LOGINIvoryn lay away from major fault lines, so the ground was relatively stable. However, it was close to the ocean.As the land kept sinking, the water would reach them sooner or later.Nicole didn't know where the group was headed, but they would likely pass near camp and stop to rest. She wanted to avoid any trouble that might come with meeting them.Zeph agreed.They returned to camp and cleared away every trace of their stay. Nicole brought out the helicopter, and they took off.The landscape faded below them as they climbed.Cola pawed at Nicole and looked up at her, as if he wanted to know where they were going this time.She rubbed his head. "We're heading somewhere higher."They headed southwest, steering clear of the highest plateau. Its elevation was hard to beat, but earthquakes were common there. By now, there might not be much solid ground left.They went with Plan B and headed for the state of Clearhaven.The flight was long enough that they had to land and refuel
Once everyone was full, Nicole and the rest headed back to the escape pod to sleep.The next morning, they brushed their teeth, washed up, and set out a folding table for breakfast.Nicole brought out a coffee pot and a small camp stove. Soon, the smell of fresh coffee drifted through the air.She poured herself a cup. It was smooth and rich, with barely a hint of bitterness.They took their time over breakfast. If it weren't for the collapsed mountains and wreckage around them, they could almost pretend they were on vacation. The quiet made the ongoing disaster feel strangely distant.As the aftershocks eased, Nicole set up a tent and saved the escape pod for emergencies.Five days passed that way. They were comfortable enough, but they couldn't let their guard down.They were far from any city, with nothing but destruction around them and no way to know what was happening elsewhere.Landslides and deep cracks cut across the terrain. Even with a vehicle, they couldn't get anyw
After seven hours in the helicopter without breakfast, all four of them were starving.Nicole brought out pot roast with mashed potatoes and green beans. The rich, savory smell filled the pod as everyone dug in.They followed the meal with juice to wash it down.Aftershocks came and went. The pod absorbed most of the jolts, but no one wanted to risk stepping outside.They were still alive, and they wanted to keep it that way.Inside the cramped pod, time dragged.Nicole propped up a tablet, put on a downloaded movie, and opened a bag of pistachios.Zeph didn't particularly like them, but he got good at cracking the shells over the years. He split the shelled nuts evenly between Nicole and Poppy.Cola gave him a reproachful look. "Woof!""Relax," Zeph told him. "You're next."Nicole and Poppy burst out laughing.They ate, drank, and used the portable toilet as needed.By nightfall, everything outside was dark and still.A day of running for their lives left them drained. Ni
The helicopter lurched, and Nicole's heart jumped into her throat.Turbulence battered the aircraft. Alarms blared, and red warning lights flashed across the instrument panel.Poppy's palms grew clammy as the helicopter shuddered around them. Cola whimpered and pressed into Nicole's arms.Nicole went rigid, barely daring to breathe.Zeph stayed calm, his hands steady on the controls.He fought through the turbulence, climbing to nearly 30 thousand feet before they finally cleared the worst of it. The alarms fell silent.But the helicopter wasn't built for that altitude. Nicole quickly began to feel sick, and Cola panted with his tongue hanging out.As soon as the air settled, Zeph descended.Nicole looked down. Landslides blocked rivers, mountains lay in ruins, and huge clouds of dust rolled across the shattered landscape.The ocean churned below, its waves roaring as though they could swallow the world.As the aftershocks eased, Zeph descended to about 13 thousand feet.Two
The siren sounded early, while most survivors were still asleep or getting up for work.The timing was one small mercy. If everyone was already at work, getting home would've cost them precious time. Some families might never have found each other in the chaos.At least now, even if they died, they could be together.Up ahead, Nicole spotted a convoy of enormous trucks. The line stretched so far into the distance that she couldn't see the end. There had to be at least 20.If she was right, they carried materials salvaged from other states and hauled all this way to be preserved in the base's civilization vaults.The convoy barely made it into the base before the alarm sounded.Two hours wasn't enough to unload everything, pack it for transport, and secure it aboard ships before they left. The drivers apparently realized that, too, and abandoned their trucks to save themselves.Not a soul remained near the convoy. With disaster closing in, anything people couldn't eat or drink wa
Nicole felt lighter after dropping off the medicine.She settled back into her routine, enjoying her food and drinks, working out every day, and going over their escape routes on the map.They needed somewhere at a higher elevation, far from tectonic plate boundaries and major fault lines.She and Zeph chose several possible destinations and put together several plans. But they could only plan so much. Once disaster hit, they would have to adjust.Two months flew by. Nicole didn't visit Arthur again, and Sophia didn't stop by either.Life stayed quiet, almost as if nothing happened.Then one morning, a piercing air-raid siren jolted Nicole out of a light sleep. She had never heard one in person, and for a moment, she couldn't make sense of the sound.Zeph shot out of bed. "We gotta move! It's happening!"They threw on their clothes while Nicole swept everything in the room into the storage space.Zeph rushed out. "Poppy, get ready! Now!"Each of them needed an earthquake emer
Just after midnight, the timer refreshed. One hundred thirty minutes remaining.That meant time could stack.Nicole nearly laughed out loud. Seconds mattered. During crucial moments, even a minute could mean the difference between living and dying.She decided that unless it was absolutely necess
Nicole jolted, then immediately checked with her mind.The storage space was still there. The supplies were still there, too. She tested it; she thought of an item, and a coal briquette appeared in her hand.Sweeping the space again, she noticed the glowing timer had reset to zero.That was when
After paying the deposit, Nicole drove straight to the largest outdoor gear store downtown.The outdoor gear market was fiercely competitive. The store was in full clearance mode, shutting down with brutal discounts. Some items were marked down to 20% of the original price.Perfect timing.Nicole
"Ah!"Nicole Floyd jolted upright in bed, gasping. Sweat streamed down her forehead, her eyes unfocused and hollow.The sight in front of her cut through the haze in her mind.This was her old apartment, the one from before the apocalypse.Ding, ding…Text alerts kept chiming. She grabbed her p







