Before the storm surge hit the coast, I secured a placement at the Sector 4 Emergency Refuge. When I arrived, I didn’t expect to run into my ex. Taylor looked at me with that familiar, cutting sneer. “Naomi, even if you’re still obsessed with me, did you really have to follow me here?” “Don’t think I don’t see right through you. You’re just trying to piggyback on my shelter pass.” “How shameless can you get just to save your own skin?” I looked down at the priority executive clearance in my hand, completely baffled. Passes for these high-security bunkers were strictly capped. They didn’t just hand them out to any random civilian. Besides, Taylor had been unemployed for the last year of our relationship, entirely dependent on my paycheck. How could he possibly have secured a spot? … By the time I reached the registration gate, the police were already stringing up the yellow barricade tape. The PA system blared on a relentless loop: “Category 5 storm warning confirmed. Immediate evacuation ordered for all low-lying coastal sectors.” The crowd was a sea of panic, and the security lines were dissolving into chaos. I fought my way through the press of bodies, shoving my ID toward the registrar at the very last second. That was when a familiar voice cut through the noise behind me. “Well, look who it is.” I turned around. My ex, Taylor, was standing right there, blocking the entryway. He had his parents in tow, along with Chloe. The moment Taylor saw me, his face darkened. “Naomi, I swear, I’ve never met anyone as shameless as you,” he said, his voice loud enough to draw looks. “We broke up. How many times do I have to tell you? You’re like a piece of cheap gum stuck to my shoe.” “Can’t you see I’ve moved on? Even if you stripped naked right here, I wouldn’t give you a second glance.” His mother let out a sharp, mocking scoff. She looked at me like I was something she’d swept off her porch. “She’s just here to leech off our family pass,” she muttered. “I thought you had some pride, girl. Turns out you’ll throw away your dignity the second your life is on the line.” Taylor’s father was a retired university lecturer. For the three years I’d known him, he had always played the part of the mild-mannered academic. Now, with the rising water practically at our heels, his civilized veneer cracked. He let out a cold laugh. “I told you she was transactional, Taylor. Always acting so high and mighty, but the moment a real crisis hits, she’s the first one crawling back.” People in line started whispering, turning their heads to watch the drama unfold. I didn’t let myself get angry. I simply laid my executive pass flat on the registration desk. “You’ve got it backwards,” I said, keeping my voice level. “This pass is mine.” I paused, letting my eyes drift over Taylor’s smug face. “And just so we’re clear—I was the one who dumped you. Remember?” The air between us seemed to freeze for a second. Then Taylor burst out laughing, a harsh, ugly sound that shook his shoulders. “Yours? You’re a mid-level corporate drone, Naomi. You think they put average desk workers on the priority manifest? You’re delusional.” He waved a dismissive hand. “Stop embarrassing yourself. I suggest you turn around and run while you still can. When the storm surge breaks the seawall, you won’t make it out of this basin.” Chloe snuggled closer to him, her smile dripping with triumph. “Sweetie, have you still not accepted reality?” she asked, her voice syrupy sweet. “It’s over. Why keep dragging this out? Taylor is different now. He actually has a ticket into the harbor bunker. Do you even understand what that means?” She paused, adding a venomous little postscript. “Oh, and didn’t you throw a fit because he couldn’t afford a ten-thousand-dollar engagement ring? Regretting that now, aren’t you?” I knew Chloe. Rumor had it she had practically auctioned herself off to the highest bidder just to secure a spot in a private shelter. It was just Taylor’s luck—and lack of brains—to think he’d won some prize. Looking at her petty, gloating face, I couldn’t help but smile. “Are you really here because you love Taylor?” I asked softly. “Or did you just climb into bed with him for the reservation list?” Her smile vanished. “What the hell did you just say?” Her voice pitched up an octave, a textbook sign of guilt. Taylor stepped in front of her, his chest puffing out. “Naomi, shut your mouth. You’re just pissed because you’ve always been a gold-gigger.” I rolled my eyes, completely done with him. “Yes, I broke it off,” I said, loud enough for the people nearby to hear. “But it wasn’t because you were broke. It was because you cheated, you emotionally iced me out, and you lived off my credit cards. Oh, and let’s not forget—you were pathetic in bed.” Taylor’s face went instantly crimson. Before I could register his movement, he lunged forward. “Crack.” His