Page 28 of When the Living Fall

“Zoey.”

The single word pulls her out of her haze and the kettle clatters to the countertop when she turns, hand to her heart, her eyes wide and disbelieving. “Emily?”

I’m across the room within seconds, wrapping her in a fierce hug. Her fingers dig in when she clings to me, and we embrace each other in a hug that I never want to end.

“Fuck you,” she whispers.

“Fuck you,” I return with a laugh.

I hug her tight. I can’t believe I finally made it back.

When I finally force myself to loosen my grip, I shrug the strap of my bag over my head and hold it out to her with an enormous grin. “Here. It’s all the insulin I could find.”

Her fingers brush over the worn fabric of the bag, tracing the stitched patterns with a familiar touch, mesmerized. “This…this bag?—”

“Yeah,” I say with a small smile before moving to right the kettle on the stove. “I ran into Nathan and stole it all back, plus a little more. Long story.”

Her face registers disbelief when she sets the bag on the kitchen table and opens it up to reveal all the vials I’d grabbed for her. I beam down, pride flowing through me. It hasn’t been easy, but I would do it all over again tenfold because this moment is more than worth it.

Without a word, she abandons the vials and throws her arms around me again, her tears soaking into my shoulder. I hold on to her, my grip tight. Her shuddering breaths speak more than words ever could.

“Em, I can’t believe this. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.” Her voice cracks.

I scoff. “After everything we’ve been through, Zo, you really think I would let you down?”

She lets out a strangled sound. “I know you’re too stubborn to kill, but I worried about you, Em. It’s not the same around here without you.”

“I figured the others here would be nice to you with me gone,” I admit.

She presses her palms against the sides of my face, forcing me to look at her. “I don’t give a shit about them. They’ll turn on anyone to save themselves. You’re my best friend, my favorite person. I’d rather be outside these walls with you. The rotters out there are more preferable to deal with than the suffocating morons in here.”

“They didn’t hurt you or anything, did they?” Adrenaline is already coursing through my veins, ready to seek vengeance if so.

She lets out a laugh. “No, they didn’t. They are nicer to me than they are to you, but I don’t care. I can’t play nice with anyone who happily excludes you.”

I throw my arms around her and hold her tight. “I love you, Zo.”

“You’ll always be my best girl. I still can’t believe you’re back.” Zoey leans her forehead against mine. “You did it. You really did it.” Her hand shakes, adn my heart plummets into my stomach.

Pulling back, I gesture to the bag and nod toward the vials. “Do you need one now?”

She glances at the empty bottles on the counter, then nods. I suspect she used up her last one while I was gone, and I don’t want to think about what might have happened if I didn’t make it back when I did. “Your timing is perfect. I was getting scared. It’s time.”

“Then use one. You have plenty now. I’ll make sure you get more before you run out again.” I step back, watching her retrieve a fresh vial from the bag. Relief floors her face when she injects herself, a peace settling over her that soothes the new cracks in my heart. It makes me want to run back out there and find every single last one in the world.

When she finishes, she looks at me and a tired smile spreads across her lips. “I’ll make us some tea. You’re not leaving until I hear everything.”

The idea of food is too much after the energy bars and vending machine snacks I inhaled on the road. “Tea sounds perfect. As for food, I think I’m set.” I pull a second bag from my shoulder and drop it on the table, smirking at her raised brow. “Thought you might appreciate some treats.”

She peers inside and her face lights up when she pullsout a can of diet soda. “I haven’t had one of these in months.”

“They’re not cold, but the fridge should do the trick. It might take a bit, though.”

She laughs, the sound as light as I remember, and places the soda in the fridge, giving me an amused glance over her shoulder. “What else did you find out there?”

“Buddy!” I whistle, and Buddy bounds through the doorway, his paws slipping on the hardwood when he charges in. His one eye is bright with excitement. His strong tail thuds against the wall, and his large size takes up a sizeable amount of space with the three of us now in the kitchen.

Zoey gasps, both startled but also delighted. She drops to her knees and lets Buddy sniff her. His tail wag tries to pound a dent into the wall when she scratches behind his ears. “You’re such a handsome boy. And you’re so big.”

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