Frozen Apocalypse: My System Gives Me Infinite Supplies

"Push him off, Garrick! They're almost here!"

I stared at my wife. "Tamsin, what the hell are you saying?"

Garrick Holt had already taken the last seat on the evacuation truck. He grabbed my jacket and shoved me backward before I could climb aboard.

I caught the tailgate with both hands. My boots scraped against the frozen bumper as the zombies surged beneath me.

"Tamsin! Help me!"

She stood right above me, close enough to reach. Instead, she clutched Garrick's arm.

"Get him off! He's going to bring those things onto the truck!"

Garrick stamped on my wrist.

I screamed. My right hand slipped, leaving me hanging by four fingers.

"Stop! Tamsin, please! I'm your husband!"

"Then stop making this so difficult!"

She crouched beside the tailgate and grabbed my remaining hand.

For a moment, I thought she was going to save me.

"Tamsin, please. I don't want to die."

"Neither do I."

She began peeling my fingers off the metal.

I fought to hold on, but Garrick caught my other wrist and twisted it behind me.

"Please!" My voice broke. "I'll get off at the next stop! I won't bother you! Just let me on!"

"God, Calder, you're always like this." Tamsin dug her nails beneath my fingers. "You never know when to let something go."

My last finger slipped.

I fell onto the frozen road. A zombie woman in a hospital gown landed on top of me, her hospital ID bracelet rattling against my jacket as she bit into my shoulder.

I screamed Tamsin's name.

Above me, Garrick wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Don't look, sweetheart. It's not pretty."

But she was looking.

"Is he still moving?" she asked.

Garrick glanced down. "Not for much longer."

She let out a small laugh. "Good. I was worried he'd somehow manage to climb back up."

Garrick kissed her.

She kissed him back.

I lay beneath the zombie, watching my wife press herself against another man.

I'd given her the four-million-dollar apartment my parents left me. When the blizzards came, I'd filled it with enough food and medicine to last us a year.

She ate while I went hungry.

When she developed pneumonia, I'd walked twelve miles through a snowstorm for antibiotics. Two of my toes had turned black and had to be amputated.

For six months, I'd slept on a concrete floor so she could have the shelter's only heated bed.

Now she was laughing while I was being eaten alive.

"TAMSIN!" I screamed. "I DID EVERYTHING FOR YOU!"

She pulled away from Garrick and looked down.

"Calder, seriously? You're still going on about that?"

I stared at her.

"You never let anything go," she muttered. "I didn't ask you to do half that stuff."

Then she turned back to Garrick.

"Let's go. I'm freezing."

The truck engine roared.

I tried to crawl after them, but the zombie woman caught my collar. I heard the zipper tear away from my jacket just before her teeth closed around my throat.

Blood filled my mouth.

Through the falling snow, I watched the truck disappear.

I kept reaching for it until my fingers stopped moving.

I refuse to die like this! If I could do it all over again, I'd make them pay. I'd make sure they died screaming.

---

"Calder! Are you going to sign or not?"

My hand shot to my throat. My fingers found warm, unbroken skin.

I could still feel where the teeth had been. My throat was whole. No blood, no torn skin.

I lifted my head.

Afternoon sunlight spilled through the living room windows. The air was warm, the furniture untouched, and there was no sign of the frozen wasteland I'd just remembered.

Tamsin Lowen sat across from me in a white blouse, a fountain pen resting between her fingers. A stack of legal documents lay neatly arranged in front of her.

My eyes shifted toward the phone on the side table.

October 5. 12:30 PM

In fifteen days, the temperature would plummet overnight. Blizzards would bring civilization to a standstill, and the dead would rise from the morgues. I'd already lived through the nightmare once. I knew what was coming.

This wasn't an ordinary dream. Somehow, I'd returned to the past.

I suppressed the urge to seek revenge...

In my previous life, Tamsin had told me that her company required her to be legally single and possess independently verified assets to qualify for an executive training program. I believed her and signed the divorce papers without asking for a cent.

The apartment my parents had left me, worth four million dollars, went with her.

That same evening, she'd thrown my belongings onto the street and moved Garrick into my home.

"Calder, sign it." Tamsin's voice carried a note of impatience. "I need these documents submitted before five. We've already discussed this."

I glanced at the document on the table.

Voluntary Asset Relinquishment Agreement.

I pushed the pen aside. "I'm not signing it."

Tamsin stared at me. "What do you mean, you're not signing? I've explained everything three times. It's just a formality for my career."

The front door opened before I could respond.

Martha Lowen marched into the living room and dropped her purse onto the counter.

"Tamsin, has he signed the papers yet?" she demanded, barely acknowledging me. "I just got off the phone with Sian's mother. The wedding banquet is booked, and Sian has made herself perfectly clear. Burl needs this apartment in his name before the wedding, or she's calling off the engagement. Why are you wasting time? Do you want your brother to lose his bride?"

Tamsin turned toward me, her expression hardening.

"Calder, you gave me your word. Are you going to break your promise now? If you refuse to sign today, don't expect me to speak to you again."

I leaned back against the sofa.

"We're getting divorced, and you expect me to walk away with nothing?" I asked. "Do you honestly think I'm that stupid?"

For a moment, Tamsin seemed caught off guard. Then she leaned toward me, her voice turning sweet as she reached for my knee.

"Calder, babe, why are you making this so difficult? It's only temporary. Once the company inspection is over, we'll get married again. Burl is my brother. If you help him now, my whole family will be grateful. Don't be selfish."

I moved my leg out of reach.

"If your family wants the apartment, pay me three million dollars."

Martha's mouth fell open.

"Three million? Have you lost your mind, Calder Reid? You married my daughter, and now you want to rob us blind over an old apartment?"

"Then you shouldn't have any trouble finding a better deal," I replied.

Tamsin's expression tightened. "Where are we supposed to get three million dollars in cash? Be reasonable."

"I am being reasonable."

I took out my phone and called Desmond at Crestwood Realty, putting him on speaker.

He answered after two rings. "Desmond speaking."

"It's Calder Reid. I want Unit 18B at Highcrest Terraces listed for an immediate cash sale. It's on the top floor and in excellent condition. The market value is four million dollars, but I'll accept $2.8 million for a quick sale. The first buyer who can transfer the money within twenty-four hours gets the deed."

"What? $2.8 million?" Desmond sounded stunned. "That's well below market value. I have two cash buyers who can provide proof of funds within ten minutes. I'll get the paperwork ready right away."

"Calder, hang up!" Martha shouted, lunging across the table to grab my phone.

I pulled it out of her reach.

Tamsin's attention shifted between me and the phone. She knew what a sale at that price would mean. If someone else bought the apartment, Burl's wedding plans would fall apart. But if she could persuade me to accept three million dollars, her family could pool its resources, borrow the rest from Garrick if necessary, and acquire a property worth four million for a million less.

The thought of losing the apartment had finally forced her hand.

"Calder, wait!" she said. "Three million. We'll pay you three million!"

I ended the call and looked at her.

"Transfer the money first. Once it reaches my account, I'll hand over the deed and move out today.”