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PREVIOUSLY ON Sacrifice ═══════════════
Maria nodded and scoped out the area, her eyes gliding across every pile of gravel. They couldn't go through this area. However, her hopes lifted when her gray eyes came across a building that seemed to be the only one still standing- the building Ross spoke of.
"I'm gonna head over with Ross to see if it's stable. Hold back and stay safe."
Jeanie held her arm up for Robin to pull her up into the wagon. Robin ushered her over to where Jesse sat. "She'll be fine."
Maria nodded, then gathered back with Ross. "Ready?" he asked. At Maria's nod, they headed off, guns in hand.
Maria peeked her head in the opening, seeing two dead runners, bullet holes in their heads and a cloudy haze floating in the air.
Spores.
"You didn't go in there, did you?" Maria asked, pulling Ross away from the door with wide eyes.
Ross' eyebrows furrowed. "Yeah."
Maria's eyes teared. "Goddamnit, Ross!" she screamed. "This place is infested with spores! Didn't you notice?"
Ross licked his lips, placing a hand on the top of hers that gripped her hair. "I'm dead-" her sharp exhale stopped him. "Either way. I'm gone. You'll be okay. Look at me. Look." Her eyes opened at his words. "Those runners- they were fuckin' Fireflies. They had a whole radio transmitter in there. It was still alive- still running. And I got their goddamn location." He pulled out a paper from his pocket, placing it in Maria's hand.
The coordinates were written down. A full set of them.
"Their main base is heading to a town in Wyoming. They got word FEDRA troops are setting up a quarantine zone there- a pretty heavily armed one. That'll be their main target." Ross had a small smile on his face. "You can get there, Ria."
Ross watched her gray eyes mix with a deep blue. He sighed. "I'm tired, Maria. I don't want to do this anymore."
"You think I haven't thought of ending it? It would be so much easier... to just go."
Ross pulled her into his arms, kissing the top of her head. "I've fought my fight. I've served all I'm willing to serve. Go. Kill every last one of them for me, for your parents, for everything- everyone- they took from us."
Maria made her treck back to the wagons.
When a single gun shot echoed through the woods, everyone startled and picked their heads up. Maria flinched, letting out a choked sob. She covered her mouth before compressing her cries and standing strong.
