𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐎 (𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐔𝐒) *editing*

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐥🥀

"What the hell are we doing here?" Maeve asked for what seemed like the thousandth time within a twenty-minute time frame while she hurried after Jordan. His legs were longer than hers, so his stride was significantly faster than hers; she had to jog a bit to keep up with his pace. Her sneakers thumped lightly against the dirty tiles. She remained wary of every open store they passed, half expecting infected to jump out and make a meal out of them. Now, she knew Riley and Ellie snuck in a few times before, but she, herself, never exploited that pleasure. She didn't like the idea of the consequences of disobeying her commander. Or dying, that was probably the biggest 'fuck no' in the back of her mind.

"Jeez, you're as impatient as Ellie," Riley joked.

Ellie's face soured. "Har, har, fuck you."

"You can't blame me, can you?" Maeve glanced at Riley. "You guys dipped and now you're back - as Fireflies - and are currently leading up through the Zone's most off-limits building. It's not exactly a welcoming feeling."

"Guess I walked right into that one," She grimaced.

"Yep."

Both Riley and Jordan were visibly tense, Maeve mentally noted. They also appeared to be ready to dig themselves a grave and bury themselves in it.

While Riley's comment was true, Maeve stubbornly wanted to disagree. She wasn't being impatient...much; her concerns lay in the fact they were in the mall. It didn't ease her nerves any, and they acted as if they had no care in the world. It irked her.

And she was half-sure Ellie thought so too.

The chances of the infected being inside the mall with them were slim, but there was still a chance of them being okay and it was actually infected-free. But just because the chances are minimal, doesn't mean there aren't any around and it doesn't reduce the other chances of infected actually being in the mall.

"Hey now," Jordan sent a lopsided grin toward Ellie. "We're all together and that's all that matters now."

"Whatever," She brushed him off.

Saying something in Spanish, Jordan shuffled toward her, slung an arm around her shoulders before she could get away and he pulled her into his side. "It's a fine day, well, if you ignore the storm, so please don't be an aguafiestas."

Maeve grimaced immediately when Ellie stabbed him in the stomach with her elbow. He looked pretty much smug until he was belly-jabbed. He doubled over, clutching his abdomen, wheezing in pain and surprise.

"Ellie!"

"What I don't get is how you're fucking okay with this!" The girl stepped away from Jordan's hunched form.

"Don't act like you were the only one hurt, Ellie." Maeve narrowed her eyes at her.

After a seemingly prolonged minute, Riley cleared her throat, cutting through the tension. She shifted her weight between her legs and glanced between them.

"It's okay, amor, I'm fine," Jordan winced, regaining his posture, flinching a bit as he straightened up. He rubbed his naval tenderly. "I think you turned my outie into an innie, nina."

Maeve snorted. She gave a not-so-delicate pat on Jordan's shoulder. He laughed pitifully and snaked an arm around her shoulders. He probably figured she was the safest option since Ellie obviously entertained hostile feelings toward him. Well, at least for now.

He coughed. "We should part ways."

"Why?" Maeve perked a brow up, smirking. "Not afraid of Ellie, are you?"