“Don’t fuck with me,” I continued calmly. “I got guns stashed in this cabin like an Easter egg hunt nobody wins. There’s a shotgun behind some coats hanging in the hall closet, a .45tucked away behind the spice rack, and a Glock sitting real comfortable in the cereal box next to the Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Hell, I even keep a switchblade under the bathroom sink,just in case somebody tries to kill me mid-piss.Those are just the spots I’m willing to mention. You think I'm lying… feel free to check. But don’t let curiosity turn into courage. And this ain’t paranoia; this ispreparation, nigga.”
Adrian raised both hands like I was already holding a weapon, his eyes wide with a mix of realization and fear.
“Man, I just came up here to chill, not to die!”He looked around, panicked. “You talkin’ ‘bout guns and robberies like we in the damncabin owned by John Wick!I brought some clothes, some snacks, and weed… that’s almost gone!`1 c That’s it! I ain’t on none of that other shit you talkin’ ‘bout.”
Adrian leaned back, humbled. Chesteria gave a satisfied shoulder roll. And me? I was two seconds from praying over that damn coffee just to stay calm. Then…
“Soooo…” Isis piped up, real timid. “Did anybody pack any board games or something? Uno? Jenga? Monopoly? Anything?” she asked, looking around, hopeful.
I looked over my mug and blinked slowly.
“Yeah…Russian Roulette… if y’all keep actin’ up.”
Isis’s eyes grew in size. “Okay… so that’s anoto Jenga?”
Chesteria didn’t even turn around. “Girl, you barely stacked your priorities right. What the hell makes you think you’re qualified to stack wooden blocks?”
I chuckled, then got serious. “Look, we got more important shit to discuss than whether Adrian's plug gon' send a Christmas card or Isis’s skincare routine melting in the dark.” I gestured between the two of them. “Since clearly thetwo of youdon’t understand how power works during a blizzard, let me break this down real simple.”
Adrian blinked. “If you talkin’ ‘bout the generator, you just push a button—”
Chesteria whipped her head toward him so fast he flinched.
“Adrian, you’re one shipment away from being voted off the mountain. I swear on everyindividual snowflakefalling outside, if you open your mouth one more time, I'm shoveling you off the porch myself… barefoot!”
He leaned back, wounded. “Damn. Like that?”
Chesteria gave him a dismissive flick of her hand, like she was swatting away bad energy. “Go on, Bryce.”
I smirked. “As I was saying, we got two generators. Count ’em—two. That means we do not have the luxury of playing with power like this is a damn hotel. Nobody better be trying to run flat irons, ring lights, Xboxes, or whatever spiritual ass nonsense Isis got in her bag.”
Isis gasped. “It’s crystals.”
“Crystals that use electricity?” I shot back. “Didn’t think so.”
I pointed to the wall like they could see the generators through it.
“Generator One is the big boy… the main one. That one’s hooked to the propane tank outside. That tank is half full, because somebody who rented this cabin thought that was smart.”
I paused and looked around.
“Which means, if we run everything nonstop, we get three,maybefour days of full power.”
“Bryce… question.”Isis’svoice was too sweet, which meant nonsense was incoming.
I exhaled like my soul needed a break. “What now, Isis?”
“So… when you say three days… is thatregulardays or likemountaindays? Because mountain time feels slower. I’ve only been here for two days, and I feel like my soul has agedeightyears.”
Chesteria rolled her eyes, like she was genuinely trying to understand the level of stupidity before her.
I just stared. “The fuck?A day is a day, Isis.”
“Well, excuse me!” Isis hissed. “I’m just trying to understand the conditionsbefore I wake up looking like Elsa fromFrozen, okay?! Four days doesn’t sound like enough time for a storm! Who would even build a cabin with only four days of life in it?! That’s architectural malpractice! Yeah, we got a generator, but where’s the luxury insulation at?! Is there an emergency hot tub?! A backup chef?! Heated robe delivery?! This feels like survival mode, not a getaway! I signed up for pretty snow and cozy expectations, not Mother Nature with an attitude!”
Adrian chimed in immediately, like he’d been rehearsing ignorance in the mirror and had been waiting for that exact moment to confidently bewrong.
“I agree with her. I ain’t saying we gotta be at a resort, but damn, y’all really expect people to live off coffee and candles like this isnormal?!”
