The big top's entrance flap parted with a soft rustle, and Tony stepped inside first, heart thumping like a drum in his chest. The inside glowed with string lights draped like spiderwebs, casting warm yellow spots over sawdust floors and faded posters of acrobats who probably never saw the end of the world. Tables ringed the center ring, piled with fresh bread, canned fruits, and even some roasted meat that smelled like heaven after days of dry rations. About thirty people and creatures milled around—humans with tired smiles, a few mutants on leashes that looked more like pets than guards, all chatting and laughing as if the apocalypse was just a bad dream.Seraphina Lune waited in the center, pink hair shining under the lights, her smile wide and genuine now, no smoke or tricks in sight. She clapped her hands together once, and the chatter died down. "Welcome, darlings! Come in, sit down. You look like you've walked through hell and back. Let me fix that."She waved them to a table,