Chapter 5

Just as I was focusing on hoarding supplies, Asher called again.

The past few days I’d been gone, his family had been miserable without my service.

Dirty clothes and pants piled up in the washing machine, no one willing to touch them.

The sink was overflowing with pots, pans, and dishes, all waiting for me to come back and wash them.

Even the ashtray on the coffee table was full, and they couldn’t be bothered to empty it themselves. Everything waited for me.

Finally, Asher ran out of clean underwear. Now, he finally remembered me.

“When are you coming back?!” His voice was laced with anger.

“I’m not coming back. I’ve been playing housemaid for too long, and I’m done.”

A cold laugh came from the other end of the line.

“It’s just a few dirty clothes, why are you so mad about it? Look, Chloe’s been pampered since she was a child, she’s never done housework.

What’s wrong with you, her sister-in-law, helping her out?”

I laughed too.

“Asher, you’re so generous. You can put up with your own wife washing another man’s underwear? You wimp. Even stray dogs on the street know how to protect their partner. You’re less than human.”

“Cassidy! Don’t push your luck!”

I didn’t bother with more pleasantries. “Unless Chloe gets down on her knees and *begs* for my forgiveness, you can dream about me coming back!”

I hung up and continued to inventory my supplies.

The root cellar was completely full. This food was enough for me to live alone for several years.

That morning, I woke up to find the outside temperature had already dropped to minus twenty degrees Fahrenheit. We’re not even that far north here, so this was a record low.

The snow was already up to my shins, making it difficult to go outside.

But there was one last thing I needed.

Although the heavy snow would soon make leaving impossible, some desperate individuals might try their luck.

I needed something to defend myself.

Knives and baseball bats felt too flimsy.

A gun was out of the question – too hard to get, too much hassle.

I walked into a hardware store and picked out a sturdy chainsaw.

The roar of the engine echoed through the store, and even the owner kept his distance, afraid of being accidentally injured.

I happily paid and carried my new tool home.

The temperature would continue to drop tomorrow, so from then on, I would stay hidden in my safe house and not go out.

That night, snuggled into my wonderfully heated bed, I finally remembered the hidden camera I’d installed in Asher’s house.

I’d been too busy before to check on them, but now, with nothing to do, I could finally see what they were up to.

The power grid was still running, and these people had no sense of urgency.

I scanned the rooms, but Asher and Chloe were nowhere to be seen. I found it a bit strange, but it had nothing to do with me.

I simply turned off my phone and closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep.

The next morning, the insistent ringing of my phone startled me awake from my sweet dreams.

I jumped, seeing it was Asher calling. Waking me up so early, how annoying. I hung up and tried to go back to sleep.

But his calls were like a death knell, one after another. I blocked him, and he immediately called from Chloe’s number.

Those two were together? Drowsily, I suddenly remembered what I’d said a few days ago.

I pressed the answer button, and Asher’s desperate voice came through:

“Cassidy! Chloe and I are at the edge of your town! Get out here and pick us up! I’m freezing to death!”