Chapter 12: The Last hour

Brown

I backed the Ford pickup into the underground bay of the Mount Ironwood bunker. The heavy steel blast doors shut tight behind me.

Without wasting a second, I jumped down from the cab, my full-figured frame moving with swift, practiced efficiency. I grabbed a hand jack and unloaded the giant pallet of syringes from the truck bed. Sweating from the heavy lifting, I pushed the wooden crate deep into the main storage room, lining it up next to our trauma kits, water supplies, and dog food.

I wiped the sweat off my forehead and checked my watch.

The red screen blinked back at me: 3 HOURS LEFT.

Three hours until Day Zero.

I drove straight back to my penthouse. Rex was waiting inside the living room. The second I walked through the front door, his big tail started thumping on the floorboards.

I collapsed onto the couch for a few minutes. I hadn't rested in days, and every muscle in my body ached. Once I caught my breath, I packed up the last few things we needed—my legal papers, extra warm clothes, some food supplies and water remaining in my fridge, and Rex’s leash and gear.

"Time to go, boy," I called out.

Rex jumped up, ears perked, and followed me out to the truck.

We still had a bit of time left before locking ourselves inside Mount Ironwood forever. I turned the key, started the engine, and drove toward the middle of town.

"One last stop," I whispered, gripping the wheel. "Let's see how our dear friends are enjoying their new accommodations."

——

I pulled the Ford pickup into the parking lot of the police precinct.

"Stay here, boy," I said, patting Rex on his broad head.

Rex whined softly, but he settled down in the passenger seat, his dark eyes watching me through the glass as I hopped out, locked the cab, and walked up the concrete steps alone.

The holding cell area smelled like cheap bleach and damp concrete.

I walked down the quiet hallway, my heavy boots thudding against the floor.

Mavel was sitting on the cold floor of the last cell.

His expensive suit was dirty and crumpled, and his face was pale. He held onto his heavily bandaged leg, crying quietly from the pain. Ginger sat on the wooden bench beside him, her makeup smeared and her designer clothes covered in dry mud.

The moment my shadow hit the cell bars, Ginger looked up.

"Brown?!" she gasped, running over to grab the bars. "Oh, thank God! You have to help us! Tell the cops to let us go! Mavel’s leg is infected and he's in terrible pain! He’s going to die in here if he doesn't get to a real hospital!"

Mavel groaned from the floor, looking up at me with sweat pouring down his face. "Brown... please... help us..."

I stood outside the iron bars with my arms crossed over my chest. My face stayed completely blank. I slowly shook my head.

"I’m not here to save you, Ginger," I said, my voice cold as ice. "I just came to take one last look at you guys... before the world burns."

Ginger stared at me, completely confused. "The world burns?! What is wrong with you?!" She let out a fake, angry laugh. "Is that why you've been acting crazy?! Is that what this weird fantasy is about?!"

Mavel let out a weak laugh from the floor, leaning his head back against the wall. "You thought... you thought you were being slick, didn't you, Brown?"

I narrowed my eyes a little, but kept my voice calm.

"You thought just because I was in a hospital bed I wouldn't know what you were up to?" Mavel spat, coughing. "I still have contacts in this town. I know all about that fortress you're building at Mount Ironwood! The electrician, the power grid, the big freezers, the truckloads of supplies... you spent millions building up your dead father's old property like a lunatic! What the hell is coming that you're preparing for like this?!"

My heart beat fast for a second—not because I was scared, but because I was surprised they had been watching me so closely.

I took a deep breath, stepped closer to the cell, and looked down at Mavel.

"You'll find out soon enough," I said quietly, with a dark smile. "It's starting."

Mavel glared at me. "You’ve completely lost your mind! You're nuts, Brown! But remember this—the second I get out of this cell, as soon as my lawyers get me bail, I’m coming after you. I’ll tear that fortress down brick by brick!"

I laughed softly, looking down at his busted leg. "That only matters if you're still alive, Mavel. What's coming means you'll need to run... and you can barely lift your knee off the floor."

Mavel’s eyes flared with anger. He pointed mockingly at my heavy body. "Even with one good leg, I can still run way faster than you with that big body of yours!"

I smirked right back at him.

"Maybe before," I said, leaning in close. "Before I had my System. Now? My System makes me ten times faster than you’ll ever be, even if you had two good legs."

Mavel froze, totally lost. "System...? What the hell are you talking about?!"

Before he could say another word, the overhead lights flickered and went black. Only the dim red emergency lights stayed on.

Down the hall, the police radio burst into loud static and screaming:

⁠[CODE RED! ALL UNITS GO TO SECTOR 4! MASSIVE ATTACK AT REDLAND GENERAL! THE ATTACKERS WON'T STOP! THEY ARE BITING AND EATING PEOPLE--]⁠

The TV in the main lobby started loud emergency alarms, with a big red banner flashing across the screen: GLOBAL EMERGENCY / UNKNOWN DISEASE OUTBREAK.

Suddenly, the cold, mechanical voice echoed clearly inside my head:

⁠[CONGRATULATIONS ON SUCCESSFULLY LOCKING YOUR BETRAYERS INSIDE THE PRECINCTION SHELTER BEFORE DAY ZERO.]⁠

⁠[WARNING: THE APOCALYPSE HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN.]⁠

⁠[RETURN TO YOUR BUNKER IMMEDIATELY. ALL SYSTEM INTERFACES AND DIMENSIONAL STORAGE WILL UNLOCK UPON ARRIVAL.]⁠

A cold, dark smile spread across my face as I stepped away from the cell bars and checked my watch.

"Well," I whispered, looking back at Mavel and Ginger one last time. "Looks like time’s up. Goodbye."

"Wait!" Ginger screamed, pulling violently on the cell bars as I turned around. "Brown! Come back! What are you talking about?! What’s happening on the news?! BROWN! DON'T LEAVE US HERE!"

Mavel’s loud curses and Ginger’s frantic screaming echoed down the hallway, but I didn't even turn around. They were trapped like rats in a cage while the end of the world broke loose right outside their door.

I pushed through the heavy glass doors into the street. Sirens were blaring everywhere, people were shouting in panic, and thick black smoke was already rising into the sky.

I jumped into the truck where Rex was waiting safely in the passenger seat, slammed my foot on the gas pedal, and zoomed off into the chaos—heading straight back to my fortress at Mount Ironwood getting ready for whatever my system was about to unlock.