Share

Chapter 7

Author: Hugh White
With that in mind, Hayley walked into a sports equipment store.

After picking up a few of the best, sturdiest baseball bats, she grabbed a bunch of adventure gear—flashlights, helmets, armor, pads, tents, protective suits, tactical jackets…all of it. Everything she needed for the outdoors. This alone cost her over 4,000.

The store also carried emergency kit accessories—tweezers, pliers, bandages, thermometers, and stuff like that. It reminded Hayley that she still needed to stop by the pharmacy.

She left the outdoor store and went to stock up on common medicines—cold medicine, bandages, fever reducers, vitamins, alcohol, iodine, and other essentials.

She wasn't interested in prescription drugs; she didn't need them, anyway. Anyone who had survived ten years of the apocalypse without dying probably didn't rely on daily meds. A few emergency supplies would do. In an apocalypse, poor health was just a weak spot you couldn't afford.

By the time she left the pharmacy, it was almost evening. The city lights sparkled, neon glowing all around.

Hayley had pretty much gathered everything she could—food, drink, shelter, tools—all the basics covered. Now, she could focus on upgrading daily necessities and a few extra comforts.

She still had about 260 thousand left.

She figured it was time to go on a shopping spree. Before the apocalypse hit, she was going to enjoy the world one last time.

First stop: a Michelin-star hotel she had never treated herself to before.

She ordered a full-on feast—mushroom soup, barbecued ribs, pan-seared cod, roasted chicken, and garlic butter prawns—everything she had never been able to afford before. She even had the kitchen prepare ten extra orders of her favorite garlic butter prawns and filet mignon to take home for Summer.

After that, she booked a suite and headed down to the mall.

The mall was packed with goods, from general stores to tempting food stands. Hayley, used to hard times, hit the food section first—sausages, mini corn dogs, sponge cakes, meat pies, fried skewers, fried chicken, pork cutlets, stew, ice cream, milkshakes, assorted pastries…everything.

She wanted it all, but there wasn't enough time or money to buy everything. Most of it was just luxury for a peaceful world—things that wouldn't matter after the apocalypse.

But right now, she could buy and eat without worry.

Hayley went store by store, quietly and extravagantly telling each clerk, "I want all your snacks."

She paid and had everything delivered to her hotel room upstairs.

At the first bakery, everything went into bags—fresh bread, cheesecake, cream puffs, petit fours, marshmallows, Swiss rolls, custard slices, custard tarts, waffles, palmiers—all packed and sent up.

At a fried chicken shop, she bought every flavor—sweet chili, barbecue, garlic, honey mustard—and every type of chicken: boneless, drumsticks, wings, whole chickens.

She then hit up the smoothie bars and ordered every flavor she could—berry blends, tropical fruit mixes, creamy yogurt smoothies, protein shakes, even frozen slushies—everything on the list!

She basically just paid and gave them a delivery address before leaving, not wanting to attract too much attention.

Just buying these snacks cost over 40 thousand. Each shop's stock usually totaled about 3,000 dollars. Hayley only spent around a few hundred dollars on smaller stalls, like the sausage stall and corn dog stand, ordering one of each flavor.

Still, she basically cleared the snack stores in one sweep.

Next, she went to the basement supermarket.

Now, supermarkets were essential. She pushed two huge carts through the warehouse-style store.

At checkout, her carts were filled with single units of all kinds—one bag of each flavored chips, one pack of every cookie or candy, one bottle of each drink, and every cooked food item she could get—roast turkey slices, rotisserie chicken, baked salmon, deli wraps, stuffed pita pockets, and microwavable pasta meals.

Even partially prepared foods—marinated chicken, pork chops, fish fillets, and steak—were included. Household necessities like toiletries, face cream, sanitary pads, disposable towels, wipes—everything she could need.

And now that she had money, she even bought appliances—a washing machine, a robot vacuum, and a fridge. She wouldn't have considered this before, but now she could.

After checking out her two carts, she spoke to the store manager. She wanted the store's entire stock of everything in her carts, except for appliances.

However, she had underestimated the cost and inventory. By the time she had selected just a third of what she wanted, her account was empty—220 thousand, gone in a flash!

She found herself in an awkward position.

Basic staples had been cheap, but processed goods were several times more expensive. Looking at her account balance hitting zero, Hayley decided this was enough. She could always make these foods herself using the ingredients she had.

She left her delivery address with the manager and confirmed that everything could be delivered that day.

A bit sad to leave the well-stocked store behind, she continued walking. So far, she had only hit the food sections and the large supermarket.

She didn't have money left to shop on the clothing floors.

But even with just 14 dollars on her, she could still window shop.

She bought a 3-dollar iced cocoa at a convenience store and browsed each clothing shop. By the time she finished the third floor, her drink was gone. She spotted a few items she liked.

