Sean pulled the feast from the spatial dimension course by course. Wagyu ribeye steaks seared medium rare. Lobster tails in garlic butter. Roasted potatoes with rosemary. Caesar salad with real parmesan. Tiramisu from Ristorante Donatello, preserved in perfect condition for three months."This steak is better than any restaurant I've eaten at. And I used to eat Michelin starred." Karla closed her eyes as she chewed."The vacuum seal locks in juices at peak temperature. It literally tastes better now than the day it was made." Sean took a bite of his own."Meanwhile the rest of the building is eating frozen shoe leather." Danny's voice carried a thin edge."They had the same three months I did. They chose cars and vacations. I chose steaks and a pocket dimension. Choices have consequences, Danny. Even in the apocalypse." Sean refilled his glass.After dinner, Cora disappeared into the basement for the hot spring. Her sigh of pleasure echoed up through the floor vents like a sound from

"The tissue is dying, Tyler. It's been cold too long, the blood flow was cut off, and now it's turning black. If I leave it, infection spreads into your blood within two days. After that, your organs start shutting down one by one." Elena let every word land slowly."No. No no no. You said it was minor. You told my mom it was minor!" Tyler's voice climbed toward panic."I told your mother what she needed to hear so she'd leave the room. I'm telling you the truth because you're the one who has to decide. Without radical intervention, you will die. That's not a guess. That's medicine." Elena's voice was steady as stone.Tyler was quiet for a long time. Tears soaked through the black blindfold and ran down his gray cheeks.Natalie's gone. My dad's gone. My body is rotting. Everything is gone."Do it. Whatever you have to do. Just don't let me die." Tyler's voice was barely audible."You're sure? Once I do this, there's no going back." Elena waited."I said do it!" Tyler screamed it at th

Jessica took the phone back and stared at the screen with a slow, calculating expression spreading across her gaunt face."He's showing off. That's what this is. He wants us to see he has food. He wants me to see he has food." Jessica's chin lifted slightly."No, Jessica. He wants you back." Margaret sat up straighter, her eyes lighting up with the sudden brightness of a woman who had just found a new angle. "Think about it. Why would he send it to you and not to the group chat? Why film it at all? He's lonely. He's up there in that big apartment with nobody and he's finally realizing what he lost.""Mom's right. The man divorced you, won the lottery, and now he's sitting alone in a freezing apocalypse with all the money in the world and nobody to spend it with." Tyler shifted on the couch. "He's begging without saying the words."He is lonely. Of course he is. Karla left. Whoever that woman was in his hallway is probably long gone. And now he's sending me videos like a teenager who c

"Please. Just listen. I know what I did. I know what my family did. I'm not asking for forgiveness, I'm asking for food. That's all. Anything. Husband, please." Jessica's voice cracked on the last word.Sean's expression went to stone. He closed the distance in two steps, put his free hand on her shoulder, and shoved her backward into the wall hard enough to knock the air out of her lungs."Call me that one more time and I'll leave you on this landing to freeze. You don't get to use that word. You lost it the second you signed those papers, and you burned it the second you sent your brother and father to ambush me." Sean's voice was ice.Jessica slid down the wall to a crouch, gasping, her hands clutching her chest. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I won't say it again.""My terms are posted in the chat. Jade, gems, or gold. Ten thousand minimum. You sold me your grandmother's bracelets three weeks ago, so unless Margaret has another heirloom hidden in her mattress, we're finished here." Sean l

"Margaret told Tyler that Victor promised to give them apartment 1601 once Sean is removed. Tyler asked what removed means. Victor said don't worry about it." Day seven.Sean read every report at his kitchen table, cross referencing the information against his own perception radius data and the intelligence Harper Burke was feeding him from the Burke compound. Jessica's reports were consistent, detailed, and growing more valuable by the day."She's actually good at this." Danny looked up from cleaning the crossbow. "I hate to say it, but your ex wife makes a better spy than she ever made a wife.""Jessica has always been good at watching people and telling them what they want to hear. The only difference is now she's telling me." Sean set the phone down and poured coffee."You trust her?" Danny's tone carried a warning."I trust that she's hungry. Hunger is the most reliable motivator in human history. As long as I control the food, I control Jessica." Sean took a sip."And when she s