The AA Marriage Shattered Bonds and Liberated Souls

"Signed it."

The sharp, piercing sound shattered the fog in Arlena's mind. A folder slammed onto the bedside table with a thud, the plastic and metal clanging together. The sound was so loud, so real.

A phantom chill still lingered in her bones, a memory of freezing to death in a filthy alley, her breath freezing in the air. She could almost feel the rough texture of the icy pavement against her cheeks.

But the ceiling above her head was not a dirty, starless sky.

It is white. The soundproofing panels have a perfect, sterile mesh pattern.

The smell wasn't of garbage and despair. It was the smell of disinfectant and floor wax.

A wave of nausea washed over her. Her stomach tightened, forming a painful knot. She wasn't dead. She was in a hospital room. Sterling City Memorial Hospital.

She recognized the room.

She recognized this day.

The end of the world is coming.

One month. She only has one month left before the world begins to fall apart.

“Elena, are you hearing me?” Grandma Tucker’s face hovered above her, wearing an impatient mask. Her thin lips were pressed into a straight line of displeasure. “Brandi needs this.”

Bone Marrow Donation Consent Form. The handwriting was blurry, but she knew what it said.

In her past life, she signed the agreement, and in the end, she died a gruesome death.

“Your cousin is sick, Elena.” Uncle Dale stood at the foot of the bed, his arms crossed over his barrel-shaped chest.

He was using his 'reasonable patriarchal' voice, the kind he always used before making demands. 'It's your duty. Blood is thicker than water.'

Blood. The word made her stomach churn again.

Her blood. The blood they wanted to take, drain, and use.

This donation will destroy her immune system, leaving her vulnerable and helpless when heat waves hit and the power grid collapses, bringing an apocalyptic scenario.

The memory is so vivid, like a physical blow. Fever, weakness—her body was completely robbed of its vitality when the apocalypse came.

It's all because of this. Because of them.

A chill, unrelated to illusory memories, seeped deep into her chest. It dispelled fear and confusion. It was a hard, sharp clarity.

"No."

The word was uttered hoarsely, as if torn from a throat parched from long silence. It was soft, but its impact in the quiet room was like a gunshot.

Grandma Tucker's jaw dropped. For a second, she looked genuinely shocked, her carefully constructed mask of family concern slipping away to reveal naked greed beneath.

Then came anger.

“What did you say?!” she shrieked, her voice rising to a pitch that made Elena’s teeth ache. “After all we’ve done for you! You ungrateful brat! You have to sign it, or you’re no longer part of this family!”

Dale's wife, Brenda, slowly stepped forward. Her eyes were already red-rimmed, a practiced performance of grief. She grasped Elena's hand. Her grip was surprisingly strong, her nails digging slightly into Elena's skin.

“Please, Elena,” she whispered, her voice hoarse from feigned tears. “Think of Brandy. She’s so young. She has a lifetime ahead of her.”

Elena looked at Brenda's meticulously made-up, sorrowful face. Another memory surfaced.

In her past life, all Elena had left was a loaf of bread, her last food. Brenda's hand snatched it away. As Elena collapsed from hunger, a triumphant and ugly smile appeared on her face.

A dark yet satisfying thought began to take root in Elena's cold heart: revenge.

She pulled her hand away from Brenda's grasp.

Her gaze swept across the room and landed on the nurse call button. She pressed it hard.