The days after Mason's death passed in a blur of rain, silence, and the smell of wet metal.
The safehouse no longer felt like a place being built. It felt like a place trying not to crumble.
Lily didn't speak much. She ate when asked. Drank when told. But her eyes stayed distant, like she was trying to keep something from surfacing—because if it broke through, it would drown her.
Zane didn't blame her.
They'd all lost someone before. But here? This was the first time they lost someone because of the dream. Because of him.
Because someone believed in what they were building… and died for it.
⸻
Days later, the rain finally stopped by mid-morning. The clouds broke just enough for the sun to cut through like a blade of fire.
Zane stood in the southern courtyard—the one they'd cleared of debris a few days earlier. It was nothing special. Just brick walls, an old rusted fire escape, and a broken-down garden bed overtaken by weeds.
But it would be something now.
[Construct: Memory Wall – Tier 0]
Requires: Wood (6), Nails (12), Stone Plate (1)
Bonus: +Morale Regeneration, +Base Identity
He scavenged the pieces himself.
No help.
He needed to build this one with his hands.
It took him six hours. The wall was crude, uneven—but strong. Five slabs of painted wood, bolted to the brick, with space for names to be carved in. One name already sat in the center.
Mason Hale
"He Was One of Us."
No date. No grave. Just truth.
When it was done, he stepped back and opened the System menu.
[Morale: +8%]
[Base Identity: "Hollow Refuge" Established]
Bonus Unlocked: Survivor Loyalty (Low) / Word of Mouth Begins Spreading.
Zane looked over his shoulder. Lily stood by the doorway. Ava beside her, arms crossed.
Neither of them said anything. But when Lily walked forward, brushed her fingers across her brother's name, and sat by the wall for the first time in three days…
That said enough.
⸻
That Night — Rooftop
"How are you doing?" Ava asked.
Zane looked up from his notes. He was sketching base expansions—towers, water piping, fencing routes. Her silhouette was outlined against the city skyline, rifle over her shoulder.
"What do you think? The kid died because of me. I shouldn't have let him go alone," Zane said.
"You're much quieter. You were already quiet, but now it's…" She searched for the word. "Heavier."
"I thought building something would feel like healing," Zane said.
"And now?"
"Now it feels like bleeding for a future someone else might get to live in."
She nodded once. "That's leadership."
Zane met her gaze. "You still gonna leave if this goes bad?"
"I haven't decided," she said. "But it's harder now."
[Bond Progress: Ava — 78% to Tier 2]
⸻
Dawn — Outer Gate
The knocking was frantic.
Zane was in the courtyard when it hit—three rapid bangs on the main door, followed by one more. Staggered. Weak.
He had his pistol drawn before the second echo.
Ava was already aiming from the lookout, finger on the trigger.
Zane called out. "Who's there?"
A pause.
Then a voice. Female. Raw with exhaustion.
"Don't shoot. I—I'm not infected. I swear."
Zane approached cautiously. The woman on the other side was mid-20s. Blonde hair streaked with blood. Jacket torn. One eye swollen shut. And in her arms, a teenage boy. Unmoving.
He opened the gate just enough to let her crawl through, then slammed it shut behind her.
"Help," she choked out. "Please. He's not bit. He's just—he passed out."
Zane knelt by the kid. Checked his pulse. Faint. Cold.
[Status: Malnourished, Minor Internal Bleeding, Hypothermia]
Name: Benji — Age: 14
[No Infection Detected]
"Where are you from?" Ava asked sharply.
The woman looked up, eyes bloodshot. "We were with a group south of the river.
"We got ambushed."
Zane's jaw tightened. "Raiders?"
"No. Worse. Fireflies. Or… what's left of them."
That word again.
Fireflies.
Every time it surfaced, it brought blood and ash with it.
The woman swayed and nearly collapsed. Zane caught her, eased her down.
"You're safe now," he told her. "We'll take care of you."
He looked to Ava. She was watching him carefully. Measuring his words.
Ava spoke quietly. "We don't have room for many more."
"I know."
"But you'll still do it."
Zane didn't respond.
[Base Status: Population 5]
[Morale: 61% - Unstable Calm]
[New Role Candidates: Sierra (Scavenger / Cook Potential), Benji (Pending Recovery)]
[System Update: Base Reputation +1 - Survivor Rumors Spreading in District]
The base was growing.
But so was the cost of it.