palm connected with my cheek. The blow was sharp and stinging. My ears rang, and my skin flared with instant, burning heat. The crowd let out a collective gasp. The PA system crackled to life again, its electronic voice cold and indifferent: “Warning: Storm surge expected to breach the coastal barrier within forty-five minutes. All unregistered personnel must evacuate the harbor district immediately.” I pressed my tongue against the inside of my bruised cheek. I actually wanted to laugh. This coward—this man who had spent three years whining about how the world owed him everything—had actually found the nerve to lay a hand on me. I didn’t hesitate. I threw my arm back and slapped him right back, hard enough to rattle his teeth. For a second, the entire registration lobby fell dead silent. Taylor stumbled back, clutching his cheek, staring at me with wide, unblinking eyes. “You hit me?” he whispered. “You bitch… you actually hit me?” I met his gaze, my voice steady. “You hit me. Why wouldn’t I hit you back? Action, reaction. It’s basic physics.” No one in line spoke, but every eye was locked on us. As the shock wore off, Taylor’s face darkened with rage. He took a step toward me, but his mother beat him to it. “How dare you touch my son!” she shrieked. Her eyes were wild, filled with animal fury. She lunged, clawing at my face. I tried to duck, but her fingernails caught my cheek, leaving a stinging trail of heat. Before I could find my footing, his father joined the fray, shoving me hard. I stumbled backward, my back slamming into the cold iron of the security barricade. A dull, heavy ache shot through my shoulder blades. They pinned me down against the metal rail. “Who do you think you are?” his father hissed, his academic dignity entirely gone. “Apologize. Beg my son for forgiveness, and maybe we’ll show some mercy.” “You don’t want to die out there in the dark, do you?” his mother sneered. I clamped my teeth together, refusing to give them the satisfaction of a sound. Taylor stood over me, looking down with a twisted, triumphant grin. “Still got something smart to say, Naomi?” His mother leaned in close, her breath hot and sour against my face. “Sweetheart, look at where you are,” she whispered, and the sheer malice in her voice made my stomach turn. “What makes you think you’re in any position to negotiate? You want on my son’s ticket? You better start pleasing us.” His father spat on the concrete beside my shoe. “Exactly. Ungrateful girl. Pass holders are allowed to register immediate dependents. We could get you in with a single word. What does pride buy you when the water is ten feet deep?” The siren blared again. “Forty minutes until impact. Unregistered civilians, evacuate the lowlands immediately.” Taylor took a deep breath and knelt down in front of me. His tone softened, taking on the patronizing cadence he used whenever he wanted to play the magnanimous savior. “Naomi, listen to me. I know you still love me. You wouldn’t have come here if you didn’t. You just want a spot on the boat, right? I see right through you.” I took a slow, steady breath. “I have my own spot, Taylor. I don’t need yours. And like I said, this shelter is for critical personnel. They don’t let just any civilian through that door.” Just then, I heard a frantic cry. “Naomi!” My parents burst through the security barrier. They had just arrived, and when they saw me pinned against the railing, bruised and bleeding, my mother’s eyes filled with instant tears. “Oh my god, what happened? Who did this to you?” She threw herself forward, grabbing my arm, her hands shaking as she touched my face. My father didn’t say a word at first. He walked up beside us, his eyes scanning my bruises, before locking onto Taylor. When my father spoke, his voice possessed a quiet, terrifying authority I had rarely heard. “Did you lay a hand on my daughter?” Taylor hadn’t expected my parents to show up. He blinked, startled, but quickly recovered his arrogant sneer. “Old man, who do you think you’re talking to? Your whole family has looked down on me from day one. Don’t think I didn’t notice.” He spat a laugh. “You thought I was nothing because I didn’t have your fancy degrees or your corporate money. Now look at you. Crawling to me for a pass. Still trying to act like you’re above me.” My father stared at him. “Wait. You think my daughter came here to beg for your spot?” Taylor scoffed. “Why else would she be here? Don’t tell me she actually got a pass herself.” My father placed a heavy hand on Taylor’s shoulder. With each word my father spoke, his hand pressed harder, forcing Taylor to sink slightly under the weight. “You’re mistaken, son. My daughter has her own clearance. In fact, she secured passes for both her mother and me.” Taylor flinched, casting a defensive glance at me. “That’s impossible. She’s lying.” “It’s entirely