The Inferno Apocalypse was coming. Working as a climate scientist, I’d detected anomalies and urged my family to prepare. My parents, Brenda and Robert Smith, seemed to trust my judgment. They even proposed creating a “Family Survival Fund.” They told me to pour my years of savings into stockpiling supplies, promising they and my younger brother, Leo, would contribute all their money too. We would survive this, together. I smiled. “Alright, I’ll handle the planning.” That very night, I converted every single penny of the fund into gold bullion and locked it in a safe. I also spent a fortune building a state-of-the-art apocalypse shelter. The day the apocalypse struck, they came to demand the money we’d supposedly saved together. “Hand over all the gold. You’re just an outsider anyway, a waste of precious resources.” I smiled, tossing them the safe containing the gold, and sealed them outside the shelter. Their faces lit up with greedy delight as they opened the safe. Then, their smiles froze.
My mother, Brenda Smith, rushed up to me the moment I got home from work, her face etched with worry. “Asher, I heard whispers about a high-temperature apocalypse. You work at the Weather Bureau, right? Is it true?” I pondered for a moment. “I can’t say for certain, but it wouldn’t hurt to prepare.” No sooner had I spoken than my father, Robert Smith, stiffened. He grabbed my arm, his voice strained. “What do we do? You’re the expert, Asher! You have to come up with something!” My mother looked at me, her expression grim. “Asher, how about we set up a Family Survival Fund? We’ll put you in charge of managing everything. If the apocalypse really hits, at least we’ll be ready.” I agreed without a second thought. “Sounds good.” Brenda continued, “You’ve been working for years, you’ve saved up a lot. You’ll be covering the biggest chunk…” Before she could finish, I pulled out my debit card. “Fine. This is all my salary. I’m putting it all in.” Their eyes practically gleamed. But then I shifted gears. “Now, hand over everything valuable you own. That includes any jewelry or accessories you’re wearing.” “What?!” Robert exploded, instinctively shielding his wrist. “Asher, what are you talking about? These are precious heirlooms Dad’s collected his whole life, how can you…” “Dad,” I cut him off, my voice cold, my eyes devoid of emotion. “In an apocalypse, they won’t feed us, and they certainly won’t protect us from this hellish heat.” Leo’s face paled too, as he protectively stroked his designer watch. He forced a strained laugh. “Bro, aren’t you overreacting? Keeping one or two things won’t hurt, right? What if we need them later…” “There are no ‘what ifs’,” I stated, my voice cutting through the air, leaving no room for argument. I turned to my mother. “Mom, you decide. My plan allows for no secret stashes, no hidden personal funds.” “Every single hidden penny, every secret stash, could be the final nail in the coffin of our survival. After all, we’re facing a global catastrophe.” “Listen to Asher!” she roared, her voice echoing, as she made her decision. Robert and Leo’s faces contorted with agony and resentment, but they meekly complied. I scanned their offerings, a flicker of satisfaction in my eyes. “Excellent. Now, write down all your bank card PINs for me.” The next day, I received a bank card holding their entire savings: 2.8 million. Robert clapped my shoulder, his voice earnest. “Asher, this is our family’s last hope. You have to be careful with it.” I took the card, nodding solemnly. “Don’t worry, Dad. I will.” Then, I opened my laptop and logged onto a professional real estate valuation site, inputting the details of the house we lived in. Moments later, a figure popped up. Market value: 4.5 million. A faint smile touched my lips. Their paltry savings wouldn’t even scratch the surface. This house, too, needed to contribute to the “Family Survival Fund.”
