The world seemed to swallow her whole.
Ley's scream ripped through the air as her body dropped from the rooftop. She reached out, hands clawing at nothing, air rushing past her ears. Below, a horde of the dead waited, arms raised, jaws snapping like hungry wolves.
Her chest tightened. This was it.
But instead—crash!
Her body tore through a sheet of rusty, brittle metal. It gave way with a screech, the jagged edges slicing her arms and cutting into her palms. She slammed hard onto a concrete floor, dust exploding upward, choking her lungs.
Pain shot through her whole body. Her ribs burned. Her palms stung. Her back throbbed. She tried to breathe, but her chest refused to work. For a second, she thought her lungs had collapsed. That she had survived the fall only to die gasping in the dark.
Then, with a sharp wheeze, air rushed back in. She coughed, chest heaving, heart pounding so loud she thought it would break through her ribs.
Ley lay still, ears ringing, her body screaming. Above her, muffled but clear, came the sound of moaning. The horde. Their heavy feet dragged across the roof. Their nails scraped against walls.
Her blood turned cold.
If they had seen her fall, they'd be tearing their way inside already. But they hadn't. Their shadows passed above, their hunger chasing something else.
Ley shut her eyes, steadying her breathing. She wasn't dead. She was broken, but alive. By luck, by chance, by some cruel twist of fate—she had survived.
"Ed…" she whispered, her throat dry, her lips cracked.
Only silence answered.
The memory of him burned in her mind—his face when she slipped, his hand reaching too late, his broken eyes. He thought she was gone. That thought hurt more than her wounds.
She rolled onto her side, groaning. Her body protested with every move, but she forced herself up, one shaky step at a time. The basement reeked of mold and damp stone. Pipes hung low from the ceiling, dripping water. The walls sweated moisture like the whole place was alive.
Each step echoed too loud. Her hand brushed a door—thick wood, heavy hinges. She pushed, and it squealed like a scream.
Her breath caught.
"Hello?" Her voice cracked, weak and rough.
The echo bounced back, too sharp. She winced. What if something had heard? What if the basement wasn't empty?
And then—voices.
She froze, her heart skipping. Not snarls. Not moans. Voices. Human.
Her chest tightened with hope.
She followed the sound, dragging her feet through a narrow hall that stretched farther than she thought possible. The pain in her legs begged her to stop, but she couldn't. Not now.
Finally, the hallway opened into a storage room. Flickering candlelight painted shadows on the walls.
And then—faces.
Her heart stopped.
Merry stood with arms crossed, a crooked grin on her lips. Jimuel leaned back against a crate, smirk tugging at his mouth. Gerald bounced on his toes, restless as ever, while Emy stayed still beside him, her calm presence holding him down. Kaye clutched a notebook to her chest, wide-eyed. And Renzy—the oldest, the sharpest—stood apart, his posture stiff, his stare steady.
"Merry…? Gerald…?" Ley's voice shook.
The group turned.
Shock froze them all.
"Ley?!" Gerald shouted, nearly tripping over a box as he rushed to her. "No way—you're alive?!"
Merry whistled low, grin sharp. "Hah. Cockroach Ley. Even gravity can't kill you." She gave Ley a playful punch on the shoulder, rough but warm.
Jimuel chuckled, shaking his head. "Always making an entrance."
Kaye's voice trembled, her eyes wet. "We thought you were gone…"
But Renzy's voice cut through them, calm but heavy. "Where's Ed?"
The question stabbed her chest. She remembered the rooftop—Ed's broken face, his hand reaching, his voice lost in her scream. Her throat closed.
"I… I don't know. He was still up there when I fell."
The room fell quiet. Only the candles crackled.
Gerald finally broke the silence, clapping his hands too loud. "If Ley's alive, then Ed's gotta be too! We just need to—"
"Quiet," Renzy snapped. His sharp eyes stayed on Ley. "She's hurt. First, we treat her."
Emy moved, her gentle voice steady. "Come, sit. You're bleeding."
Ley's legs gave out as she sank onto a crate. Emy knelt, cleaning her palms with a rag dipped in water. The sting burned, but Ley didn't pull back.
Gerald hovered, fidgeting, unsure how to help. Kaye rushed forward with a bottle, hands shaking. Merry sat down beside Ley, her grin glued in place.
"You're tougher than you look," Merry teased. "Fall from that high and still walking? Damn."
Ley let out a weak laugh. "I don't feel tough."
"You don't look tough either," Jimuel smirked.
Merry elbowed him. "Shut it. She's family."
Ley smiled—small, but real.
They shared what little food they had. A stale piece of bread, half a can of beans. It didn't taste like much, but the warmth of being together again filled her chest.
Then came the question burning in her.
"What happened to you… out there?"
The mood shifted.
Renzy spoke first. His voice low, heavy. "We tried to leave the city. The streets were rivers of the dead. Half of us didn't make it. We've been hiding here since. Surviving one day at a time."
Gerald jumped in, words fast. "Ley, you wouldn't believe it—we ran through fire, through glass, through whole streets of walkers. I swear I saw a guy rip his own arm off just to escape! Craziest thing I've ever—"
"Gerald!" Emy said softly.
He stopped, rubbing his neck. "Sorry. Just… it's been hell."
Merry stretched, grin wide. "We've been eating rats, rotten cans, you name it. Fun, if you lower your standards. Right, Jim?"
Jimuel smirked. "Best dinner dates I've ever had."
Merry laughed, shoving him.
Kaye lifted her notebook, voice shy. "I've been marking safe spots. Places where the dead don't wander much. It's… not perfect, but it helps."
Ley's heart ached, seeing how much they had all changed.
She clenched her fists, voice shaking but strong. "Ed's alive. I know it. He's saved me too many times. He wouldn't stop now."
Renzy sighed. "If he's alive, he's either blessed or crazy."
"He's alive," Ley snapped, surprising even herself with the fire in her voice. "I can feel it."
The room stilled.
Then Merry grinned. "There's the Ley I remember. Stubborn as ever."
Gerald's grin matched hers. "So what are we waiting for? Let's go find him!"
Renzy's voice dropped, serious. "It's not that simple. Out there, one mistake means death."
"We'll die hiding here too," Emy whispered, her words heavy with truth.
Silence. The candles flickered, shadows stretching.
Finally, Renzy exhaled. "Fine. We move at first light. But if things go bad—we run. No arguments."
Everyone nodded.
Emy finished wrapping Ley's hands. The pain dulled, but Ley hardly felt it.
For the first time since the fall, hope sparked in her chest. She wasn't alone anymore. She had her friends.
And tomorrow—they would step back into the nightmare. Not just to survive.
But to find Ed.