possible,” my mother said, wiping her tears as she straightened her spine. “My daughter is the Chief Executive of a listed defense logistics firm. This shelter is reserved for top-tier operational assets. Did you really think they’d let a parasite like you in before her?” Taylor’s mother lost her mind. She lunged forward, her voice screeching like rusted metal. “Who do you think you are? So what if we hit her? She started it! She insulted my son! Why aren’t you blaming her?” She reached out, shoving my father hard. My father stumbled back a step, keeping his balance. But Taylor’s father was already moving, grabbing my father by the collar of his coat, shouting curses about how we were elitist snobs and how his son was an educated professional who deserved to be saved. I tried to push past them to separate them. Taylor’s mother blocked me, her fingers digging viciously into my forearms. “You stay right there! You don’t move!” “Let him go!” I screamed. “Not until your daughter gets my son inside!” she yelled back. Suddenly, the PA system’s volume spiked, drowning out our voices with an earsplitting siren. “Emergency broadcast: Storm surge arrival has accelerated. Impact in ten minutes. All non-manifested personnel must evacuate immediately.” Ten minutes. We had ten minutes. I stared at Taylor, at his parents, and at Chloe. “Do you hear that?” I said, my voice cold and hollow. “Ten minutes. If you leave right now, you can still climb to the upper levels of the parking deck. You might live.” Taylor’s father slowly let go of my father’s collar. He didn’t move, but the rage in his eyes began to curdle into something else. Taylor looked at me, his voice dropping into a low, uneasy register. “Naomi… you’re lying to me, aren’t you?” “Lying?” I looked at him, forcing down the bile in my throat. I had no time left for his games. “Look at the monitors yourself, Taylor.” I pointed to the massive LED screen hovering over the security checkpoint. “That’s the official port authority manifest. I don’t run the system. Check if your name is on it.” Taylor’s face went pale. His mother started to mouth off again, but her voice died in her throat. She, too, was looking at the screen. The letters “TAYLOR” were nowhere to be found. Chloe’s eyes scanned the scrolling green text over and over. When she spoke, her voice sounded thin, like paper. “Is that… is that the real list?” Terrified that I was pulling a fast one, she grabbed the sleeve of the nearest security officer. The officer, wearing heavy tactical gear, pushed his glasses up his nose, his expression grim. “It’s the live federal database, ma’am. Fully encrypted. It cannot be altered manually.” “Cannot be altered?” Chloe whispered. The silence that followed was deafening. She turned slowly, her gaze locking onto Taylor with a look of pure horror. “You lied to me,” she breathed. “What?” Taylor swallowed hard, looking wildly around the room. He didn’t know what to say, but he knew he couldn’t let his lie unravel here. “It’s a glitch. There’s been a mistake. I have a spot, Chloe, I swear. I confirmed it.” The PA blared again, the alarm pulsing in rapid, frantic bursts. “Eight minutes until impact. Unregistered personnel, evacuate immediately. Evacuate immediately.” I turned back to Taylor. Despite everything, a small, stubborn part of my humanity didn’t want to watch them drown. “The list is right there,” I said. “Your name isn’t on it. I’m not lying to you. You still have eight minutes. Run. Find a high-rise. You can make it if you go now.” Taylor stood frozen, the confident mask finally sliding off his face, revealing the hollow, terrified boy underneath. But his mother couldn’t accept it. “Liars! It’s a fake list!” she screamed, her face contorting. “You’re doing this on purpose! Why does she get to go in and we don’t?” I didn’t look back. I took my parents’ hands and walked straight toward the security terminal. Behind us, the PA issued its final warning: “Five minutes until gate closure. All manifested personnel, proceed to the secure pods immediately.” The heavy steel-reinforced doors began their slow, grinding descent. That was when Taylor went completely wild. “Wait! No! You made a mistake!” He lunged forward, throwing his weight against the thick acrylic security partition, his eyes bloodshot. “Her pass is fake! She’s lying to you!” he screamed at the guards. “That spot belongs to us! It’s mine!” His mother joined him, hammering her fists against the glass. “She’s trying to murder us! Don’t let her in!” Chloe, grasping at her last hope, shrieked, “She was lying! You can’t trust her!” It was absolute madness outside. But the security officers didn’t even blink. One of them pressed the authorization key on the console, then spoke calmly into his lapel mic. “Tier-1 assets secured. Initiate external clearance.”
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