Eh. You know, I dont know why I haven't updated earlier. I think I've been thinking about Tom Hiddleston so much lately. Ya know, he's just so great as Loki. I digress. Anyway. ehhhhh. Just let me know what you think of this chapter. I mean it. Also, if you want, you can take a look at my blog to go with this story, if you want. The link is on my profile page. So, yeah. Enjoy! :)

"Joel, I know you lied to me about what happened with the Fireflies." Ellie said, as she and Joel waited for Jemma.

"I knew no matter what I said, you wouldn't be happy."

"But why'd you do it?"

He sighed. "I'm just a selfish asshole." He looked to the hall where Jemma had disappeared. A faint light came from a doorway, and it flickered every few seconds.

"I know, but, why? Why did you take me? It would have been easier to just leave me."

He didn't answer her. He didn't want to say he loved her, because he wasn't sure if he did. Joel felt an obligation to her, but was it some sort of attachment? She was like a daughter, yet she was so far from a daughter. Their relationship wasn't that of a parent and child. In a way, they were like friends, but, they were not. Joel couldn't define it as any one thing.

"I didn't want to. I couldn't live with that." He said, finally.

They sat in silence. Ellie flipped through a magazine. She wasn't concentrating on the words, even though she wanted to. She read the same sentence at least four times before it finally sunk in.

Even though the content was petty and vain, she wanted to escape her life, if only for a second. The glossy pages were covered with women in skimpy outfits, and articles on a better sex life. None of that interested Ellie, but, she secretly longed for a life where she wouldn't have to sleep with one eye open.

Joel propped his feet up on a chair next to him. His knees cracked, and he chuckled to himself as he marveled at his old age. He closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep as they waited.

He jumped awake to the sound of metal crashing to the floor. Joel looked around for Ellie, but she was already down the hall.

The woman who had greeted them earlier opened the door. "Everything is fine." She walked out into the hall.

"What's going on in there?!" Ellie yelled. "What the hell are you doing to her?!" She tried to get past the woman.

The nurse sputtered, "She'll be fine if you stay out of there." She put her hand firmly on the doorknob, as if Ellie was going to stop because of it.

"Fuck you."

Joel grabbed her by the shoulder. "Knock it off."

"But it's been four hours and Jemma's not here."

"Stop it. Just leave them alone."

The two locked eyes for a few seconds. Ellie knew she wasn't going to win, and headed back to the front room.

Joel turned back to the nurse. She looked up at him nervously. He noticed a small smear of blood on the front of her shirt. Their eyes met. "What the hell is going on?" He hissed, trying to keep his voice down so Ellie wouldn't hear.

"You know, Jemma was very sick when she came in."

"Yeah, I know."

"Things aren't looking too well for her. I am not sure if you understand the gravity of the situation."

Joel could faintly hear Jemma groaning. "What?"

The nurse stepped in closer to him. "She has an infection. It has gone on so long that her body is trying to die. It is giving up. She doesn't want to, but she can't stop it. I don't know how to say it in English."

"Well, can't you do something about it?"

"Yes, but it will be a few days before we know if she is going to come out of it. We are doing the best we can."

Joel was unsatisfied. "Let me see her."

The woman shook her head. "I really cannot. You'll have to wait."

"Why not?"

"She's having a procedure done. I can have you talk with my sister if you want." She turned the door handle.

"Fine."

The other woman working at the clinic came to Joel an hour later.

"If you want to talk, come join me." She said, and motioned toward the hall. Joel followed her, and she lead him through the same doorway he thought Jemma's room was in. It was another hallway, lit by a single fluorescent light. Several doors were on the left side, and a staircase on the right.

They both went up the stairs, and Joel kept his hand on his pistol. The woman seemed trustworthy enough, but he knew he couldn't take chances.

The second floor was a single room. Two beds were side by side, and a few cots were next to them. A table with six chairs was next to a long window, and a small television was on it. A few bookshelves were filled with manuals and movies, and that was it.

She sat at the table, and pushed the television to the opposite side. Joel took the seat across from her. She was around his age, but her face didn't show it. She was much younger than her sister. She didn't have much of an accent. She also was a lot thinner than her sister, much to her benefit.

"So, about Jemma. Have you known a long time?"

"About two months."

"Then I feel obligated to let you know what's going on. She's... infected. Immune, I should say-"

"We know that."

She looked surprised. "Oh. Well. Let me explain it to you. Much like a cold, after a certain point it isn't contagious anymore. The only way it can spread is through blood. So, she could never donate a kidney, if you know what I'm talking about.

