It took less than a minute, but my back was soaked with cold sweat.
Ethan was still breathing. I held him—he was like ice.
Lily fetched hot water, and I fed it to him.

He woke minutes later, tears streaming as he saw me.
"Mom, I'll never leave you again."
Thankfully, he was chubby. A thinner kid might've died.
I hugged both kids, praying for the roads to clear.
The RV was buried in snow. I dug holes by the windows for air, or we'd suffocate.
After seven or eight days, our food was nearly gone.

Ethan had changed, eating only his share without stealing.
John returned, Sarah trailing behind, muttering incoherently.
John's eyes were bloodshot, a wrench in hand—stolen from someone's car.
"You bitch, you think hiding in there makes you safe? My son's gone, and I'll kill you!"

Sarah, rocking her baby, glared. "Emily, you evil! My child died because of you! You'll pay for it!"
I feigned shock. "John,explain. What do you mean, your son? She was carrying your child?"
John smashed the wrench against the windshield. "Yeah, it's my son! So what? The world's ending, and I can kill you with no consequences!"
The end of the world? He was delusional.
I shielded the kids, urging calm. "Talk this out. If you break the windshield, you'll get the RV but won't survive."
"I'm telling you, if I can't live, neither will you!"
He hammered the windshield, spiderweb cracks spreading.
I sighed. "Stop. I'll give you the RV."
John paused, suspicious. "You're that generous? If you were, you'd have opened the door earlier!"
Sarah cautioned, "John, don't trust her. She's tricking us!"
"John, when have I lied? For my kids'safety, I'll give you the RV and supplies. Toss the wrench down the slope, and I'll give you the keys."
"John, don't believe her! Our child died because of her! We killed so many for a bite of food. She wouldn't just hand it over!"
I threw out the last pack of crackers. "This is my sincerity. Toss the wrench, and the keys are yours."
John's eyes locked on the crackers. He threw the wrench down the slope and lunged for the food.
I stepped out with the kids, walked far, and tossed him the keys.
John, ecstatic, rushed into the RV with Sarah.
I grabbed the kids and ran.
Soon, John's hoarse scream echoed, "Emily, you tricked me! There's no food in here!"
I kept charging forward until the familiar wail of a police siren finally made me relax my guard. Clutching my children, I saw the sacred flashing lights of police cars and ambulances.
Just as we were being loaded onto stretchers, my husband came sprinting after us, his eyes wild, a fruit knife trembling in his grip.
"Why are they here?! It's supposed to be the apocalypse! The apocalypse!"
I shouted to the police, "He's a murderer! Arrest him!"
The officers rushed over. "We found multiple bludgeoned bodies in a car. Don't move!"
Sarah, panicked, screamed, "I didn't do anything! He killed them, not me!"
John's eyes burned crimson. "You backstabbing whore—!" He lunged at her, stabbing her twice before anyone could react.
His madness was beyond reason—like a rabid beast, thrashing against the two officers trying to restrain him.
After stabbing Sarah, he lunged at me. A small figure darted in front.
The knife plunged into Ethan's chest. My world spun. "Ethan? Stay with me!"
"Mom…I'm not a brat anymore, right?"
Gunfire cracked. John was shot dead on the spot. Medics rushed to save Ethan and Sarah.
Thankfully, both survived.
Then I saw a familiar figure—Sarah's husband, Mike.
She clung to him, sobbing. "Our baby... our baby's gone!"
I seized the moment. "Save your tears. That child wasn't his—it was my husband's."
Qianqian shrieked, "Emily, I'll hate you forever! My baby was innocent!"
I smiled coldly. "And what did my children do to deserve this? Spend the rest of your life in jail."