In the aftermath of sparing Abby's life, Ellie grapples with the burdens of her past while facing isolation and ostracism in the Jackson community due to her immunity to the cordyceps infection. Her world has turned upside down and complicated until...
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The dense canopy of Superior National Forest cast a cool, green haze over the group as they trudged forward. The forest was suffocatingly quiet, save for the crunch of boots against the dirt path. Abby walked a few paces behind Joyce; her brow furrowed as her thoughts churned. The rumors she'd heard gnawed at her — whispers of Joyce's immunity fueling some primal craving for raw meat, even human flesh. It sounded absurd, but watching Joyce's cold, detached demeanor made it hard to dismiss entirely. The memory surfaced, uninvited, pulling her back to Catalina Island.
It had been during her early days with the Fireflies, sitting in a dimly lit supply room as a few members shared stories to pass the time. One of them, a wiry woman named Nia, leaned against a crate and said in a low voice, "You hear what they say about Joyce? Immune, but not in a good way. People swear her condition gives her these cravings. Raw meat, human flesh, who knows? Creeps me out just thinking about it".
The others chuckled nervously, brushing it off as nonsense, but Abby had felt the unease in the air. "Yeah, sure, sounds like the usual trash talk people use to make her sound scary," she'd muttered, dismissing it. But now, trailing behind Joyce's rigid, emotionless stride in the heavy silence, Abby felt those words pressing on her, impossible to ignore. What if there was more truth to it than she wanted to believe?
Unable to hold back any longer, Abby leaned toward Lev, keeping her voice low. "So, those rumors about Joyce... eating raw meat—"
Lev rolled his eyes right away. "Here we go again".
"You didn't even let me finish".
"Because it's bullshit," Lev said flatly, his tone dripping with exasperation. He stopped abruptly, letting his pack drop to the ground. "You want proof? Fine. Watch this".
Joyce, several paces ahead, stiffened as she turned at the sound of Lev's voice. Her sharp gaze narrowed as Lev pulled a freshly killed rabbit out of his bag, holding it up like it was a prize.
"What the fuck are you doing, Lev?" Joyce snapped, her voice slicing through the quiet like a blade.
Lev didn't flinch. "Just proving a point".
The moment Joyce's eyes locked on the bloody carcass, her face twisted in visible disgust. Her stoic mask slipped, and for a moment, she looked utterly unguarded. She froze, her jaw clenched tightly, then took an unsteady step back, her hand instinctively going to her stomach.
"Lev, knock it off and put that shit away," she barked, her voice low but trembling slightly. When Lev didn't comply, Joyce abruptly turned, stumbling toward the side of the trail before bending over and retching violently into the underbrush.
The sound broke the silence, and Ellie was at her side in an instant, one hand on Joyce's back. "Hey, hey—breathe. You okay?"
Joyce coughed, spitting to clear her mouth, before straightening with a glare that could've melted steel. Her face was pale, but her voice was sharp and laced with venom. "Do I look okay?" she growled, her tone biting. "Who the hell waves around a dead fucking animal like that?"
