Chapter 2

"Close the door! Close the door now!"

The security guards snapped back to their senses and threw themselves at the emergency exit, fighting to pull it shut. Freezing wind poured in relentlessly, and no matter how hard they pulled, the door would not budge, as if something was holding it in place.

"Someone help!" I shouted and charged forward.

If we could not get that door closed, every single person in this supermarket was going to end up a popsicle. Several other young men rushed over too, and together we all pushed against the door. The biting wind felt like it was going to freeze my hands clean off.

"One, two, three... Shut!"

With a deafening slam, the emergency door finally closed.

I collapsed to the floor, gasping for air, a sharp, cold sting spreading through my lungs with every breath. The supermarket was filled with sobbing, screaming, and prayers as despair spread through the air.

I turned around to look for Logan. He was clutching that box of imported steak to his chest, his face pale as a sheet.

I thought he was terrified. I was about to comfort him when I heard him say to the butcher, who looked equally shell-shocked beside him, "S-See that? There's no getting out now. Since we can't leave anyway, hurry up and open the case. I'll grab the best cut myself. It's not like anyone's competing with me for it now."

I stood frozen in place. At a time like this, all he could think about was his steak?

The supermarket lights went out, leaving only the green glow of the emergency lighting. The temperature inside was still much higher than outside, but it was dropping steadily. That brief minute with the door open was enough to send the temperature in the supermarket plummeting below freezing.

I was worried about my parents. I pulled out my phone to call them, only to find that there was no signal. A chill that had nothing to do with the cold crept through me.

Once the initial panic subsided, people began instinctively searching for anything to keep warm.

"Grab the down jackets and blankets! Now!"

The crowd surged toward the clothing and bedding sections on the second floor. I snapped out of it too, grabbed Logan, and started running with them.

"Forget the steak! Come with me and grab blankets and jackets before they're all gone!"

Logan stumbled as I dragged him along, and the box of steak nearly slipped out of his arms. "What are you doing? This is imported! If it gets damaged, it won't taste right!"

"Logan, are you actually stupid or just pretending?" I shouted, losing my temper completely. "Did you not see how that man just died? We're stuck here waiting for rescue now, and if we don't stay warm, we won't last that long! We will die!"

"Die? Please. I'm in great shape!" Logan looked at the people running past us with open disgust. "Look at them, scrambling around like refugees. It's embarrassing. I'm a man. When things go south, you stay calm. You think I'd shove my way through a crowd like that?

"Besides, I'm a VIP member. The supermarket should be giving me priority access to supplies."

"You..." I wanted to punch him.

Logan had been the problem child of our extended family since he was a kid. He worked as a contract employee at a government office in a small county town. His salary was nothing special, but he insisted on living like he was in a major city, always convinced he was better than everyone else.

He had put his parents through hell keeping up that image, but I never expected that even now, even in a situation like this, he still could not get his head on straight.

I stopped wasting my breath on him and ran to the second floor.

The second floor was already a complete disaster. Shelves were knocked over, and clothes were being ripped off the racks. Relying on my youth and strength, I managed to grab a thick comforter and two oversized men's down jackets.

When I squeezed my way out, panting and sweating, Logan was standing right at the top of the stairs. He still had nothing but that box of steak in his hands.

He looked at how rough I looked and actually laughed at me.

"Dude, look at you. Your hair's a mess. You look like a beggar. Why'd you grab so much? Isn't that heavy?"

I did not say a word. I tossed one of the down jackets at him. "Put it on."