Page 37 of Glass Rose
As if triggered by the Z-word or the please, metal scrapes against metal—locks disengaging, one after another.
Gavin steps forward, positioning himself slightly in front of me. His hand hovers near his waistband, where he’s tucked the gun lifted from the security guard back at the facility.
The door opens with a heavy metallic groan, revealing a sliver of fluorescent light from inside, but no one appears in the gap.
“John?” Alex calls, his confident demeanor faltering slightly. “You there, buddy?”
“Weapons on the ground,” a raspy voice calls out from inside. “All of them. Now.”
Alex glances back at us, his expression saying I told you so. “John, it’s me, man. Alex? We did that coll?—”
“I know who you are.” The door opens wider, and a wild-eyed man with an unkempt beard that reaches his chest appears. He clutches a shotgun in his hands. “Doesn’t mean I trust you. Weapons. Ground. Now.”
Gavin doesn’t move. “Not happening.”
John aims the shotgun at him. “Then you can fuck right off back to whatever hellhole you crawled out of.”
“Please.” I step forward despite Gavin’s warning hand on my arm. “We need somewhere safe, or… we can trade?”
John’s bloodshot eyes narrow on me. “Who are you?”
“This is Sofia.” Alex flashes that practiced smile. “She’s cool. And that’s Dr. Cho, and the intense guy is Gavin. They’re with me.”
John examines us, the shotgun barrel dipping slightly. “Come in. But I’m watching you. All of you.”
Alex enters first, camera on record. Dr. Cho follows, adjusting her glasses as she steps across the threshold. I hesitate, something primal warning me that once I enter, everything changes again.
Gavin grabs my hand. “Don’t let go.”
I nod and lean into his guidance. Why does it feel so normal for him to do that? For me…
“Welcome.” John secures the door behind us with a series of locks and bolts. “To the end of the world.”
NINE
SOFIA
Alex wasn’t kidding. This is doomsday prepper heaven.
Hundreds of metal shelves, packed floor to ceiling with supplies, stretch up toward industrial fixtures that cast harsh shadows across the concrete floor. My eyes burn from exhaustion as I try to take it all in, while Gavin’s fingers interlaced with mine offer warmth against the cold industrial atmosphere.
Alex pans his camera across the stockpiles. “And no one knows about it?”
“Close to no one,” John says. “OutdoorExtreme is a legitimate business—camping gear, survival equipment. However, this location was never publicly listed. Shipping address went to a PO box. Delivery drivers only came to the loading dock, never inside.”
“This is…” I say.
“Excessive?” Dr. Cho runs her finger along a shelf of backpacks.
“How long have you been preparing for this?” Gavin asks.
John grunts, shotgun hanging from his shoulder. “Been ready for this for fifteen years. This warehouse? Bought itseven years ago as a distribution center for my online business. Perfect cover. Nobody believed me. Called me Crazy John. Not so crazy now, am I?”
The place is impressive, I’ll give him that.
“You can stay here.” John looks between us. “Safety in numbers, right?”
“Fuck yes.” Alex’s shoulders visibly drop. “We lucked out, man. Seriously.”
