CHAPTER 6 - The Timeline Shift

Felicity was about to put the key in the ignition when she froze.

‘Wait. The safety mechanisms.’

She realized she had completely forgotten to ask the arms dealer about the custom modifications on the heavy assault rifles and the maintenance kits for the sidearms. 

Using weapons without knowing their specific wear and tear limits in a long, drawn-out outbreak could prove fatal.

Unlocking her door, she hurried back down the dark steps into the basement armory.

The tattooed dealer looked up, surprised to see her back so quickly. "Forget something, lady?"

"The custom safety pins and maintenance kits for those rifles," Felicity said sharply, her eyes scanning his counter. "How often do these modifications require barrel cleaning? And are these firing pins compatible with standard military ammo?"

The dealer grunted, leaning over to give her the quick, technical details on the gear.

As he spoke, a sudden, heavy pressure dropped in the room. 

The temperature plunged within seconds, and a strange, metallic tang filled the air. 

Outside, faint, unnatural howls echoed down the alleyway.

Felicity's skin prickled. 

The air felt thick, suffocating, and wrong.

‘No. The timeline changed.’

The outbreak wasn't starting in two hours, it was happening right now.

"Never mind," Felicity cut the dealer off mid-sentence, backing away rapidly. "Keep the change."

She turned and sprinted up the concrete stairs, bursting back out into the open alleyway.

Her heavy van sat idling near the street, but parked right beside it in the shadows was another vehicle, a custom, heavy-duty commercial van almost identical to hers, built with reinforced plating and dark tint.

Before she could process why another van like hers was sitting there, a loud screech of tires shattered the night.

A silver sedan sped wildly down the narrow alleyway, out of control, its driver slumping bloodied over the steering wheel. 

The car swerved violently, heading straight for Felicity at lethal speed.

Felicity braced herself to dodge, but before she could move, a powerful arm wrapped around her waist and yanked her backward.

CRASH!

The sedan slammed into the brick wall right where she had been standing, metal crushing and glass shattering everywhere.

Felicity stumbled back, crashing against the chest of her savior. 

A familiar, sickeningly sweet scent instantly filled her nose, the subtle, distinct aroma of toasted marshmallows.

She knew that annoying scent anywhere.

"Tristan," she muttered, snapping her head up.

Tristan stood there in the shadows, his hands still casually resting on her waist. 

A wide, playful grin stretched across his handsome face, his dark eyes glinting with deep amusement.

"So... buying black-market guns in dark alleyways, are we?" Tristan purred, his voice low and smooth. 

A slow, dangerous smirk appeared on his face as he leaned in closer. 

"Care to tell me what you're planning to do with all that firepower, Felicity?"

Felicity smacked his chest hard, stepping out of his grip and glaring at him.

"Why are you following me?! And why on earth do you have the exact same van as mine?"

Tristan chuckled, leaning back against the sleek, dark body of his vehicle and patting the reinforced hood proudly. 

"Hey, don't insult my ride. My uncle built two of these custom beauties back in the day, remember? Yours might be nice, but mine has an upgraded twin-turbo engine and custom armor plating. It's an absolute beast."

Felicity rolled her eyes, turning on her heel to walk toward her own vehicle. 

"I don't have time for your nonsense."

She grabbed her van door handle, ready to climb inside and leave him behind, but she stopped dead in her tracks. She hesitated, looking back at his arrogant, smiling face.

Even though he was annoying, Tristan had always been a loyal friend in their youth.

"Tristan," Felicity said, her tone dropping into a serious whisper. "Go stock up on food, water, and medical supplies right now. As much as you can get your hands on."

Tristan blinked, his smirk softening into a curious look.

"Stock up on supplies? Like what you've been doing all day?"

Felicity froze, her eyes narrowing.

Tristan grinned knowingly, crossing his arms. 

"Don't look at me like that. I saw you draining those wholesale warehouses earlier today. So... I just copied you and bought out two food depots on the south side."

Felicity glared at him, thoroughly irritated that he had been shadowing her movements without her noticing.

"Mind your own business," she snapped, jumping into her driver's seat and slamming the door shut.

She slammed her foot on the gas pedal, and her heavy van roared out of the alley, leaving the crash site behind.

Checking her rearview mirror a few seconds later, her eyes caught a pair of bright LED headlights pulling out right behind her. 

Tristan's black van swung into traffic, tailing her seamlessly down the emptying streets.

Felicity gripped the steering wheel tight, looking at his vehicle in her mirror, and cursed under her breath in pure annoyance. 

"Unbelievable..."

Felicity checked her rearview mirror again. 

Tristan’s matte-black van maintained a steady distance behind her, its sharp LED headlights cutting through the darkening streets.

‘If he wants to follow me, fine,’ she thought, tightening her grip on the wheel. ‘At least he's not a complete liability.’

She drove away from the bustling downtown area, heading toward the northern outskirts of the city. 

As concrete buildings gave way to dense pine trees, the roads grew quiet and empty.

Felicity navigated through a narrow dirt path winding deep into the forest, eventually pulling into an elevated, open clearing. 

It was a perfect spot: high ground provided a clear view of the surrounding woods, far away from the chaotic noise of the city, yet open enough to prevent any surprise ambushes from zombies or scavengers.

She put the van in park, cut the engine, and engaged the heavy emergency brake.

Seconds later, the crunch of gravel announced Tristan's arrival. 

He maneuvered his twin van right beside hers, parking so that their main sliding side doors faced each other directly, separated by only a few feet of open grass.

Inside her quiet vehicle, Felicity stepped out of the driver's seat and pulled back the small window curtain to peer outside.

Across the small gap, the curtain on Tristan’s van window lifted at the exact same moment. 

Tristan was leaning casually against his interior frame, a knowing, playful smirk resting on his lips as his dark eyes locked onto hers through the glass.

Felicity scowled. "Annoying," she muttered under her breath, snapping her curtain shut with a sharp flick of her wrist.

She leaned back against the wall of her cozy van interior, letting out a long, heavy sigh. 

Her mind drifted to how she had planned to face the end of the world entirely alone, steeled in cold isolation after the bitter betrayal of her sister and Mack.

‘Having someone nearby... might not be the worst thing,’ she admitted silently to herself. ‘At least Tristan has brains, gear, and an actual spine.’