kept the gun aimed at him. Her partner came around the corner, pointing a gun at the woman as he urged them to get out of the truck. They did as they were told, keeping their hands up. "Turn around. On your knees."
Julia kept a straight face, but she could feel her nerves getting the better of her as her hands began to tremble. Her gaze met Joel's for a moment, but she quickly looked away to check if Ellie was alright. Their knees stained brown due to the mud and the rain became overwhelming, making it hard for Julia to focus as she tried to think of a way out of their predicament.
"You scan them," the woman continued, speaking to her partner. She placed a hand on her walkie-talkie, pulling it from its strap. "I'll call it in."
"Put your hands on your head," the male soldier ordered before he pulled out the scanner that was strapped to his thigh, turning it on before he began to look over the probe at first. He walked toward Tess, sitting at the front of the line. He stood behind her, placing it against the back of her neck.
"This is Ramirez at sector twelve," the woman, Ramirez, started, speaking into her communicator. Julia knew it wouldn't be long till FEDRA soldiers surrounded them and she would be executed for being a known Firefly. The pendant around her neck was proof enough, making her take in a deep breath as she tried to calm her nerves. "Requesting pickup for four stragglers."
"Look the other way," Tess suddenly said, stealing a glance back at the male soldier as she gave him a sly grin. "We can make this worth your while."
"Shut up," he muttered, checking Tess' results. Clear. He moved on, placing the device against Joel's neck. He turned to his partner, shaking his head. "I'm tired of this shit. What's the ETA?"
"Couple minutes," Ramirez replied, letting out a deep sigh. Their voices sounded muffled due to the helmets they wore, hiding their faces.
After Joel's results came back negative, he placed the scanner against Ellie's neck. The young girl looked in Julia's direction, meeting her eyes. Panic shined in Ellie's. No doubt, Julia felt the same way. However, Ellie quickly reacted as she pulled out her pocket knife and stabbed the soldier in the knee. "Sorry!"
The soldier let out a heavy grunt, using the butt of his gun to strike Ellie in the head. Julia moved quickly, jumping in front of Ellie to take any of the bullets that the soldier may fire. But, Joel had grabbed the gun from his hands, pushing him to the ground as the two began to wrestle for control. A gunshot ran in the air, and Julia saw the other soldier fall. Tess had shot her. And, finally, Joel regained control and killed the other soldier.
Julia took in a deep breath, looking back at Ellie. She placed a gentle hand against her head, looking to see if any new injuries had shown up. "Are you okay?"
Ellie couldn't seem to catch her breath, shaking her head as she stared at the dead bodies. "Oh, fuck!" she gasped out, "I thought we were just gonna hold them up or something."
"It's okay. Breathe, Ellie," Julia reassured softly, placing her hands on Ellie's shoulders to calm her down. "Just breathe."
"Oh, shit," Tess' voice sounded, causing Julia to glance back. She noticed the device in Tess' hands, making her let out a deep sigh. Tess narrowed her eyes, tossing the device to Joel. "Look."
Joel caught it effortlessly, taking a look. "Jesus Christ. Marlene set us up," he turned his glare toward Julia. "You set us up? Why the hell are we smuggling an infected girl?"
"I'm not infected!" Ellie exclaimed, staying behind Julia as she stared at Joel and Tess' angry expressions.
"No?" Joel asked, throwing the device at them that had landed against Julia's feet. "So was this lying?"
"We can explain," Julia started.
"You better explain fast," Tess spat out, aiming her gun at them. Her voice was cold and harsh, making Julia narrow her eyes.
Julia quickly drew her weapon, slinging the rifle off her back as she pointed it at Tess. It only made the other woman smirk as she raised a playful brow, but Julia was in no mood for games. "You're going to have to shoot me first," she spat out, fully prepared to die for Ellie if she needed to. She was the only hope for humanity left. Tess took a step forward, but Julia tightened her grip on her gun. "Stay the fuck back!"
Ellie lifted her sleeve, showing the bite mark she had received a few weeks ago. "Look at this."
"We don't care how you got infected," Joel snapped, shaking his head as he looked away. He stayed behind Tess, glowering in anger.
"It's three weeks old."
"No, everyone turns within two days," Tess retorted. "So, you two stop bullshiting."
"Well, she didn't. It's three weeks," Julia said, taking in a deep breath as she remembered that one of the soldiers had called for backup. It wouldn't be long till they were surrounded. "We have no reason to set you guys up. If you don't want to continue, so be it. I can take care of this on my own."
"I ain't buying this. You're on your own, Julia," Joel said with a scoff, rolling his eyes. He began to walk off, but froze in his steps when he noticed armored vehicles making their way toward their location. "Shit," he hissed, turning to look at Tess. "We gotta run, Tess."
