Apocalypse: Survivor-in-Law

Zero Reward

"Look at the final balance Caroline."

​Victor Hargrove shoved the thick stack of financial documents directly against her chest.

​Caroline stood under the dim streetlamp outside the warehouse gates. She opened the heavy manila folder with trembling hands.

​Her palms were covered in bloody blisters from three weeks of agonizing manual labor. She scanned the official bank statements with exhausted eyes.

​The top page showed Malcolm with a staggering three billion dollar balance exactly three weeks ago. The final page showed his current account balance at exactly zero.

​"He spent every single penny," Victor said with a loud and cruel laugh. "He liquidated that entire massive portfolio to buy military grade titanium and thousands of tons of preserved food."

​Victor stepped closer and looked at her filthy work clothes with supreme pity.

​"He is completely broke. Caroline," Victor whispered maliciously. "He does not have a single dollar left to his name. He just used you for three weeks of free manual labor."

​The horrifying truth crashed into Caroline.

​She looked down at her ruined fingernails and the bruised skin covering her arms. She had endured three weeks of absolute physical hell in the blistering summer heat.

​Every drop of sweat and every agonizing pain in her lower back had been for absolutely nothing.

​She had hauled heavy industrial water filters and dragged massive crates of tactical gear until her hands bled. She thought she was earning her way back into a lavish billionaire lifestyle.

​Instead she had literally built a giant concrete garbage dump for a broke lunatic.

​Her immense greed instantly mutated into a blistering and violent rage.

​"That absolute bastard," Caroline screamed into the quiet night. She threw the heavy financial folder onto the hot asphalt. "He humiliated me on purpose."

​She had abandoned her pride and begged in the dirt just to become a glorified pack mule. The realization made her feel completely worthless.

​She looked up at Victor with desperate pleading eyes.

​"Victor please," Caroline begged. She stepped forward and reached out for his tailored suit. "I was a complete fool. Take me back and help me destroy him."

​Victor smiled arrogantly. He loved seeing her crawl back to him in total defeat. It perfectly satisfied his massive ego.

​"I will take you back," Victor agreed smoothly. He reached out and grabbed her chin. "But we are going to make sure the entire city knows exactly what a pathetic loser he really is."

***

​The next day was August 14. It was the final twenty four hours of the old world.

​The sweltering summer heatwave reached a staggering ninety five degrees by the late afternoon. The air was thick and incredibly humid.

​Victor and Caroline used their immense wealth to completely rent out the luxury rooftop terrace of the Grand Hotel.

​The towering hotel was located directly across the street from Malcolm and his ugly concrete warehouse. The rooftop offered a perfect downward view of the fortified property.

​They hired elite catering companies and imported thousands of expensive exotic flowers. They hired a massive private security team to guard the lobby.

​They invited every single wealthy socialite and business leader in Brighthaven.

​It was publicly billed as an exclusive and lavish engagement banquet.

​Inside the impenetrable underground bunker Malcolm sat in his comfortable command chair.

​The internal climate control system kept the armored room at a perfect seventy two degrees. The air was perfectly filtered and clean.

​His secure digital tablet chimed with an incoming notification. It was a golden digital invitation from Victor and Caroline.

​The invitation included a live video link to the rooftop camera feeds so Malcolm could watch the party he was not allowed to attend. They wanted him to suffer in his concrete box while they celebrated.

​Malcolm did not get angry. He simply smiled and accepted the video feed on his massive main monitor.

​He wanted a front row seat to watch the exact moment their arrogant smiles froze permanently to their faces.

​The outdoor rooftop banquet was completely packed by the late evening.

​Hundreds of wealthy elites stood under the dark night sky. They wore custom tailored suits and thin designer summer dresses.

​They were sweating profusely in the sweltering ninety five degree heat. The massive ice sculptures near the buffet tables were melting rapidly into puddles of water.

​Waiters walked frantically through the dense crowd carrying silver trays of ice cold champagne to keep the guests happy.

​Caroline stood near the edge of the balcony in a brand new diamond studded dress. She looked completely pristine again.

​Cynthia and Edwin stood right beside her. They were laughing loudly and drinking premium imported wine.

​"Look at that ugly piece of garbage down there," Edwin sneered. He pointed his glass down at the dark warehouse across the street. "He actually buried three billion dollars in the dirt."

​"He is a complete mental patient," Cynthia agreed with a wicked smile. "He belongs in a psychiatric ward not a financial boardroom."

​The surrounding socialites nodded in agreement. They found the entire situation incredibly amusing. They loved mocking anyone who fell from grace.

​It was exactly eleven fifty five at night.

​Victor tapped a silver spoon against his crystal champagne glass. The loud ringing noise instantly quieted the wealthy and sweating crowd.

​He stood at the very edge of the rooftop balcony with Caroline directly by his side.

​Victor picked up a wireless microphone and smiled brightly at his gathered guests.

​"Thank you all for attending this beautiful celebration of my engagement," Victor announced loudly. His voice echoed clearly off the surrounding glass skyscrapers.

​The crowd clapped politely and raised their expensive glasses in the air.

​"As you all know my beautiful fiancee recently escaped a very dark and abusive situation," Victor continued. He pointed dramatically over the edge of the balcony.

​He pointed directly at the massive concrete block sitting silently across the street.

​"She escaped a complete lunatic," Victor mocked loudly into the microphone. "A broke and pathetic man who spent his entire life savings building a useless metal box in the dirt."

​The entire crowd of wealthy elites erupted into loud and cruel laughter. They looked down at the ugly warehouse with supreme disgust.

​Victor enjoyed the sound of their laughter. He felt like the absolute king of the city. He had successfully reclaimed his pride and destroyed his rival.

​Caroline leaned into the microphone with a vicious and vindictive smirk.

​"We know you are watching the camera feed Malcolm," Caroline sneered. Her voice dripped with pure malice. "Enjoy your pile of concrete while we enjoy the real world."

​Victor raised his glass of champagne high into the dark sky.

​"To our beautiful future," Victor shouted proudly. "And to leaving the trash exactly where it belongs."

​The crowd cheered loudly and raised their drinks to the sky.

​It was exactly five minutes to midnight.

​None of them noticed the sudden and terrifying drop in the atmospheric pressure. None of them saw the massive black clouds rapidly devouring the stars above their heads.

​"To our beautiful future,” Malcolm repeated in a low, cold register