Chapter 1

"Go line up for vegetables over there, Ross. I'll head to the imported meat section and pick out a couple of steaks. And remember, don't buy those discounted wilted greens. They're not good enough to go with my steak."

Logan Chambers started bossing me around the moment we stepped into the supermarket.

"Steak again? Don't we already have beef at home?"

"That stuff's for stewing. I need imported beef. I'm making pan-seared steak, and it has to be top quality."

I sighed and let the crowd carry me toward the vegetable section. The supermarket lights flickered a few times, and then an urgent announcement crackled over the PA system.

"Attention all customers. Due to sudden extreme weather conditions, the roads have been blocked by heavy snowfall and the power grid has been damaged. Please... Bzz... Please remain inside the supermarket for the time being and do not go outside... Bzz..."

The broadcast had not even finished before the crowd erupted into chaos.

"What do you mean the roads are blocked?"

"A blackout? How am I supposed to go home and cook dinner?"

"I just came in for a bottle of ketchup. What the hell is this?"

My stomach dropped. I abandoned the vegetables and ran to find Logan. When I found him, he was arguing with the butcher at the fresh meat counter.

"Why won't you let me pick? The marbling on this steak isn't even. I want the display piece from inside the case!"

Logan held a box of imported steak priced at 150 dollars, his voice loud and obnoxious. "I'm a paying customer. I have every right to pick the best cut! You think you can pass off these scraps? Like I don't know meat?"

The butcher was a young guy, sweating bullets. "Sir, something's going on outside. Everyone's trying to check out and leave. Can you please just take what's there..."

"Logan, knock it off!" I rushed over and grabbed his arm. "Something happened. The roads are blocked. We need to figure out what to do."

Logan shook me off and glared. "So the roads are blocked. Does that mean I can't have steak? If he doesn't get me the best cut from that case today, I'm not leaving!"

Everyone around us stared at him like he had lost his mind.

Just then, a bloodcurdling scream tore through the supermarket entrance, instantly drowning out all the noise. The crowd fell silent, and every pair of eyes turned toward the front doors in horror.

The Wonder Supermarket entrance was one of those heavy glass revolving doors, and by now it was completely sealed shut by wind and snow. Through the glass, all anyone could see was a wall of white.

"What happened? What's going on?"

"I think someone's trying to force their way out."

Logan and I were not too far from the entrance. He frowned, but instead of looking scared, his face showed nothing but contempt.

"What's all the screaming about? Have you guys never seen snow before? Bunch of hicks. A little bad weather and you all lose it?"

I tugged him back behind the crowd. My gut told me the situation outside was far worse than I thought.

A few security guards were trying to hold back a middle-aged man. He wore a thick padded jacket and carried two large bags of groceries, his face beet red as he shouted.

"Get out of my way! My girlfriend is at home, waiting for me to put up New Year's decorations! How bad can the snow get? I'll walk home if I have to!"

"Sir, the temperature outside is way too low. It's really dangerous!" the guard shouted, trying to stop him.

"Get lost! I bet you people just want to keep us trapped here so we'll buy more stuff!"

The man shoved the guard aside and kicked open the emergency exit on the side.

A visible wave of white, freezing air rushed in. The people closest to the door stumbled back several steps, and frost formed instantly on their eyebrows and hair. The temperature inside the supermarket plummeted. It was not the kind of cold that crept in gradually. It was like being thrown straight into a vat of liquid nitrogen.

The middle-aged man charged outside, cursing under his breath the whole way. However, he had barely taken a few steps when something eerie happened. A layer of white frost spread from the soles of his feet, racing upward, crawling over his jacket, and finally covering his face.

It was a mere five seconds, yet a living person turned into a crystal-clear ice sculpture right before everyone's eyes.

A gust of wind caught the frozen figure, and it toppled over, stiff as a board. With a loud crack, his arm split open, revealing a dark red, frozen cross-section. Silence swallowed the entire supermarket.

"Ahhh!"

"He's dead! He froze to death!"