LOGINGroans filled the entrance, but no one answered.Nicole, Zeph, and Poppy walked away without even looking back.Weasel and the others had witnessed the entire fight, and their jaws nearly hit the ground.Damn. That was insane!Marcus stood frozen in disbelief.Brighton Estates had people this powerful living here? They were every bit as capable as the special forces soldiers at the base!What was the point of paying these useless guards if twenty of them couldn't even touch a single hair on their opponents' heads?He kicked the injured guards off the hood, shoved the airbag aside, and tried to start the Maybach, only to find that the engine wouldn't turn over.Damn it. The car was wrecked!His three best armored SUVs had vanished without a trace, and this was his last luxury off-road vehicle. What the hell was going on?The Karlmann King. The Dartz Prombron Black Stallion. The Paramount Marauder.Just thinking about the vehicles he had spent a fortune and countless favors ac
The glass shattered with a crash.Poppy didn't stand by and watch. She spun into the air and kicked one guard square in the jaw, then followed up with several punches.After years of studying pressure points, Nicole knew exactly where to strike. Every punch landed with perfect accuracy.Of course, she held back. Her blows would leave them injured, but not dead.They should be grateful this was the new district and that she planned to live here for several more years. Otherwise, she would have pulled out an assault rifle and gunned them all down without hesitation.Within seconds, all ten guards were sprawled across the ground, groaning in pain.The other patrol team heard the commotion, grabbed their weapons, and rushed over.Damn!Weasel nearly screamed like an excited fanboy. Nicole was incredible!Get them! Beat the hell out of those punks!Nicole didn't even blink as the guards charged toward her. She poured all the anger she had been holding back lately into her fists.
"Nicole."Weasel's face lit up when he saw Nicole. "We came to see the boss, but these damn gatekeepers won't let us in."The head of security explained, "We're not refusing to let them in. For the safety of the neighborhood, no outsiders are allowed inside unless a resident comes out to escort them."There was nothing wrong with the HOA making that rule. Things were chaotic outside, and if anyone could simply wander in, there would be no guarantee of safety.But why hadn't she been notified?Nicole said, "Since the rules say they can't come in alone, you could at least pass along a message.""Sorry, but that isn't the security team's responsibility."Well, this was interesting.Nicole shot back, "You won't let them in, you won't pass along a message, and there's no phone service. So what exactly are they supposed to do?"Weasel and the others were furious. "They're obviously doing this on purpose."Neither side was willing to back down, and the tension quickly escalated.We
With the arrival of polar day, the agricultural institute had begun distributing vegetable seeds and had also developed improved varieties of sweet potatoes and potatoes that could withstand a full year's worth of temperature changes in a single day. Their growing cycles had been shortened considerably as well.Potatoes, for example, could now be harvested in just 70 days.After the earthquake, every kind of supply had become scarce, including furniture, clothing, and tools. Even items recovered from the rubble were usually old and badly damaged.Anything in decent condition sold for a high price.Basic food supplies, on the other hand, had become relatively easier to find. The market carried dried wild greens, dried sweet potato leaves, dried vegetables, fresh produce, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.The quantities were still limited, though, so none of it was cheap.They finished looking around fairly quickly, then headed to the government-run store.It wasn't very large and loo
Once the gate was installed, the house felt much more secure. Zeph rammed into it several times, but it didn't budge, instantly doubling Nicole's sense of safety.Sven immediately decided to copy it. He pulled out his phone, took several pictures, and planned to have an identical gate made.-The HOA moved quickly. No one had come by to collect the food contributions yet, but the security patrol was already up and running.The guards worked in teams of ten, with one team assigned to the east side and another to the west. Each shift had twenty people in total.Nicole stood on the rooftop and watched a patrol march past below.They looked capable enough. Most were young and well built, and some of them had probably received combat training.After dinner, Nicole clipped a leash onto Cola and took him for a walk around the neighborhood.In an open area, the Robinsons' bodyguards were training the security team. They were teaching them defensive moves and attack techniques, and the
Tom shot his wife a sharp look. "Besides, whenever Nicole hires us to build something, she never tries to haggle us down. Try working for someone else and see how they treat you. Don't get greedy when she's already been good to us."His wife knew he was right, but she still looked worried. "With so many people moving tomorrow, do you think the road will be safe?""More than 100 of us are traveling together. If that still isn't enough to keep us safe, then I guess there's nothing we can do."Tom sighed. "Stop worrying. Captain Landon has already helped us line up work. The younger, stronger people can join the security patrol or work on the farms. Ronald and I know carpentry, so we won't have any trouble earning enough food."As Nicole and the others reached the front gate, they happened to run into Alex. Nicole smiled and greeted him. "Captain Landon, been a while."Alex seemed to be in a good mood. "Oh, hey. Are you and Zeph doing okay?""We're doing fine." Nicole waved as t
"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
Nicole had no complaints about the deal. Cola loved the stuff.So just like that, a little over 100 pounds of fish turned into 20 cans of freeze-dried pet food.Gordon's group was happy with their purchase.They had been living off dog food for so long that they were sick of it. Sixteen hundred p
Nicole didn't hesitate. She blocked Edward right away.Less than a minute later, her phone rang again. It was an unfamiliar number.She didn't need to guess; this was Edward's classmate or one of his friends.Given a second chance at life, Nicole had zero interest in being taken for a fool. She w
Nicole never expected the new resident of 1801 to be the same young man who had helped her at the courier station.He looked mildly surprised, too. He nodded once at her, then went back to work.Up close, he was striking in a cold, sharp way. He was tall and lean, with broad shoulders and clean li