“What?! You want to mortgage the house?!” When I brought up the idea, Brenda and Robert’s reactions were even more extreme than I’d anticipated. Brenda’s eyes practically bulged out of her head, her voice cracking. “Are you out of your mind, Asher?! Do you even hear yourself?!” She looked ready to jump up and scream. “Your father and I worked our entire lives for this house!” “Leo needs this house to start his own family someday! No, absolutely not!” Leo panicked too, his eyes red. “Yeah, Bro, if we lose this house, where will we live?!” I looked at them, speaking each word slowly and deliberately. “I know a major player in the financial world. He said he could invest for me, and the returns would at least triple our investment.” “But he has strict requirements for qualifications, demanding substantial cash flow.” “Triple?” Brenda’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Yes,” I pressed my advantage. “And he promised to build us an apocalypse shelter and give us gold bars equivalent to the amount we invest.” The picture I painted was too tempting. Their resistance began to waver. Robert asked in a small voice, “What… what if the apocalypse doesn’t come?” “If the apocalypse doesn’t come, won’t we still have the gold?” That sentence utterly demolished their last line of defense. I seized the opportunity. “Mom, this is our only chance.” “Either we cling to this house, which will be utterly worthless when the apocalypse hits, and just wait to die together.” “Or we take this one shot, and we’re guaranteed to come out on top. You’re the head of the household, Mom. It’s your call.” I put the ball in her court. After a long pause, Brenda slammed her hand on the table, as if summoning all her remaining strength. “Alright! Let’s do it! Mortgage it!” Over the next few days, I handled all the paperwork with astonishing efficiency. Brenda and Robert’s hands still trembled as they signed the house deed. The 4.5 million loan was quickly deposited into my account. I stared at the long string of numbers in my mobile banking app, my smile widening, a dark satisfaction spreading through me. That afternoon, I returned with a box of “gold.” In front of them, I carefully stacked the bars into the safe. “Asher, this… so much gold, just sitting there?” Brenda’s voice was a dry croak. She couldn’t help but reach out to touch it. I deftly closed the lid, avoiding her outstretched hand. “That’s right. The password is Leo’s birthday, plus Mom and Dad’s wedding anniversary,” I said softly. “That way, you can all rest easy, right?” Hearing that, the three of them exchanged glances, their expressions visibly softening. I let a silent, chilling smile play on my lips.
Days bled into weeks as the onset of the apocalypse drew closer. The oppressive heat in the air became increasingly noticeable. The afternoon sun already carried a searing prickle. A few days later, the central AC unit died. Its cooling power had plummeted. The repairman said the compressor was shot; a full replacement would cost over three thousand. “Replace it! We have to replace it! It’s scorching hot! We’ll die without AC!” Robert frantically fanned himself in the living room. Brenda was sweating profusely. “He’s right, we need a new one. Asher, for this money…” “Mom, I told you before, not a single penny of the fund can be touched,” I calmly repeated. Seeing Brenda’s temper about to flare, I quickly added, “However, since everyone’s struggling, I do have a compromise.” “What is it?” they immediately pressed. “A colleague of mine has a rental property out in the suburbs, with a basement. His family is moving overseas, and he’s looking to unload it quickly.” “The area is nice, and most importantly, it’s cool. We can stay there for a while until our shelter is completed, then move in.” Their eyes lit up. Robert eagerly asked, “Really? How much does it cost? Asher, you’re close with them, can’t you get them to let us stay for free?” I smiled faintly. “It’s free, don’t worry. We’re family, after all.” Robert immediately broke into a delighted grin. Then Brenda looked at me awkwardly. “Asher, this shelter project is huge. Someone needs to supervise it every day, right?” “Your father and I are getting old. And Leo doesn’t know anything…” I sneered inwardly, but feigned confusion. “Mom, what are you suggesting?” Brenda slapped her thigh. “The rental house, the three of us will go stay there.” “You stay here at home. It’ll be convenient for you to keep an eye on the construction site and oversee the progress.” Robert cleared his throat, puffing out his chest, asserting his position as the man of the house. “Your mother makes a good point.” “Alright…” I plastered a look of reluctance and mild grievance on my face. The next day, Brenda called. “Asher Smith! Where the hell are you?!” The moment I answered, Brenda’s hysterical shriek exploded through the line, mixed with Leo and Robert’s high-pitched wails in the background. “What kind of dump did you rent us?! It’s right next to an abandoned pig farm!” “And there’s no AC!!” “Is the shelter finished? Take us there! We’re burning up!!” She screamed, her voice filled with frantic rage and impatience. “Oh, the shelter?” I drew out my words, a hint of malice in my voice. “I’m already inside.” A deathly silence on the other end lasted for about three seconds. Then, an even more violent roar, this time from Robert. “Asher Smith, you goddamn ingrate! You ran off into the shelter to enjoy yourself alone?!” “You left us out here to die? Do you even have a conscience?! We’re your own flesh and blood!” “Yeah, Bro!” Leo’s cries interjected. “How could you be so selfish! That shelter was built with *our* money too!” “What gives you the right to hog it all to yourself?! Come out and get us! Now!” I chuckled softly. “What’s the rush? The safe key and the shelter address are all right here.” “The password, you all know it, don’t you?” On the other end, I heard a frantic scrambling sound, followed by uncontrollable, ecstatic shouts. “Found it! We found it!” I settled back comfortably on the sofa, switching to the security camera feed of the vault. I watched as the three of them gathered around the safe, inputting the password and opening it. A wave of ecstatic relief washed over their faces. Then, their smiles froze. The safe was empty. Utterly empty. “The gold?! Where’s our gold?!” I hung up the phone and opened our family group chat. It was already blowing up, hundreds of unread messages flickering wildly.
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