𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐎 (𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐔𝐒) *editing*

𝐍𝐨 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞...𝐈 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥❄️

"There's gotta be something here!" Maeve frantically tore apart any drawer she could get her hands on. She searched manically for rags, towels, anything to stop TJ and Joel's wounds from bleeding. She forced open another drawer, the utensils inside jostling loudly. She slammed it shut and went on to the next. All the gauze she gathered on their journey had been used up on Joel's wound, and it hadn't even stopped the bleeding, acting as a sponge instead.

It'd been hours. Neither TJ nor Joel awoke. Well, TJ stirred, but the pain paralyzed him.

At the college, Maeve feared she wouldn't have been able to find Ellie or Joel. To her fullest relief, she spotted Wren trotting after a near-hysteric Ellie. Joel slumped on the back of the Callus, clutching his profusely bleeding stomach. She had feared the worst but when she saw him breathing, the fear lessened. It wasn't long until they found the mall to take shelter in. If they traveled anything further --

"Found some duct tape!" Ellie marched in, exiting the manager's office with a half-used roll of silver tape. She looked at it with a frown. "This isn't gonna last long." And then she hurried around the counter and toward Joel to patch him up.

"It's going to have to." Maeve approached Joel's unconscious body. She knelt to his side, and with Ellie on the other side of him, they carefully lifted his shirt and jacket. His wound was terrible, oozing as if he'd been hurt seconds ago. The pole had gone straight through him, causing a significant amount of critical damage, however, by some miracle, the rebar hadn't touched his important organs, which was quite relieving for the both of them.

Ellie bit her lip and shared a look with Maeve, giving one another a brief nod; together, they rolled Joel onto his left side, and he cried out in stifled agony. They winced at his pain, hating every second they jostled him.

"Sorry, Joel," Maeve shed a tear. "I know this hurts."

"Okay, here we go." Ellie placed her red shirt onto Joel's side, covering his front and back wounds. "This SHOULD give us a little time." She used the tape to stick the shirt to him. Her palms pressed onto his stomach once they laid him back down. The blood immediately seeped through Ellie's shirt.

"Shit," Maeve murmured as Ellie fixed Joel's shirt and jacket. "Now, TJ."

"Right."

TJ's wound wasn't as life-threatening as Joel's, but it was still terrible; he was lucky the bullet went straight through without nicking his arteries. If it weren't for the frozen temperatures, she was certain Joel would've died an hour before they found the mall. TJ would survive if he got the care he needed. The care he and Joel both needed...and well, they couldn't get that. They'd have to do with what they have and hope for the best.

There was so much blood on her hands, that she was afraid it'd stain her skin. Joel lost so much blood, that his face was death-like, pale, ashen. TJ was pale too, but he still had blood coloring his face. Joel's condition was a bit more dire.

"What a fucking time to be alive..." She muttered as they dressed TJ's shoulder in the old clothes they had. "Stupid apocalypse. Stupid winter."

Once TJ was taken care of, they let him lay on the makeshift pallet."We need to find something to patch them up with. And find blankets. If we keep them warm, they'll make it farther."

"Yeah...yeah, you're right," Maeve rubbed her hands together, ignoring that they were covered in blood. "What do we do?"

Ellie glanced back at Joel's lain form, then at the horses, and then finally back at TJ. "We should split up. You find anything that can be used for cover. I'll find any medical supplies."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Maeve pressed her lips into a thin line. "Okay." She slipped her bag off, emptying it so she'd have room for whatever she found. If she found anything, that was. The mall was unexplored, but it seemed empty. Stripped bare.

"I'll be borrowing this bow, TJ," she moved to snatch TJ's bow and the few arrows it had. "I'll...bring it back."

"Got everything?" Ellie crouched before the roll-up door, ready to open it up and slip out. She waited for her.

"Yeah - Wren, Callus, you keep them safe." And then she ducked under the door. She gave one last at the lain forms inside the abandoned shop and a prickly sensation numbed her. Unable to shake the guilt, she watched the metal door slide down and concealed the men inside.

In the back of her mind, she prayed to whatever God that was out there.

Please be alive when we come back.