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[CondorTalon]

((Nancy Morris continued from All Grey, All Done.))

She wasn't quite sure when she had reached the lake.

She had resisted the temptation to enter the town. She was cold, and she needed shelter, but she didn't know where anyone else was, and she didn't want to risk running into someone dangerous.

It's not like it mattered anyway; the sun was almost beginning to rise.

By the time it was light enough to see again, she saw the lake in the distance. And at about that time, the announcements came on again. More people were dead. Someone had gotten their collar blown for mouthing off. And the Lake was a danger zone now.

Wasn't that perfect? As soon as she found another location, she was forbidden to be in it.

She stepped forward.

If she were maybe thinking clearly, if her sleep addled brain had had a chance to work rationally, she would have turned right around. But she didn't.

Her collar beeped.

She a few more steps forward, until she could see the boat houses up close.

Another beep, longer this time.

She walked up to a tree, one of the few surrounding the lake.

Longer.

She sat down against it, and leaned her head back.

Longer.

She didn't want to be here anymore.

The beep was constant now.

She squeezed her eyes shut.









The beeping stopped.

She opened her eyes in confusion, and looked around. She stood, noticing something under her feet as she stood. There were several shards of metal on the ground, and she instinctively reached to her neck. She didn't feel the cold metal ring around it, she only felt skin.

"Nancy!"

She turned her head at the sound of the voice. She knew the voice. But... it couldn't possibly...

She followed the voice, and turned the corner. She saw a figure. A familiar figure. And Nancy's confusion increased tenfold.

"Brigid?"

The figure- no, Brigid, nodded. So it really was her, but-

"I... I saw you... get... killed..."

"Killed? But Nancy, I'm not dead. I'm alive. I'm so very alive. And you are too."

A realization.

Yeah, she was alive, wasn't she? They were both alive. Nancy smiled. She realized, that she was truly alive. For the first time since finding herself here, she could sincerely say she was alive.

"Come, you're going to want to see this." Brigid said, turning and heading back to the trees. Nancy followed.

And she noticed that things were getting brighter. The scenery was changing, almost as if things were being erased the further they went along.

Emily was there. Emily was there and she was waving them over. It was a really dorky-looking wave. Nancy waved back.

They were going to a better place. Nothing else was going to matter now.

It was okay. It was all going to be okay.

F09 - Nancy Morris: DECEASED