Chapter Seven:

“Strays”

Raya sat on a rusted car hood, in heart of Jerusalem. her heels softly tapping the metal as she waited. The dry air burned her throat, the scent of rot and gasoline thick under the sweltering sun. Her fingers moved in slow, repetitive circles across the dust-coated windshield, the motion grounding her, keeping her from focusing too much on the hollow ache of waiting.

He should have been back by now.

She knew better than to worry. He always came back. Always found something. But that never stopped the gnawing feeling from creeping up her spine. The streets weren’t safe, not for him, not for anyone.

She glanced down the alley again, scanning the crumbling facades of old apartment buildings and the narrow pathways clogged with rusted-out scooters and shattered glass. The marketplace was a few blocks away, if you could still call it that. It was more of a battleground now, a desperate cluster of traders, pickpockets, and the occasional fool who thought they could get a fair deal.

A fight broke out somewhere in the distance, shouts in Hebrew and Arabic blending into the familiar chaos of the city. A burst of gunfire crackled like firecrackers, and still, she waited.

Then, finally, movement.

A dark figure rounded the corner, trotting toward her with an easy confidence, a shape held firm between his jaws. Relief unfurled in her chest, and she hopped down from the car just as he reached her.

Ani dropped the bag at her feet, tail wagging, his tongue lolling slightly from the side of his mouth. Raya exhaled, tension uncoiling from her chest as her shoulders loosened for the first time since he’d left. The weight of waiting lifted, replaced by the simple relief of his return.

"Took you long enough," she muttered, crouching to rummage through his latest prize. The bag was torn, stained with something she didn’t want to think about, but the contents were intact, three cans, one rusted beyond use, the others just dented. She turned them over in her hands, wiping away grime. Beef stew. Expired, but that didn’t matter. It was still good.

"You did good, boy." She scratched behind Ani’s ear, and he pressed into her touch, his massive form a reassuring warmth against her side.

Another gunshot, closer this time.

Raya stiffened, her grip tightening into Ani’s fur. His ears perked, his body tensing beneath her touch. The streets had rules. You moved fast, you didn’t draw attention, and you never lingered too long in the open.

She stuffed the cans into her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. "Let’s go, Ani."

Ani huffed in agreement, falling into step beside her as they slipped into the maze of backstreets.

They didn’t speak not in words. They never needed to.

Raya sat in the dim light of the basement, her eyes fixed on the swinging bulb above her. Ani's breathing was slow and steady beside her. She turned the Gamepass over in her hand, the edges smooth from where her fingers had traced them a hundred times before. It felt heavy, like a promise she wasn't sure she could keep. The words from the poster echoed in her mind, "A new beginning before the end."

What if she took it?

What if she left this place and everything that had defined her life for as long as she could remember? But what did she even remember? Her past was a void, a black hole swallowing anything before Ani.

He was her first memory.

She remembered waking up alone in the ruins of an old apartment, her body trembling from hunger, her throat so dry she could barely swallow. The air had been thick with dust, the smell of something long dead lingering in the corners. She had curled into herself, not knowing who she was, how she got there, not knowing if she had anyone at all.

And then Ani was there. He had been only a puppy then.

She hadn't heard him enter, but suddenly, he was beside her, nudging a crust of bread toward her with his nose. His eyes were sharp, intelligent, watching her as if deciding whether she was worth saving. She had barely been able to move, her body weak, but she had reached out with shaking fingers and taken the bread. He never left after that.

Ani had chosen her. And from that day on, they had survived together.

Could she really leave him now? Could she really leave Ani behind? The thought twisted her insides, a painful knot forming in her chest. He had always been there, from that very first day when she'd opened her eyes to find herself alone and lost. Ani had been her hope, her protector, her brother. He'd given her a reason to keep fighting, even when the world seemed determined to break them.

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Raya stood, her bare feet silent on the cold floor. She needed air. She needed to think, to clear her head of the guilt gnawing at her ribs, the fear curling like a fist in her stomach, the desperate ache of wanting something more but being terrified of what that meant.

She slipped out of the basement, the night air hitting her, refreshing. The city was quiet now, the only sounds the distant hum of failing air processors and the occasional bark of a stray dog. The streets were empty, a rare stillness settling over the crumbling neighborhood.

She walked without direction, her thoughts a tangle of doubts and fears. What if she left, knowing there was no coming back? What if this "new beginning" was just another lie, another false promise of hope masking what everyone knew, a guaranteed death? And even if it wasn't, even if it was real, and she could escape this life, somehow, if she were strong enough to survive. What kind of person would she be if she left Ani behind? He had saved her, over and over again. How could she even consider abandoning him now?

Her steps slowed as she reached an intersection. She could see the posters from here, pasted on the walls of an abandoned building, their bright colors a stark contrast to the decay around them. The words seemed to taunt her, their promise of hope so at odds with the reality of the world she knew.

