Guinevere yanked Selina's hand away and groaned. "Oh, come on! I know! I'm not an idiot. I was just saying what everyone else is thinking!" She hooked her arm through Selina's and started walking down the dim hallway. "I mean it, though. I've never seen a man look that good. He's hotter than any actor I've ever seen. That face could ruin lives." Selina chuckled and shook her head. "Maybe, but he's taken." Then she smirked. "And that girl with him? She's gorgeous. If she were a guy, I might fall for her too." Guinevere scoffed. "So what if she's pretty? She's cold as ice and looks like she's ready to stab somebody. Honestly, the innkeeper looks way better next to her. At least she doesn't look like she eats nails for breakfast." She grinned at Selina. "And you're prettier than her anyway." Selina waved her off fast. "Stop it. You can't compare me to someone like that." Guinevere puffed her cheeks. "Why not? I said what I said. You're prettier. She's just fit, that's all. Before all this apocalypse crap, when we still looked normal, you'd blow her out of the water." She paused, thinking, then added with a smirk, "Actually, I think I'm prettier than her too." Selina laughed softly and let it drop. They reached their room, but before they could go in, Guinevere frowned. "Wait … with all that noise earlier, why hasn't Anthony made a sound?" The name made Selina freeze. The smile slid off her face. "Forget him. He can rot for all I care." Guinevere sighed. "This isn't about that. His room's been dead silent for hours. What if he froze in there?" Selina's hand hesitated on the doorknob. Her tone softened."He's a grown man. He's stronger than us. He's fine. I mean, we survived too." Even as she said it, her eyes darted toward the door next to theirs. Guinevere groaned. She knew Selina too well. Tough words, soft heart. She tugged her friend's arm. "Come on. You're mad, not cruel. You can't just let him die in there." Selina's shoulders tensed, then relaxed. She let out a long breath and nodded. The three of them—Selina, Guinevere, and Anthony Simpson—had gone to college in the same state. They'd met through their club and become inseparable. Anthony started asking Selina out, and eventually she became his girlfriend. When the world fell apart, they'd just finished finals. They were supposed to go home the next morning by train. Then came the endless storm. Every train stopped. Every plane grounded. The world froze. At first, the campus had felt safe. The teachers took charge, and everyone pulled together. Things looked up for a while. They lived through a period. But food ran out. Trust broke. People fought and died. Teachers and students alike went to war against one another. The three of them, along with seven classmates from their hometown, set out for Rastopia, trying to reach their families. One by one, their group fell apart—killed by storms, beasts, hunger. By the time they reached Greendale, only the three of them were left. Their training at the club helped. They'd found this inn and decided to rest before continuing the trip. For a while, things were fine. Then Anthony lost his damn mind. He started fighting with Selina. The once-loyal boyfriend began drooling over the innkeeper like a dog in heat. He couldn't stop staring at her. Selina could practically smell the lust coming off him. Selina had tried to stay calm. She'd begged him to leave with them. But he refused. He kept making excuses. He wanted to stay here and see if he could get lucky with the lady innkeeper. She'd finally snapped. They'd fought so loud half the inn probably heard. She'd kicked him out and told him she and Guinevere would leave in the morning without him. But instead of feeling guilty, Anthony had strutted off to flirt with the innkeeper and begged her for a room next door. That stupid grin on his face had made Selina want to hit something. Still, she didn't blame the woman. The innkeeper hadn't done anything wrong. Anthony was the idiot chasing her around like a lovesick puppy. She just thgought Anthony was disgusting, so she would leave him to his fate. If the storm hadn't hit tonight, Selina would've never looked back. But now? Now she couldn't just stand there if he was freezing to death. They'd been through too much together. Love might've died, but the bond was still there. Selina clenched her jaw. Her breath came out sharp. Then she nodded once. She and Guinevere stepped to his door. "Anthony, you still asleep in there?"