Fresh Bread

(This ending is when Andrew and Ashley get into that crazy, disgusting cycle, probably Decay’s final)

(You’re Julia!—Aged up)

The apartment reeked of incense, sweat, and something rot-sweet that clung to the walls like mold. Ashley had bled again — nose, mouth, it didn’t matter. She laughed on the couch, a new string of sound caught in the trinket, the room echoing with giggles that weren’t hers anymore

“We’re out of bread,” she whispered, not looking up “The sesame kind. You used to love it.”

Andrew blinked once, then turned for the door. The walls breathed behind him, he left and closed the door

---

The bakery glowed like a memory — pale yellow light through rain-slick windows. Inside, it smelled like sugar and yeast, like childhood and lives that weren’t his

And she was there

Julia

Shorter hair. New coat. Still her

Beside her, Jane, laughing with a mouth full of joy. Julia said something quiet, something only her sister could hear, and they both chuckled again

He should have turned around. He should’ve vanished. But his hand was already on the handle.

The bell above the door chimed

Silence

Jane noticed him first — her jaw locked tight, blue eyes firm, her hand resting gently on Julia’s back like a warning. Julia turned next, slowly

Their eyes met No fear. No warmth. Just… quiet.

Andrew stood still, water dripping from his coat onto the floor

“Can I help you?” the baker asked behind the counter

Andrew’s voice cracked, dry and cold “Just… bread.”

He avoided Julia’s gaze, staring instead at the loaves lined up like coffins. He pointed to the one with sesame seeds

As the baker wrapped it, Julia moved — brushing past him without a word, reaching for a napkin. The scent of her shampoo hit him like a memory. She was real. She was there…

And still, she said nothing…