Mag-log inZeph noticed something in the rearview mirror. Someone was chasing after the Marauder so hard he had apparently lost a shoe.He frowned. "That looks like Marcus."Nicole stared at him. "What?"That made no sense. Even if the Robinsons left Westbridge, the Jazenville government base would've been the obvious place to go. Why would Marcus come all the way out here?She didn't buy it. "Are you sure you're seeing that right?"Zeph slowed down so she could take a look.Sure enough, a filthy, ragged man was running after them. He looked so ridiculous that Nicole almost didn't recognize him.But he kept chasing for hundreds of yards without giving up, even after losing a shoe.Nicole stared into the rearview mirror. The longer she looked, the more he really did look like Marcus.Damn it. She was finally able to drive the Marauder openly, and somehow, Marcus showed up again.Nicole groaned. "Go, go, go! Speed up!"They had history with Marcus. She couldn't exactly turn around and ki
Military life meant grueling training every day, but soldiers were also full members of the Ark Project and received better food, housing, and supplies.Nicole knew they were worried about her, so she gave a helpless smile. "Zeph still hasn't fully recovered, and I was sick not long ago, too. We barely qualified to get into the base as it is. Besides, we still have Poppy and Cola to take care of. Joining the military or taking a regular job just isn't realistic right now. We'll try scavenging first and figure something else out if it doesn't work."Every family had its own problems. Jeremy could tell neither of them wanted to join the military, so he didn't push. "Fair enough. As long as you've thought it through."After chatting a little longer, he stood up. "We still have training tonight, so we should get going."Nicole tried to get them to stay for dinner.Jeremy and the others shook their heads. "Our food and housing are covered. We already ate at the mess hall before w
Scavengers had played a major role in building the military base into what it was today. Whether for their own survival or to help with rescue efforts, they had risked their lives traveling from city to city and brought back huge amounts of specialized materials.But as one disaster after another destroyed more of the country, those materials became harder and harder to find. Scavengers were coming back with almost nothing, and even military search teams often returned empty-handed.Nicole frowned. "If you're that short on materials, why sell the submarines at all?""To give scavengers a reason to keep looking. That's why the base pays so many points for rare materials now."Still, something didn't add up. "It takes a huge amount of material and labor to build one submarine, but it only carries ten people. Isn't that kind of wasteful?"The others exchanged looks before Jeremy smiled. "The base isn't putting that much effort into building submarines just to save ten people."T
Hughie's group valued their freedom and hated being tied down, while military life came with rules for almost everything. Nicole had a hard time picturing them adjusting to it.Joining the military was Jeremy's idea. He explained, "The disasters are getting worse and harder to predict. We survived that sandstorm because we got lucky, but what about next time?"They couldn't fight natural disasters on their own. Their best option was to rely on the government.The base had advanced technology, military defenses, and specialized equipment designed to withstand disasters. If they followed orders and stayed with the military, their chances of surviving would be much better.Jeremy really did think things through more carefully than most people.Knowing all four of them had found a place where they belonged put Nicole at ease. More than anything, she just hoped they stayed safe.She asked curiously, "Did they assign you to different branches?""Yeah. The base has army and navy unit
As excited as Nicole was, she still remembered to quickly put away the familiar furniture and replace it with older, more worn-out pieces before going downstairs.After so long apart, Nicole and Hughie's group greeted each other with hugs.Hughie could barely contain himself. "Did you find Zeph?"Nicole smiled. "I did. He was badly hurt, so we stayed outside for a few months while he recovered. We only got to the military base last night and rented this place around noon. I was actually going to look for you guys later, but you beat me to it."Once they heard Zeph was safe, all four of them finally relaxed. Then someone quickly asked, "What about Cola?""He was hurt, too, but he's fine now."Nicole invited everyone inside, then glanced around the nearly empty first floor and gave an awkward smile. "We just got here, so we haven't had time to set the place up yet."Jeremy and the others didn't care. They sat down on the floor. "Having a roof over our heads is good enough. W
Thinking Nicole just didn't know much about the base yet, the assistant explained, "The requirements for joining the military are strict, and the training is intense, but food and housing are the most secure. "If another major disaster hits, the base will take care of its soldiers."Regular workers mostly do manual labor. The base provides housing, and while the conditions aren't as good, they're still much better than living outside."Scavenging used to be worth it. It was dangerous, but one good trip could cover two or three months of expenses. "Now, there's almost nothing left to find. Most trips are a waste of time."With so little left to scavenge, some people had turned to robbing other scavengers instead.No one dared cause trouble inside the base, of course. They usually set up ambushes outside or confronted other groups directly. Whoever won took the supplies.Some even targeted criminal hideouts.Either way, scavenging had become dangerous, violent work.Since they
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
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







