(Later that Night)

Later that night, Ellie and Enid were next to a couple of army trucks with bloodstains on them. They had buckets of water and sponges to clean them. Their punishment was to remove the blood from the damaged trucks.

After an hour of silence, the girls hadn't spoken to each other. It felt awkward, but they still felt the same bond - even after years of being apart.

"Ellie?" Enid finally broke the silence. She wasn't sure if she should speak up. They could've just cleaned the trucks without saying a word.

"What?" Ellie replied, sounding a little annoyed. Enid knew Ellie was upset about what happened earlier. "You mad at me?" Enid asked, already knowing the answer.

"What do you think, Enid?" Ellie rolled her eyes. "I don't know. I tried to help us, but I ended up making things worse. I'm just fuckin' great, huh?" Enid responded.

Ellie smirked, catching Enid's attention. "There's that smile. I was waiting for it," Enid said, nudging Ellie playfully.

"You saw it today, smartass," Ellie retorted, nudging her back. "You're a riot," Enid chuckled, moving around the truck to clean the other side. They shared a short laugh at this.

Ellie witnessed the incident and quickly dropped her sponge to assist. "You okay?" she inquired as she knelt beside Enid. Enid winced as she felt her back ache from the fall and rubbed it. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just fucked up my back," she responded.

However, before getting back on her feet, Enid noticed something on the truck that sent a chill down her spine. Although small, it was gruesome. "What's that?" Ellie questioned.

"Take a look... Looks like there was a shootout here..." Enid stated, pointing to a single severed finger stuck in the driver's side of the truck. The fresh blood and new bullet holes were unsettling.

They thought they could hear what seemed like gunfire from the shootout, targeting the Fireflies, they decided it was time to leave. After spotting the severed finger, they didn't want to stick around any longer.

Enid and Ellie exchanged uneasy glances. "Let's get the hell out of here," Enid declared, getting up. "Yeah, right behind you," Ellie concurred, standing up as well.

To make it seem like they had used up all the water, they emptied their buckets.

*X*

(The Next Day)

The two girls headed towards the school mess hall to grab some lunch. The place was packed with students, all buzzing about the shootout between the QZ soldiers and the Fireflies.

Enid had discovered that Ellie wouldn't be her roommate, which disappointed them both. However, it didn't dampen their mischievous spirits. They overheard conversations about the shootout that had spread like wildfire since the previous night.

Enid and Ellie just wanted to enjoy their day together, without dwelling on the shootout. Finally finding a table, Enid slyly pulled out Ellie's walkman from her backpack.

"Wow, you still have this tape?" Enid exclaimed, realizing it was the same one she had given Ellie before they ended up at this school. "Hey, you lousy thief," Ellie playfully retorted.

"What? Oh, this? I was just checking it out," Enid said, raising it up in the air, just out of Ellie's reach. "Hey! Give it to me!" she complained, attempting to grab the small music player. "Finders keepers!" Enid teased, using her height to her advantage.

"Not fair!" Ellie grumbled. Enid chuckled at Ellie's reaction and tossed it back to her. "I'm just fuckin' with ya, El. Here," Enid said, throwing the music player back to Ellie.

"You're such a ass," Ellie responded as she sat down at the table, but she had a smile on her face. "You love me and you know it," Enid replied, joining her at the table, "But I'm glad you still have that tape I gave you."

"Yeah, it's the one with your favorite song on it," Ellie said, plugging her earbuds into the Walkman. "I'm glad you remembered," Enid said, getting up and walking around the table to sit next to Ellie.

They each took an earbud and inserted it into their ears, and Ellie played the tape. The first song to play was "Take On Me" by the band Aha. It felt amazing to be able to listen to music again without the weight of the world on their shoulders.

*X*

(Later)

Around 10 pm that night, Enid thought it would be the perfect time to take Ellie out and explore the city. Maybe they could even plan their escape from the Boston QZ. Enid quietly left her dorm and made her way to Ellie's dorm.

There were soldiers patrolling the area, but she managed to sneak past them without being noticed. The soldiers were searching for anyone who was lingering around, possibly to detain them and check if they were infected.

Enid reached Ellie's room and knocked on the door. "Wakey wakey, Ellie. We're running late," she called out. Inside, Ellie heard Enid knocking and speaking, but it sounded muffled.

She put her Walkman aside, grabbed her jacket, and put it on. Then, she walked to the door and opened it. Enid had her arms crossed and was leaning against the door frame.

"Sleeping in on me, huh?" Enid asked with a grin. "I was just about to get up," Ellie replied with an eyeroll. "Bullshit. Besides, I didn't come here for small talk. I came to get you out of this city. Are you up for it?" Enid asked.

"You want to sneak out of here like me?" Ellie asked, stepping out of her room and closing the door behind her.

"I've been trying to leave this awful place for three years, girl. But now that my best friend is back, it'll be easier. Let's get the hell out of here," Enid said, nodding towards the front door. Ellie followed her and they began to climb over a fence that would lead them into the city.

"Do you have my back, El?" Enid asked as they climbed over the fence. "Always," Ellie replied, smiling once again. "Alright. Can you still keep up with me?" Enid asked, dropping down to the other side of the fence.

Ellie dropped down beside her and smiled back. "Hell yeah," Ellie replied.