Chapter 2

The wind outside was becoming a physical force. It was the wail of the Arctic, and every blast slamming against the blast door echoed like thunder, as if an ancient beast were clawing at our sanctuary.

I was finishing the anti-freeze diesel fill-up for the main generator. The air in the cellar smelled of lubricating oil and canned food.

"Jack," Mother said, placing cans on the shelf with trembling hands. "Is this… really enough for a long time? And why quit your job? You didn't even say goodbye to your boss…"

"Mom, the project was rotting anyway," I said, wiping oil off my hands and pulling a warm chocolate cupcake from my pocket for her. "The world is getting cold. Can't you feel it? The temperature is already shattering records. Those cans? This is just the first cache. I’ll find more."

The warmth of the family touch made a chink in my armor. In my past life, I died in the cold, but my heart’s greatest regret was failing to protect them. This time, I had the power and the supplies.

Father, a former combat engineer, adjusted the gauge on the air filtration system. "Jack, I don't know where you got all this, but you were right. This old girl still runs. As long as there’s fuel, this is the only warm place in town."

Before he could finish, a sharp, violent pounding erupted at the door.

It wasn't a neighbor's knock. It was a rhythm filled with hate, one I’d recognize even with my eyes closed: Mike.

Father frowned, preparing to head to the entrance. "Who would come at this hour?"

I walked straight to the foyer, pressing a hand on Father’s shoulder. My eyes were cold enough to freeze blood. "Stay put, Dad. The trash has found us."

I strode across the blast chamber and hauled the heavy steel door open.

The icy gale blasted in, snow scouring my face. Mike was there, hunched in a thin hoodie, half his face bruised a sickly purple by the frost. His bloodshot eyes burned with frantic greed.

"Jack! You bastard!" He lunged, trying to shove past me. "You hid it! Where are the meteorites? I know they're here! That was supposed to be mine! We agreed to get rich together…"

I didn't give him a second to finish. As my boot hit the concrete, I unleashed a kick with the force of a snapping bow. A dull thud followed; Mike let out a choked cry as he flew backward like a ragdoll, smashing into the frozen mud.

"Look closely," I said, standing on the threshold, looking down at his convulsing form like a stray dog. "This is leased land. Private property. Take one more step, and the next thing hitting you won’t be my boot—it’ll be a bullet."

"You… you dare…" Mike tried to rise, blood trickling from his lip. "You think you can hide? The temperature is dropping—it’s warm in there. You think you can keep it all to yourself?"

"Get lost." I didn't care to waste another syllable, hitting the remote lock.

The heavy door groaned with a mechanical click, sealing shut, locking his twisted, frantic face out into the gale. I heard him thrashing and cursing, his voice fading until the blizzard silenced him.

Returning to the living bay, silence and warmth reigned.

Father looked at me, brows knotted. "That was Mike? How did he… become like this?"

"He’s always been like this, Dad," I said, pulling out a set of greenhouse light arrays. "He just hadn't learned how to be a madman before the end of the world."

Mother hugged my shoulder, looking at my reddened knuckles. "Jack, as long as we're together, that's all that matters."

Warmth flowed through the underground bunker. I looked at the mountains of supplies, my remaining anxiety finally vanishing. Mike’s venom, the cold, the impending collapse—they were all just noise outside our fort.

I pulled out a bag of premium coffee beans and set them on the table.

"Dad, Mom, just in case," I said softly, my voice steady. "No matter what happens outside, no matter who knocks, or what terrifying sounds you hear—do not open the door. This… is our world now."

Father nodded solemnly, understanding the weight of my words. He returned to his circuits, Mother to the pantry. This wasn't merely hiding; it was our fortress.

I turned toward my secret bedroom. In the corner, I remounted the blue meteorite into the generator's cooling loop. As it pulsed with a faint glow, a comforting heat radiated through the space.

Mike, stay there in the snow. Because your life, just like this coming winter, frozen and shattered outside my door.