Chapter 3

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 it clicked. The storage space only allowed two hours inside at a time.

Two hours…

Fine. Better than nothing.

After showering, it was already past midnight.

Nicole checked again. A fresh two-hour window had replenished. Only then did she finally breathe a little easier.

She lay in bed, but couldn't fall asleep. In the end, she took some melatonin.

Her sleep was shallow and broken. She dreamed of being chased again, rust-stained blades swinging down toward her body.

Nicole woke up drenched in sweat. It was five in the morning, and the sky outside was still dark.

She went into the storage space and looked over her supplies just to steady herself. Only then did her heart slow down.

She didn't go back to sleep.

Grabbing her car keys, she headed to the largest agricultural wholesale market in town. Dawn was barely breaking, yet traffic around the market was already packed.

Nicole went straight to the produce section and bought fresh items still beaded with dew.

She bought 100 pounds each of onions, carrots, squash, tomatoes, bell peppers, celery, and cucumbers, as well as 200 pounds each of potatoes and sweet potatoes.

She also bought 100 pounds of ginger and garlic, respectively. They could be planted and used for seasoning. During the deep freeze, a cup of hot ginger tea could keep someone alive.

She bought steadily as she walked. Aside from leafy greens, she skipped nothing.

By the time she grabbed breakfast, it was close to 9 a.m. The crowd had thinned.

Nicole started stocking staple foods, comparing prices stall by stall.

She got 100 50-pound bags of rice, 50 50-pound bags of flour, as well as 500 pounds each of various noodles and starch. Then she bought 200 pounds each of various dried beans, including lentils, chickpeas, and peanuts, as well as 50 large containers each of different kinds of vegetable oils.

She spent under 6,000 dollars and talked the vendor into tossing in three extra bags of rice.

Just this alone could feed her for 30 years.

While the vendor packed the order, Nicole headed to the seasoning section.

She got ten 5-gallon barrels of condiments, such as soy sauce and vinegar. She also purchased 30 pounds each of spices, including black pepper, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, and cloves.

Then she got 300 pounds of brown sugar, white sugar, and rock sugar, as well as 3,000 pounds of salt.

Food mattered in the apocalypse, but salt mattered more. Without it, the body collapsed.

In her third year of surviving, Nicole had seen someone trade one bag of salt for 60 pounds of grain.

Three thousand pounds of salt barely took up space. When resources ran dry, it would be priceless. If she'd had room, she would've stocked tons.

Once the truck was loaded, Nicole drove to a quiet corner with no cameras and transferred everything into the storage space, then headed for the frozen foods section.

She got ten large boxes each of various frozen breads, sweet pastries, and savory breakfast buns. She avoided premade fillings and stocked up on frozen tortillas, something to keep her busy when floods kept her indoors.

Next came dried goods, such as dried mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, dried herbs, and dehydrated vegetables. Another 2,000 was gone.

At the meat section, Nicole found the stall that supplied the university cafeteria.

The owner lit up when he saw her. "Nicole, what are you looking for today?"

The air before the typhoon was thick and stifling. There wasn't much meat left, and the freshness was average, but the prices were fair.

Nicole ordered various cuts of pork, lamb, and beef, 200 pounds each. She also got 100 each of chickens and ducks, 50 turkeys, and assorted organ meats in bulk.

The owner stared at her. "Are you serious?"

His wife worked at the slaughterhouse. Nicole had sent plenty of customers his way before.

"It's for a family wedding," she said calmly. "Just keep the price low."

"Between us? I'm giving it to you at cost." He laughed. "I'll give you 30% off."

Meat burned money fast. Pork prices had dropped recently, but beef and lamb hadn't. Buying from someone she knew saved a fortune.

The total came to around 6,000 dollars.

Nicole didn't haggle; she just added one request.

She asked for two heavy cleavers and a butcher knife. Weapons mattered, but she had no time or channels. This would have to do.

The owner looked uneasy. "What do you need those for?"

"Relax. I'm not killing anyone."

With both profit and the relationship in mind, he agreed.

Nicole moved on to the fish stall and ordered 100 whole fish, cleaned but not cut. She then picked up 3,000 chicken eggs and 1,000 duck eggs.

Thinking the disasters might end someday, she also bought fertilized eggs, including chicken, duck, turkey, and quail, plus a small home incubator.

Remembering the garden in her storage space, Nicole stopped by a seed shop.

She bought seeds for fast-growing vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, kale, and mustard greens.

Seeds were cheap. About 100 dollars bought enough for decades.

There were only about 100 square feet of black soil, but she had two balconies. Her farming instincts kicked in. She bought planters, soil, shovels, hoes, and potting mix.

With cautious hope, she went to the nursery section.

She picked up three mature plants each from a dozen fruit varieties, including apple and citrus trees, grapevines, and berry plants like blueberries and strawberries.

Fresh meat wouldn't last forever. As disasters dragged on, even powerful groups wouldn't have access to it.

Nicole bought a breeding pair of rabbits. They survived on vegetables and reproduced fast. She would have plenty of meat for a long time.

She favored foods that could be eaten cold or lightly dressed. She bought hundreds of pounds of beef shank, beef brisket, and smoked meat.

Money drained fast. It hurt.

But seeing the supplies stack higher and higher inside the storage space gave her a quiet sense of security.

She spent the entire day in the wholesale market.

When she finally stepped out, the streets were blazing with lights. Crowds flowed. The city's best hours were just beginning.

Nicole walked into a restaurant and ordered barbecue ribs, meatloaf with gravy, and mashed potatoes. She ate until she was full and boxed the rest.

It was still early when she got home. She hauled everything into the storage space, filling the large room completely.

Vegetables and fruit trees went into the living room. The rabbits stayed on the balcony.

Nicole was careful. When the timer dropped to ten minutes, she stepped out.

The moment she exited, the two rabbits were kicked out as well, thudding onto the floor. They almost didn't make it.

Nicole stared.

She first felt frustration, then wild joy.

The storage space had limits. And as long as she wasn't inside, no living creature could stay either.

Which meant no one could steal it.

In a great mood, she sat down to check for anything she had left out. She bought everything she could still think of. Her balance dropped to about 4,000 dollars.

In the storage space, only the living room and bathroom remained empty. To survive extreme disasters, there was still more to prepare, but she wouldn't stock bulky items anymore.

Nicole opened a delivery app and ordered from all the top-rated places she had always wanted to try but never dared.

She ordered burgers, fried chicken, mac and cheese, pizza, pasta, and a dozen other dishes, ten portions each. She also got several varieties of baked goods, breakfast items, sandwiches, fried sides, and drinks.

She spent over 2,000 dollars, choosing scheduled pickup to keep everything fresh.

Though exhausted, Nicole wanted to see the city one last time while it was still alive.

That afternoon, a notice came out. To prepare for the incoming typhoon, schools would close for three days. Reopening would be announced later.

Students exploded with excitement. Friends called friends. Nightlife plans filled the air.

The coast saw typhoons every year. People always hoped for classes to be canceled. This time, their wish came true.

Nicole felt the same.

But the others didn't know this one was real. They would never need to go back to class again.

Nicole ate barbecue and drank beer, her emotions tangled as she kept running pickups.

Back home, she had the nagging feeling she had forgotten something important. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember what it was.