Nobela ni H.I.M

POV: Avery"You came," the woman said. "My name is Vanessa. I thought you won't come." She was standing in the middle of the room on the second floor of the factory.I stayed near the door with my hand on the gun inside my jacket. I had bought it from the thug down the rough neighbourhood before coming here.Five more people sat in a circle on the floor, and all of them turned to look at me.I told myself I would only listen. If it was a trap, I had my gun."Were you the one who called me the other day?" I asked."I am." Vanessa pointed around the circle. "That is Victor, Helen, Tyler and Nathan." Then she nodded at a man sitting alone in the corner. "And that is Elliot."The others smiled at me, but Elliot didn't. He just watched me with calm eyes, like he was measuring me. I looked away first."Why am I here?" I asked."Because we're all the same," Vanessa said. "Everyone in this room died in the apocalypse and came back. So apparently we were all reborn."My chest went tight. She

POV: AveryFor the next three days I turned the warehouse into a home. I paid contractors double to fix the heater in two days. I put heavy locks on every door and cameras around the building.One corner had a bed, a small kitchen and a desk. I even set a small heater by the bed. The rest was shelves full of canned food, water, medicine, batteries and fuel. On the fourth day, I was checking the new heater when the security monitor beeped.I had called that woman's number again and again, and it never went through. In the end I gave up and pushed it aside. Maybe I shouldn't have.A black sedan was parked outside my door. My mother stepped out of the driver's seat, and my father got out from the other side. Then the back doors opened, and Chloe climbed out with her hand on her belly, and Damien came out last in a long, expensive coat.All four of them walked toward the door together. My blood ran cold. I hadn't told a single person where I was. How did they know?I stood frozen in fro

POV: Avery"Fourteen, twenty-seven, thirty-three, forty-one, fifty-eight. Mega Ball nine." I read the numbers out loud with my phone shaking in my hand. I was still half asleep, but I woke up fast.I pulled the ticket from my pocket and checked every digit twice. They matched perfectly. Three hundred and forty million dollars.I sat on the floor breathing hard. In my last life, I died with nothing, frozen outside a warm cabin while my family laughed. Now I had more money than most people see in ten lifetimes.The lottery office opened at nine, so I used the two hours to plan. The apocalypse would start in eleven days. I needed shelter, heat, food and security, and my small studio couldn't give me any of it.At the office, the receptionist looked bored until I said the amount. Her eyes went wide. "Please have a seat. Someone will be with you shortly."Ten minutes later, three officials were checking my ticket and my ID. They said I could take annual payments for thirty years, or a lum

POV: Avery"Have you lost your mind?" my mother asked. Her face changed five times before it settled on shock."No," I said calmly. "I'm just done with my husband and this family."I could see she was trying hard not to smile. She had wanted to get rid of me since Chloe was born, but she was afraid of what people would say.The Hales had a good name in town. Throwing out their adopted daughter would look bad, but if I left on my own, it was perfect for her."If that is what you really want," she said slowly, "then we should do it properly." She looked at my father. "We can go to city hall today."My father nodded. He looked uncomfortable, but he didn't argue. He never argued with her about anything.Before we left, I went to my room and packed one bag. Chloe stood at my door with her hand on her belly, smiling like she had won a prize. "Where will you even go?" she asked. "You have no money, no job, nothing."I zipped the bag and walked past her without a word. She was right that I ha

POV: Avery"Avery, get up and go outside." Damien said without even looking at me. I was sitting on the floor by the fire, because Chloe had taken the couch.Chloe was wrapped in a thick blanket, eating biscuits. My mother and father sat beside her, and none of them looked at me. Outside, the wind and snow was fighting.I laughed small, thinking I heard him wrong. "Say that again." My voice was shaking."The generator can't carry all of us," he said. "One person must leave, and I have decided it will be you." He still wasn't looking at me."Me?" I stood up slowly. "I'm your wife, Damien. Why me?" My heart was beating so fast I could hear it."Because it can't be Chloe." He walked to the couch and put his hand on her shoulder. She didn't even look at me."Why can't it be Chloe?" I asked. But nobody answered. “ Why can't it be Chloe?” I asked again but this time with a little scream."Because she's pregnant," Damien yelled back. "And it's my child." He breathed in, and finally looked at