AARON My vision narrowed on the man standing just inches away. His friendly face now seemed dark and dangerous, the lines around his eyes sharper, his smile thinner than it had been moments before. I struggled to speak, my throat tightening, then finally managed a single word. “Why?” “People who profit from others’ pain don’t deserve to live,” he said calmly, as if explaining a basic rule of the world. “Time is borrowed now. It wasn’t right for him to have more than good people who needed help.” He made a swinging gesture with his hand, ending it with a soft pop from his mouth, like punctuation to a sentence already finished. I stared at him, my thoughts lagging behind the moment. I would have been less shocked if he had grown a unicorn horn on the spot.“Police are right down the road,” I said at last. “Aren’t you afraid they’ll find you?” He shook his head once, slow and certain. “No. Who do you think helped me toss that garbage into the dumpster?” Understanding settled in with a dull weight. I gave one slow nod and took a careful step back, putting a little space between us. “Well… thank you for your help,” I said. The words felt strange and fragile in my mouth. Gary smiled again, warm as ever. “No trouble. Keep your family safe. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll help if I can.” I nodded again and left without another word. My eyes drifted to the unmoving line for the bathroom as I passed through the store, people shifting their weight, irritation brewing in small, visible ways. Stepping into the cool air outside felt like breaking the surface of water.I took a deep breath and considered running, getting to the car, locking the doors, driving until the place was just another forgotten exit on the road. Then I remembered the last two days. The fear, the hunger, the helplessness. For the first time, a killer didn’t feel like a threat to my family. I set him aside in my mind, filed neatly into a neutral place where I could leave him for now. So I stood there, deciding what to do next. Across the packed Outer Vehicle Court, I spotted our Compact Cruiser. Elena was watching me from the window, her face tight with worry. She would need a bathroom soon, and the last thing we needed was for her to get sick when medicine might as well have been gold. The smell of cooking meat drifted through the air, rich and distracting, and my stomach growled in response. I turned toward the large, busy Mobile Hauler and the grill set up beside it. Smoke curled lazily upward, laughter cutting through the hum of engines and voices. Maybe that was the answer. I walked to the car and waved for Elena to come out. I opened the trunk and took two freeze-dried meals from the big box inside, their crinkling wrappers loud in the quiet moment. After closing the trunk, I locked the car. My phone buzzed almost immediately, a notification confirming the vehicle was now in sentinel mode, ready to alert me if anyone got too curious. Elena came around the car holding Lucas, her brow furrowed. “What are you doing?” I gestured toward the Mobile Hauler, the meals visible in my hand. “Going to trade for you to use their bathroom,” I said, already moving. She glanced past me, then back at the store.“What’s wrong with the one in there?” “None of us are going in that building,” I said. My voice came out firmer than I meant. “Do you understand?” She stopped walking. Lucas shifted in her arms, letting out a small, restless sound. “Is something wrong?” I shook my head quickly. “No… just a bad feeling, that’s all.” She took a step back, eyes moving between the Hauler and the store. “Then we should leave.” I waved the thought away, forcing a lighter tone. “It’s okay. I’m just being too careful. I didn’t like my talk with the clerk, but I don’t think there will be trouble.” I turned and started walking again. “Come on. We need a bathroom, and a good meal would help before we start eating these.” She closed her eyes for a second, the decision weighing on her. When she opened them, she didn’t argue. Without a word, she followed, Lucas cradled against her chest. The walk across the Vehicle Court felt shorter than it should have. My mind raced. How to introduce us. What to offer. What to say if they refused. As we drew closer, the man at the grill looked up and smiled like we were expected. “Care for a burger?” he asked. The ease of the offer caught me off guard, leaving me momentarily speechless. Elena answered before I could recover. “Yes, thank you. That would be very kind.” “Do you three have names?” the man asked, lifting the grill lid. Smoke billowed up between us as he flipped the burgers a little too often.I noticed, then dismissed it. Now wasn’t the time to be picky. “I’m Aaron,” I said. “And I’m Elena.” She shifted Lucas slightly. “This is our little boy, Lucas.” “I’m Marcus Hale,” he replied. He gestured with the spatula toward the people behind him, an older woman with dark skin sitting calmly at the table, and two muscular men nearby, one with jet-black hair, the other with short brown hair and a sharp jaw. “This is my family.” He nodded toward another group laughing loudly at a picnic table. “Just met those folks, but they seem nice enough.” The woman stood and approached us, her smile warm and unguarded. “Hi, I’m Seraphina. It’s nice to meet you.”Her tone eased something tight in my chest. For the moment, at least, we weren’t alone.