| October 6, 2023 – 2:30 PM
Lin pulled into the driveway, shutting off the engine and sitting there for a second. The abandoned bike, the cops, the way Howard brushed it off—it wasn't sitting right.
But she pushed the thought aside. For now.
Because the second she stepped onto the porch, Jake was there, waiting.
Small, serious, arms crossed like he was ready for a full negotiation.
Rex sat beside him, ears perked. Roxanne lay stretched across the steps, uninterested in whatever drama was about to unfold.
Lin raised an eyebrow. "Something on your mind, kid?"
Jake nodded, solemn. "House rules."
Lin sighed, rubbing her temple it was something she started the last time he stayed with her giving the child options. "Alright. Let's hear it."
Jake held up one finger. "One. No running in the house."
Lin smirked. "Good rule. Continue."
Another finger. "Two. No jumping on furniture."
"Solid."
A third finger. "Three. No pets inside—except the mudroom."
Lin narrowed her eyes. "That sounds suspiciously like one of my rules."
Jake nodded again. "It is. But—" He held up a fourth finger, eyes shining with determination. "Four. If it's raining, Bob can sleep inside."
Lin groaned. "Jake—"
Jake stared at her.
Lin stared back.
Rex wagged his tail, like he already knew she was going to lose.
Lin sighed, shaking her head. "Fine. But only in his crate."
Jake grinned, victorious. "Deal."
Lin rolled her eyes. "Anything else, negotiator?"
Jake thought for a second, then nodded, very serious. "Five. If you make cookies, I get to lick the spoon."
Lin chuckled. "Now that's just smart business."
Jake beamed. "House rules are important."
Lin ruffled his hair, amused. "Yeah, kid. They are."
And if Jake felt safe enough to make rules? Then maybe, just maybe, she was doing something right.
| October 6, 2023 – 2:40 PM
Jake was still grinning like he'd just negotiated world peace when Lin crossed her arms and leveled him with a look.
"Alright, kid. My turn."
Jake's smile faltered slightly. "More rules?"
Lin nodded. "Two more. Non-negotiable."
Jake straightened his tiny shoulders, listening.
Lin held up one finger. "One. You go everywhere with family. That means Grandpa, Dad, or me. No wandering off alone."
Jake tilted his head. "Even to the barn?"
"If someone's inside, sure. But no running off by yourself."
Jake considered, then nodded. "Okay."
Lin raised a second finger. "Two. No leaving the fence area without telling a grown-up first."
Jake's face scrunched in confusion. "But why?"
Lin crouched to his level, her expression serious but gentle. "Because I need to know you're safe. Farms are big. There's animals, equipment, and a whole lot of places where a little guy like you could get into trouble."
Jake thought about it, then gave a slow nod. "Okay. But—" He hesitated, clearly working through something.
Lin arched an eyebrow. "But what?"
Jake looked up at her. "What if Rex is with me?"
Lin smirked. "Then Rex can tell me where you went."
Jake pouted. "Rex doesn't talk."
Lin ruffled his hair. "Exactly. Which is why you tell me first."
Jake sighed dramatically. "Fine."
Lin grinned. "Good. Now shake on it."
Jake held out his tiny hand, and Lin shook it firmly.
Richard Fang, who had been watching from the porch, sipped his tea and smirked. "You run a tight ship, Zhang."
Lin stood, crossing her arms. "Somebody has to."
Jake nodded seriously. "House rules are important."
Lin chuckled. "Yeah, kid. They are."
| October 6, 2023 – 3:00 PM
Lin found Richard Fang exactly where she expected—on the porch, sipping his tea like an old war strategist surveying the land.
She sat down next to him, stretching out her legs. "Jake's officially briefed on house rules."
Richard chuckled, setting his cup down. "Let me guess—he negotiated?"
Lin smirked. "Tried. Got Bob indoor privileges when it rains."
Richard shook his head, amused. "Stubborn little thing."
Lin nodded. "Wonder where he gets it from."
Richard grunted but didn't deny it. "What else?"
Lin tilted her head, watching Jake run around the yard with Rex at his heels. "I added two rules. He doesn't go anywhere alone, and he doesn't leave the fence without telling someone first."
Richard nodded approvingly. "Smart."
Lin leaned back, exhaling. "Yeah, well, it's not just for farm safety."
Richard glanced at her. "Something on your mind?"
Lin tapped her fingers against the wooden railing. "That missing kid. The one the Willow Creek cops were looking for. Sixteen, went out on his bike and never came back."
Richard didn't react outwardly, but she saw the subtle shift in his posture. "You think it's connected to whatever's coming?"
