Over the years that had passed, Tommy led Sarah and Adler to some city that seemed innocent enough.
He stayed with the two and watched over them, especially helped Sarah to school when it was finally established.
She was fourteen and Adler was six when the laws seemed to get stricter. That's also when the fire flies sprouted and began rebelling.
Fast forward few years later, when Sarah is nineteen, she had been working for some shop; it was mostly selling necessities and giving few ration cards.
Adler was twelve and still doing school while Sarah had to look after him after Tommy left.
But eventually, Adler dropped out of school to become part of the special police force of that whole city. He wanted to help his friend as she had helped him.
But the years would go on just as they always had. And events will transpire...
.
Sarah was looking out the window of her dark house, gazing at a clear blue sky. She was thirty years old, her hair was tied back unlike it was when she was twelve. Wild years in a tamed civilization, she sighed.
She lost her job in the market and would soon have to find another way of income.
Coming out of his room, was a tall and well formed Adler. He had let his hair grow out as well, but his excuse for such an unrefined hair option is that it wouldn't feel natural.
It surprises Sarah, really. That the guard would allow the twenty one year old in even if he's rough looking. The guys a softy.
They hadn't left the city ever; Tommy had left Sarah with Adler but even when she wanted to follow, she was too scared. Its still overrun with infectos and she didn't want to become a murdering husk.
"Hey." Adler said, looking at Sarah with a smirk. "How was work?"
She looked at the release notice; old type of paper with a simple little message:
I found someone better. Your fired.
The rest of your rations going into the
Employees.
Its the Apocalypse, sure. But damn, that basterd was colder then the winters winds.
"Oh... Well, that's okay!" Adler sat at the table with Sarah and tried to give her his best smile. "I might finally get to fill in for some guy. He's dealing with something else, so I might get guard duty. I'll be able to get some ration cards."
Sarah sighed. "Adler... I don't know if that'll even be enough. We would of had a months worth..."
There was a heavy nock at the door. Sarah looked over at it with some hesitation. But Adler got up and answered it for her.
A woman much older stood in the door way, she was still a beaut, as Adler would admit. She stepped inside like she owned the place. "Adler, Sarah." She sat on the couch and made herself cozy.
Sarah looked at Tess. The woman was an old friend of her father, Joel. The two worked together or something.
"Hi, Tess."
She nodded back. Tess was worn down, had a scar on her face and some old rag around her hair. The woman was a smuggler in most things, some illegal actions were in the job details.
"So... Is there something you need?" Sarah asked.
"Now that you mention it, I came over to ask for some help."
"No, no, no." Adler and Tess weren't exactly the best of friends themselves, seeing as he wanted to stay out of bad activity. And Tess was in a lot of it.
"Sarah and I aren't interested in getting arrested and punished for whatever your doing."
"Damn it, Ad! Its not illegal!" Tess protested. "I just need some things from a friend who owes me some ration cards. I'll split with you guys."
Sarah stepped up and told Tess "if its not illegal then okay. I mean, were just helping you get some ration cards, right?"
Adler definitely didn't believe it wasnt something illegal. But damn if he was just going to let Sarah walk into some trouble, and Tess always got into trouble.
"Fine, I'll go to."
Tess smirked and led the two out to the streets. She had told them more stuff about the guy, Robert.
He had owed her... the ration cards. But he hadn't paid his due. All she wants is a simple conversation with the guy and then get out.
The security was everywhere on the gate, outside was a squad while there was simply a man in front with a rifle in hand. He was looking at the Adler and the other two.
"Wait right here." Adler told them.
He went up to the gate guard and showed his ID, gave some ration cards for payment. "Go right through." The guard said.
A vehicle came riding in and it hit some of these officers. Popping out of the vehicle was some molatov cocktails bursting with fire and covering these soldiers within it.
"Shit!" The front guard said. "Fire flies!"
The gate was closed off for Adler and he went back running.
"Damn it, Tess! You didn't say anything about any fire flies!"
"How was I suppose to know?" She yelled back.
She ran towards the street and signalled the other two to follow. "Damn it Tess." Sarah said. None the less the two followed her to some run down building full of people, who seemed busy with their own stuff.
Tess moved some shelf and there was a tunnel, the wood picked at by time and leading within a darkness that almost seemed foggy.
"You two are gonna need some gas mask." Tess said, pulling three of them out of her bag.
Adler glared at her with anger as he took the gas mask and put it around his face.
"Tess, why do we need these?" Sarah asked.
"There might be spores down there. Don't know, just in case. We might need then later, if not."
They went inside the tunnel, the darkness swarming them and hiding them. The shelf slid back in place, there was no going back from this.
It took them awhile, really. There was doubt from Adler that there wouldn't be any danger in the tunnel, it was a tunnel after all. An unknown tunnel.
There were those clickers in there; their faces were covered with all kinds of... Orange and cracked fungus. They searched for prey. For meat.
"Those basterds..." Tess said.
"Wh-what are they?" Sarah asked.
