It was the first time in weeks Miku felt the simple comfort of being clean.
And yet, even as her body rested, her mind didn't.
She dreamt of Ace—his hand reaching for hers through fire and smoke, his voice calling her name from somewhere she couldn't reach.
When morning came, she woke with a start, drenched in sweat.
The light that filtered through the curtains was pale and weak, but it was enough to remind her that the nightmare outside was still real.
She stepped to the window, her heart sinking at the sight.
The street below was crawling with zombies—limping, swaying figures that wandered aimlessly through the ruins of what had once been a quiet suburban neighborhood.
The air outside was still and heavy, filled with the faint scent of decay that the wind carried from somewhere far away.
Her chest tightened.
Ace was still out there somewhere. Maybe trapped in their house. Maybe fighting to survive. Maybe waiting for her.
She couldn't stay here forever.