Lin shrugged. "I don't like coincidences."
Richard hummed in agreement. "Neither do I."
They sat in silence for a moment, both watching Jake play.
Finally, Richard spoke. "I'll keep an extra eye on him. And I'll make sure the cameras are running at all times."
Lin nodded. "Good. If something's shifting faster than before, we need to be ahead of it."
Richard took another sip of his tea, his expression unreadable. "Then we'll stay ahead."
Lin smirked slightly. "That's the plan."
| October 6, 2023 – 4:00 PM
Lin sat at the kitchen table, staring at her phone.
She didn't want to do this.
But if the timeline was shifting—if things were happening earlier, faster—she needed to know how much had changed.
And there was only one person who might have answers.
With a sigh, she pulled up Nathan Liu's contact.
Her ex. The coward. The one who left her to die.
She hit call.
| October 6, 2023 – 4:02 PM
The phone rang twice before Nathan picked up.
"Lin?"
His voice was cautious, confused.
Lin leaned back in her chair, keeping her tone even. "Hey, Nathan. Long time."
A pause. Then—"Yeah… Uh, what's this about?"
Lin didn't waste time. "What do you remember?"
Silence.
A long one.
Then, a shaky breath. "A lot."
Lin felt something cold settle in her chest. "Tell me."
Nathan exhaled again. "You… You made it to hour two. That was my fault. I—I did it. I'm sorry."
Lin's grip tightened on the phone. She already knew that. But hearing it from him? It hit different.
She forced herself to stay calm. "And you?"
Nathan swallowed hard. "Hour four."
Lin blinked. "What happened?"
"No food. Too cold. Couldn't keep going." His voice was quiet. "I heard it was a long run after that."
Lin felt her pulse in her throat.
Hour four.
She had survived two years.
And Nathan? Hadn't even made it through the first night.
Lin closed her eyes for a second, then opened them. "Do you remember why it started?"
Nathan hesitated. "Not everything. Just… pieces. Feelings. Like I know I need to get out, but I don't know why."
Lin exhaled slowly. "Then get out, Nathan."
Nathan let out a breathless laugh. "Yeah… that's the plan."
Lin didn't say goodbye. She just hung up.
And for the first time since waking up in this timeline, she realized just how much had changed.
| October 6, 2023 – 4:02 PM
The phone rang twice before Nathan picked up.
"Lin?"
His voice was cautious, confused.
Lin leaned back in her chair, keeping her tone even. "Hey, Nathan. Long time."
A pause. Then—"Yeah… Uh, what's this about?"
Lin didn't waste time. "What do you remember?"
Then, a shaky breath. "A lot."
Lin felt something cold settle in her chest. "Tell me."
Nathan exhaled again. "You… You made it to hour two. That was my fault. I—I did it. I'm sorry."
Lin's grip tightened on the phone. She already knew that. But hearing it from him? It hit different.
She forced herself to stay calm. "And you?"
Nathan swallowed hard. "Four."
Her breath slowed. "How?"
Nathan let out a hollow laugh. "Military control. That kept people alive the longest. If you were inside a secured zone, if you followed orders, if you didn't make trouble—you lasted. But if you got kicked out? You were done."
Lin stayed silent.
She had never been inside a military zone. By the time she even heard about them, they were already collapsing.
Nathan continued. "Food was everything. Didn't matter how much gold or money you had. If you had food, you had power."
Lin tapped her fingers against the table, thinking. "So the zones worked, for a while."
Nathan sighed. "Yeah. Until they didn't. Too many mouths, not enough supplies. Leadership broke down. Then the fighting started. It didn't end quickly."
Lin exhaled slowly. "And how did you get out?"
Nathan was quiet for a second. "I didn't. The zone fell around me. One day there were rations, order, guards at the gates. The next, there was nothing but smoke."
Lin stared at the table.
She had never lasted long enough to see that part.
Nathan let out another breath. "I only picked up because I owe you."
Lin raised an eyebrow. "For what?"
Nathan's voice was flat. "Because you were right. About everything. About preparing, about getting out early. I should've listened."
Lin leaned back, watching the afternoon light slant through the window.
He wasn't the only one who should have listened.
Nathan cleared his throat. "Just… plan for the long ending, Lin. The short one's a mercy."
Lin closed her eyes briefly.
When she opened them, her voice was steady. "I already am."
Nathan didn't say goodbye.
Neither did she.
She just hung up, staring at her phone.
If military zones were already forming earlier than last time—if people were stockpiling food faster—then things were shifting even more than she thought.
And she wasn't just preparing for herself anymore.
She was preparing for war.