Eric gave a quiet nod, the motion firm yet weary. "I’m here alone," he explained, lowering his gaze as though the truth weighed heavily on him.
"Once I get permanent residency, I’ll move here. After that... I’ll most likely leave for a while to search for my family mbers."
Ivy’s brows lifted slightly. "Family mbers?" she questioned gently, sensing a shadow behind his voice.
Eric swallowed, his fingers curling at his sides.
"I might still have a grandmother and grandfather... from my paternal and maternal sides. They could be alive sowhere. As for my own parents," he murmured, "they died a long ti ago."
The sorrow in his tone drifted through the air like a faint ache. Ivy nodded slowly. "If that’s the case, then go ahead and find them. You should."
A mory stirred within her... one from her previous life. Eric had indeed found a family mber back then.
She never learned which one, but she knew that the other party was important to him.
’Whoever it was... they must have ant the world to him.’
Eric nodded once more. He turned around and walked away, the tallic clatter of utensils and hushed conversations fading behind him as he bypassed cafeteria.
At that mont, Linda, who had been serving food at one of the tables, happened to catch a glimpse of the young man’s back.
Her eyes narrowed sharply. A strange familiarity pricked at her mory. She turned toward the counter with a pensive expression.
Paul stood behind the counter, handing zombie crystals to a soldier, the faint clink of crystals tapping into the bag echoing across the room. When Linda reached him, she frowned deeply.
Paul noticed imdiately. "What happened? Why do you look so distressed?"
Linda pouted, her voice laced with confusion. "I think... I think I saw Eric."
Paul blinked before shaking his head.
"He can’t be Eric. Eric was in another country when the apocalypse started, most likely. All communication was cut off since then. We don’t even know where he might be. You probably saw soone who resembles him. Not to ntion... this is the tenth ti you’ve said soone looked like Eric."
Hearing that, Linda let out a deep, tired sigh. She pressed a hand against her chest, trying to suppress the odd ache building there.
’Maybe I really am overthinking this...’
She slowly sat down, thoughts drifting back to her family. She had a daughter once... Lena, the most thoughtful child she had.
But Lena died during Eric’s delivery, and Eric’s father fell apart afterward. He drowned himself in grief, abandoning responsibilities, leaving Eric without anyone to care for him.
It had been Linda and Paul who stepped in. They raised Eric until he turned fifteen, but when Paul realized Eric was starting to get spoiled, he made a painful decision and kicked the boy out. Eric spiraled into addiction, broken and lost.
And yet... Paul had been the one to pull him back. He helped Eric straighten his life, and Eric eventually made a na for himself.
But because of that success, he also made enemies... dangerous ones. Linda rembered the threats, the attempted attacks aid at her and Paul.
’That’s why he left us... He wanted to keep us safe.’
Her chest tightened painfully as she wondered where he was now, whether he was alive, or whether she had just imagined the familiar silhouette.
A sharp gust of wind rattled the cafeteria windows, jolting her out of her thoughts.
anwhile, Ivy led Henry through the quiet streets toward one of the newly built hos.
Ivy pushed open the door and gestured for him to step inside.
"See for yourself," she offered.
Henry walked across the threshold, his footsteps soft against the smooth floor.
He inspected each room carefully, running his fingertips along the walls, imagining a future within these spaces.
When his thoughts drifted to Alia, his girlfriend, his soon-to-be wife, his expression softened into sothing tender.
He turned toward Ivy with determination in his eyes. "I want to buy this house."
Ivy smiled warmly. "Will Alia be staying with you, too?"
A faint blush crept across Henry’s cheeks, and he nodded. Ivy chuckled softly at the sight.
"Then I’ll mark this place for you. I’ll speak to the person managing the real estate. You can pay either a lump sum of one million dollars, two hundred thousand regular zombie crystals, or two gold bars to own the place."
Henry didn’t hesitate. "I’ll pay with gold bars."
The answer jogged Ivy’s mory. Before the apocalypse, Henry’s family had been in the gold business.
But they were also one of the most tragic families in her previous life... none of them survived. Henry had been the lone survivor, and it took him weeks to recover enough to regain even a fraction of his cheerful personality.
Alia, on the other hand, had a completely different fate. Her entire family survived the apocalypse.
Yet it would have been kinder if they hadn’t. The cruel things they did... those things Alia endured silently... had pushed her into severing all ties with them to protect her ntal well-being.
Ivy exhaled lightly. "You can move in whenever you want."
She was about to leave when Henry suddenly grabbed her sleeve gently. "Wait. I have so juicy news I want to tell you."
Ivy raised a brow. "What is it?"
Henry glanced toward Felix, Ember, and Bella... who were accompanying Ivy. His expression made it clear he wanted privacy.
Ivy understood instantly. She nodded at her siblings. Although curiosity burned in their eyes, they walked away. Bella followed after them as well, knowing she couldn’t linger.
Once they were gone, Ivy turned back to Henry. "Alright. What’s this gossip?"
Henry leaned closer, his voice dropping with intrigue. "Earlier today, I overheard a conversation between Captain and General. It sounds like Dante is regretting how he kept insulting you."
Ivy’s eyes narrowed. "Regretting?"
Henry nodded. "This happened just yesterday. I was heading ho when I heard voices coming from Silas’s office. He was working overti. You noticed that too, right?"
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