Apocalypse: Rebirth With An Infinite Storage System

a

ammed shut

he sound of that door was a c

-day-old daughter weighe

essed close together, barefoot. Their tender little feet were already torn open by the gravel,

husband Adrian and the woman who'd appeared out

explanation.

ria

bang

the baby stirred against her chest and let out a thi

grid had collapsed along with everything else, and if this tiny body--three days old, three days of exist

just given birth sup

ing whisper. "Adrian, open the door. Ple

t. "Those are your daughters. Not mine. I

loved more than anyone, once kn

how he looked

e shook, the words dragged out through sobs.

a month ago, when she'd learned the truth: that he'd been unfaithful for y

hadn't said a

clearly didn't care. Maya's voice

e apocalypse now. Whoever can hold onto s

oung, but venomous, carrying

you people? Useless people should

rong with

nable to process wh

d's affair. She hated Maya for the

he was the one who'd fought to get Jake

, she was the one who sa

, she was the one who marched into the pri

s, again and again: no matt

once offered him was turne

of this--som

aughters' heads, her eyes filled w

elieve in things like family. Sti

lready smeared the colors into a blur, but the picture was still recognizable--a tall boy holding the han

rooked letters:

hate us that much? I

at anyone deserved. Adrian'

t's survival. You and those girls consume resources and contribute nothing. And honestly... I never lov

hem go were som

never ac

thud

inst the door, until her knuckl

she added her small hands to the effort, screaming, tryin

d! Open

oth small fists, sobbing so hard she could b

it, no matter how loud they s

-as if even acknowledging the

. The baby's cries were growing wea

eir voices thinning to almost nothing as they s

rls into her arms, murmuring over and over,

because she knew--this promise, the one she alw

r daughters to this. She owed th

rolled out

death, fina

nted to hear. It came from somew

the rain--red, enormous, as if they'd s

cond pair

ng cl

om

ther, throwing themselves ag

asily sixteen feet tall, arms thick as tree trunks, its nails worn down into blades of b

three days earlier, and she'd spent whatever

he was a mother, and she spread her arms and s

la--behind

could react, a massive hand closed arou

as a scrap of paper, small arms flailing, reaching a

I don't want to

mpossible--so short it should have mean

ster raise her daughter toward its

r! Aria! Don't be scared, Mom

ac

what made it unbearable--something

had taken Aria. Had taken h

s couldn't reach. "No--no, no, no! My baby! I'm

e's hand fell again. The monsters

it was Lay

la!

n on the gravel. She forced herself up anyway, stretching her ar

held her aloft instead, like a toy it found amusing

m ripped thro

t hurts

rther and further away, until it was gone, and her head

even make a s

eve it. Refused

nd of fast that still felt like

behind the door, bright with excitement

ey got crushed like garbage! T

theart. Finally some peace and quiet. I couldn

of it, Adrian sa

the three daughters they'd rai

ound and let the giants feed on her, clutching her baby's already-st

ce, one after another, and no

ot one more chance--just one--she would never again beg at

se into her own hands and t

ation. N

ind, the rain, the low wet sound of the

in a way that felt like someth

i

e finally