Tess huffed, turning to Ellie and Julia. "Come on! We'll deal with this later."
Joel led the way, jumping into a fallen cavity of land that kept them hidden from the view of the soldiers for now. Mud covered Julia's boots and now, most of her pant legs, but they kept moving. The sound of alarms began to blare, making them flinch. The fallen FEDRA soldiers must have been found, leaving everyone on high alert. They hid behind some fallen debris, staring at the spotlights overhead.
"Everyone, stay close," Tess had sharply whispered when they had dropped into a small cavity of land, moving forward as they tried to stay out of the sight lines of the soldiers. The alarms blared, making it hard for Julia to think as she tried to keep Ellie in her sight at all times. Spotlights surveyed the lands, trying to find them, and Julia knew they would shoot first and answer questions later when it came to them. "When I give the signal," Tess began again, hands trembling as she leaned against a destroyed car for cover as she faced them. "We run, got it?"
"Got it."
They kept running, using the turned-over cars as cover when they could as they stuck to the shadows to hide from soldiers. But, it seemed as if everywhere they turned, a patrol stood as they flashed their lights into the darkness. Tess led them through a tunnel, forcing the four to crouch to make their way through before they fell into another area ━━ not out of the clear yet, but away from the brunt of the soldiers.
"Goddamnit, they're everywhere," Joel spat out, avoiding the light of another soldier's flashlight as they all clung to the cracked stone wall. The soldiers were above them, wandering around as they searched for any sign of movement.
"They must've gotten through. Check the trenches!"
Julia stayed next to Ellie, keeping her close as the footsteps of the soldiers echoed overhead. The light swiped near them, making them hold their breaths. Julia couldn't help but make eye contact with Tess, noticing the deep-set frown on her face as she stood next to Joel.
"I don't see anything down there. Are you sure they came this way?"
It filled Julia with some relief to know that they hadn't been spotted.
"Unless we're told otherwise," another soldier spoke, but Julia could barely tell the difference in their voices from the loud beating of her heart and the pelting of rainfall. "We keep scanning."
"We can't stay here," Julia hissed, keeping as quiet as she could as the soldiers continued to flash their lights into the trench. "It won't be long till they find us."
"Alright, stay down. Don't let them see you," Joel said, crouching down as the three girls followed suit. He began to lead them through the trench, looking back occasionally to make sure everyone was still together. Tess was directly behind Joel while Ellie was behind Tess, and Julia stayed behind everyone as she held her rifle close. "Anything back there?"
Julia glanced back, noticing no one had followed them and the only thing left behind was their muddy footprints. But, the rain would make them vanish soon enough. "It's clear back here," she answered, letting out a small sigh as they kept moving. "How's it look up ahead?"
"So far, so good."
Eventually, Joel led them to the street where most of the buildings had collapsed ━━ either due to the bombings or natural causes. Tess and Ellie were already out of the trench. Joel held out his hand for Julia. She stared up at him, reaching for his hand as he pulled her up. "Thanks," she mumbled, taking a step back from him.
She began to walk, noticing that Tess and Ellie had gotten quite ahead. But, she would rather they keep moving than wait around. They entered the building as well, but it provided no cover since it was a shell of what it used to be. A gasp left Julia's lips as someone gripped her wrist, pulling her back. He slammed her into the wall, hovering over her as his frantic eyes looked at something she hadn't noticed. "Joel, what the hell!" she gritted out, "Let go of me!"
"Shut up!" he hissed, pointing ahead. Julia glanced in that direction, noticing two soldiers as they wandered into the room they were in. However, they were in a small nook, hidden away from sight. Julia took in a deep breath, sticking close to Joel.
"Ops say they took out some of their guys earlier," the first soldier spoke, sounding close enough to be a threat as his footsteps echoed throughout the room.
"It's those fucking Fireflies retaliating," the other soldier spat out, causing Julia to glance in their direction.
"We'll be done with them soon enough."
Julia silently pleaded for them to leave, trying to ignore how she could hear Joel's heartbeat in her ear as he pressed against her. She focused on each breath, trying to keep herself calm. It felt like a lifetime had passed, but they had finally passed them by. Joel immediately stepped away from her, urging her to follow and Julia did. They reached the end. Julia let out a sigh, seeing Ellie was safe.
"Julia, you're okay!" Ellie said, rushing to her as she gave her a tight hug. Julia smiled, rubbing the girl's back. "Tess told me to keep moving, but I thought something had happened and then those soldiers showed up out of nowhere━━"
"It's okay, I'm okay," Julia reassured, placing a gentle hand against Ellie's cheek to calm her down. They weren't safe yet.
