Tanya and Ishita joined the back of the queue, both reeling as Tanya stared at Ishita for answers she didn't seem to have.

There were all kinds of people ahead of them. Everyone, from people in business suits to families to people who looked like they'd fallen out of Mad Max. None of those ahead had weapons out. She spotted some on belts or back harnesses.

"How is everyone safe here—" Tanya started.

She was cut off by a loud whistle.

Three men jogged past wearing grey camo. Tanya had never seen grey camo before, but she supposed that made sense in a city.

"Canid east breech," one of the men said into a flip phone.

She supposed that answered the first question. The thought of a guard team made her uneasy. Angering Salvatore likely came with a high-level fight.

"Is this guy really so important that he has his own team of security?" Tanya asked Ishita.

"It's not about importance. It's about what you can offer people," Ishita replied.

A couple more people joined the queue behind them. One was an older lady with tired eyes and blonde hair with clearly grown-out grey at the scalp, and behind her were a dishevelled couple having an argument in hushed tones in a language Tanya didn't recognise.

Tanya stepped in closer, speaking in more hushed tones. "An' what can this guy offer people?"

"People would give most things to escape being trapped," Ishita said. "I've heard Adder's group and other gangs in the area all have rigorous terms in order to join, and people are getting desperate for food."

Tanya thought it through. "Then this Salvatore doesn't just have the skill he can offer people, he has the stuff they've traded with him too."

"Exactly. Including the most important thing that people can give him when they have no food or influential powers."

"Loyalty?"

"Close but no. Most of them are escaping loyalty. He markets himself as the opposite of the gangs—always a one-time trade." Ishita cocked an eyebrow. "Knowledge."

Tanya was torn between disgust and respect. This man had done what she was trying to—set up a business that gained her information and the use of people's powers. She stared up at the illuminated office block, wondering how many monster cores it had taken to give electricity to a building that size. From her experience, even just having electricity alone would be enough to keep trades coming.

There was a spattering of relaxed chatting faces in the queue. Tanya guessed that at least some of these people had been here before. If every time someone wanted electricity, they came with new information, this guy would basically have a spy ring that covered the entire area.

"You don't have to worry, lovey, the guards are very good," came a voice from behind Tanya.

She turned to face the older lady she'd noticed join the queue behind her.

"Sorry, I just noticed you seem a bit on edge," she continued. Her eyes were kind, and she smelled of something floral. It made Tanya think of her grandma.

"I was just checkin' the people here out," Tanya said. "Real variety ain't it?"

"First time?" the lady said, with a smile.

Tanya nodded. "Most people here returning then?"

"I don't know what me and my Joe would have done without him. He's really taken his role seriously."

"His role?" Tanya asked.

"As mayor, dearie."

Tanya and Ishita made eye contact.

"I didn't know he was the mayor," Ishita said.

"Well, not before," the lady said. "He ran for it in this area. Hold on, let me…" she dug around in her purse. Tanya glimpsed those polo mints that old people always seemed to have, and far too many receipts and scraps of paper. "Here." She passed Tanya and Ishita a flyer

• • •

SEBASTIAN SALVATORE FOR MAYOR

"Building a Safer Future — Together."

Our city has suffered enough. Between the monsters at our gates and the gangs fighting in the streets, people are starving for leadership, for hope, for direction. Sebastian Salvatore has spent his life bringing order to chaos: as a successful CEO, a trusted voice in the community, and a man who knows that trust isn't given, it's earned.

A Vision of Unity

Sebastian believes no one should go hungry. That's why he's launching the Salvatore Food & Resource Bank Initiative. Sebastian believes in fair trade for safety — a transparent system where everyone contributes what they can and gains what they need.

Information is Protection

Knowledge saves lives. By contributing what you know about dangers, your community, and untrustworthy groups, you help keep your neighbours safe. In return, Sebastian ensures your continued access to food, safety, and shelter. Everyone can do their part.

Breaking the Chains of Gang Rule

The gangs offer loyalty in exchange for obedience. Sebastian offers freedom through cooperation. No blood oaths. No permanent debts. Just a promise: work with him, and you'll never face this apocalypse alone.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

The Future Needs a New Law

Our city doesn't need another warlord. It needs a builder. With Sebastian in power, he will craft Sebastian's Law—a pact that all can take to make London safe again.

When we share information, we share strength. When we follow Sebastian Salvatore, we follow stability.

Vote Salvatore — Restoring Hope, One Pact at a Time

• • •

The image at the top of the flyer was the first time Tanya had seen his face.

He was all teeth with a smile that could have been in a toothpaste commercial. It didn't quite reach his eyes. Tanya doubted he could be older than forty with a suit that screamed new money and a boyish haircut to distract from the lines forming on his forehead.

"So he sent out his own polling sheet?" Tanya asked.

"Yes, that's right."

Tanya chose her wording carefully. "An' ran unopposed?"

"A couple of others piled on, but no one else had the vision he did." Her smile grew sadder. "He reminds me of my grandson. Good man."

Tanya and Ishita were smiling politely, but they could communicate how dodgy they thought all of this was in a single look.

The entire campaign screamed propaganda to Tanya. None of this lined up at all with what Ishita had been telling her of a man who forced people into pacts behind the scenes so that he could then be paid to undo them.

She glanced down at the flyer again, and the final paragraph hit her in the face.

New Law.

That's how he was going to control them. A pact for this New Law.

"Have you signed this New Law?" Tanya asked, trying to sound casual.

"Of course. My Joe was one of the first." Her grip tightened on the envelope in her hand, her eyes growing wetter.

Tanya placed a comforting hand on the lady's shoulder, but alarm bells were ringing in her head.

"I'm sorry for your loss. You must be very proud," Ishita added smoothly. "I'm guessing your Joe really started something by signing."

