It was surprisingly easy to convince people at the doors and in the hallways that you and Joel were new faces in the base.

Every now and then there were skeptical looks, people watching you out of the corner of their eye, trying to find something about you that looked suspicious.

But most of them didn't care about you.

Abby's name didn't have to be mentioned once. Things went too easy.

But when you arrived on the lab floor, your winning streak snapped.

"Shit!", cursing, you pressed against the wall, holding Joel back so he wouldn't run blindly into the arms of the guards. "I should have known."

Hastily you looked around and indicated that he should crawl into the air shaft, if it was possible. Fortunately for you, the old thing was not lockable and could be opened like a hinged door.

Warm air filled your nose, mixed with the sour smell of chemicals as you climbed up the shaft with Joel's help.

You reached out a hand to help him climb up as well.

"What now?", he asked, half sitting down and pulling his head in so he wouldn't bump into the metal.

You took a look through the grate. The two of you were sitting directly above the heads of the guards.

Every single one of them was heavily armed, helmets, bulletproof vests and machine guns. The whole set made them look like soldiers of the military. Only God knew where they had found those things, but you wanted to avoid an encounter at all costs.

With a silent curse, you pulled a face.

"There's Owen...", you mumbled, indicating that Joel should follow you.

"Who?", he asked, stopping for a moment to get an idea of the situation himself.

"Owen. Abby's boyfriend. Those two are like heaven and hell, but when something happens, they work like a clock. We need to be quiet and end this quickly. If Owen's in the room, we're not going to survive this."

"He sounds like a crazy bastard."

You shook your head.

"I haven't seen him in a long time, but he's not crazy. He's cold and calculating. That's what makes him dangerous for us. Abby is impulsive. But with his head and her ruthlessness, they are dangerous."

You turned a corner, took a peek into the room below, and crawled on.

The labs were still surprisingly well equipped, lots of samples and people working on them. It wouldn't be easy to quietly kill someone and then escape the building in threes.

Depending on the situation, Ellie could also be unconscious. That would have made many things more difficult.

Again you changed direction, prompted by a voice that sent goosebumps down your spine.

Abby.

There were only unintelligible sounds, as if people were arguing with each other, but you were sure it was her. It just had to be her.

Your heart pounded in your chest as you turned another corner. You stopped at a grate.

Joel settled down next to you, on the other side, and listened as well.

Now the words were clear.

"We have to do it now.", that was Abby's voice, impatient like that of a small child.

"We can't.", the other voice was also female, but unknown to you.

Abby sighed.

You couldn't see her face from the angle but the way she talked sounded like she was about to scream in frustration.

"Mel.", she said and grabbed the visibly pregnant woman by the shoulders. "This is our only chance. She's right here, with us and you won't see the possibilities?"

The woman named Mel shook her hands off.

She seemed almost offended that Abby was touching her like this. Maybe these two weren't really friends. At least there was some sort of uncomfortable tension between them.

"I do see the possibilities, Abby. But this is risky. We don't have the methods, the supplies or even the people to pull this off."

"So what? We wait until we do?"

"It would be the safest option."

Grinding her teeth, Abby growled.

"It's not!", she hissed. "They might already be here. If so, we're fucked!"

Confused, Mel frowned.

"Who's here, Abby?", she asked, placing a protective hand on her belly. "Did you kidnap her from someone?!"

Abby sighed and rolled her eyes. Her gaze jumped up to the ceiling, but she missed you glancing down and listening to every single thing she said.

"Let's say it took some effort to get her.", she growled. "And I want to get back at somebody."

"You can't just kidnap and kill someone for revenge, Abby!"

"Yes I can! And to top it all off, she might give us a cure. All we need to do is to open her fucking head and get the tumour out.", she let out a deep, exhausted breath. "And I need you to do it, Mel. You're the only one I can trust with this."

Mel frowned. Hesitation shimmered in her eyes. She was so unsure of this.

Even she was able to sense how twisted and turned this idea was. But at the same time she couldn't help and have this spark of hope.

"I- this could change everything?", she asked, stroking her belly.

Abby shrugged.

"Maybe. If we do it quickly."

But the hesitation in Mel's eyes did not fade.

"Let me think about it. Just a few days."

Without another word she left, visibly confused and yet irritated by Abby's behaviour.

Abby closed the door behind her, turning the key inside the lock. Her head hit the cold surface of the door. She sighed and tossed the key into the room with a frustrated scream.

You threw a quick glance over to Joel.

"That's our chance.", you said. "You go and look for Ellie. I'll take care of Abby."

But before you could open the gate.

"Wait.", he squeezed your hand. "What am I supposed to do if I find her? Where shall I wait for you?"

With a soft expression on your face, you shook your head.

"Don't wait for me. I'll do what I need to and take care of myself. There's a back door. Nobody uses it because the area is contaminated. But Ellie's immune and you have a mask at hand. The exit leads to a lake that is connected to a huge river. Avoid the island in the middle, otherwise if you follow the lake you two will be fine."