Chapter 4: Unknown Number

Alice's POV

I stood in the hallway holding the envelope.

My heart was beating too fast. The building was quiet. No footsteps. No voices. Just me and the white envelope in my hand.

I looked left, then right. Empty.

I stepped back into my loft, locked the door, and put the chain on. I checked the lock twice before I forced myself to walk to the kitchen table.

I put the envelope down and stared at it.

My name was written on the front in clean black letters. No stamp. No address. Someone had walked up to my door and left it while I was inside.

I opened it again.

The black key was heavy and new. No scratches. No dirt. Just a plain black key with the number 17 etched on the side.

I unfolded the paper.

You are not alone.

My stomach tightened. I pressed a hand over my belly and felt the baby push back. The small movement helped me breathe.

“It’s okay,” I whispered. “Mommy’s right here.”

But it wasn’t okay.

In the first timeline, no one had left anything at my door. This was new. Something had already changed.

The system screen appeared without me asking.

[Unknown item detected.]

[Black key – Origin: Unknown]

[Note content has been recorded.]

[Suggestion: Exercise caution.]

“That’s all?” I muttered. “You’re not going to tell me anything useful?”

[Information locked.]

[Host must gather more data.]

I hated that answer.

I put the key and the note back in the envelope and shoved it into a drawer. Sitting here scared wouldn’t help the baby. I needed to think clearly.

Someone knew where I lived. Someone had come to my door. Someone wanted me to know I wasn’t alone.

Was it a threat? A warning? Or someone else who also knew the world was ending?

I didn’t know. And until I knew, I couldn’t trust them.

My phone buzzed.

I almost dropped it.

Unknown: Did you find the key?

My blood went cold.

Another message came in a few seconds later.

Unknown: Good. You’re being careful. That’s smart.

Unknown: The key opens storage unit 17 at Eastside Public Storage.

Unknown: What you find there will help you.

Unknown: Do not trust the people you used to love.

Unknown: They are already making plans.

My hands started shaking.

I typed back.

Me: Who are you?

No answer.

One minute. Two minutes. Five minutes.

Nothing.

I put the phone down and pressed both hands over my face. The baby kicked harder, like it could feel my fear.

“I’m okay,” I told it quietly. “We’re okay.”

But I wasn’t okay. Someone out there knew about the apocalypse. Someone knew about Luke and Caroline. And they were watching me closely enough to know I had picked up the envelope.

I could ignore the key. Stay home. Pretend I never saw it.

But the note said what was inside would help me.

I needed every advantage I could get. Even if it came from a stranger.

I grabbed my bag, put the black key inside, and added a small kitchen knife. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.

Before I left, I looked at myself in the mirror. The woman staring back didn’t look soft anymore. Her eyes were colder. That was good. Soft women died under concrete while the people they loved walked away.

I locked the door carefully behind me and took the stairs instead of the elevator.

Outside, the city looked normal. Too normal. People smiled. Cars moved. A girl laughed into her phone. None of them knew the world only had twenty-nine days left.

I kept my head down and walked to the bus stop.

While I waited, the system screen appeared again.

[Host is on the move.]

[Warning: Unknown contact has initiated communication.]

[Suggestion: Verify all information before acting.]

“I know,” I muttered.

The bus came. I sat near the back with my bag on my lap and one hand on my stomach. Every time someone new got on, I watched their hands and their faces. I hated how scared I felt. I hated that the world already felt dangerous even though nothing had happened yet.

Eastside Public Storage was a big gray building with long rows of metal doors. I walked up to the main office with my heart beating too hard.

A man at the desk looked up.

“Can I help you?”

“I’m looking for unit 17,” I said. My voice sounded steadier than I felt. “I have the key.”

He checked his computer, then nodded. “Row C. Third one on the left.”

I followed his directions. The hallway smelled like dust and old metal. My footsteps sounded too loud. When I reached unit 17, I stopped and looked around. No one else was there.

I took out the black key. My hand was shaking as I slid it into the lock. It turned easily.

I lifted the metal door.

The unit was small and dark. I used the flashlight on my phone.

In the middle of the floor sat a single large black duffel bag.

Nothing else.

I walked in slowly and knelt beside it. My pulse was so loud I could hear it in my ears. I pulled the zipper open.

What I saw inside made me freeze.

Stacks of cash. Neatly bound. More money than I had ever seen in one place.

Next to the money were documents. Fake IDs. A passport with my face on it but a different name. Maps. A list of supply stores with handwritten notes beside each one. And at the bottom of the bag, wrapped in cloth, was a handgun and two extra magazines.

There was also a small folded note on top of the cash.

I opened it.

~This is only the beginning.

Prepare faster than you think you need to.

They are already watching you.

— J.

I sat there on the cold floor with the gun in front of me and the note in my hand.

J.

Who was J?

And what did they mean by “they are already watching you”?

My phone buzzed.

I pulled it out.

Unknown: You found it. Good.

Unknown: Now run.

Unknown: Someone followed you.

~