( gif by ; -tzarrion )

━ CHAPTER ONE ...

' when you're lost in the darkness '

DEATH, DESTRUCTION AND LOSS.

That's all that happened since the end of the human race hit, actually, the end of the world honestly. Everyone either lost someone, something, or themselves to the deadly virus that hit everywhere, and everyone.

And, even with the remaining survives in the post apocalyptic world, it wasn't any better than being dead. All people ever did was fight, take, and become something they weren't just to see the light of the next day.

It never got better, it only got worse.

The fungal virus, called Cordyceps outbreak occurred in September 2003. It was known to some of the smart ones that, the fungal virus had something to do with climate change, however, the method through which it spread so suddenly is still unknown.

It has been 20 years since the special strain of cordyceps fungus emerged and began infecting humans, systematically taking over their brains and transforming them into blood-hungry monsters known as, the infected.

Since then, the United States military, or what's left of it, has placed much of the country under martial law, establishing Quarantine Zones in many major cities.

Speaking of the United States rules, and forces over the quarantine zones, there was this one group called the Fireflies, whom aren't too keen on the military oppression taking place in the quarantine zones.

And at a specific quarantine zone, in Boston, where many were trying to go back to their everyday lives, and work their asses to get money for whatever they needed for survival, the Fireflies were also in their somewhere, hiding and planning as they kept the one human who could very well safe all of humanity.

...

Boston, 2023, it wasn't what it was supposed to be like it was, it wasn't supposed to be a life threatening and broken place. It wasn't supposed to be adaboned by the society, wasn't supposed to be left along to rot and become a ghost town. Even now, after all this time, ash still drifted through those streets.

But, because of the deadly virus that spread like wildfire, walls had to be made, quarantine zones were place so the remaining ones could fight back against the infected, evern under unfair rules by the military.

And this bring us somewhere inside the Boston's quarantine zone, in a old, building that stood like charred logs, leaning precariously, inside one of the small bedrooms, could been seen a young woman with (H/C) hair that was tied in a messy ponytail, sitting on the ground and both of her feet, that wore black boots in chains.

This is (Y/N) Williams.

She was wearing sabai top, with a cambodian brown sampot dress made of a rectangular cloth, worn around her lower body that reached just below her knees. Draped loosely around her shoulders, was a vintage brown striped flannel shirt. Around her neck, laid a dog chain necklace, and around her wrists were braided bracelets.

(Y/N) places her arms around her knees, and tilts her head sideways to see her younger sister, Ellie trying to undo the chains around their feet, as she was trapped in here with her also. The younger William sister also had a braided bracelet like her older sister, both of them matching.

She sighs heavily seeing her younger sister doing this, feeling bad that she was dragged into her mess as (Y/N) looks towards where the sunlight was coming it, both girls hearing distant sirens behind the locked door.

The door to the room they were kept in swings open loudly, creasing as it hits the hinge, and both sisters turn their heads to the noise in alarm. 

They see a guy carrying a weapon come through the door, as his back leans against the lowly swinging door and he gestures for someone to come through.

More people come through, as a woman was in front first as she enters the room and (Y/N) stands up quickly with Ellie behind her, the manacle clanking around their ankles.

(Y/N) doesn't say anything to the woman, as she was pissed off that the Fireflies were keeping her, and Ellie trapped in this room. She pushes the food tray by her boot to the lady, it skidding across the floor as the forks fall off from the hit.

The lady looks up from the plate, unimpressed as she carried a clipboard and pen for notes, and stares at the siblings, "Count slowly and clearly from one to 10."

(Y/N) rolls her eyes at this, as the same questions and same process was done everyday on her and Ellie. The siblings both go to repeat what she said, but super quickly making the medic annoyed.

"Slowly, and clearly." She orders them sternly, making the two stop as (Y/N) share an raised eyebrow look with her sister as Ellie steps beside her now.

"One. Two. Three. Four." (Y/N) does what she was told, going at a robots speed talking as the medic takes down notes for observation, "Five. Six. Seven. Eight..."

"Fuck..." Ellie slowly raises her middle finger up, and glares at the medic for how she was treating her older sister like a dog, "you."

(Y/N) snickers at her sisters act, smirking amused and goes to hold out her hand just as the medic asked her to do so.

The medic hums in thought, looking down at her written notes and goes to question the eldest, "State your name, slowly and clearly."

"(F/N)." The (H/C) haired woman answers sharply, hand still outstretched with a bored look, "Same as yesterday...and the day before..." She lets her arm drop to her side, sighing heavily, "and the day before that-"

( (f/n) = fake name )

The medic walks out of the room, ignoring the complaining woman as the man standing near the door walks to over, and picks up the kicked red plate.

"Hey! People are gonna come looking for us!" Ellie yells out to the departing people, rattling the chains around their ankles, "People from FEDRA. You hear me? Let us out or you're gonna pay, motherfuckers!"