"Well, there one of the infected. They can't see, but they can hear really well and when they do-"
There was a loud clicking and a screech from the creature as it ran towards the three.
"Shit..." Sarah and Tess saw the thing get closer, breathing like some wild animal. But it ceased when its face caved in and blood and brains came flying like kaffeti.
Sarah looked at Adler, who held his gun in hand and put it back in its place. She realized then that he had certainly grown up and became a man.
"When'd you get a gun?" Tess asked.
"I'm training to be an officer, remember? Besides. I knew shit like this would happen."
"Tess, why do you need our help with Robert? Tell us the truth." Sarah, in a not so commanding way, ordered her.
Tess just kept going. The fog was thick and she didn't want to stand in there and talk, especially with the gas mask on.
They saw the light of the sun peer down on them, it felt like they had been in there for so long; its glare felt new for some odd reason.
They crawled onto the surface and made some more advances till they were inside a house. Tess told some small boy to check if the coast is clear, give him some bribe to keep his help.
"Alright, Tess. Tell me and Adler what is really going on." Sarah commanded once again.
The older woman sighed and handed her second gun to the girl. "Take this."
Sarah looked at the hand gun, a simple little thing that seemed decently well, and there was a curious fear towards it.
"I've never used a gun before, Tess."
"You mean to tell me that Ad over here can use a gun, but you can't? How have you survived?"
Adler looked at the woman with some fierce gaze. "Her uncle tommy kept us safe over the years. And when he left, I did. I dropped out just to keep her out of danger. Your lucky you know her, Tess."
"What are you saying, Ad?" Tess got close to the tall boy, knowing the gripping threat he wasn't letting out in the open. "You telling me your going to kill me or something? If I didn't know Sarah?"
"Damn it, you guys!" Sarah exclaimed.
There was a knock at the window, the little boy had returned. The coast was clear and they walked outside to the other side of the quarantine zone.
Sarah hadn't forgotten the question, but it would have to wait as they gotten closer to Roberts where a bouts.
A steel cage lined some way out into the alley way, brick everywhere. And there was a group of men who happen to be looking at them with some sinister intent.
"You people need to leave." The main man told them. He had a gun in the side of his pants, and he wasn't afraid to show it off. Obviously Roberts men.
"You don't need to do this." Tess told them. "This is between me and Robert."
"Bitch! Leave before I put a bullet in you." The man held his gun out, and the others started to get ready to kill.
"Look, I-"
"Bitch! I said-"
"Fuck this." Tess shot the man in his face, a pure bullet hole went through to see all the disgust inside. And the iron was lodged in.
The three went into cover, while the bullets began to fly over them. Tess shot back at these men, while Adler held back to help Sarah.
He pulled the trigger on who ever got close and kept her safe; even if she had a gun, she couldn't pull that trigger.
When the bodies were filled with enough led to fill a lot of pencils, it was safe to go on and search for Robert.
"So its not Ration cards." Adler said.
"Nope. Its guns."
She heard him stop, his worn down shoes not making any further movement.
"Fucking hell, Tess! That's illegal! Sarah and I could get executed for helping you with this bull shit."
"Its too late now, right?" Sarah told him.
She had her point. And it made his blood boil. "I didn't go and join the quarantine security just to get you killed, Sarah. We don't even know Tess!"
Sarah's blue eyes looked into his with a detest. "No, we don't. But she's dads- my dads friend. He'd want me to help her."
Adler just rolled his eyes and let them continue on. The place was swarmed with gun toting thugs. They were taken out easily enough, Tess was stealthy while Adler was forward with his encounters.
Tess saw the doors, saw where Robert was hiding. It was clearly his office because of the men they killed just to get there. This was the only place they didn't have those rats.
"That basterd should of hired some better Goons." She remarked.
Adler and Sarah watched as she kicked the doors down, some glass bottle was thrown at her. It broke beside the door, glass sliding to the floor. She saw the man just run from her while he screamed "Fuck you, Tess!"
She chased after him, and the other two followed. There was rooms full of broken items and pulled down furniture. Tess was chasing a man desperate to escape, Sarah and Adler saw that now.
Just what's going to happen when she catches him?
When they found the two, she had hit him with the steel pipe in her hand and was interrogating him.
"Who has our guns?" She asked him.
When he refused, she gave him another beating with that pipe. But when he finally gave her an answer, the words were weak and breathy.
"F-f-fire flies. I sold them to the fire flies."
Tess groaned. How that transaction happened... Didn't matter. "I can get them back for you. Just let me-"
"You know, I would of done that if you didn't try to kill me."
She had her gun in the grasp of her hands and she took him out right there.
Sarah had been seeing others die today. She'd seen a lot of people die in her life. As did Adler. But Roberts Dead eyes looked at them as the back of his head laid on the wall.
Those eyes made the two feel something...
"Well," Tess sighed. "I guess we need to find the fire flies."
Adler scratched his head. But Sarah asked "where would we even look?"
"You won't have to look far."
They saw a woman holding her wound and looking at them with great importance.