QuillMistress

You’d think seeing the future would give me a head start on surviving the apocalypse. I had it all planned—until everything I knew shattered when my husband sacrificed himself to save me and our son. Now it’s just me, my three-year-old son Leo, and my cursed gift of foresight that only seems to kick in when it’s nearly too late.

I’m doing my best to keep us safe, to find food, to make some kind of plan—

“Mommy?”

I glance down, trying to ignore the tug on my pant leg as I focus on our supplies. “Not now, Leo. Mommy’s thinking.”

“Mommy!”

I sigh and finally look down. My three-year-old is standing there, clutching… I blink. “Leo, where did you get a knife?”

He shrugs, grinning like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

My heart stutters. “No, really. Where did you find that?”

I try not to laugh. I mean, he’s three. Maybe he just—found it somewhere? But the next day, it’s a water bottle. Then, a tiny flashlight, somehow with batteries still inside. 

I don’t even know what else; he’s pulling things out one by one with the pleased grin of a kid who’s just figured out his favorite game.

Well, we may just survive this mess after all.

Now, if only the universe could have spared me from him. I don’t even know his name, but I know his type: tall, broad, and annoyingly handsome, with an air of calm control that’s out of place in this chaos. Ex-military, if I had to guess, with a voice that’s just as infuriating as his smirk. The man has a habit of showing up at the worst—or best—possible times, with a gun at the ready and secrets buried as deep as those bright green eyes.

I mean, he’s probably useful, but I’m trying to keep my eyes on the prize here: survival. 

For Leo and me. 

Because, foresight or no foresight, nothing is guaranteed in this new world—except the fact that people like him are trouble.

Apocalypse Days: I Rule with Foresight and a Powerful Son

Zara followed Winter a few steps away from the campfire, her heart pounding against her ribcage. The campfire's flickering light danced on his tense shoulders, casting long shadows on the ground.

Winter stopped abruptly, turning to face her, his expression tense but his eyes dark with something she couldn't quite name—hurt, maybe? Disappointment?

"What was that in the car?" His gaze pierced through her. "The toy—where did it come from?"

Zara looked away, her fingers nervously twisting the hem of her coat. She took a deep breath, her mind racing for the right words. "Leo... he has this ability," she started, "He can store things in a kind of alternate space. It's like... it exists alongside him."

Winter's brow furrowed, his lips pressing into a thin line. "An alternate space?" he repeated, the scepticism clear in his tone. He rubbed a hand over his face, exhaling sharply. "Leo has a storage space?"

80: This World Of Trust