"Jake, are you okay? What the hell did you just say?" Angela shouted.
"You heard me." Jake placed his hand in his pocket and turned around.
"Jake, you come back and explain what you just said."
Angela jumped to her feet, shaking with anger at Jake's sudden revelation. Markus and Hailey sat frozen on the sofa, mouths open, still trying to process his words. The once warm living room suddenly felt cold, the air heavy with disbelief.
Jake ignored them and climbed the stairs, each step echoing through the house. He entered his room and began packing his clothes.
"Good. Now I just have to leave this place."
As he packed, Jake's eyes drifted to the photo beside his bed. It showed him, Angela, and Markus smiling together. He sat down slowly, memories flooding back from a time when they still loved each other.
His jaw tightened. His hand clenched into a fist.
"No. That was the past. If I stay here, I will only become a slave again, only to be betrayed by them."
He looked down at his palm and noticed blood seeping from where his nails had dug into his skin.
Jake stood up, grabbed his bags, and scanned the room one last time.
"I guess it was never my home."
He walked calmly down the stairs, his bag hanging from his shoulder. As he passed the living room, he looked at them, his voice steady despite the fury burning inside him.
"I have packed my things and will be leaving. My lawyer will send you the papers to dissolve the adoption."
Angela stood up, her expensive pearl necklace shaking as she walked toward him.
"You think you can just dissolve our relationship like that?" She crossed her arms, lips curling into a sneer. "Where do you even plan to go? Do you think you can survive without us? If the Carlson had not adopted you, you would have been nothing. So think carefully before you walk out that door."
Markus stepped away from Hailey and placed a hand on Jake's shoulder.
"Jake, why not calm down and beg Mom? Or is this because of Hailey? Come on, you two were never going to last anyway."
Hailey wrapped her arms around Markus and looked at Jake with her brown eyes.
"Jake, you know we were never a good match. Markus loves me so much, just beg Mrs Carlson and accept it."
Jake brushed Markus's hand off his shoulder and took a deep breath, looking straight into Hailey's eyes.
"Do not give yourself too much credit. My decision to leave has nothing to do with you."
He adjusted his bag and walked toward the door. As he opened it, Jake turned slightly.
"Goodbye, Mom and brother. This is the last time I call you that." He paused. "And good luck. You are going to need it."
Angela stood with flames in her eyes, hands on her hips.
"Jake, dont you dare come crawling back. You will regret your decision today."
Outside, Jake walked through the large compound, ignoring Angela's voice as she continued yelling his name. The night air felt cold, but freeing.
"I thought I would feel bad. I never thought I would feel this free."
He looked back once more at the house.
"So long for now. But I will be back."
Jake waved down a cab.
"Nearest motel," he told the Mexican looking driver.
"Okay, get in," the driver replied.
As the car moved, Jake closed his eyes, feeling as everything had changed so fast since he came back. He gradually drifted into sleep.
"Help me. Please. I do not want to die."
Jake found himself back in the apocalypse. Blood covered his body as the frost beast lunged at him.
"Ahhh."
He woke up drenched in sweat.
"You okay, kid?" the driver asked, sounding worried.
"Yeah. Just a nightmare," Jake replied, wiping his face. "Are we there?"
"Yeah. That will be thirty three dollars."
Jake handed him forty. "Keep the change."
He stepped out and looked at the flickering sign above the building.
Moonshine Motel.
Jake entered and approached the front desk. A blonde woman in her mid twenties was reading a novel.
"Good evening. I would like to book a room for a week. Is it available?"
She looked up and froze for a moment, caught by Jake's dark eyes and messy fringe.
"Hello. I am Tracy Renner. Yes, it is available. That will be two hundred dollars for the week."
Jake paid and took the key.
"Room fourteen upstairs," she said softly as she pointed. Then pausing, she asked, "Can I ask your name?"
"I am Jake Carlson. Nice to meet you."
The stairs creaked as he climbed. When he got to the door, Jake opened it. After taking a look around the room, he dropped his bags and lay on the bed, scrolling through his phone.
"The apocalypse is just three months away, and nobody knows except me."
A headline caught his attention.
Temperature continue to decrease in various parts of the country
"Hmmm. I remember various news reported about the temperature dropping in various parts of the country, but everyone ignored it until it was already too late."
Sitting up, Jake grabbed his pen and made plans to gather enough wealth to not just survive but gather power to never be at the mercy of others like before.
'The three main things I need are money, power and time,' Jake thought as he tapped his fingers on the table. He leaned back, eyes fixed on the ceiling.
Three months.
"Well I have time, about 3 months before the apocalypse. But now I need money and power."
Yawning a little, he stripped and stepped into the bathroom. After the shower, steam fogged the mirror. Jake wiped it clear with his hand and studied his reflection. He flexed slightly, then relaxed, staring at his chiseled face with dark hair and dark eyes which made him a killer to the girls. But his body wasn't exactly fit, just okay.
Frowning at his reflection, "I really need to hit the gym. I'm going to need a fit body to better survive the apocalypse."
Jake changed and wore his clothes.
Ping.
He heard the sound of his phone ringing. Picking it up and seeing the name, his expression softened.
Jules.
He smiled as he picked up the call.
"Hey Jules, how are you doing?"
"Hello Jake, I called your phone previously but it wasn't going. Wanted to remind you about our outing tomorrow," a cheerful voice replied.
Sitting, Jake answered, "Yeah I didn't forget, don't worry. I will meet you at the coffee shop by 10 tomorrow."
"Okay, take care Jake."
"Good night Jules."
Jake looked at the phone. A smile crept onto his face as memories of Jules Brighton surfaced his childhood friend who always stood close to him but with her stubborn personality always ended up in trouble.
He still remembered hearing of her death two weeks after the apocalypse began and regretted never trying to find her as he was busy with his so called 'family.'
Steeling his face, "Not this time Jules. This time I'm going to save you."
He sat down feeling tired, then lay down to sleep while thinking of how to carry out his plans and not end up dead with this second chance.
All of a sudden, an icy blue light pulsed in Jake's chest as he was lost in sleep, glowing brightly for a second and then disappearing just as quickly as it came.