The Final Debt

Chapter 1: Walking in Hell

The wind did not just blow outside; it roared like a star-crazed beast. Through my paper-thin, torn coat, the sub-zero ice crystals sliced into my face like shattered glass. I threw my body over my daughters, pressing my chest flat against theirs as we hit the hard, frozen snow.

Behind us, the massive titanium door of the subterranean bunker slammed shut with a heavy, final thud.

"No! No, please! Carousel!" I shrieked, my throat raw and bleeding as I scrambled back onto my hands and knees.

The snow under me was already stained with my own blood. Just moments ago, inside the heated sanctuary of the bunker, the very shelter I had spent millions of my late parents' inheritance to build, Carousel, my lovely husband had grabbed me by my hair. He had dragged me across the concrete floor, kicking my ribs while I begged for mercy. Mia, my only sister had stood right beside him, holding my daughters by their arms, laughing as she helped him shove us all out into the apocalyptic storm.

"Daddy! Mommy! Let us back in!" eight-year-old Lily sobbed, her fingernails clawing at the icy door frame until they snapped and bled. "Daddy, it hurts! It’s cold!"

Four-year-old Maya couldn't even form words. She just huddled against my hip, her tiny jaw clicking frantically, her lips already turned a sickening shade of dark purple.

I beat my shattered knuckles against the reinforced steel vault door. "Carousel! Mia! Take me! Leave me outside, but let the girls in! They’re your daughters, Carousel! They are your own blood!"

A dull hum vibrated through the metal frame as the intercom system clicked on.

"Oh, shut up, Anika. You're so loud," Mia’s sweet, familiar voice drifted through the small speaker overhead. "You're going to attract every mutated pack in the sector with your pathetic screeching."

I pressed my face against the small, bulletproof glass window at eye level.

Inside the bright, warm hallway, Carousel stood wearing his soft wool sweater, a crystal glass of aged whiskey in his hand. Mia was wrapped around his arm like a snake, wearing my favorite cashmere sweater, resting her chin comfortably on his shoulder. They looked through the glass at us like we were vermin dying in the gutter.

"Mia..." I choked out, blood dripping from my lip onto the frost. "You're my sister... how can you do this to us?"

"Sister?" Mia giggled, a light, musical sound that made my stomach turn into a knot of acid. "Anika, I've hated you since the day you were born. You always got the sweet parents, the big trust fund, the perfect image. Did you really think Carousel loved a spineless, naive fool like you? He’s been sleeping in my bed for three years. Every single time he told you he was working late to handle your corporate accounts, he was lying right beside me, laughing at how easily you signed over your money."

My heart shattered into a thousand jagged pieces. "Carousel... is this true?"

Carousel took a slow sip of his whiskey and looked down at me through the glass with total, chilling detachment.

"It's true, Anika," Carousel said smoothly through the speaker. "You were useful when we needed your inheritance to build this fortress and stock the pantries. But now? The world has ended. Rations are limited. Why would I waste precious air, water, and food on a useless wife and two extra mouths? You're dead weight."

"They are your children!" I screamed, slamming my forehead against the glass until blood trickled down my nose. "You monster! They are your babies!"

"They carry your weak blood, Anika," Mia chimed in, smiling sweetly as she adjusted her hair. "Don't worry, they won't suffer long. The temperature outside is forty below. They'll freeze solid in ten minutes. It's much kinder than what the wild beasts will do when they find you."

"Carousel, please!" I sobbed, dropping to my knees in the snow, bowing my head to the ground. "I'll do anything! I'll be your slave! Just open the door for the girls! Please, I'm begging you!"

Carousel didn't even blink. He simply turned his back to the glass, wrapped his arm around Mia's waist, and walked down the warm, golden hallway toward the living quarters.

"Turn off the intercom, babe," Carousel’s faint voice echoed before the line went completely dead. "Her screaming is ruining the mood."

"No! Carousel! Mia!" I howled into the empty, howling wind.

A low, guttural snarl vibrated through the white fog behind us.

