|Never Let Me Down Again||Joel Miller|

Chapter Thirteen

"Where'd she say she is?" Caroline asked as she hurried to pick up their camp.

"Said they were headed westbound on Austin Road. Know where that is?"

She slung the backpack off her shoulder and grabbed the crumpled map out of the front pocket. She tore it open, then proceeded to scan it for an Austin Road.

"Here." She said, walking over to Joel and pointing to where it is. "If it's headed westbound like she said..."

"It would be headed right towards us." They both came to the realization at the same time, then hurried even faster to start packing up their overnight camp.

Once the bags on both of their backs were filled with their supplies, they went back to the spot where they'd been camped out at for the past two days. Once they resumed their places behind the bush, Caroline pulled back out the map and began studying it.

"If she's right, they should be passing by any second."

"God, I hope she's right."

Caroline put away her map and took out the gun that she'd tucked beneath her belt. There they both sat, just waiting for the sight of a truck to come over the hill.

They had sat there for about a half hour, and Joel was starting to lose hope. "Maybe she was wrong. Or the truck decided to take another turn. I should go call her." Just as he started to get up and pull out his communicator, Caroline grabbed his hand.

"Joel. There it is."

He snapped up his head and looked down the road. Joel couldn't believe his eyes. Barreling down the road was a white, unmarked van.

"Get down, get down." Joel whispered as he pulled Caroline down under the cover of the bushes. They both watched as the truck followed the road, then stopped at the tree branches they had laid on the road. The driver stopped for a second, then said something to his passenger. After a moment, they both got out of the truck to investigate.

"Just wait." Joel said in an attempt to reel in Caroline, who was jumping out of her skin to go and confront the drivers.

She sat back and watched as they both examined the branches blocking the roadway, trying to decide the best course of action. They both went to go and try to lift it, and that's when Joel touched Caroline's arm and whispered a commanding "now."

In a flash both Joel and Caroline jumped out from behind the bush and approached the FEDRA officers from behind. Joel grabbed the driver of the van and knocked him out clean, leaving him to crumple on the floor. He then whipped around and grabbed the passenger, who was fighting with Caroline. Joel picked him up and grabbed him by the back of the neck, choking him out until his body relaxed.

"Joel, what do we do with them?" Caroline asked, motioning toward the two motionless bodies laying on the ground in front of them.

"When we go to pick up Tess we will drop 'em in the woods. Can't have them waking up and reportin' us."

"Got it." Caroline said, then reaching down to pick up the two guns that the drivers had dropped. Joel started to drag one of the officers into the truck, and Caroline followed suit.

Once they had hauled both of them into the back of the truck, Joel pulled out his communicator and called Tess.

"We've got the truck."

Caroline could hear Tess let out a relieved sigh. "Where do you want to meet? I'm camped out on Georgia Street."

"One sec." Joel said as he reached into his bag and grabbed the map. He traced his finger across its surface until he came across a Georgia Street. "Got it. We will come pick you up in about twenty minutes."

He hopped into the passenger seat and began to drive, sighing when the truck began to beep at him to put on a seatbelt.

"Think just because the world ended means that you don't have to wear a seatbelt?" Caroline asked. Joel looked over, frustrated at her remark until he noticed that she was giggling.

"Hey, none of that." He said, waving his finger and joining in on the joke.

"Just sayin'." She said, shrugging.

He drove down the road for a bit before breaking the silence again. "What's our plan, Mrs. Ex FEDRA agent?"

"Don't let Tess hear you say that. We can come up with something once we meet up with her."

"Oh, why are you kissing up to Tess all of a sudden?" Joel inquired, half playfully, half being actually curious.

"I don't want her to feel like I'm taking over the group. I'm the rookie. She should be part of the plan just as much as I am."

"Fair enough." He said, shrugging.

Silence hung in the air of the truck once more, this time being broken by Caroline.

"Joel, I have a question for you." She took a deep breath, not quite prepared for the conversation that she was about to start.

"What's up?"

"Are you and Tess, like, a thing?" She asked, feeling her heartbeat quicken in her chest. She couldn't lie to herself anymore. She had feelings for Joel. And before she was going to keep on letting herself get hurt, she had to know the truth.

Joel took a deep breath and a sigh before responding, almost to just gather his thoughts. "Tess and I are, well, we're complicated."

Caroline just sat there and looked at Joel, waiting for him to add to his statement that lacked the information that she was looking for.

"I'm not going to lie to you." He continued. "We've talked about it. Her and I haven't been separated in the past three years. We've spent so much of our time saving each other's lives, it'd be hard for us to not feel things for each other."

Caroline sat there, feeling her heart sink into her stomach.

"But, like I said, I'm not going to lie to you, Caroline." He continued, looking deep into her eyes. "Ever since you showed up back into my life, you're all I can think about. You're making me feel like a teenager again. It pains me so much to know all of the danger we're about to go through together, and all of my instincts are telling me to throw you as far away from this mess as I possibly can. But I need you, Caroline. I. Need. You. So as selfish as it sounds, I just can't let you go. I wake up every morning kicking myself, knowing what I'm getting you into. But I just can't live without you."

Joel sat back and took her hand, caressing her wrist with his palm. "You don't have to say anything back. I get it. It's a lot. Take your time."

"I love you, Joel."

"I love you too, Caroline."

She squeezed his hand, trying to prove to her mind that this was real. The silence in the van was now welcomed, with both Caroline and Joel taking in this moment to think of all the possibilities their futures could hold.

Their thoughts were both interpreted by the sight of Tess standing on the side of the road, clutching her bag, looking like she was ready for a fight.