Chapter 87 - 86
The tension had finally begun to loosen.
Some of them had settled beneath the shade of the nearby trees, resting their backs against the trunks while they ate whatever food they had managed to carry with them.
Others sat along the edge of the road, talking quietly.
A few had wandered closer to the buildings, staring at them with the same curiosity they had shown when they first entered.
Nobody seemed to know exactly what they were supposed to do.
And strangely, that was fine.
For once, there was no immediate danger demanding their attention.
Nina sat with Veronica a short distance from the others.
Veronica had been asking questions ever since they finished their reunion.
Not all of them had answers.
Sometimes Nina only shook her head.
Sometimes she laughed.
Sometimes she went quiet.
But she no longer felt the desperate need to keep moving.
She could sit.
She could breathe.
She could listen to someone talk without wondering whether they would have to run halfway through the conversation.
Veronica handed her a small piece of food.
Nina accepted it.
"You’re still eating like you’re afraid someone will take it from you."
Nina paused.
Then looked down at the food in her hand.
"I guess I am."
Veronica smiled.
"You can slow down."
Nina gave her a skeptical look.
"You’ve seen what I’ve been through."
"I know."
"Then you know I’m not slowing down."
Veronica laughed.
Nina couldn’t help smiling.
Nearby, several survivors were talking about the village.
One of them was still trying to figure out how the walls had been built.
Another had become fascinated by the road.
Someone else was asking whether the buildings were all part of the village.
Their questions overlapped until nobody could tell who was answering whom.
For once, it didn’t matter.
There was no urgency behind the conversation.
No fear.
Just curiosity.
Nina looked around.
Snow was lying nearby, its head resting on its front paws.
Dog was beside Caleb.
Or rather, Caleb was beside Dog.
The distinction had become difficult to make.
Caleb was sitting on the ground, scratching the dog’s ears while loudly explaining something that the creature clearly did not understand.
"You have to understand," Caleb said seriously, "that chasing me around the village was completely unnecessary."
Dog’s tail thumped against the ground.
Caleb nodded.
"Exactly. I’m glad we agree."
Benjamin, sitting nearby, snorted.
Caleb looked at him.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You laughed."
"I didn’t."
"You definitely did."
Benjamin shook his head.
Caleb returned his attention to Dog.
"Don’t listen to him."
Dog licked his hand.
Caleb stared at it.
"See? He understands me."
Nina laughed quietly.
Veronica glanced toward her.
"You like him."
"Who?"
"Caleb."
Nina looked toward the boy arguing with a dog.
She smiled.
"He’s ridiculous."
"That’s not what I asked."
Nina laughed again.
"Maybe."
The sound felt strange coming from her.
Not because she didn’t remember how to laugh.
Because she hadn’t realized how long it had been since she’d wanted to.
For a few minutes, there was nothing else.
No Beast Tide.
No broken walls.
No screaming.
No blood.
Just people sitting around a road in a strange village, sharing food and laughing at Caleb.
It was almost normal.
Almost.
And perhaps that was why none of them wanted to question it.
They simply let themselves enjoy it.
Caleb eventually stood.
Dog immediately stood with him.
Caleb looked down.
"Where are you going?"
Dog wagged its tail.
"No."
The tail wagged harder.
"I said no."
Dog followed him anyway.
Caleb took a few steps toward one of the nearby buildings.
Dog followed.
He stopped.
Dog stopped.
Caleb took another step.
Dog took another step.
Caleb turned around.
"Are you following me?"
Dog stared at him.
Caleb folded his arms.
"That’s creepy."
Benjamin called from behind him.
"You’re the one who adopted it five minutes ago."
"I did not adopt it."
"You called it cute."
"That doesn’t mean I adopted it."
"You scratched its ears for ten minutes."
"That was different."
"How?"
Caleb opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
He pointed at Benjamin.
"I don’t have to explain myself to you."
Benjamin laughed.
Caleb turned away with exaggerated dignity.
"Come on."
Dog followed.
Caleb stopped again.
"Actually, stay."
Dog sat.
Caleb stared.
He looked genuinely surprised.
"Oh."
He glanced back at Benjamin.
"Did you see that?"
Benjamin nodded.
"It listens to you."
Caleb’s expression brightened.
"See?"
He crouched in front of Dog.
"I knew you were smart."
Dog tilted its head.
Caleb looked around before lowering his voice.
"Between you and me, everyone here thinks I’m the problem."
Benjamin burst out laughing.
Caleb pointed at him.
"Don’t ruin this."
"You are the problem."
"I am not."
"You ran away from a dog."
"It chased me!"
"Because you were screaming."
"Because it was chasing me!"
Several people nearby started laughing.
Caleb looked offended.
"You people are supposed to support me."
Nina laughed.
"You ran away from a dog that was wagging its tail."
Caleb pointed at her.
"You weren’t there."
"I was."
"Then you should understand."
"I don’t."
Veronica covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
Caleb looked around at all of them.
"Unbelievable."
He turned toward Dog.
"At least you understand me."
Dog wagged its tail.
Caleb nodded solemnly.
"Exactly."