The lady nodded, pulling a handkerchief from her bag and blowing her nose. "They recently reached 300 signatures." She sniffed, staring into space in the way that could only be an Interface. "354 now."

Tanya and Ishita stared at each other. They didn't just have guards. They had a mob here that had agreed to terms that neither Tanya nor Ishita had seen.

"You have an Interface?" Tanya asked the lady. "What's your Class, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Sharing information is always a strength," the lady said with a smile.

Tanya winced, hearing the tone of the flyer so clearly. Thankfully, the lady didn't seem to notice.

"I'm in the Community Sector. Both me and Joe had green thumbs, see," she started. "Both got Crop Druid. It was unique back when my Joe got it. A younger couple defended us at the beginning—they're leaders of the Protection Sector now." She nodded proudly. "We were running out of food and me and Joe weren't well enough to fight, so we put our heads together to work out how to get something to grow with the earth being contaminated."

The queue moved a dozen feet, and Tanya and the others moved forward to fill the gap. They must have been letting people in in groups.

Tanya was full of questions: what were these sectors? How could the lady see the number of people who had signed on her Interface—was it a unique section of Sebastian's? How hard were crops to grow?

Ishita was one step ahead of her. "What is this New Law like?"

Good point—that's a far more pressin' question.

The lady nodded, thoughtful. "Oh, the New Law's just... how things run now," she said. "Keeps everyone safe, keeps things fair. Nobody's left behind anymore, not if they do their bit." She smiled faintly, eyes distant. "It's about helping each other, really. Sharing what you can, making sure no one steps out of line and gets hurt. The Sectors work together—Protection makes sure everything stays calm, and we make sure people have what they need." She nodded. "It's a good system. Everyone knows their place. There's no reason for trouble when everyone's working for the same thing."

She hesitated, then added with a small shrug, "And if someone forgets that… well, the community reminds them. Doesn't usually take much."

The wording chilled Tanya. Would this sweet older lady really turn on them both if told to? Under the right sell, she guessed so. She also doubted this pact didn't have ways of manipulating it further, but hoped that Salvatore valued keeping them feeling free enough not to capitalise on them if he could help it.

"What about you dearies? What are your Classes?" the lady asked, snapping Tanya out of her ponderings.

"Martyr," Ishita offered.

The lady nodded, patting her on the shoulder. "Hard Class, but a good one. Thank you for your service."

"Oh, uh, you're welcome," Ishita said, taken aback.

Tanya supposed hers wasn't a secret either, seeing as they were trading for it. "Tattoo Summoner," she said.

"Oh! The lady said. "That sounds Unique?"

Tanya nodded. "Yeah, it is."

"Then you're in the wrong queue. Trades with Unique Classes go to the Priority queue." She peered around Tanya and Ishita. "Excuse me! Travis! There's someone with a Unique Class here."

Everyone's heads turned towards them, including a guard walking past.

The guard's boots thudded against the floor as he approached. He was tall and broad-shouldered, the kind of man who filled the space without needing to speak. Tanya realised the purple glint she saw wasn't a gem, it was some sort of visor. It glinted in the reflection from the lights inside the office block as he looked Tanya up and down.

"Unique Class, huh?" His tone was flat, the sort that made Tanya's stomach tighten. "You got proof of that, or just saying it to skip the line?"

Before Tanya could answer, the lady called out, cheerful as ever. "Oh, Travis, don't be daft. These are good young women."

The guard turned toward her—and just like that, his posture eased. His tension eased as a grin broke through the stern mask. "Iris! Should've guessed it was you stirring up the queues."

She laughed softly. "Just trying to help these girls find their way."

"Right, right." Travis nodded, still smiling. "Come on then, I'll walk you to the Priority queue myself. Can't have Iris's friends getting lost, can we?"

Tanya was in a daze. None of this felt real. She followed the man to the front of the queue, being led inside through a revolving door.

Tanya blinked against the sudden brightness. The air smelled of vanilla. She could see one of those nice-smelling pots with sticks in it on the desk. The woman behind the desk was wearing a pink suit with slicked-back hair. She was cleaner than anyone Tanya had seen since the apocalypse started.

"Priority dealing?" she asked briskly, already sliding thin forms across the counter. "Name, origin point, Class, and sector if you know it, please. Fill in all glowing sections."

Tanya looked down at it, dread curling in her gut. "This won't—"

"No pacts, just paperwork. We run a tight ship here. Seeing as you're clearly new, ignore the sector. Here." She clicked her fingers, and some of the glow of her paper faded.

She wasn't sure she trusted this, but she told herself that this man seemed too smart to resort to tricking people this obviously.

Looking at Ishita, she gave a small nod. Ishita returned it.

The light followed her pen as she filled in her name, area, Class, and ticked boxes for why she was there.

A man in a plain grey coat approached while she signed, pushing what looked like an old PC on a trolley. The rack underneath beeped, lights flashing.

"Verification," he murmured, and something in the air gave a soft click—like static snapping on her skin. He nodded to Travis. "Class confirmed. No falsification."

Tanya swallowed, uncertain whether to thank him or not.

Travis's grin widened. "All proper, then." He leaned one arm on the counter, easy and confident. "Tattoo trade, was it? Pact-breaking?"

She nodded.

He gave a low whistle. "Not heard of that one before." He straightened, flashing his badge at the receptionist. "We'll take them right up."

The receptionist didn't look up from her paperwork. "Priority clearance logged."

Travis tapped his wrist against a reader, and the doors opened automatically. They all walked in, and Travis pressed for floor 23. Tanya hadn't been in a lift in a long time, and it had become such a foreign sensation so quickly. Her stomach lurched as they sped through the floors, watching the number above the door trickle up.

21

22

23

Ding.

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