The paint on the sign was almost completely washed away by years of rain and snow. But Luna could just barely read the faded white letters. Dr. Sarah’s Clinic. This was it. This was the place where it all began. This was the clinic where Rick’s mother had worked. This was the building where Rick had watched her die. Rick stood in the middle of the empty, weed-covered street. He stared at the rotting wooden building. He did not walk forward. He did not reach out to touch the rusted iron chain on the door. He stayed exactly where he was, ten feet away from the entrance. Luna watched him. Luna had traveled with Rick for a long time. She had seen him do impossible things. She had seen him stand perfectly still in front of fifty charging, heavily armed Hunter-Killers. She had seen him face a tidal wave of boiling purple acid without taking a single step backward. She had watched him punch the giant, ten-foot-tall Shadow Lord in the face. The Ghost Doctor was completely, undeniably fe

The wooden staff hit the cold cobblestone street with a sharp, loud sound. The sound echoed in the quiet evening air. But to Rick, the sound was far away. The whole world suddenly felt fuzzy and distant. Rick stared at the old, wrinkled face of Mrs. Gable. He stared at her pointing finger. He looked at the small, dark stone house at the very end of the street. The name echoed in his mind like a ringing bell. Lila. "Lila," Rick whispered. His voice was entirely empty. It sounded like all the breath had been punched out of his lungs. Luna immediately saw the change in him. She stepped forward and picked up his smooth wooden staff from the ground. She gently pressed it back into his trembling hand. "Rick," Luna said softly. She looked at his face. He was completely pale. "Who is Lila?"Rick did not blink. He kept staring at the dark house. "She was... she was my best friend," Rick choked out. His voice shook violently. "When we were children. Before the sickness came to Riverbend.

The room was perfectly clean. There was absolutely no dust anywhere. The wooden floors were swept clean. In the corner of the room was a small, wooden bed. The bed was made perfectly. A faded, green knitted blanket was tucked neatly under the mattress. On a small wooden desk under the window, there was a collection of toys. There were smooth, round river stones. There was a broken compass. And sitting right in the center of the desk was a small, clumsy wooden horse. It was poorly carved, with one leg shorter than the others. Rick remembered that wooden horse. He had carved it with a pocket knife when he was eight years old. He had been so proud of it. Lila had kept his childhood room completely untouched. For fifty long years, while the world burned, while the Heaven's Cure wiped out cities, while armies marched and monsters roared... Lila had kept this one tiny room perfectly safe. She had preserved his childhood like a holy museum. The heavy wooden door of the bedroom slowly p

Rick slowly, agonizingly lowered his boot to the ground. He did not turn around. He stood with his back to the house. He barely breathed. An old woman stepped out onto the wooden porch. Lila wore her thick gray shawl wrapped tightly around her thin shoulders. She did not hold a lantern. She simply stood in the light of the doorway. She looked out into the dark front yard. She looked at the large oak tree. She looked at the white fence. And then, she looked directly at the tall, dark figure in the gray cloak standing near the gate. The wind blew softly, rustling the leaves on the trees. Lila did not scream. She did not call for the town guards. She did not ask who was standing in her yard. She took one slow, trembling step forward onto the top stair of the porch. She squinted her cloudy, aged eyes into the dark shadows. "I know you are out there," Lila said. Her voice was frail, shaking, and old. But it was incredibly clear. It carried across the small yard and hit Rick’s back

Lila turned around. She walked slowly back toward the wooden porch of her small cottage. She climbed the steps. She stood in the doorway, bathed in the warm golden light of the living room. She looked back out at the dark street one last time. "You don't have to hide forever," Lila said softly. The words carried across the yard like a gentle, loving hug. "When you are ready... the door is unlocked. And the light is on."Lila stepped inside. She did not slam the door. She closed it gently, leaving it open just a tiny crack. The street was silent again. Behind the stone wall, Rick slowly lowered his hand from his mouth. He rested his head against the wet stone. He wept silently. His whole body shook with the heavy, crushing weight of his choices. "She somehow knew," Luna whispered, reaching out to hug him. "She knew exactly why you ran away.""She is too smart," Rick choked out. He wiped his face. "She is too good for me.""Doctor Rick," Ash said quietly. The little girl with no s