Henry had been watching the scene from a short distance away.
For once, there was no tension in his face.
No worry.
No exhaustion.
Just a faint smile as he watched Caleb argue with everyone and then immediately turn around to confide in a dog.
It was such a familiar sight.
Caleb being ridiculous.
Benjamin teasing him.
Everyone laughing.
Henry smiled.
Then, almost without thinking, he said,
"Alexander would definitely not approve of this."
The laughter stopped.
Not all at once.
A few smiles lingered for half a second longer.
Then they faded.
Caleb’s expression changed.
Benjamin went quiet.
Veronica lowered her gaze.
Nina’s smile disappeared.
Even Dog seemed to sense the sudden stillness, turning its head toward the group.
Henry’s own smile slowly faded.
He hadn’t meant to say it.
It had simply slipped out.
A familiar thought attached to a familiar moment.
And now the silence that followed felt much heavier than the laughter had.
The laughter slowly faded again.
This time, nobody tried to force it back.
The mention of Alexander had left a quiet space among them, one that everyone seemed to understand without needing to explain.
He was missing.
That was the truth.
They had no idea where he was.
They had no idea what had happened after they were separated.
And there had been no word from him.
Nina lowered her gaze.
"Do you think he’s still out there?"
Henry looked at her.
"I think it’s possible."
"Possible?"
Henry nodded.
"We don’t have any proof that he’s dead."
Those words settled over the group.
They weren’t comforting exactly.
But they were honest.
Nobody knew.
And until they knew, there was no reason to bury someone who might still be fighting to survive.
Henry glanced toward the forest.
"Alexander isn’t helpless."
Nina looked at him.
"He’s military trained. He’s survived situations that would have killed most people."
Benjamin nodded.
"He knows how to survive."
"He does," Henry agreed.
Caleb looked down at Dog.
"And he’s stubborn as hell."
A faint smile appeared on Nina’s face.
"That too."
Henry smiled briefly.
"If anyone can survive being separated from the group, it’s him."
Nobody argued.
They wanted to believe it.
Perhaps that was all they could do.
Veronica was quiet for a moment before speaking.
"But what are we supposed to do?"
Nina looked at her.
Veronica’s gaze drifted toward the village.
"We can’t exactly go searching for him."
Nobody answered.
They all knew why.
They had barely made it to Velaris themselves.
Leaving the safety of the territory to search the wilderness for one person would put everyone at risk.
And even if they wanted to search, they had no idea where to begin.
The wilderness was too large.
There were too many monsters.
Too many dangers.
They didn’t even know where Alexander had been separated from them.
Nina slowly exhaled.
"So we wait."
Henry nodded.
"We wait."
Caleb scratched Dog’s ears.
"And we hope."
"Yeah," Nina said quietly.
"We hope."
The words felt strange.
They had spent so long surviving from one moment to the next that hope had almost become something unfamiliar.
Hope required believing there would be a tomorrow.
It required believing that the person you were waiting for might actually return.
Nina looked around at the others.
They were exhausted.
Dirty.
Injured.
Some were still carrying wounds that hadn’t fully healed.
Yet they were alive.
They had found shelter.
They had food.
They had walls protecting them.
For the first time in days, they didn’t need to spend every second preparing for the next attack.
Maybe they couldn’t find Alexander.
Maybe they couldn’t help him.
But they could survive.
They could recover.
They could make this place their temporary home.
And if Alexander was still alive somewhere out there, then perhaps one day he would find his way here too.
Nina looked toward the road.
People were already moving around the village again.
A resident carried supplies past them.
Someone else was talking near one of the buildings.
The ordinary rhythm of Velaris continued.
The world hadn’t stopped because Alexander was missing.
Neither could they.
Nina turned back toward Veronica.
"We should eat."
Veronica smiled.
"That’s the first sensible thing you’ve said."
Nina laughed softly.
"I’m serious."
"I know."
Caleb stood, and Dog immediately stood with him.
Caleb looked down.
"You’re not following me again."
Dog wagged its tail.
Caleb sighed.
"Fine."
Benjamin laughed.
Nina shook her head.
For a moment, the heaviness returned.
Then it eased.
Alexander was still missing.
They were still worried.
They still didn’t know whether they would ever see him again.
But they had no reason to believe he was dead.
So they would hope.
And while they hoped, they would live.
They would eat.
They would rest.
They would heal.
They would learn about Velaris.
They would laugh when they could.
And if Alexander was still somewhere out there, they would leave a place for him.
Nina took another breath.
For now, that was enough.
A/N: Hey everyone! I just wanted to give you a quick heads-up about the past few Chapters.
I’ve gone back over some of the recent Chapters and realized there are a few things I’m not completely happy with, especially with the pacing and some repeated parts. I’ll be going back to re-edit and re-upload the affected Chapters once I’m back home.
I’ll still be continuing with the story as usual, so don’t worry! If you notice some changes when you revisit the earlier Chapters, that’s why. ❤️
Thank you so much for your patience and for continuing to read and support the story. Once the edits are done, feel free to reread the updated Chapters if you’d like! 🥹💕