Boundaries

Dae hasn't left the town in 1 week and 6 days.

It's hard to breathe, here in the town where everything reminds her of the friends she has lost, but it's harder to breathe in the world outside, knowing that the thing that took them away is right around the corner, hidden within the spires up north.

She crouches in front of four bowls, filling them in preparation for dinnertime, and lets the loud approach of four black dogs drown out the rest of her thoughts.

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Dae hasn't left the town in 2 weeks and 4 days.

She stares unseeing at the bulletin board. She's here for a purpose, the hole in her wallet growing only emptier. Warnings, advertisements, job listings.

It's difficult, to read the last one. All she can think about is the people who used to fill those roles.

She goes home and resolves to try again another day.

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Dae hasn't left the town in 1 season and 2 weeks.

It's still hard to breathe, but it's getting easier. The beating of her heart doesn't wake her up at night anymore, at least, and the morning fog doesn't fill her with a sense of unease.

She sits at the ranch, petting one of the dogs, when suddenly one of them whines, looking towards the north. The rest of them sit up and whine as well, before all of them take off. Dae follows them as far as the edge of town before watching them disappear past the tree line.

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Dae hasn't left the town in almost a full year.

She smiles when one of her new coworkers asks after her health, and assures them that she's getting enough fresh air and exercise. You don't need to leave the town to take a walk, after all.

Maybe someday, she'll walk further past the ranch. Maybe someday, she'll make it to the burial grounds that Councilmember Sylvan has constructed. But for now, she'll stand at the ranch and stare into the distance, surrounded by the sounds of ovicorn and other animals, and simply focus on breathing.