Tired and exhausted

She didn't know just how long she had been sitting there, allowing a stranger of a woman to hold her tightly. The world around her had been completely turned upside down, leaving her feeling lost and utterly alone.

The one friend she had relied upon was gone, taken away forever by one of the creators. The gravity of the situation weighed heavily on her heart, and it felt as if a piece of her soul had been ripped away in an instant.

Her heart would never truly heal from the profound loss she had shared with Anya, who was always such a cheerful and vibrant person.

 Just the other day, Anya had found the courage to express her feelings about Bladen, and now, in the blink of an eye, her life had come to an end far too soon. Ava couldn't believe that Anya was not even seventeen yet; her birthday was still a whole month away from this devastating moment. The thought made Ava's heart ache even more.

After what felt like an eternity, Taylor finally pulled out her phone and began to type a message to Ava. Once she finished, she handed the phone over to her. Ava wiped away the tears that had been streaming down her cheeks, taking the phone from Taylor's hand, and began to read the text on the screen.

"I'm really sorry to hear about your friend. But if you would like, I can offer you a blanket, and you could sit on the sofa instead of on the cold floor. Given that you're pregnant, sitting on a chilly surface is not good for your kidneys."

Ava's lips parted slightly in surprise as she looked up at Taylor, who was now rising from the floor with Abby in her arms.

Gratefully, Taylor extended her hand out to Ava to help her up from where she sat. Without hesitation, Ava took her hand, allowing Taylor to assist her in getting up from the hard wooden floor.

Her legs felt heavy and stiff after sitting for so long, but she managed to walk over to the nearest white sofa, where she sank down into its soft embrace. Almost immediately, she felt the woman place a warm blanket around her shoulders, comforting her against the chill of the air.

 Ava nodded her head appreciatively, gently covering her legs with the blanket. Although she wanted to cry, her eyes were so puffy and swollen that she couldn't quite figure out how to feel in that moment. Clutching her phone tightly in her hand, she decided to send a message to her mother, knowing that calling them wasn't possible.

"Mommy, please tell me you are both okay— you and Daddy. I'm so worried about you two. Everything out here is so frightening."

As Ava sent the message, a painful sensation surged through her heart.

She harbored an unsettling fear that they may never receive her text, or that perhaps they were no longer alive. The hospital had become the city's biggest refuge, filled with all the sick and vulnerable people, making the likelihood of her parents still being alive seem incredibly slim.

 Silent tears began to stream down her cheeks as the grim reality settled in around her. She was utterly alone, even though Lucas was still in the vicinity; getting to him now felt like an impossible task.

As Ava sat there, feeling completely defeated, she sensed Abby move beside her, gently cuddling up under the blanket. Ava looked down at the tiny form of Abby and felt a flicker of warmth at the sight. Although she didn't know this baby well, it was painfully clear that Abby was the only friend she had left in this bleak world, now that she had lost everyone else who mattered.

The two of them found themselves sitting comfortably together on the sofa, and amidst everything that was happening around them, Ava suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion wash over her.

Without realizing it, she lay her head down against Abby's little head, and as she did, her eyes fluttered closed. Exhaustion overtook her, and, in that moment of desperate need for rest, she fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.