After the bombs fall and the rules collapse, something else takes their place. Not law, not order—something colder, something personal. In the ruins of New York City, survival isn't about strength or loyalty. It's about timing, nerve, and knowing exactly when to pull away before someone else does it first.
Hardesty has carved out his own way of living in this broken world. He doesn't belong to any crew, doesn't answer to any authority, and doesn't share unless he has to. Every opportunity is a transaction. Every encounter is a risk. When a routine execution turns into something else entirely, Hardesty sees his chance to get ahead—just a little more, just enough to stay alive another week.
But deals don't stay simple for long. Every promise invites a double-cross. Every partnership comes with a hidden cost. And in a city where even mercy has a price, Hardesty begins to realize that the game he's been playing might already be closing in on him.
Stephen Marlowe wrote extensively for magazines like Galaxy Science Fiction and Amazing Stories, producing sharp, hard-edged tales that often pushed characters into morally stripped-down environments. His work ranges from science fiction to crime and historical fiction, including novels featuring the detective Chester Drum. "Divvy Up" reflects Marlowe's talent for blending bleak settings with razor-focused character conflict, where survival depends less on strength and more on calculation.
