Joel

Joel comes to a stop. He looks at the sticks of TNT and the matches in his hands. He places them next to the wall and runs away as the clickers who were chasing him approached.

"You want me? Come get me!"

BAM!

…...

Cough, cough.

"Damn. That wasn't suppose to happen. Cough."

Joel stood up as he saw the gaping hole the explosion made.

"Shit. Well, at least I took care of those damn infected."

Joel jumped out of the hole and started to look around. He noticed something. It was quiet. He didn't hear Antonia yelling "DAMMIT JOEL! I TOLD YOU TO GET OUT AT THE FIRST SIGN OF TROUBLE! WHY DON'T YOU EVER LISTEN TO ME?!" All he heard was the crackling of burning wood.

"Something's up."

Joel started running around the area, trying to find her.

"Tonia!"

The sun started going down when he managed to get out of the building's rubble, now the sun was almost gone. Joel had no luck on finding Antonia.

"Why am I so worried about her?" Joel thought to himself. "It's not like I planned to stick with her forever. I've done that once already, I ain't letting' anyone in like that again. Then again, she's my only lead to the Fireflies and Tommy…."

…

Joel traveled towards Albuquerque like they had planed. He had nothing to lose and everything to gain. He was hoping to see Tommy there and, if Antonia left after the explosion thinking he was dead, she would be there, too. Joel just hoped she wouldn't be too pissed at him.

Antonia

"How you holdin' up?"

Antonia looked at Marlene. It's been a week since the explosion that had rocked her world. It was the first time she felt any emotions in a year, but most importantly, the first time she had cried in a year.

"I'm doin' ok." Was all she could say.

Marlene nodded. They kept walking in silence.

…

October

"Hey, Marlene. Where are we?"

"Our new headquarters in Tucson. The one in Albuquerque was destroyed by MP's in a fire. The same fire that killed your professor. Luckily he gave me copies of all the notes he kept."

"I still have mine from our class trying to figure out a cure. I managed to do a few more things when I got back home, but probably nothing helpful."

"We welcome anything, Antonia."

She looked at the building towering over her and nodded. "Well, time to get to work. This cure ain't gonna make itself."

Joel

October

"DAMMIT!"

Joel had just made it to the ashes that lie on the ground, right where the Fireflies headquarters would have been.

"Now where do I go?"

Joel decided to head west towards Arizona.

"Might as well cause some trouble along the way. Catch the Fireflies attention…."

He was determined to find Tommy, but he was even more determined to find Antonia. He knew she was right. He had to find her and let her know he was still alive. He couldn't shake feeling bad about that whole incident. He needed her forgiveness and her friendship.

Antonia

"Hey, Antonia?"

"Yeah?" She turned and saw Marlene. She had someone with her.

"There's someone who wants to talk. Antonia, this is Tommy. Joel's brother."

"Tommy?"

"Marlene tells me you knew my brother."

"Yeah, I did. Great guy." She turned back to her work.

"How'd you meet?"

Antonia sighs.

"You really want to know?"

"Yes."

Antonia put her pen down and faced Tommy.

"You better sit. Cus it's a long story."

…

"So, Joel's been lookin' for me?"

"Yeah. I think that's the only reason he stuck with me for six months."

"I'm just surprised you didn't kill him."

"Oh, believe me. There were multiple times I wanted to shoot him. Especially the first few weeks. I had my finger on the trigger constantly. He always did something stupid that almost cost us our lives."

"Where is he now?"

Antonia shuffled her feet, nervously. Marlene spoke up.

"He died in a fire caused by an explosion the same day we met Antonia."

Antonia stood up and started back at her work.

Tommy stood. Marlene and Tommy headed for the door.

"Hey, Antonia."

"Yeah?"

"If you ever need anything, let me know. It's the least I can do since you kept my brother alive for so long."

"Well, there is one thing you can do."

Joel

"It's been months since I last saw Tonia. I have no clue where she could be. I know she's with the Fireflies, I just wish I knew where. I've looked all over Arizona. It's now February from what I can tell. Entered Kansas last week. Hopefully I can find some sort of clue as to where the Fireflies are.

"And as time goes on, I get more and more concerned that I won't see Tommy again. I mean, he's my little brother. I always worry. But I don't know if he is with the Fireflies or not. I don't know if he's infected or even dead. Shit, same thing with Tonia. But she's smart, so she would make it anywhere. That and the damn research she kept reading every night. No matter what, someone would pay her big bucks to create the cure.

"I'm heading to St. Louis. Hopefully I'll be there in a month and that there will be some sign of life there. Otherwise I am wasting my fuckin' time. Tommy, Tonia, PLEASE be there!"

Antonia

"Ahh. Shit it's cold!" Antonia rubs her arms. "We don't have this kind of weather in my part of Texas." She mumbled to herself. "Hey Tommy, almost done?! I'm freezing my ass off up here!"

"Yep!" Tommy throws a vile up to Antonia.

"Perfect. Now let's go before other infected catch the scent. You know they go crazy when they smell blood. Especially one of their own."

"Yeah. Infected around here are crazy."

"A whole new kind of crazy! I hope I don't have to find a cure for that!"

Tommy and Antonia laugh. Ever since they met it's been like this. Antonia feels comfortable around him, like his brother. Tommy and Joel would deny it until they both die, but Antonia can tell that they are so alike. They truly were brothers.

…

"Antonia! Tommy! Welcome back. Any luck?"

Antonia holds up the vile of infected blood and beams.

"Just one step closer, Marlene."

"Perfect."

Antonia walks back to her lab as Marlene holds Tommy back.

"Tommy, are you sure? About what we talked about before you two left."

Tommy scratches his head and nods. "From what you've told me, there is a chance that Joel is still out there. I gotta find him."

"Tommy, you're working with our top scientist. You're helping to make a difference. Antonia gets closer and closer every day to cracking the virus code and making the cure. You sure you want to leave and leave all this behind?"

"Yeah. Antonia's great and all, but I remind her too much of Joel. I don't understand how, but she sees a lot of Joel in me and a lot of me in Joel. She's even called me Joel a few times this week. She needs someone else to be her lead security. Someone who won't make her go off in her own little world like she does."

"Ok, you want me to tell her?"

"Uhh... no. I will. I owe her that much. I just won't tell her that I'm looking for Joel. She'll likely insist on coming. And I don't think you would want that."

…

"Antonia?"

She turns around. Her eyes looking wide through her goggles. "Yeah? 'Sup Tommy?"

"Can I come in?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah. Come on in."

She presses the button to let Tommy in and goes right back to work. "What's up?"

"I came to tell you…"

"You're leaving." She moves her attention from the microscope to Tommy. "I kinda figured."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I feel bad to be honest. I keep talking about Joel and comparing you to him and all. And I'm sorry. I don't mean to. It's just I got to know him and you two are so much alike."

"No we're not."

Antonia rolls her eyes and goes back to her microscope. "Keep tellin' yourself that. I wish you the best and I do hope you don't die before finding where you want to be. Thank you for everything."

"Thank you, Antonia."

Tommy turns around and exits Antonia's lab for the last time.

"Good luck Tommy." She whispered. "See you soon, I hope."