"As you may have learned in school, the baby and its mother share the same blood. That's what went wrong. The strange thing is that her body didn't abort the fetus.

"I didn't know the effect it would have on the baby, though. When she came in before, she was too far along for me to preform an abortion. It would have killed her. I had some hope that maybe everything would turn out right, and the baby would be immune, too.

"I don't mean to sound insensitive, but did you see the child?"

Joel shook his head. "Look, I know the kid was infected, but can you explain to me why we're here right now?"

She nodded. "Yes, after giving birth, a woman becomes extremely susceptible to any kind of illness. Most of the time, nothing happens. Jemma, unfortunately, wasn't so lucky. How long has she been ill?"

Joel had to think. "A couple of weeks, maybe three."

"Without any medical treatment, it just got worse." She paused. "She was functioning, but she is very sick. Any longer, and she might have died."

"And when can she leave?"

She pursed her lips. "I would like her to stay for a couple of days. You and your daughter are welcome to stay, if you choose. It's safe here."

"She's not my daughter."

"So is that a yes?"

"I guess." Joel said, disgruntled.

The night was spent in awkward conversation between the two sisters, and Joel and Ellie. The older sister was Marie, and the younger, Audrey. They had lived in Quebec in the years prior to the outbreak, but moved to the states to work in a hospital in Minnesota. The two then moved to Idaho when the city started to fall apart.

Joel didn't say much about their past, and he sure as hell didn't mention the fact that Ellie and Jemma were sisters. He felt extremely uncomfortable the whole night.

Jemma didn't join them. Audrey said she was downstairs, trying to recoup. Joel wanted to see her, just to make sure she was alright. He felt some strange attachment to her. He didn't know if it was because she was Ellie's sister, or what. But, there was that awful attraction he felt. He didn't want to see her in that light, but she was beautiful. Hell, she was younger than Sarah would have been.

He couldn't think about that.

"Let's play cards," Ellie said, and pulled a deck from her backpack. It had been well used, and the cardboard container was almost disintegrated. She started shuffling the deck, and the other three sat around in a circle.

"We can play poker," Marie suggested.

"I was thinking something easier, like go fish." Ellie answered, and started dealing to the group. Joel hadn't taught her to play any games, but he figured she had picked it up at school.

They played for a few hours, and then the sun started to set. Joel set up two cots for him and Ellie. The group laid in total darkness, and it was completely silent, aside from their breathing.

...

After an hour of not being able to sleep, Joel got out of bed. He made sure he had his gun and knife, and moved for the stairs. He kept looking over his shoulder, making sure nobody was watching him. The three were asleep, so he headed downstairs.

The solitary light in the hall seemed blinding, compared to the pitch black of the stairwell. It flickered on and off, and the pattern of it made Joel feel extremely uneasy.

He tried opening the doors to his right, but they were locked. When he reached the last one, the handle gave, and he opened the door.

Jemma was sleeping in a hospital bed, bundled up in several blankets. Her skin was washed out, and in the dim light, almost had a grey sheen to it. She had dark circles under her eyes that looked like bruises. Joel walked to her bedside, and watched her for a moment.

Her arm was uncovered, so Joel pulled the top blanket up. Jemma grabbed both of his arms, and dug her nails into his skin.

"Joel," she mumbled, but her voice was deeper than usual. He looked into her eyes, but they were blank. He tried to pull away, but she tightened her grip.

"Joel, when you're lost in the darkness, look for the light. Look for the light. Look for the light. Look for the light. Look for the light." It was robotic, in a way.

He tried to shake her off, but she kept repeating it. "Look for the light, look for the light, look for the light, look for the light, look for the light-"

Her eyes rolled back into her head, and a gurgling sound came from the back of her throat. She let go of his arms, and fell back into her bed.

Joel was stunned. He had no idea what happened, and his mind was reeling.

"Jemma, are you okay?" Joel touched her shoulder, gently.

She shot up, as of she had been surprised that he was there. She gagged, and coughed up coagulated blood. She sputtered, and started crying. Joel was too stunned to move. Blood ran out of Jemma's mouth, and her hands moved wildly.

"Help me!" She yelled.

Marie and Audrey ran into the room. Joel stepped back, and the sisters yelled at each other in French.

"Get out!" The older yelled, and pushed him. "Get out! Get out!"

She slammed the door in his face. At that exact moment, the hall light went out.

Joel was still too stunned to move.

Look for the light, he thought. Look for the light.

just saying, somebody dies at the end of the next chapter.