Raya closed her eyes, her hands balling into fists at her sides. She hated this, the not knowing, the guilt that clawed at her insides. She wanted to be strong, to make the right choice, but how could she when every option felt wrong?

Her heart ached at the thought of leaving Ani, but it also ached at the thought of staying, of continuing this endless fight for survival, day after day, with no end in sight.

A noise broke through her thoughts, the rumble of an engine, growing louder. She turned her head, her eyes opening as she saw the headlights coming down the street. A delivery truck, its rusted grille, barreling toward her at an alarming speed.

Raya froze, her mind suddenly blank, her body refusing to move as the vehicle bore down on her.

It was like everything slowed, the world narrowing to just the blinding headlights and the roar of the engine. She could hear her own heartbeat, a frantic rhythm pounding against her chest.

Suddenly.

A flash of movement, a powerful shove, and she was tumbling to the ground, the rough pavement scraping against her skin. The impact jarred her, knocking the breath from her lungs, and for a moment, she couldn't process what had happened. She pushed herself up, her vision blurry, and that's when she saw him.

Ani.

He lay in the street, his body twisted, the truck's taillights disappearing around the corner. Blood stained the pavement beneath him, his once-strong frame now broken, his breaths coming in short, painful gasps. Raya's heart stopped, her entire world crashing down to this single, horrible moment.

Raya's body refused to move. Her mind screamed at her to do something, to rush to Ani’s side, but all she could do was stare, frozen in horror. His breaths came shallow and fast, each one weaker than the last.

"No, no, no, no…" The words tumbled from her lips as she finally scrambled to his side, her hands shaking as they hovered over him, afraid to touch, afraid to feel how broken he was. "Ani, stay with me. Stay with me, boy."

His golden eyes open at the sound of her voice, his tail giving the faintest twitch. A low, strained whimper escaped his throat as his gaze met hers. She could see the pain, the exhaustion, but also something else, pride.

A sob wrenched itself from her chest as she pressed her forehead to his, her fingers tangling in the thick fur around his neck. "You saved me… again boy. You always do."

Ani’s breathing hitched, his body shuddering beneath her touch. She felt the warmth of his blood seeping into her clothes, felt the way his frame trembled from the effort of clinging to life. And yet, despite the pain, despite the failing light in his eyes, he still tried to nuzzle her hand.

"I can't do this without you," she whispered, voice cracking. "I don’t want to."

The city around them was silent now, as if the entire world had paused to witness this moment. No more gunfire, no distant cries, no engines roaring down the ruined streets. Just the sound of Ani's weakening breaths, the pounding of Raya’s heart, and the cruel, crushing weight of inevitability.

She had lost everything before. But never him.

Tears blurred her vision as she forced herself to move, to reach for her bag, her trembling fingers fumbling with the zipper. There had to be something, anything, she could do. A rag to stop the bleeding. Water to ease his pain. Anything to make him stay just a little longer.

Ani made a sound, barely more than a sigh, and nudged her wrist, stopping her. She stilled, her breath hitching as she looked into his eyes. He wasn’t asking for help.

He was saying goodbye.

A sharp, gut-wrenching sob escaped her as she clutched him tighter, burying her face in his fur. "Please… don’t go."

But his body had already gone still.

The warmth remained for a moment longer before the cold set in.

Raya's breaths came fast and shallow, her hands gripping onto him like she could pull him back from wherever he was slipping away to. But he was gone. Her protector, her only family, the one piece of her life she had never questioned. And now, nothing.

Nothing but an empty street, a pool of blood soaking into the cracked pavement, and the hollow ache expanding in her chest.

She didn't know how long she sat there. Minutes. Hours. A lifetime. The world moved on around her, and she remained frozen in place, cradling the only thing that had ever truly loved her.

The Gamepass was still in her pocket.

A new beginning.

Her fingers curled around it, her grip tightening until her palm ached. She had resisted it for so long, refused to even consider leaving behind Ani.

But now?

There was nothing left to stay for.

Slowly, she lifted her head, her tear-streaked face catching the dull glow of a neon screen flickering above the abandoned buildings. A familiar face stared back at her, impossibly smooth, impossibly kind.

Gameweaver’s voice purred through the empty streets, the same hollow promise echoing through the ruins of her home.

"Escape the pain. Escape the suffering. A new world awaits. The Ultimate Dive awaits you."

Raya stared up at the ad, her body numb, her soul emptied out.

Then, with shaking fingers, she pulled the Gamepass from her pocket, turning it over in her palm. She stared at it, the weight of everything pressing down on her chest, making it hard to breathe. Ani had saved her. He had always saved her. If she stayed here, if she kept fighting a war she had already lost, then he had died for nothing.

She wouldn't let that happen.

She exhaled shakily, gripping the Gamepass tighter. There was nothing left for her here.

She was going to The Dive.