Apocalypse Rebirth: My Gold-Eating System

ibrating nonstop in her pocket with notifications of incoming funds. The world felt di

meat meant scavenging spoiled scraps from abandoned freezers, or worse. She cut a small piece and lifted it to her lips. The first bite hit her tongue-salty, buttery, perfectly seared. The juices flooded her mouth, and for a moment, she forgot where she was. Her eyes stung. She blinked the moisture away, angry

h a flicker of thought, it vanished into The Reserve. She counted to thirty, her heart pounding. A few minutes later, she retrieved it. The napkin was still warm to the touch. She unfolded it carefully, and there it was-the half-steak, glistening, steam still rising from its surface. She t

bt in her mi

n from the waitress, began to sketch out her

ad watched, in her past life, as entire neighborhoods drowned. People clung to rooftops, screaming for help that ne

id failed-and it would fail, she knew that with absolute certainty-the city would plunge into darkn

ned on neighbors. Doors were broken down in the night. The sounds of struggle, of screams, of silence afterward. The fewer

n, and opened a real estate app. She filtered for luxury penthouse apa

ecluded neighborhood. It boasted state-of-the-art security, a reinforced concrete struc

or the listed agent, a

your dreams come true today?" His voice was slick and overly enthusiastic. "An excellent choice! The views are simply breathtaking.

to-move product. The words were right, but the delivery was wrong. Too fast. Too eager

em," she said, her

ourse! I can be

only, no contingencies. In two months, that house would be worthless. Every day she held onto it was a day she wasn't using that money to buy things that would actually

r wall was topped with electrified fencing, and armed guards patrolled the entrance. She noted the guard rotations,

suit was at least two sizes too big, the tie was polyester, and his handsh

re." He shook her hand

ke-proofing and soundproof walls. "And the views, Ms. Richards! Wait until you see the views! Floor-to-ceiling windows, the finest imported glass-"

he hallway was wide, silent, and empty. There were only

, gesturing at the view. "You can see all the way to the harbor on a clear day-" Ben saw a luxury playground. Joanna saw a defensive vulnerability that would need to be reinforced with steel plates. She was al

s?" she asked, tapping on the wa

supports, you can do whatever you want with the interior." He laughed, a nervous, high-pitched sound. "No, no! The owner is overseas, very

d steel door, a self-contained air filtration system, a pa

ic

lt sliding into place. It ca

ressure. A presence. She could feel someone on the other side of that door, standing just as still as she was, listening. Every nerve in Joanna's body, ho

move without making a sound. The silence of a predator waiting in ambush. A palpable aura of danger seemed to bleed from

ough the hallway was cool. He gave a nervous laugh. "Ah, that's just the

hinges-heavy-duty, reinforced. Then the frame itself, and there. Just above the strike plate, no bigger than a pinhead, a tiny circle of glass that caught th

y camouflaged against the dark wood of the doorfram

, cold smile. A freelance writer with a military-spec security s

She turned back to the sweati

dangerously soft. Ben's face went pale. His mouth opened and closed like a fish

harp as glass. "Who, or what, ar