(Y/N) takes her thumb, and makes a cutting motion across her neck to the male just about to close the door, and sticks her tounge out to show she meant dead.

He slammed the door seeing that, hurrying off scared, and left behind a proud (Y/N) and a snorting Ellie.

As they calmed down from their joke, the older William goes to sit down on the wood with a sigh, and Ellie joins her, head on her shoulder as they two stare at the massive, red painted words on the wall.

WHEN YOU'RE LOST IN THE DARKNESS

"What a bunch of crap that is.." (Y/N) muttered to herself, scowling at it as she leans her head on top of Ellie's, hoping to get them out of these chains and away from this place soon.

...

Indistinct chatter is heard down a narrow hallway inside a building, as a woman with tied up curly hair was walking down that same hallway. She comes to a stop when she arrives in a two direction way, looking down one way where the same people who were just with the sisters stood up to stand at attention.

Marlene, the leader of the Fireflies tips her head back in acknowledgment, before turning down the hallway where a window was shining in the days light. She opens the door at the end of the hallways, pushing through the entrance and sees more of her Fireflies talking over a map.

"The team in place at Southeast 3?" She questions them in the room, closing the door shut behind her and takes off her jacket to show her grey singlet.

Kim, the one at the table answers the leader, "I held them back. I have some questions."

"Hm..okay." Marlene mumbles shortly, placing her jacket over the chair in the corner and makes her way over to another smaller table full of supplies.

"We've been blowing up meaningless FEDRA targets spread out all over the QZ, for two weeks." Kim starts of her questioning, as she watches Marlene's back face them, as she fiddles with some of the weapon's, "We've already lost four people, and we're-" She pauses and takes a breath, "What's the point of this?"

Marlene doesn't answer for a few seconds, as she places a gun down and turns a little to her, "Is that your question?"

"That's one of them."

"My answer is to follow fuckin' orders." Marlene snaps straight forward, throwing her hands out a bit in gestrument.

Kim furrows her eyebrows in thought, leaning her weight against the table, "And why do you have two random girls locked in a room? And the guys you have guarding them won't tell me shit?" She questions the leader once more, as Marlene places the gun in the back of her belt, "Our people are asking what's going on, and I don't know what to tell them."

"Tell them to follow fuckin' orders." Marlene's voice raises a bit, now spinning around to face the confused three at the table, and points at the two beside Kim, "You two, go to Southeast 3. Now."

The two leave their position without complaints, and quickly move out of the room, closing the door shut behind them.

Kim purses her lips, moving from side to side in her spot and changes her leaning posture, waiting for the leader to speak. And she does, saying her name and Kim repeats back Marlene's name.

"We are in a war against a military dictatorship to restore democracy and freedom." Marlene reminds the woman in front of her, tilting her head a bit, "Does that sound about right?"

Kim frowns a bit confused at this, "Yes?"

"Are we winning?" Marlene asked her friend, followed by a spitball of them, "Are we beating FEDRA here? Are the Fireflies beating FEDRA anywhere?"

"Rebellion takes time." Kim agrues against her words, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You fight for 20 years and you get nowhere, you're not a rebellion." Marlene scoffs a little bit, pointing to the logo on the wall that was theirs, "Just spray paint."

She makes her way over to the table, standing near Kim and the map, "We're not hitting FEDRA 'all over' the QZ." She goes to point to places on the massive map, "We hit 'em here, here, here, here. Where are we right now?"

Kim uncrosses her arms, and outstretches her hand to point with a finger where they currently were on the map.

"I want FEDRA everywhere but here." Marlene finally tells her friend, making Kim snap her head to the leader, "I want them as distracted as possible because tonight, every Firefly in Boston is gonna gather in this building, and we are gonna leave the QZ. Permanently."

Kim's expression fell a little bit, moving her face back with baffled look, "We're quitting?"

"No," Marlene shakes her head, and stares at her friend seriously, "We're taking those random girls, more so the woman locked in that room west." She pulls out something from her back pocket, seeing it was a crumpled up piece of folded paper, and passes it to Kim, "From our guy in the radio tower in Salem."

Kim takes the paper out of Marlene's hands, unfolding it gently and opened it up to read what it said inside, while Marlene watched for her reaction.

Kim's eyes went wide reading what it said, and snapped her head back up to the leader, "Is this real?"

Marlene smiles a little bit, nodding her head with her answer as she leans her elbows on the table, "I believe it is."

Kim takes a double look at the note, before folding it back up and looks to her friend once more in amazement.

"Keep it quiet." Marlene told her strongly, knowing if this information got out all hell would break loose for both parties.

Kim nods her head in understanding, and hands back the note to Marlene carefully, "Whatever you need. Whatever it takes. We'll get them, her where she needs to go."

Marlene places the note in her back pocket, giving Kim a firm nod of her head, looking down briefly before making her way towards where the door was, and exited the room.