The four kept moving, moving deeper through the suburbs and toward the downtown area. Still, it was a few blocks away and this was FEDRA territory. They kept moving, hiding away from patrols and sticking to the shadows until they reached another underground area. They fell down, walking through what looked like the sewer system. Some light came through the grates overhead, but it was mostly quiet other than that.
"Charlie squad, report."
They froze, looking up as they noticed a tank stopped nearby before a soldier or two was seen.
"Soldiers," Joel mumbled. "Don't move. Stick to the shadows."
"Targets are still on the loose, sir," someone responded. It was a male, but other than that, Julia couldn't tell.
"Break off pursuit and report back to sector eleven."
"I don't think they see us," Tess mumbled, looking up at them through the grates.
"Acknowledged," the soldier said, "get back to your vehicles!"
"At least, they're gone," Julia mumbled, continuing to walk down the tunnel. It would hopefully lead them out of the underground system.
"Are we safe?" Ellie asked, looking back to make sure they hadn't been followed.
"We should be, yeah," Tess replied.
They kept moving through the tunnel. Julia did her best to ignore the putrid smell that came from the murking waters that reached the middle of their calves. Eventually, they reached the end. Joel pushed open the tunnel door, allowing them to exit toward the river with the bridge broken above them. Nearby, Julia could see a fallen highway sign that read EAST INTERSTATE 90.
"Alright, we're in the clear."
Julia watched Ellie, seeing her collapse on a few blocks of broken concrete as she took in shaky breaths. She sighed, hoping the rest of the trip would be easy for Ellie's sake. She was still a child and didn't need to go through any of this.
Tess approached them. "Look, what was the plan? Let's say that we deliver you to the Fireflies. What then?"
Julia sighed, realizing there was no point in keeping it a secret. "From what Marlene's told me, these Fireflies have their own quarantine zone in another city. Doctors there, still trying to find a cure."
"Not this bullshit again," Joel spat out, rolling his eyes. He glanced at Tess. "We've heard that before."
"Joel," Julia sighed, turning to the man. "Whatever happened to Ellie, it's the key to finding a vaccine. She didn't turn. She's immune."
"Oh, Jesus."
"It's the truth," Julia said.
"I'm sure it is," Joel spat out, making Julia frown. His words had an underlying message, causing her to narrow her eyes.
"Hey, fuck you, man!" Ellie spat out, standing to her feet as she glared at Joel. "We didn't ask for this, okay?"
"Me, neither," Joel gritted out. He looked at his partner. "Tess, what the hell are we doing here?"
Tess hummed, turning to look at Julia. "What if it's true?"
"I can't believe..."
"What if, Joel?" Tess smiled, shrugging her shoulders. "I mean, we've come this far. Let's just finish this."
"Do I need to remind you what is out there?"
"No one is asking the two of you to come, Joel," Julia snapped.
He scoffed. "Like Hell, you can do this alone."
"I'm not the same person you used to know, Joel," Julia retorted. "You don't know what I can do."
"Alright, calm down, you two," Tess mumbled, getting in between the two of them. She kept her gaze on Joel. "We all know what's out there, but we're all capable. We can do it."
Julia walked off, Ellie following close in her footsteps as she sent Joel a glare. It made Tess chuckle as she shrugged her shoulders, urging Joel to follow them. They began to walk toward the streets, looking up at the giant skyscrapers that leaned against each other. Their details didn't stand out, seeming like looming shadows in the darkness. Julia stole a glance at the girl next to her, noticing how pale she had gotten. "You okay, kiddo?"
Ellie nodded, letting out a small sigh as she glanced back at Joel and Tess. "I'm glad you're here, Julia," she mumbled. "I think they would have killed me if it wasn't for you."
Julia sighed, giving the girl a small smile. "I ain't going anywhere. I'm with you till the end, I promise."
♡
I LOATHE EDITING TBH. I checked and this chapter was written completely in August and then, I left it sitting in my docs because I refused to edit. I still haven't edited it, actually. But, I skimmed over it and it looks fine? So, if you guys do notice anything weird or notes in [ ] blocks like that, then please point them out! Though, I don't think there are any in there because I did skim through!
There was some tension in this chapter, honestly! But, I wanted to show the bond between Julia and Ellie because they genuinely care about each other a lot, and Julia would do anything for that girl. Though Julia's relationship with Joel and Tess is still on the rocks, but that won't last forever, hehe! I am excited to start writing them slowly coming back together and them going on this journey!
I have the next couple of chapters outlined and I just need to focus and write them! Hopefully, more chapters will be coming out soon rather than later! But, I've learned not to make promises anymore because I am not the best at being consistent. But, one can hope! Also, I have a bunch of new books coming out before the new year! I've decided to just start posting and put things out there! It'll probably be better this way so I don't overthink everything tbh!
━━ AMARA
[ CHAPTER PUBLISHED ━━ 10.20.2021 ]
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