Chapter 4

Absolute silence.

It was the most precious luxury I'd ever known.

I took stock of my supplies in the recording studio: thirty cans of food, twenty bottles of water, a water purifier, and enough energy bars for a week.

There was also Grandpa’s old whiskey and a first-aid kit stocked with every medicine imaginable.

Best of all, deep in a storage locker, I found a full surveillance monitoring station and a pair of noise-canceling headphones.

My Bio-Stasis drastically reduced my needs.

Normally, this food would last four days. For me, it would last two weeks.

Cheers thundered from above.

"Zombie shooting contest starts now!" Sarah's voice was shrill. "Whoever gets the most kills is today's MVP!"

Gunshots rained down.

"Twelve!"

"Fifteen!"

"I'm at twenty already!"

Every shot was followed by wild laughter and screams.

They were treating the end of the world like a carnival.

The rock music from the speakers got faster, the bass so heavy the whole estate seemed to shake.

"This isn't exciting enough!" Chloe's voice announced. "I have a surprise for you all!"

On the monitor, I watched her reach into what looked like an ordinary handbag and start pulling things out.

One by one, military-grade weapons appeared.

"Holy hell!" Marcus gasped. "Where did you get those?"

"The perks of a Pocket Dimension!" Chloe said proudly. "I cleaned out the family armory!"

She kept pulling them out: assault rifles, sniper rifles, grenades, even a couple of rocket launchers.

"Now we're talking!" David shouted, grabbing for an assault rifle. "Give me one!"

"Wait." Chloe's smile vanished. She pulled the arsenal behind her. "This is valuable equipment. And I will manage it."

"What do you mean?" James frowned.

"I mean," Chloe lifted her chin, "I decide who gets what. It's my talent. My supplies. My call."

The air went still.

"Are you kidding me?" Sarah's voice turned sharp. "We're a team!"

"Exactly, we're a team," Chloe said sweetly. "And as the quartermaster, it's my job to distribute resources properly."

"Who made you quartermaster?" Marcus grumbled.

"Because I'm the only one who can put them back in the pocket," Chloe said, as if it were obvious. "If we need to move fast, scattered weapons will just slow us down."

"That's bullshit!" David coughed, his voice hoarse. "Why do you get to decide?"

"David, you okay?" Liam asked, noticing his cough.

"I'm fine!" David snapped, but his eyes were losing focus. "I just want a decent damn gun!"

He lunged, trying to rip the rifle from Chloe's grasp.

"Get your hands off my stuff!" Chloe shrieked, yanking it back.

David's movements turned violent.

His eyes started to turn bloodshot as he growled, reaching for her.

"David!" Several people jumped in, holding him back.

"Let go of me! Let go!" David thrashed wildly, his strength shocking. "I want the gun! Give me the gun!"

On his neck, the dark red veins grew more prominent.

"What's wrong with him?" Sarah backed away in fear.

"Could be the alcohol," Liam said, trying to stay calm. "David, listen to me. Take a deep breath."

Strangely, Liam's calm voice seemed to work. David slowly stopped struggling.

He blinked, the wild look in his eyes fading.

"I... what just happened?" David looked around, confused.

"You got too excited," Liam said, patting his shoulder. "Go rest for a bit."

"Probably just exhausted from all the fighting," Marcus said, giving him an out. "We all need a break."

"Yeah, just tired." David nodded and walked toward a sofa.

But I saw it clearly on the monitor. As he turned, a flicker of something alien flashed in his eyes.

The virus was waking up inside him.

During the chaos, Chloe had already stashed all the weapons back in her Pocket Dimension.

"See? This is why we need centralized management," she said, patting her handbag smugly. "When emotions run high, anyone can do something dangerous."

The others looked at each other but finally gave in.

After all, no one could take that pocket from her.

The music started again, but it wasn't as loud this time.

David's sudden outburst had put everyone on edge.

I muted the family channel, put on my noise-canceling headphones, and pulled up a silent film I'd downloaded onto a tablet.

Black and white pictures. No sound.

This was the world I needed.