Apocalypse: Survivor-in-Law

Zero Threats

A massive diamond tipped drill violently chewed through the solid bedrock beneath Brighthaven.

​The deafening roar of heavy machinery echoed across the city center. A thick cloud of gray dust drifted into the air.

​Malcolm stood casually with his hands in his pockets. He was watching the elite engineering team from Ironcrest Holdings tear apart the concrete foundation of his new warehouse.

​He had successfully purchased the property yesterday for thirty million dollars. Today he was already transforming it into an impenetrable fortress.

​Dozens of flatbed trucks were currently lined up down the street. They were carrying massive yard thick titanium plates for the exterior walls.

​A large crowd of local business owners and wealthy neighbors had gathered behind the temporary chain link fence. They were pointing their fingers and laughing loudly at the construction site.

​"Look at that complete idiot," a wealthy boutique owner shouted over the noise of the drill. "He won a few million dollars in the stock market and went completely insane."

​"Who builds a fortified bunker in the middle of a record breaking summer heatwave," another neighbor mocked. "He is literally burying his entire fortune in the dirt."

​The crowd found the spectacle incredibly amusing. They thought Malcolm was a paranoid lunatic wasting a miraculous financial windfall.

​None of them knew that in exactly twenty eight days the sky would darken completely. The temperature would drop to absolute zero.

​Every single person laughing behind that fence would be frozen solid before the end of next month.

​Malcolm ignored the crowd entirely. He kept his eyes locked on the deep geothermal shaft being dug into the earth. That shaft would provide unlimited heat and power when the global grid inevitably collapsed.

​A fleet of four black luxury vehicles abruptly pulled up to the curb. The heavy tires screeched against the hot asphalt.

​Victor Hargrove stepped out of the lead vehicle. He looked incredibly smug and confident.

​Victor had suffered a massive public humiliation yesterday at the auction. He had spent the entire night plotting his absolute revenge.

​Caroline stepped out of the passenger side. She immediately put on a pathetic and tearful face for the gathered crowd of wealthy neighbors.

​Cynthia followed closely behind her daughter. A short and balding corporate lawyer carrying a thick leather briefcase stepped out of the final car.

​Victor looked at the massive construction equipment and smirked. He genuinely believed Malcolm was throwing away his billions on a useless pile of garbage.

​Victor confidently led the group through the open construction gates. He marched directly toward Malcolm with the sleazy lawyer right beside him.

​"Shut down those machines immediately," the lawyer shouted over the roaring drill. He waved a thick stack of legal documents in the air.

​Malcolm slowly turned his head. He looked at the four parasites standing in the dirt of his property.

​"You are trespassing on a private military construction site," Malcolm said. His voice was deathly calm and completely unbothered by their aggressive arrival.

​"I am the senior legal counsel for the Mercer family," the lawyer announced loudly. He specifically pitched his voice so the gathered crowd of neighbors could hear every word.

​"We are here to officially serve you with a massive civil lawsuit," the lawyer continued. "You deliberately hid marital assets during your divorce proceedings yesterday."

​The crowd behind the fence gasped collectively. They leaned in closer to hear the wealthy family drama unfold.

​Cynthia stepped forward and pointed a vicious finger directly at Malcolm.

​"You are a disgusting financial abuser," Cynthia screamed for the audience. "You lived in our house and ate our food while secretly hoarding a massive stock portfolio."

​Victor crossed his arms and smiled proudly. He thought he had Malcolm completely trapped in a legal nightmare.

​"My client demands immediate financial restitution," the lawyer stated. He opened his briefcase and pulled out a drafted court order.

​"We are demanding exactly one point five billion dollars in unpaid alimony and severe emotional damages," the lawyer declared.

​"If you refuse to transfer the funds today I will file a federal court injunction," the lawyer threatened. "I will completely halt your little bunker construction and freeze all of your bank accounts."

​Victor waited eagerly for Malcolm to panic. He expected Malcolm to start sweating and begging for a settlement to keep his construction moving.

​Malcolm looked at the sleazy lawyer with eyes as cold as a winter blizzard.

​"Are you entirely finished speaking?" Malcolm asked smoothly.

​The lawyer frowned slightly.

​"The facts are incredibly simple," Malcolm said. His voice echoed clearly across the quieted construction site.

​"The government clerk stamped our official divorce certificate yesterday," Malcolm stated.

​He took a step closer to the lawyer. ​"The Meridian Dynamics stock market announcement did not go public until six in the morning today," Malcolm continued.

​He looked directly at Caroline. "I was legally completely broke at the exact second our marriage officially ended. There were no hidden marital assets."

​The lawyer swallowed hard.

​Malcolm was not finished destroying them.

​"Furthermore," Malcolm said loudly. He turned his attention back to the gathered crowd of wealthy neighbors.

​"My former wife was incredibly terrified that I would ask for financial support after the divorce," Malcolm announced.

​Caroline turned completely pale. She knew exactly what he was about to say.

​"She forced her lawyers to draft an airtight separation agreement," Malcolm said with a chilling smile. "She explicitly demanded a total waiver of all spousal alimony rights for both parties."

​The crowd behind the fence erupted into loud whispers and mocking laughter. The tables had completely turned.

​"She did not want to pay her poor live-in husband a single dime of her precious family money," Malcolm concluded. "Her own massive greed legally protected my entire fortune."

​The sleazy corporate lawyer instantly turned white as a ghost. His entire bluff had been publicly and brutally dismantled in less than sixty seconds.

​He knew he had absolutely no legal case against a verified billionaire. If he pushed a fraudulent lawsuit he would lose his license and face complete ruin.

​The lawyer quickly shoved the papers back into his briefcase. He turned around and rapidly walked back toward his car without saying another word.

​"Where are you going?" Cynthia screamed at the retreating lawyer. "Get back here and sue him."

​Victor stared at Malcolm in absolute shock. His grand plan for revenge had just crumbled into dust. He looked completely foolish standing in the dirt.

​Caroline realized her final chance at stealing his money through the legal system was entirely gone.

​She looked at the massive titanium wall plates being unloaded from the trucks. She looked at the billions of dollars of power standing right in front of her.

​Caroline suddenly dropped the act entirely. She decided to try a completely new angle.

​She took two steps forward and looked up at Malcolm. Genuine tears of profound regret filled her beautiful eyes.

​"Malcolm please listen to me," Caroline begged. Her voice trembled with raw pathetic desperation. "My mother and Victor forced me to bring the lawyer."

​Victor snapped his head toward her in utter betrayal. "Caroline what are you doing?"

​She ignored Victor completely. She reached out and clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture toward Malcolm.

​"I was so incredibly wrong," Caroline cried. Tears streamed heavily down her face ruining her expensive makeup. "I was confused and scared. But I remember our past love."

​She took another step closer. She looked at him with absolute submission.

​"I will leave Victor right now," Caroline pleaded loudly in front of the entire crowd. "I will walk away from my family today. Please forgive me and let us remarry."

​The crowd behind the fence went completely silent. They were entirely captivated by the brutal emotional drama.

​Cynthia gasped in horror at her daughter publicly abandoning the billionaire heir.

​Malcolm looked down at his sobbing ex wife. He looked at the woman who had locked him on a freezing balcony to die an agonizing death.

​He did not feel a single ounce of pity.

​A cold and terrifying smile slowly spread across his face.

​"If you really want to get back together with me," Malcolm said quietly.

​Caroline wiped a tear from her cheek and nodded eagerly. A spark of greedy hope ignited in her chest.

​"I have an offer for you," Malcolm finished.