𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐎 (𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐔𝐒) *editing*

𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐐𝐙🌞

Rewritten: January-May 2025

"That was too close!" Maeve muttered under her breath, feeling the weight of her anxiety as the soldiers surrounded them. They were everywhere, like ants! If that wasn't an understatement, she didn't know what was. The area was crawling with them, especially after discovering the bodies of those soldiers Tess and TJ killed. They were pissed off. Not that she could blame them, it was a brutal ending for them.

Even in the trenches, the soldiers' flashlights swept dangerously close; Maeve's heart rate spiked every time a beam flickered near them.

"Move faster!" TJ quietly nudged her as Joel squeezed through a broken sewer pipe. She shot him a glare but pressed on, trying to keep pace with her sister and Tess. It was unnerving. She was under duress and he was nagging at her to be faster. As if escaping from soldiers wasn't stressful enough. With her anxiety coursing through her, she felt like she was lagging behind. It was tough to crouch and duck-walk through the pouring rain while navigating the embankment.

The waterlogged trench they crept through reached up to their shins. Being trapped beneath a potentially unstable concrete road was unsettling; the thought of being crushed by a misstep from a soldier was terrifying. If that happened, they'd be serious trouble, possibly caught in a hail of bullets. Fortunately for them, the soldiers struggled to navigate the chaotic concrete maze, their trucks hampered by the limited roads and space.

Every moment in the trench was unbearable for her, er, them. Though she had several complaints about trudging through water. She forced herself to ignore her soggy shoes and socks.

After a few close calls and dodging in some half-crumbled buildings, they make it to a caved-in road, which led to underground maintenance tunnel.

"Do you see anything ahead?" Tess whispered to Joel.

"All clear, but there's a drop."

A drop? They were going into the earth... At least if they were shot, they'd have somewhat of a grave.

Suddenly, Maeve lost her footing on the rocky path and fell deeper into the ground, landing hard on her feet. A sharp gasp escaped her as a wave of pain shot through her calves, tingling up to her knees before it numbed away.

Ugh. She was glad she stayed during training drills, if she skipped like she wanted, this drop would've knocked every ounce of breath out of her. Though, she clearly didn't spend enough time training because her muscles protested with faint aching, and her mind was no better off.

Soon, they found themselves navigating a labyrinth of abandoned maintenance tunnels and sewer lines.

As she crouched under a broken hole in the wall, tiny pebbles dug into her palms. The others were quick, and her primary concern was to keep up with Ellie and their gallant smugglers.

"You look out of breath there," Ellie teased. "It's like you've got the stamina of an old lady."

"Och!" Maeve scoffed, rising to tower her sister's five-foot frame. "I'm just two years older than you, you little bullshitter!"

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes. "Old lady."

"Don't get too cocky, fetus. Before you know it, your hair will be as gray as mine," Maeve said, playfully tugging at a few messy strands of Ellie's fringe.

Ellie snorted, swatting Maeve's hand away and even giving her the finger.

Their entire exchange had their smuggler escorts all of the above: perplexed, amused, and a little irritated. They also seemed to find humor in their teasing. She hoped they'd been around siblings before, because she and Ellie's sense of humor was god-awful, and they both enjoyed giving each other a run for their money.