The four had made it across the flooded hotel lobby and up a few flights of stairs. The girls had practically sped up them, genuinely having to be called back by Joel and Tess twice in order to not loose them (and they didn't know if there was infected in the building). Cassie may also have gotten told off by Tess for calling the adults 'old bastards' multiple times.
"come on, it wasnt that bad" Ellie commented as they walked into a hallway
"you try climbing ten fucking floors with our knees. See how ya feel" Tess replied
"their old bastards Els, they're bones are fragile" Cassie added with a cheesy grin, Tess glaring at the girl. She knew she meant no harm, just a simple joke that she was getting a reaction from.
"and your kids, you've got all of this to come" Tess quipped back, Cassie just gasped and flipped the woman off. The group turned some corners and ended up at a dead end, one that clearly didn't used to be blocked off "well when the fuck did that happen" The two adults pulled at the doors, neither of them budging "alright well i mean, maybe i could climb up there. Work my way around and open it from the inside?"
"no well im the smallest so it'd be easier for me to get through right" Ellie butted in
"oh yeah, id say count me in but please dont" Cassie smiled, taking a seat against the wall
"but then you die and we get nothing" Tess told Ellie "your staying here, give me a hand?" The woman then asked Joel. Cassie signalling the girl towards her, wriggling slightly so Ellie could sit next to her. When Tess was in the rubble, Joel hesitantly sat down on a piece of concrete opposite them. Cassie was fiddling with the bracelet on her wrist whilst ellie flipped the pocket knife.
"nice knife" Joel complemented, the first half decent comment out of the mans mouth towards them. Ellie just gave the man a look before continuing flipping it "where'd you learn how to do that?"
"the circus" Ellie deadpanned, the girl sighing and flicking the blade away. Holding the wooden handle in her hands, quickly looking towards the girl beside her. Cassie was sat there, spinning the chained bracelet with three initials on around her wrist, the slight movement making the beads clash together. A faint jingling sound being made as she did so. Ellie then decided to try small talk with Joel "where are you from?"
"Texas" His answers where brief
"what about Tess" Cassie asked, her voice quiet
"Detroit, its in Michigan"
"were not stupid, we know where Detroit is" Cassie lifted her head, eyes finding Joel's as she gave him a small glare. the girl then let out a breath through her nose, muttering a hushed apology.
"so, you two like a-?" Ellie quickly changed the subject
"pass" Joel spoke quickly
"how'd you end up in Boston" the blonde girl asked
"pass. No more questions about me" The man then warned the two, Cassie tilted her head slightly to face Ellie who gave her an exasperated look
"how long do infected live?" Ellie turned her head to look back at the man
"oh i thought you went to school" Joel's reply was laced with sarcasm
"its a really shitty one" Ellie scoffed
"well, some last about a month or two but there's others been walking around bout 20 years" Joel educated the pair, Cassie nodding with her lip between her teeth thinking back to her best friend left dead in the mall back in the QZ. The blonde could tell ellie was also thinking about it.
"ever kill one?" Ellie questioned him, her voice slightly shaky.
"yeah i killed lots of em"
"was it hard" The brunettes questioning made cassie blink back a tear "like knowing they where people once?"
"sometimes" Joel nodded
"what about that guy last night?" Cassie spoke up, crossing her arms over her body and leaning herself forward slightly to lean against her knees. Footsteps where then heard from the room next to the girls, both of them quick to jump up and stand against the other wall. Cassie's hand finding Ellie's as Joel held up his gun
"you can put the gun down Joel" Tess's voice called out, rattling noises following after before the door swung open. Cassie smiled at the woman in front of her, the girl looked up to Tess. If she was anything like Tess when she was older (fucking badass) then Cassie wouldnt complain.
"what now?" Joel asked, Tess gave the man a look before turning back around and instructing them to follow her. Climbing over some loose rubble, the four made it into a large conservatory. Walls had been torn down with plastic covering it and the roof made of glass allowing in rays of sun, Tess just pulled back the sheet of plastic and led them outside. The older woman gave the girls a weary look as they climbed onto the concrete fencing.
In front of them was a sight so devastating, a city people had once lived their lives in now nothing but a ghost town. The only living beings occupying their old houses where people infected with the virus they had become so accustomed to. The groaning and shrieking of said infected being heard from multiple floors up, the noises caught the girls ears and both turned their heads to look towards the ground.
If cassie had to guess, she'd say there was about fifty to one hundred infected crawling along the overgrown streets. Ellies grip had tightened against the cold concrete whilst Cassie's jaw clenched with anxiousness. Never would she betray her best friend but if the opportunity arose, she would be running straight back into the QZ and away from the hoards. Not often would she admit to it, but the thought alone terrified the girl.
"There's so many" Ellie muttered, her eyes staying trained on the hoard. Cassie, however, had tried to look away but the constant groans kept drawing her eyes back.
"the last time we were here, they were still deep inside the buildings" Tess told them, Cassie gulped and nodded slightly her hand fiddling with the bracelet on her wrist "then i guess enough people came through looking for the QZ, went inside seeking shelter and that's how they get more and more of the city bit by bit, year after year"
The clouds shifted and the rays of sun shone against their skin, a small patch of sun trailing over the line of infected. Each of them letting out a yell, it was as if the sun pierced their skin instead of gently warmed it.
"they're connected" Ellie stated, her tone laced with nervousness. Cassie could tell, she wouldnt stop fidgeting.
"more than you know" Tess nodded "the fungus also grows underground, long fibres like wires. Some of them stretching over a mile. Now, you step on a patch of cordyceps in one place and you can wake a dozen infected from somewhere else. Now they know where you are, now they come. neither of you are immune from being ripped apart"
And suddenly cassie realised why Tess was telling them all of this. At some point, they would have to be careful just as Tess had stated. At some point, two severely uncoordinated girls would have to treck through spaces where an infected could jump out of no where without stepping on cordyceps. Cassie trusted the two adults and she trusted her best friend with her life but she wasnt so sure if they would be able to save her if accidents happened.
im so tempted to do that ai voice thing and get ellie Williams to read me something so i can sleep peacefully. (5k reads omg i love y'all)