Where We Left Off Novels & Stories

And it was succeeding. The next morning, we brought reinforcements. Chaos arrived first. Complaining. As usual. Order arrived shortly afterward. Looking curious. A rare expression. We led them directly to the clearing. Or tried to. Twice we walked past it. Three times we became distracted. At one point Chaos started discussing pastries. Nobody knew why. The conversation lasted ten minutes. Then stopped. Because none of us liked pastries. The realization was deeply concerning. Finally, after repeatedly consulting our notes, we reached the clearing.

my voice barely a whisper as I reached for the seatbelt. With a swift turn of the key, Greypi ignited the engine, skillfully maneuvering the steering wheel. As we began our departure from the bustling city, I stole one last glance in the direction of the alluring fragrance that had captivated my senses. ‘What could that have been?’ I pondered, my curiosity lingering in the air. After a while, we departed from the City, leaving behind the fading fragrance that had accompanied us. Upon our return to the Cabin, Greypi and I found ourselves in a state of silence.

Neither did I. We stood there together, side by side, looking at the space we were about to leave behind. “You did good,” he said quietly. I glanced at him. “So did you.” A small pause. Then— “We’re not done,” he said. It wasn’t a warning. Just a fact. “I know.” I looked back at the tree one last time. At the place where we had finally stopped long enough to account for the dead. Then I turned away.

" I looked down at his stubborn yet fragile grip on my hand. In the end, I sighed and pushed him away. "We're over, Eugene."

They were the maps of how far we had come. Daniel squeezed my hand, his thumb tracing the line of my ring. "Where to now, partner?" I smiled, looking out at the vast, open horizon. "Home, Daniel. Let's go home." The sun was high in the sky now, warming the earth and casting long, golden shadows across the path. We stepped into the car, leaving the ruins of the old world behind us. The story was finally ours to write, one day at a time, with no more hidden entries or tactical deceptions.

The lights come on and the stage is set. I leave you behind to go do my best. You know where to stay and wait on me- Somehow that's how we had turned out to be. - YC We learnt our trade and which voice to trust Through conversations we had had with just us. You and I- we were young, we believed. We immersed our futures in the songs that we weaved. -CJ But your footfalls then came from somewhere new

We were back in the Fangworth pack land, just back at the Alpha's territory. Back? We never left, we were still there. Right in his pack pack land market. I glanced at Hayden, then back at where we were coming from. How did we end up there?

♡Joan♡ Note: If you like reading with music, try Meryl Streep’s "The Winner Takes It All." It’s even better with headphones. Enjoy! 😊🤭 We left for Spain—not to visit Luna, but for a change of scenery. After a month of therapy, we were in a much better place. Healing wasn’t instant, but we were making progress. I stepped into the living room, taking in my surroundings while Aaron pulled our bags in behind me.

“Then let’s go home.” We slept. Deep. Safe. The worm died. Apex stabilized. The warrants evaporated, quietly, unofficially. Eze rotted in prison. And we flew back, not to Lagos. To the estancia. Cattle are still there. The lake is still jade. The house is still waiting. We walked the porch at sunset. Hand in hand.

Anya’s presence among them, steady and focused, which meant she was doing the morning Foundation check she had promised. Her presence in the web carried a quality I was learning to read. She would tell me if the Foundation quality shifted. In the afternoon we reached the last marked road. Beyond it the northeast territory began. Kael stopped the vehicle. We looked at the territory ahead. It was recognisably land that had been abandoned.