Marcus turned to see who had spoken, and the moment his eyes landed on Gerald, something changed in his face. His face lit up in recognition!. He squinted his face well as he stepped forward. "No way. Gerald? Gerald Bassey? he said, and he actually laughed, a short bark of it that bounced off the tiled walls. Gerald said nothing."It's really you." Marcus turned fully now, forgetting the girl still pinned by the window for a second, forgetting Mrs. Alden bleeding quietly onto the floor. He looked Gerald up and down like he was appraising a stray dog that had wandered in off the street. "Man, I haven't seen you since secondary school and you still look broke."Marcus was a schoolmate of Gerald's, and had been a bully who knew Gerald was an orphan. He tormented Gerald's life a lot and even had him running errands. Gerald already knew who he was before he intervened. “Wow, I really missed you… but you shouldn't have introduced yourself with a dramatic entry of something you can neve

Gerald stepped out of the restaurant and exhaled.The money problem wasn’t solved.The two million from Newtop was Raphael’s deposit. He had spent it tonight and it needed to be replaced. He checked his phone. Newtop was still unable to pay him his share yet. He wanted to return the money to Raphael as soon as possible.One option sat in the back of his mind.Capo.Everyone in the city knew the name. A loan operation tied to one of the most dangerous cartels around. They would lend enormous amounts, no questions. The catch was simple. If you couldn’t pay back, they didn’t send lawyers. They took your body apart. Organs harvested and sold, and whatever remained didn’t get buried. These organs would cover up for the money. In fact, they value those organs more than money. Gerald thought about it for thirty seconds.In the coming days money was going to stop meaning anything. Nobody was going to be collecting loan repayments when the apocalypse hit because half of the popularity will d

That night, Gerald checked into a modest hotel on the outskirts of the city. The room was simple.He collapsed onto the bed, the weight of the unmarked card heavy in his pocket, and for the first time in weeks. He had a very good night's sleep. He would do anything to secure this kind of sleep during the Apocalypse. As soon as the sun rose the next morning, Gerald was up. He freshened up quickly, splashing cold water on his face, and stepped out into the dawn light with purpose burning in his veins. Today’s mission was clear: secure a warehouse vast enough to store supplies that would sustain him for years, at least 50 years. It had to be wide, immense, and shielded from the coming cold apocalypse.His mind fixed on one place—the Sentinel Cavern within Mount Vigil. Hidden deep in the forgotten hills outside the city, it would become one of the most vital strongholds during the apocalypse. The cavern was enormous, with multiple chambers spanning hundreds of meters, naturally ventila

The image appeared on the screen.The room looked at it again , and then the laughter started. Not polite laughter. The real kind, people leaning into each other, shaking their heads, covering their mouths, someone near the back actually clapping once like it was the punchline to a joke that had been building all evening."A rock," Henry said loudly. "They're auctioning an actual rock.""The Sentinel River has been rising every year," a man in a grey suit said to the woman beside him. "Give it five months, maybe less. That whole island and the cave would go under.""Who on earth builds on a flood island?" someone else said.The auctioneer waited for the noise to die down. "Reserve price," he said, "fifty thousand dollars."The laughter got louder."Fifty thousand?" Tina turned to Henry with pure delight on her face. "For something that's going to drown?""They should pay someone to take it off their hands, because no one is paying even 500 dollars on it" Henry said."Fifty thousand,"

Janet sat frozen in front of her screen for a long time after witnessing the murder. She watched as Raphael walked out of that study.Then she instantly grabbed her phone.Her fingers were steady but her breathing wasn't, and she dialed before she had fully decided what she was going to say."Emergency line, what is your—""I want to report a murder," Janet said. "I have video evidence. I'm sending it right now."She attached the camera footage to the report before the operator had finished asking for her name. Full recording, timestamped, both cameras, every angle. She gave the address also. And the name. Then she sat back in her chair and stared at the ceiling.Gerald had known every detail, down to the minute. She had installed the cameras half believing she was wasting her time, half convinced she would watch the evening pass quietly and feel foolish for listening to a man she had only just met.Instead she had watched a son kill his father and walk out straightening his jacket.