AARON “Christianity must be purified of the mongrel masses who have weakened the true word of God simply by being near it or hiding inside our one true faith.” The voice filled the kitchen, flat and certain, like it carried absolute truth. Standing beside Elena, a firm grip stayed on her shoulder. Her arm reached behind my back, hand wrapped tight around my ribs. Pain flared where the bruises still lived under my skin, but it barely registered. The screen built into the refrigerator held all our attention. The video identified the speaker as Commander Boggs. He stood tall and steady in front of a burning two story house. Flames rolled out of broken windows and licked up the siding. Smoke twisted into the sky, thick and dark. “Anyone who listens to false prophets,” Boggs continued, “anyone who turns away from the teachings of Jesus Christ and allows liars and charlatans into their hearts, will suffer the same fate as those behind me.” As if planned, a figure staggered into view from the doorway. Fire covered their body. Something small was clutched to their chest, wrapped in a blanket. The image made my stomach tighten. Voices rose behind Boggs, loud and careless. “Should we shoot em?” Laughter burst through the speakers. Sharp. Cruel. “Don’t waste the bullet. Let that dog burn.” The figure collapsed onto the porch. No way to tell if it was a man or a woman. No way to tell if they were still alive. A quiet hope formed that they were already dead. Burning alive was a nightmare no one should face. My eyes dropped to Elena. Her mouth was clamped shut, jaw shifting back and forth. I had seen that look before, only a handful of times. It was not fear. It was not shock. It was rage. “Repent now,” Boggs said, stretching his arm toward the burning house. “Embrace only the word of our lord Jesus Christ, and he may still see fit to save your soul from the fires of hell.” He turned back to the camera and dragged his thumb across his throat. The screen went black. Silence swallowed the kitchen. Seconds passed. Maybe minutes. Time felt thick and unreal. My chest felt tight, breath shallow. Eventually, nerves won out. “How did the social media filters miss that?” My voice sounded strained. “They murdered someone live.” Elena didn’t look away from the dark screen. “They’re coming for us.” “That doesn’t mean we’re a target.” A sharp scoff escaped her. “You honestly think using the name Boggs was an accident?” The words hit harder than expected. Staring at her, disbelief settled in. “That won’t happen here. It can’t.” She turned fully toward me. Her eyes were hard, unblinking. “I bet that family thought the same thing.” “The police or the military will stop them.” The words came faster, louder. “They have to.” “If D.C. could fall, what makes us safe?” Her voice stayed steady, which scared me more. “The barbarians are already at the gates. The people we trusted to protect us are busy trying to survive.” “So what?” Restlessness took over. Steps carried me around the kitchen island with no destination. “You want to leave? You think the road is safer? We don’t even know where that happened. We could drive straight into those animals.” Her head shook slowly. “I don’t know what we’re supposed to do. For now, we listen to the authorities. We stay ready to move.”“Babe, I know what’s happening out there.” I forced confidence into my voice. “There’s no way they get away with this. The military will stabilize things. It just takes time. I’ve seen this kind of chaos through my work.” The truth sat heavy. Part of me wanted to calm her. Another part refused to accept reality. Admitting that the world we trusted was breaking apart felt like surrender. Steps carried me out of the kitchen. My eyes drifted up the stairs. My heartbeat picked up. Lucas. The thought hit hard. He had been born into a world that might already be collapsing. If Elena was right, if this was only the beginning, how was I supposed to protect them? Protection had failed before. D.C. proved that. The train proved it again. Survival had come from others stepping forward. Security forces at the Capitol laying down their lives. Caleb pulling together a broken group when everything went wrong. All I had really done was survive, and even that had been close to failure. Elena’s head dipped. Her eyes focused somewhere far away. For a moment, it felt like she was thinking the same thing. She looked up, brushed hair from her face. Fear sat clearly in her eyes. The same fear she carried when she spoke about her family and the Great Shake of 2033. “Help me pack the car.” A nod followed. No argument left in me. Movement carried me toward the largest crate of vacuum sealed food. “Camping supplies instead.” The words came out before thinking. “How long do you think we’ll be gone?” She didn’t answer. Just turned away and moved toward the boxes. Shame followed me into silence. Steps led into the vehicle bay. The space was tight, barely enough room for the Compact Cruiser and a single rack of supplies along the wall. Squeezing between the car and the rack, fingers slipped under the front storage panel. The phone vibrated as the system confirmed it was me. The hatch lifted smoothly. Inside sat the roadside kit, first aid pack, and bottled water we always kept ready. Two sleeping bags were pulled down and shoved into a corner. Lucas’s bag followed when Elena stepped into the bay. She stood there with empty arms, phone clenched tight in her hand. “I just got a message,” she said quietly. “From Miriam.” My eyes lifted to her. Tension tightened my chest. “Who is she again?”