LOGINThe poorest survivors had no choice but to evacuate on foot, while government agencies and other official organizations used trucks to transport essential personnel and supplies, sending them ahead to safer areas.The roads were packed with people, and cars could barely move. No one dared honk.Too many survivors had nothing left to lose. Tempers were already at the breaking point, and the smallest argument could turn violent. Blocking a car was nothing. Some people even picked up rocks and smashed the windows.When traffic came to a complete stop, people simply climbed onto the roofs of cars.If the people inside refused to open the doors, they stomped on the roof. If anyone dared get out, another group would rush in and try to steal the vehicle.At that point, plenty of people no longer cared what happened to them.Even with soldiers and police trying to keep order, there was only so much they could do. Once people stopped caring whether they lived or died, threats lost the
Nicole and Zeph didn't leave right away. They waited another hour or so. They still had supplies to sort out, and leaving too soon after the others would make it easier to run into someone they knew.Poppy looked out the car window. "I wanna say goodbye to Brandon."Zeph nodded. "Go ahead."There were other kids her age in the neighborhood, but Poppy had always kept her distance. After all these years, Brandon was the only one she had really gotten close to.But getting attached to someone wasn't always a good thing in the apocalypse. The closer you got, the harder it hurt when you had to say goodbye or lost them for good. Sometimes, that kind of pain was more than a person could bear.Poppy handed Brandon a drawing. "I'm leaving. This is for you."Brandon froze for a second. Then, he handed her a cloth doll. "When I grow up, I'll come find you."Poppy paused, then smiled. "Okay."The years had flown by, and neither of them looked like little kids anymore. Poppy already c
Eric kept talking as if he were giving Marcus his final instructions. "If you're lucky enough to survive all this, remember to get married and have kids. Build the Robinson family back up."If having children wasn't possible, that was fine, too. Still, Eric didn't want Marcus to spend the rest of his life alone. At the very least, he wanted Marcus to find someone to share his life with, someone he could rely on and who could rely on him.Marcus turned his face away, his eyes burning."Honey, something's wrong!" Fiona's panicked voice came from downstairs. "The official announcement is out."Dawn was approaching, yet the world had never felt darker.The authorities issued an emergency evacuation notice. After the satellite cluster repeatedly struck Mount Graypine, monitoring equipment detected frequent tremors around the area. Officials warned that the impacts could trigger a volcanic eruption and advised residents to pack their belongings and evacuate.Residents had three o
Mount Graypine was only a few dozen miles from Westbridge. If it erupted as a supervolcano, the lava alone could swallow the entire city.Even if the eruption wasn't that severe, they would still have volcanic ash and dangerous air pollution to deal with."Villa 50 is already packing up to leave." Marcus looked at Eric. "Should we leave, too?"Officials from both cities had been meeting through the night, but they still hadn't issued any clear guidance. For once, even Eric couldn't make up his mind.Marcus didn't hesitate. "I think we should evacuate first. If nothing happens, we can always come back."The Robinsons had plenty of assets, but unlike the government, they didn't have an entire city to worry about. They could move much faster.His two older brothers, William and Paul Robinson, agreed. "Dad, Marcus is right. The government has too much to consider. If they order an evacuation, every business and every resident will be affected. We don't have that problem. We can pre
Beatrice spoke up. "You guys should go to the military base. Don't let me hold you back."Hughie and Jeremy went back and forth over it, but neither could change the other's mind.Nicole finally offered a suggestion. "Why don't you all go to the military base first? If it doesn't work out, you can figure something else out from there."That made sense. This wasn't the time to keep arguing over it anyway. And there was always a chance the military base had changed its rules.Hughie brightened. "Alright. Then we'll go together. That way, we can still watch each other's backs."Nicole answered as tactfully as she could. "You guys should go ahead. We still have a lot to take care of, so we probably won't be ready for a while."Hughie, never one to overthink things, said, "That's fine. We don't have much to pack. We can help you load everything when the time comes."Jeremy was much better at reading the room. He discreetly tugged on Hughie's arm and quickly said, "Alright. We'll wai
Nicole looked at the group thoughtfully.Truthfully, she still hadn't decided where to go. Her first instinct was simply to get as far away from the coast and Mount Graypine as possible. As long as she stayed with the people she cared about, the destination didn't matter much.But over the past few years, Sven, Hughie, Jeremy, Marcus, and the other homeowners had all started looking to Villa 50 for direction, whether they admitted it or not.That was probably why the Robinsons had spent years making an effort to stay on good terms with them. Marcus even made sure Nicole was one of the first people to hear that the satellite cluster had struck Mount Graypine.That information almost certainly came through official channels. He told her because he wanted to see what she planned to do, then use her decision to help judge what was safest for his own family.As long as they stayed in the neighborhood, it wasn't much of a problem. Once the gates to Villa 50 closed, no one knew what wa
Two miles was nothing. The Hummer reached the entrance to the complex in just a few minutes.Nicole handed the man 400 dollars, thanking him for saving her and for ignoring traffic rules.His voice stayed cool. "No need. I was heading this way, anyway."Seeing he wouldn't take it, she didn't push
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