I spun around on my knees. Four glowing red eyes emerged from the darkness. Two giant, mutated ice-wolves, their fur matted with frozen blood and their yellow fangs dripping with saliva, stepped out of the storm.

"Mommy..." Lily whimpered, burying her face into my chest. "I'm scared..."

There was nowhere to run. No weapon. No shelter. Nothing but forty-below winds and hungry monsters.

I threw my body entirely over my two little girls, locking my arms around them, pressing their heads firmly against my belly so they wouldn't have to see the nightmare.

"Close your eyes, sweet babies," I wept softly, my hot tears freezing into tiny ice beads on their cheeks. "Don't look. Mommy’s got you. Mommy loves you so much..."

A massive weight slammed into my back.

Pain—pure, blinding, agonizing pain—exploded through my spine as razor-sharp fangs sank into my shoulder and tore down toward my ribs. I bit my tongue so hard, refusing to let out a scream that would terrify my children further. I gripped them tighter, anchoring my body over theirs like a human shield as another set of jaws crushed my legs.

The cold seeped into my bones, mingling with the tearing of flesh and the sound of my own snapping bones. My vision began to dim into a dark, bloody crimson.

“I gave them everything... my money, my heart, my trust... and they pushed us into hell…”

“If there is a God... if there is a devil... give me another chance…”

“I will tear their flesh from their bones. I will make them beg to die.”

---

I snapped my eyes open.

Gasping wildly, my lungs expanded, pulling in a huge, frantic gulp of air. My hands clawed violently at the sheets beneath me.

No freezing wind. No tearing teeth. No smell of blood.

I felt soft, clean cotton under my palms. The air was warm and smelled faintly of lavender and hospital disinfectant.

I sat up abruptly, my head throbbing as if hit by a hammer. A heavy, familiar pressure weighed down my waist and thighs. I looked down, my breath hitching in my throat.

My belly was round and swollen beneath a light blue hospital gown. I lifted a trembling, pale hand and laid it over the warm skin.

Thump.

A strong, energetic kick hit my palm from the inside.

“My baby... my third daughter…”

My mind spun in wild circles. I grabbed the digital clock resting on the bedside table with shaking fingers.

October 15, 2026. 08:15 AM.

Twenty days.

Twenty days before the red sky shattered. Twenty days before the eternal frost wiped out three-quarters of humanity. Twenty days before Carousel and Mia dragged me to the bunker door and pushed us into the jaws of monsters.

A sharp, ringing chime resonated deep within my head, echoing clearly behind my eyes.

[Sovereign Hoarding System Initialized.]

[Host Identity Confirmed: Anika.]

[Spatial Storage Unlocked: 10,000 Cubic Meters.]

[Stasis Mode: Active. Time within the void is completely frozen. Stored items will never decay, cool down, or spoil.]

I stared into the empty air as a translucent blue grid map materialized in my vision. It showed a massive, pitch-black warehouse floating silently within my consciousness.

I looked at the heavy glass water pitcher sitting on my bedside tray. I reached out, brushed my fingers against the glass, and commanded in my mind: “Store.”

“Whoosh.

The pitcher disappeared instantly. Not a drop of water spilled onto the table.

I checked my internal spatial void, and there it was—floating perfectly still in the absolute dark, every water molecule frozen in place.

“Retrieve.”

In the blink of an eye, the glass pitcher rested back in my hand, exactly as it was before.

A cold, lethal thrill shot through my veins, replacing the terror with an icy, absolute clarity. It wasn't a nightmare. My agonizing death was real. My rebirth was real. And this power was real.

“This time, I hold the cards.”

The heavy wooden door of the hospital room clicked open.

Carousel walked in.

He looked insufferably clean. His gray suit was tailored to perfection, his hair parted neatly, his gold watch catching the sunlight from the window. He didn't carry flowers. He didn't hold a hot meal. His eyes were cold, devoid of a single drop of affection, filled only with arrogant impatience.

