Chapter 4

Leora’s pov

“Thirty days,” I muttered, staring at the growing pile of supplies in my storage facility.

I had spent the past week buying food, bottled water, medicine, batteries, cooking oil, canned goods, and everything else I could afford to stockpile without attracting unnecessary attention.

It still wasn’t enough.

I needed more food, better security, and a reliable means of transportation. I also needed to figure out how to protect myself and my unborn child once the streets became overrun with zombies.

But I couldn’t do everything at once.

For now, I had to focus on the essentials.

A notification appeared before my eyes.

[Ding! Your shipment has arrived.]

Finally,

I grabbed my keys and hurried outside. I’d ordered thousands of cartons of instant noodles from a manufacturer, and the delivery had arrived at the storage shed I’d rented under my great-aunt’s name.

If everything went according to plan, I would transfer the shipment into my system storage and move it to my private bunker.

I couldn’t afford to waste a single day.

“You’re Miss Leora?” 

“Yes, I’m expecting quite a large order of instant noodles.” I nodded.

He checked the paperwork and nodded. “Everything’ is here, please confirm the delivery before we leave

I signed the documents and watched the workers stack the cartons inside the shed. There were hundreds of them.

Once the workers had left, I closed the doors and activated my system.

[Would the host like to store the available goods?]

“Yes.”

One after another the cartons vanished into the system storage. I locked the shed before driving to my private bunker, which I had rented under my great-aunt’s name. The underground facility was spacious and far enough from my home to provide an additional layer of protection.

Once inside I released the supplies from my system.

The cartons appeared in neat stacks across the storage room. I rubbed my hands together, pleased with the progress I’d made, I opened one and stared inside; there were no noodles. Instead, several rows of transparent tubes containing a pale liquid lay inside the carton. Each tube had a print and a small batch number.

I quickly opened another carton and saw the same thing; my smile vanished.

“What the hell is this?  I rubbed my temple. I ordered noodles; why the hell am I getting some weird scientist shit?

I decided to check another carton, hoping I had somehow opened the wrong shipment, but it only contained more tubes. 

I grabbed one and examined the label. The technical name meant little to me, but the warning symbols and dosage information were enough to make my stomach tighten.

I hadn’t ordered sedatives.

Had I been scammed? I asked myself.

I immediately pulled out my phone to call the company but a system notification appeared

[Warning! The delivered goods do not match the host’s purchase order.]

“No kidding!”

[Preliminary analysis suggests these are powerful veterinary sedatives intended for large animals.]

I stared at the tube in my hand.

Why would anyone hide something like this inside cartons of instant noodles?

[Additional information: The shipment may be connected to an organized criminal operation.]

My blood ran cold.

“Criminal operation?” I asked

[Reporting the shipment may expose the host’s identity and location to individuals seeking to recover the missing cargo.]

I slowly lowered the tube. “You’re telling me I should keep illegal drugs?”

[The system recommends caution. During a large-scale catastrophe, sedatives may prove useful for temporarily restraining dangerous individuals or treating certain medical emergencies under appropriate supervision. Their effectiveness against infected individuals is not guaranteed.]

I stared at the screen.

That was a reasonable point, but it didn’t make me feel any better.

I was preparing for zombies, not a confrontation with a mafia organization.

“What happens if they find me?”

[The consequences cannot be accurately predicted.]

Wonderful.

I had less than a month to prepare for the apocalypse, and somehow I had managed to attract the attention of criminals before the world even ended.

I placed the tube back inside the carton and sealed it.

For now, I wouldn’t report anything. I would investigate the company first and find out who was responsible for the substitution.

If someone had deliberately used my order to transport illegal goods, I needed to know why.

I finished arranging the cartons, secured the bunker, and returned home after sunset.

Exhaustion settled into my bones. All I wanted was a hot shower and a few hours of sleep.

I had barely changed into my nightclothes when I heard a noise downstairs.

I froze.

Another sound followed.

The unmistakable click of a door opening.

My heart began to pound.

I hadn’t invited anyone over, and my security system hadn’t alerted me to a visitor.

I quietly stepped into the hallway and peered over the railing.

A tall man dressed in black stood near the entrance. A mask concealed his face, and his gloved hand held what appeared to be a weapon.

My breath caught.

He looked up. “Madam.”

My blood ran cold. “Who are you?” I demanded, forcing myself to remain calm.

“Where are the boxes?”

I blinked. “What boxes?”

“Don’t waste my time.” He approached the stairs. “The shipment that was delivered to your storage facility today. I want it back.”

My stomach dropped.

So the system was right.

Someone was already looking for the missing cargo.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He stopped in front of me. “You signed for the delivery yourself. The truck was tracked to your property, and the boxes disappeared shortly afterward. Where did you put them?”

I swallowed. “I ordered instant noodles. That’s all.”

“Do you expect me to believe that?”

“Believe whatever you want; I haven’t stolen anything from you.” I reached for my phone right behind me; thankfully he wasn't able to notice.

His eyes narrowed behind the mask. Then he grabbed my wrist. “Listen carefully. I don’t care what you think you know. Tell me where the boxes are, and I’ll leave.”

I twisted my hand free. “Get out of my house!”

He didn’t move.

Instead, he pushed past me and headed toward my bedroom.

I followed him, furious and terrified in equal measure. “You can’t just break into someone’s home!”

“Then you should have answered my questions.” He searched the wardrobe, pulled open drawers, and examined the space beneath my bed. I stood near the door, silently praying he wouldn’t discover the concealed entrance to my bunker.

The entrance was hidden behind a panel in my bedroom wall. Only I could activate it through my system.

He approached the panel.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

“There’s nothing there,” I said quickly.

He glanced at me.

“Then you won’t mind if I check.”

He reached for the panel, and I lunged forward to stop him.

We collided.

His shoulder struck mine, and I stumbled against the bedside table. Something toppled to the floor with a crash.

He caught my arm before I fell. I jerked away, catching the edge of his mask in the process.

The mask slipped.

Then it fell.

For several seconds, neither of us moved.

I stared at the face I had forgotten existed in this life.

The sharp jaw. The familiar ocean-blue eyes. The tiny scar near his left eyebrow.

No.

It couldn’t be him.

My lips parted, but no sound emerged.

He stared back at me, his expression changing when he recognized me.

“Leora?”

My knees nearly gave way.

The man standing in my bedroom, the man searching for the mysterious shipment, was the one person I had never expected to see again.

My first love.

Adrian?