Author's Note:

Hey everyone, I hope all is well and I hope you all are staying safe. I thought I'd write this because I know it's been ages since I've updated, which I apologise for, and plus, it's a little catch-up. :)

I thought I'd share that I have a new project in the works for this series. It's another prequel which is set eighteen years before Nightmare Row & Part I and it focuses on a new protagonist, Jack Thomas. It's called The Cured: Origins and that will be tied with Part II (Dying Light: The Following), so he and some other familiar faces will be returning for that. If you guys would like to check that out sometime, please feel free to do so. :)

Thank you for the support so far, and I hope you all enjoy Chapter 34! :)

Chapter 34: Anxiety

I honestly didn't know how to process what I saw.

I think it was safe to say that the two halves of my brain were pretty much hurling verbal insults at each other. One half was telling me to feel relieved that Crane had recovered in one piece and I was; I was glad he still had some fight left in him. But the other half was overwhelmed with anxiety over the knowledge that he was most likely going to work with us again and...! And I wasn't too sure if I was ready for that. I think everyone else felt the same way and as a matter of fact, we probably would've been if we had dealt with his situation instead of avoiding it.

At least, he gets to consider himself lucky for the second chance he has.

Footsteps snapped me out of my thoughts and I looked up to see Jade approaching. Oh no! Rahim didn't hesitate to fire an icy glower in her direction, whilst Melanie broke the uncomfortable silence with a cautious but polite: "Is everything okay?"

"Yes," The woman answered, despite fear flashing when she found herself clutching her stomach in... pain? What's going on with you? "I take it you guys saw what happened?"

"You've assumed correctly," I confirmed awkwardly, resisting the urge to frown at her. Why is she talking to us now? After twelve days? My best friends both appeared to wonder the same thing and Jade knew it, as she opened her mouth to continue ... before she decided against it and turned to leave. "I-I've got to go, enjoy the rest of your morning,"

Rahim, Melanie and I were left standing with confusion as she hurriedly walked back the way she came. Once she had gone, I blinked three times to snap myself out of my thoughts. What just happened?! "Okay, that was weird,"

"Yeah, tell me about it," The older girl agreed worriedly. "Why do you think she did that?"

Hearing this, I shrugged. "I don't - I have no idea," I'm hoping she's not sick either, considering she's been in the hospital frequently. I might check on her soon, just in case.

"Though, she could have apologised," The older boy muttered bitterly, then gathering himself together and gesturing for us to resume our trip upstairs. "Anyway, shall we?"

"Okay," I answered, flashing him a concerned glance before the three of us continued on. Cue Rahim to change the subject with: "Hey, Mel?"

"Yeah?" Melanie responded, feeling just as concerned as I was. Jade's got to come round at some point, right? If she wanted to talk to us about Crane, then... argh! Don't even think about it. Focus on something positive.

"You know that nest I've been wanting to blow up?"

"Sure, I haven't forgotten," She reassured him, going to hopefully ask: "Are they gonna let you do it?"

"Yeah, they are," Rahim smiled a little excitedly, earning a pleased "Hey! About damn time!" from Melanie. I grinned whilst the older boy gave a chuckle. "I was gonna ask if you wanted to help out with that?"

"Course," The older girl replied as we turned a left and ascended the staircase. "Just say when you're ready and we'll be there - right, Lib?"

"True that," I agreed, which prompted our best friend to flash us a grateful grin. "Thanks, ladies. You know, that means a lot - coming from you both. It really does,"

Hey, what are best pals for?

L-H

(Floor 20...)

Hello again, friend. I imagine that you must be surprised that my comeuppance didn't bite me back at the Pit?

Well... if I'm honest with you, I feel like it did - because of what had happened to Zere. I had a...! I had a bit of a struggle getting through the next twelve days and it didn't help that nightmares came to torture me over my friend's death. They've done so to the point where I'm just... I'm just amazed that Brecken didn't toss me out of the Scouts team. He isn't a bad person, but I imagine there must have been moments where he wondered why I couldn't move on already.

If he did, then I wouldn't blame him.

I wasn't the only one on his list, either. Jade had it worse than I did and though I disagreed with her behaviour towards Rahim and Libby, I couldn't help but feel sympathetic. I didn't know Crane for as long as she had and neither did Melanie - but... I think it was safe to say that we were both p*ssed at him, because of the effect his actions had on her and the kids. Getting people killed, even if it was unintentional, was one matter - but looking them in the eyes and lying to them? That, that must have been a huge blow...!

And this is coming from someone who had to do some horrendous things in order to survive.

The latter is partly another reason why I struggled to push forward, as I was facing a dilemma which I didn't tell anyone about, initially. It was quite simple. I... I wanted to start writing music again. Now, this was something I had to put a lot of consideration into - because firstly, I wasn't sure if it was possible to find the resources I needed to set up a recording studio and that scenario alone seemed unlikely. I didn't know if I'd be able to access my YouTube channel or my social media accounts from inside the quarantine and if I did, then... then what was I supposed to say?

What would everyone think if I told them that I used to work for Rais?

A knock on my bedroom door snapped me out of my thoughts, prompting me to turn my head to see Jade peeking her head round the corner. "Hey," Oh!

"Hi, Jade," I greeted her kindly, masking my surprise. "What's up?"

"Do you have a minute?" The woman asked in a concerned manner. Oh no.

My smile faltered. "Uh, sure, make yourself at home,"

"Thank you," She responded appreciatively, stepping into my room and closing the door behind her.

I'm not going to lie, I was quite proud of my base of operations at the Tower. It was a couple of doors away from Rahim's and it was one of many aspects I remember having to adjust to after my time in Rais' Garrison. The space was decent enough, the walls were a creamy white and the floor was an ash grey. I also had a white desk and dark blue chair, which were accompanied by a shelf of drawers sitting on the left side of my room. A single window stood proudly next to the right side of my bed, which allowed me to get a direct look at the Slums outside. Simple, and much better hospitality.

"What are you writing there?" Jade pondered curiously, seconds before clutching her stomach in... pain? Are you okay?

"It's just ideas for something I've been thinking about," I answered as I gathered my pen and scrawled pieces of paper into a pile on my desk.

"Which is?"

"I'm..." Better to be upfront, man. "I'm considering putting my next album together,"

Hearing this, my friend raised an eyebrow with interest - which influenced me to continue. "Trouble is, I don't know if it'll work out,"

"Why?"

"Because..." I gave a small sigh. "I'm afraid to hear what the outside world would think if they find out I've been trapped here with a monster,"

"You're not working for Rais anymore,"

"Yeah, but you get where I'm going with this, right?"

Thankfully, she did. "I do, yes," A sudden grimace and she was clutching her stomach again. What? I slowly rose from my seat with concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Henry," She quickly reassured me. "Just give me a minute,"

"You need to sit down?"

"No, no, I'll be alright," My friend answered, taking a breath to compose herself. "There's something that I think you should know,"

"Okay?" I frowned in confusion. What's on your mind?

I could tell that Jade was pondering over what she wanted to tell me and for a brief moment, I saw sheer terror in her eyes. Jade, talk to me. I know we're not close, but I'm sure we can figure something out for whatever's going on. "I think I'm—" A sad sigh, and... "I could use some back-up with Crane, because he's made a full recovery,"

Wait, what?!

A look of shock spread across my face. "O-Okay, um, how can I help?"

"Do you mind if we could work together on future missions?" The poor woman asked me worriedly. "Just the two of us? At least, until Crane's situation is resolved,"

Hearing this, I didn't hesitate to give her a reassuring nod. "Sure, I don't mind,"

If that will make you more comfortable...