"You're finally awake," Carousel said, shutting the door behind him with a soft click. He didn't bother coming to my bedside. He stood at the foot of the bed, folding his arms across his chest. "The doctor said your blood pressure spiked again. Honestly, Anika, you need to stop making a drama out of everything. You're stressing the baby over nothing."

I stared at his face. The face of the man who had ordered my teeth to freeze in the snow. The man who had laughed while beasts tore my flesh apart.

My fingers dug into the mattress so hard my nails nearly tore through the fabric. Every cell in my body screamed at me to launch myself out of bed, grab the heavy glass pitcher, and drive the broken shards straight through his throat.

“No. Not yet. Dying quickly is too merciful for him.”

I forced my breathing to slow down. I let my shoulders drop, lowering my head so my long hair fell forward, hiding the lethal, burning fire in my eyes.

"I'm sorry, Carousel..." I murmured, making my voice sound weak, thin, and breathless. "I just... felt so lightheaded."

"Well, pull yourself together," Carousel snapped, stepping closer and pulling a thick folder of legal documents from his jacket. He tossed them onto my lap, right over my pregnant belly. "We don't have time for your fainting spells. My mother needs the remaining capital from your parents' trust fund today. Her new catering company needs to secure the lease by noon."

I looked down at the documents. It was a complete power-of-attorney and asset transfer form, handing every penny in my bank accounts, my family house, and my stock portfolio directly to Carousel.

In my past life, I had signed this exact document in this exact bed, smiling foolishly, believing his lies about "building our children's future." That single signature had turned me into an empty shell, dependent on him for every piece of bread until he threw me away.

"Your mother's business?" I asked softly, keeping my voice trembling like an innocent, scared child. "All of my remaining inheritance?"

"Yes, all of it," Carousel said testily, clicking a silver pen and shoving it into my hand. "Don't start questioning me now, Anika. You know you're terrible with money. You're pregnant, you're emotional, and you can barely manage running a house. Let me handle the adult decisions."

He leaned down over my bed, his face just inches from mine. The scent of his expensive cologne mixed with the faint, sickening trace of Mia's floral perfume—the same scent she always wore.

I held my breath, keeping my expression completely blank.

"Sign it," Carousel ordered, his tone dropping into that familiar, condescending command he had used to crush my confidence for years. "Mia is coming over later to help you pack your clothes so we can move you back home. Don't embarrass me in front of your sister."

I looked up at him slowly. I let my lower lip quiver, making my pale face look completely broken, helpless, and fragile.

I took the pen from his hand. My wrist shook as I touched the tip to the paper.

"Is Catherine sure this investment will work?" I whispered softly, letting tears pool in the corners of my eyes. "It's... it's all I have left from my parents, Carousel..."

"My mother knows what she's doing!" Carousel barked, glaring at me with supreme arrogance. "Are you calling my family scammers? After everything we've done to take care of you?"

I flinched, pulling my arms in close to my chest like a beaten dog.

"No, no... I'm sorry," I stammered timidly.

With a sharp, subtle flick of my wrist, I finished the final stroke of my name, making it look like a complete, messy signature scribbled in haste. I immediately closed the folder and handed it back to him before he could inspect the ink.

Carousel snatched the folder out of my hands, utterly convinced by my performance. A smug, greedy grin spread across his face as he tucked it under his arm. He was already celebrating the millions dropping into his lap, completely blind to the fact that he was holding worthless paper.

He had no idea that behind my meek, submissive face, my mind was counting down every second, every supply, every dollar, and every drop of blood I was going to carve out of his body over the next twenty days.

"Good girl," Carousel sneered, turning on his heel toward the door. "I'll send your sister up shortly. Pack your things."

The door clicked shut behind him.

I waited three seconds, listening to his footsteps fade down the corridor. Then, slowly, I lifted my head. The trembling vanished from my hands. The fragile tears dried instantly.

I stared at the empty doorway, a cold, vicious smile spreading across my lips.

“Welcome to your nightmare, Carousel.”