The Ironhowl X4 rumbled off the state road and pulled into a cracked parking lot beneath a flickering neon sign shaped like two oversized cheese wedges stacked into an M. The grinning burger mascot gave a thumbs up from the side of the building, sunglasses painted crooked over grease-slick eyes.
McChunky's.
It looked—and smelled—like the inside of a fryer that hadn't been cleaned since the 80s. Raven rolled up to the drive-thru speaker and leaned an elbow against the door.
"Two double quarter cheeseburgers," she said. "Extra cheese, extra pickles. And a large chocolate milkshake."
There was a crackle of static, then a bored, teenage voice half-mumbled back the total. Through the window, Raven could see the cashier—pimples layered over a film of fryer oil, headset drooping off one ear, shirt stained under the arms.
She paid in cash—her stolen black credit card wasn't needed for this—and took the brown paper bag when it was shoved into her hand, the bottom already darkened with grease. The milkshake cup sweated in her palm, thick and cold.
She didn't bother sitting at one of the bolted-down metal tables outside. Instead, she drove out to a secluded place a few miles down the road. Surrounded by bare trees and silence, she finally killed the engine.
The smell of meat and sugar filled the cab. Raven set the milkshake in the cupholder and glanced down at the sagging, grease-splotched bag on her lap.
"Oh my God, I love greasy American food," she muttered.
She didn't eat yet.
Instead, she leaned back and focused inward.
"System. Let's enter Sanctuary. And bring the Ironhowl with me."
Reality folded.
A ripple passed through her bones, silent and clean. In an instant, the forest disappeared—and she was somewhere else.
The Ironhowl reappeared on a dirt road carved through vibrant green land.
Sanctuary.
Her Sanctuary.
To her left stretched rows of sprouting crops, young and healthy. Corn. Wheat. Tomatoes. Her seeds from Boone Ridge and Wilkins Feed & Seed were already thriving, thanks to the accelerated five-to-one time dilation of this world.
For every hour outside, five passed here.
To her right stood an orchard of fruit trees—apple, plum, pear, and mango—all far older than they should have been. Blossoms drifted on the wind. The forest behind them stretched for miles.
Raven took it in for a long moment.
"If time moves faster here…" she muttered, "will I age faster too?"
A projection blinked into her mind, the voice of the system flat and cold.
[Apocalypse Ascendancy System Notification:]
Time dilation within Sanctuary has no effect on the host's physical aging.
Biological degradation is impossible.
This function allows efficient training and development without altering life expectancy.
Raven nodded to herself.
"Good. I've got too much shit to do to start aging early."
She rolled the Ironhowl forward, tires crunching on soft dirt. The landscape around her moved with organized perfection.
To the left, chickens pecked at bugs in the grass while geese waddled through shallow puddles. Pheasants strutted beneath tall stalks of rye, and ducks splashed in artificial streams that cut between field rows. Horses galloped lazily in a wide paddock beyond them.
None of them fought.
No death. No chaos.
The system kept the balance.
"Efficient," Raven said. "I like that."
Farther down, she reached the two bodies of water
To the right: saltwater.
The air changed. Crisp. Briny. The surface of the lake moved with gentle waves. Beneath them, she saw blue crab, snow crab, and Dungeness gliding through coral-covered trenches. Tiger shrimp swarmed under a patch of kelp. Juvenile octopuses pulsed along the bottom like curious ghosts.
To the left: freshwater.
Still, calm, surrounded by grass and reeds. Golden shiners sparkled near the shore. Albino catfish moved like ghosts beneath the surface. Bass and trout chased bugs just beneath the surface.
[System Notification:]
Aquatic livestock successfully sorted into Saltwater and Freshwater Ecosystems.
Independent Living Environment Development: 47%.
User advised to visit regularly for optimization and configuration.
Raven stared at the saltwater lake and whispered, "Limitless crab legs. Fuck yea."
Eventually, she rolled to a stop at a large clearing nestled between trees and a small pond. The grass swayed gently. Wildflowers bloomed at the edge of the woods.
It was beautiful.
Too beautiful.
Like the last page of a fantasy novel.
She got out of the SUV and climbed onto the hood, her bag of fast food beside her. The wind ruffled her hair. She looked around, the entire sanctuary stretching around her.
For a second, she considered building her home right here.
Then she snorted.
"To hell with building. I'll just find a house I like and absorb it. Plenty of empty homes soon. Might as well pick a good one. And if it's occupied, I will just kill them and take it."
She pulled a burger from the bag. Grease dripping down her fingers.
She bit into it, eyes half-lidded.
"Thank God for greasy goodness."
She washed it down with a long sip from her cold milkshake.
Inside, her thoughts moved again.
"I'm going to need to start stocking fast food. Burgers. Pizzas. Maybe even breakfast sandwiches."
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