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“N–Noah?”Have I died and gone to heaven?I must have, because there’s no way that?—-

Two pairs of blue eyes stare at me, one with black hair and peek-a-boo faded pink hair and the other blonde. My breath catches in my lungs, my mind struggling to process and accept what my eyes are seeing.

“Oh my God, Noah, it’s you.” Rue’s voice breaks as a choked sob rips from my throat.I’m so fucking tired of crying.But I couldn’t care less, not at this moment. Even if I wanted to stop, I couldn’t. My tears have a mind of their own, and they leak from my eyes, whether I like it or not.

“R–Rue, M–Mallory,” I cry out, my legs ready to give out from beneath me. Before I could hit the ground, they were both at my side, arms crashing around me, pulling me into a tight, painful hug. The three of us collapse together, gripping each other as if letting go would make the three of us disappear. My finger clutched both of their pants, desperate to confirm that I wasn’t dreaming or hallucinating them. Both of them shake against mine, wracked with raw emotion and unbearable relief.

“I–I can’t b–believe you’re both h–here!” I stutter.

“We’re here, we’re here,” Rue breathes, struggling not to let her emotions get the best of her. I let out a laugh, pulling back just so I could see their faces. Rue’s the first one I look at; her ice-cut blue eyes stare back at me. She’s frozen in a lake, cold, almost silver, but behind I can see the emotion—the struggle to think she would never see me again.

I turn my gaze to Mallory; while they both have blue eyes, Mallory's are more of a warm ocean blue. The warmth and openness that draws you in. It’s the way they soften when she finally accepts that I’m here—alive.

“I totally didn’t think I was going to see you again—not that I was hoping for that. The world is just, dude; people are dead. Like the dead are rising and eating people.”

“What she’s trying to say is we missed you,” Rue chuckles, smiling over at our friend.

“Yes! Absolutely, I missed you so much. I needed my talking buddy, these losers,” hiking her thumb up towards the RV and the two men standing there with their arms crossed. One looks like I just kicked his puppy. While the other still looks at me like I'm a bug he’d rather kill, “wouldn't sing Britney Spears with me. I mean, come on, Circus, Womanizer. Andnoneof them would sing with me!” Mallory sighs, looking back at the RV.

“Are we done being sappy little bitches? Cause I’m tired of kneeling on the dirt,” Rue grumbles. I smile as a wave of happiness rushes over me. Going from just thinking of seeing them to having no idea if they were even alive, hits me. It’s different, dreaming about actually living it.

“Yes, let’s get inside; this Florida humidity is not doing it for me. My hair is going to puff up l–like?—”

“A pufferfish,” I finished for her.

“Bitch, you’re from Louisiana; what are you even talking aboutthis Florida heat?” Rue asks, brushing off the dirt from her black ripped jeans.

“Well, yes, but it’s different. Plus, I don’t have my expensive hair products anymore. All Maverick has been able to find is like dollar store shampoo, and let me tell you, it’s not great.”

I chuckle, shaking my head. Only Mallory would be concerned about her hair while there’s a zombie apocalypse. Hooking my arms in Rue’s and Mallory’s, we head towards the RV.

“Pet,” the man with dark brown hair mutters. He motions for her to come to him before pointing to the ground. Mallory sighs but drops my arm before bouncing over to him.

“Death,” the masked man utters.

“Ghost, this is Noah, our friend that we’ve been trying to find,” Rue waves a hand towards me. My head tilts to the side, a wide smile spreading across my lips.

“Noah, this is Ghost; he’s my kidnapper.”

“Kidnapper?” I mimic, my smile fading.

“Yes, do you remember the last college party, when we saw?—”

“Oh my God, yes! It’s you, you’re Daddy,” my mouth drops open. What a small world.

“And Noah, this is Maverick,” Mallory says. Turning my gaze to her, she places a hand on his chest, pressing herself against his side. It’s different seeing her like this. She used to be uptight, acting like she had a stick up her ass. But now, she relaxes into Maverick; she’s letting herself be free.

For a moment, nothing else exists—just my best friends. Having them stand here in front of me is like a dream come true. Relief crashes over me, drowning out every fear, every dark thought that was once there, suddenly gone.

But it doesn’t last long. Not when I watch Rue slide up to Ghost and Mallory stare up at Maverick like he’s hung the moon for her.

Then I remember that Reed is gone, that my father's men took him away.

“Reed?”

Blinking up, Rue matches my stares, frowning. “Did you hear me?”

“N–no, what–what did you say?”