Chapter 387

The world had changed. Slowly, almost imperceptibly at first, the land began to reclaim itself. It wasn't violent or sudden, but rather, in a quiet, unforgiving way.

Buildings that once reached for the sky bent and cracked, their foundations giving way to a relentless force below. Trees twisted their roots around city streets, breaking through concrete as if laughing at the effort humans had put into making the earth their own.

And the humans? They were forced to adapt, to learn how to survive in a world that no longer welcomed them.

Grace was one of the survivors. Her hands trembled as she dragged her makeshift cart through the once-bustling city center, now little more than a patchwork of broken glass and crumbling stone.

The streets were eerily silent. No cars. No voices. Only the occasional rustle of the wind, carrying with it the scent of decay. She had learned to stay quiet, to avoid attracting attention. The earth, it seemed, was always listening.

The once towering skyscrapers were now little more than skeletons, their windows hollow and eyesores in the city's decaying skyline. Everywhere she looked, the earth seemed to reclaim what was once taken from it. Vines snaked up what remained of buildings, roots breaking through pavement, pushing back against the human encroachment.

Grace could remember a time when this had been her home—when it had been full of life, full of noise. The crowds that used to gather in the streets, the traffic that clogged the roads—it all seemed so distant now. She wondered if it had ever really existed, or if it had been some dream she had once had, long ago. The world had forgotten the humans, and the humans had forgotten the world.

As she passed the ruins of what had once been a park, a soft, guttural sound caught her attention. She froze, her eyes scanning the area. For a moment, she thought she had imagined it. But then it came again, closer this time. The sound of something moving. Something large.

Her heart quickened. She stepped back, drawing her breath in sharply. The ground beneath her feet seemed to shift, as though the earth itself was aware of her presence. She hadn't seen another human in days, and the isolation was beginning to wear on her. But this wasn't the time for fear. She needed food. Supplies.

The sound grew louder. It was unmistakable now, a heavy, wet thud, followed by the low rumble of something moving beneath the soil. Her stomach twisted. There was no telling what had taken over the city since humans had left it behind. Nature was the only thing that remained.

She had heard the stories—rumors, whispers, whatever you wanted to call them—about the things that crawled beneath the surface. Some said they were beasts, mutated and hungry for anything that moved. Others claimed they were the result of the earth itself, alive and waking after centuries of dormancy. Whatever they were, Grace knew one thing: she didn't want to find out firsthand.

The ground shifted again. The thud grew louder, closer.

In a panic, she turned, pulling the cart behind her. Her footsteps were muffled by the overgrown grass that had taken over the streets. She didn't dare glance back. The sensation of being hunted was all too real. The land, it seemed, had become a living, breathing thing, and it was hungry.

Grace stumbled over an uprooted tree root, crashing into the ground. Pain shot through her knee, but she gritted her teeth and pushed herself back up, forcing herself to keep moving. Her breath came in shallow gasps. Her heart raced. She couldn't outrun whatever was following her.

Something moved in the corner of her vision. She spun toward it, her eyes wide with terror. The earth had parted, and from beneath it, something began to rise.

A massive, twisted root, gnarled and slick with dark, oozing sap, broke through the cracked pavement. It was almost human-shaped, stretching up into the air like a hand reaching for the sky. It writhed, coiling and uncoiling, as though sensing her presence. Grace's breath caught in her throat. This wasn't just a tree. It was something more. Something... alive.

The root seemed to sense her fear. It twisted, faster now, shooting forward with terrifying speed. Grace screamed, turning to flee, but it was too late. The root snaked around her ankle, pulling her off balance and slamming her against the pavement. She cried out, the taste of dirt filling her mouth as she struggled to free herself.

She kicked and clawed at the earth, her hands scraping against the sharp, jagged stones, but the root's grip tightened, dragging her toward the growing mass of vines and roots that now encircled the city. She had seen this before—others had tried to run. Tried to survive. And they had been swallowed whole by the land, their screams swallowed by the earth.

The ground shifted again. A low rumble vibrated through her bones, and then it came—a thundering, deafening roar from deep below. It wasn't the earth that was speaking now. It was something far older, far more powerful. Something that had been lying dormant, waiting for humanity's time to end.

Grace could feel the roots pulling her deeper, the soil beneath her giving way. Her chest tightened as the earth closed in around her. She kicked, thrashing, but it was hopeless. The roots had a vice-like grip, and with every movement, they only seemed to tighten. There was no escape.

She felt her body being dragged deeper, her limbs no longer responding to her frantic movements. The air grew thick, and the roar from below grew louder, shaking the very ground. The soil began to shift, its rhythm matching the pulsing of the earth itself.

In a final, desperate bid for freedom, Grace reached for the knife strapped to her side. She barely had time to pull it free before a loud crack echoed through the air, followed by a sickening sound as the roots ripped through her flesh, pulling her down into the blackness below. Her screams were swallowed by the earth, and she felt herself being pulled deeper into its maw.

The last thing she saw was the broken sky, the trees reaching for her, and the earth—unforgiving, relentless, hungry.

And then, there was nothing. No scream. No cry. Only silence.

As the earth reclaimed what was once taken from it, the city grew quieter. No more humans. No more struggle. Just the relentless march of nature, reclaiming its place.

The land had won. And in its wake, nothing remained but the ruins of what had once been.

The earth had been patient.