"How much for this baseball jacket?" she asked.

"It's on sale for half price—400 dollars," the clerk said.

Hayley didn't reply. Even at half price, that was way too expensive.

Still, it was the best mall in town, and everything inside was from big-name brands. She couldn't afford anything in it right now.

After she walked out empty-handed, the manager nudged the sales assistant who had just given Hayley the price. "Why bother with her? She clearly can't afford anything. Look at her empty hands after walking several floors. Learn to read people next time…"

The clerk just pursed her lips and stayed quiet.

Despite hearing the insults, Hayley ignored them, walking on.

She wasn't some naive kid who would throw money around just because someone said something. After years of surviving the apocalypse, she knew better.

In a crisis, she didn't need to teach anyone a lesson—she could just kill them.
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App

Latest chapter

  • The Endgame Chronicles   Chapter 30

    This reward was straight-up amazing!After testing her new physical abilities, Hayley stepped into her inventory.On a shelf inside lay a book on martial arts. She grabbed it immediately. As she flipped through the pages, her eyes lit up.Every move was precise and ruthless, designed for human anatomy and even zombie physiology. Each technique had clever tricks and unexpected strategies. No wonder this was considered far ahead of its time—every move condensed decades of experience from master fighters!Hayley felt like she had just found treasure. She dove right in and started learning.Five days flew by. Hayley spent every day holed up in the base, training, training, and training some more.Every morning, she ran around the mountains near the base for a warm-up. Then, she practiced her martial arts.Meanwhile, she prepared her meals in her slow cooker. After she and Summer ate, she fed the chickens, ducks, and sheep, then checked on the vegetables and fruits.Her hens and duc

  • The Endgame Chronicles   Chapter 29

    The next day…Hayley's elbows dug into the floor, legs together, toes pressing down. Her abs were tight, her muscles taut. Beads of sweat dripped from her forehead in a steady rhythm.She had been holding this plank for almost an hour. Her whole body was soaked, as if she had been dunked in water, sweat pouring down everywhere.In just ten days, eating three big plates of food daily, Hayley had leaned out—not by losing weight, but in her body shape.She had slimmed from head to toe. Her muscle lines were tight and clear, and her body fat had dropped drastically. Her abs were showing; all the loose, soft muscles were gone, replaced with explosive power ready to burst at any second.Her mental state had changed just as much.Keeping herself in constant motion kept her energy high.Hayley had always been a wild, reckless type. Her sharp, bright eyes now stood in stark contrast to the frightened, wilted ordinary people outside.Just her gaze alone could dominate a group.She was

  • The Endgame Chronicles   Chapter 28

    After watching that livestream, Hayley's computer beeped once, and then the screen went dead.Not because the content was too gory or banned.No—the website's servers had crashed.The city still had electricity, and the internet still worked—but the servers that ran websites scattered across the country didn't all fail at the same time. Some small servers, kept at a manager's home or office, had already gone down in the first few days of the apocalypse. Bigger companies could last longer without anyone managing them.But clearly, this major video platform had completely died.That meant the internet frenzy was slowly ending.For a while, no one would be logging on to vent or watch livestreams. People had to face the apocalypse head-on.Hayley shut down the website and opened her downloaded movie library. Luckily, she had already downloaded everything she could find. She would have no shortage of films to watch while living alone.After finishing her meal, she paused her movie

  • The Endgame Chronicles   Chapter 27

    The zombies, starved for days, lunged at the blogger with gnashing teeth and flailing arms. Anyone watching that would feel their knees go weak.He slammed the thin door of his bedroom shut and jumped onto the balcony."Save me!" he shouted, grabbing the rope dangling from above.The moment he gripped it, he realized he had tied way too much stuff to himself."You're way too heavy!" The trainer above almost lost his balance from the sudden weight. "There's still time! Drop some of the food! Get the food up first!"The blogger refused. "No! Me and the food together!"At a moment like this, if he left the food behind, there was no way anyone would save him."Then at least toss some of it out!"Without a word, the blogger threw away a few bottles of water attached to himself."Still too heavy! I haven't eaten in days—I can't pull it! Throw more!"The blogger groaned at the camera. "And he calls himself a fitness trainer! If I toss everything, what are we supposed to eat later?"

  • The Endgame Chronicles   Chapter 26

    It was the tenth day since the apocalypse hit—and this was nothing like the first few days.Rescue broadcasts on the radio had stopped. National announcements were paused. People's fear had hit an all-time high, and most homes were running out of food.Over the past few days, more and more residents had rushed out to find supplies.Either they starved or got bitten. Once pushed to the edge, zombies weren't even the scariest thing anymore.But with this wave, the city's zombie population exploded. Very few people managed to come back alive from the horde. Out of ten people who went out searching for food, nine didn't make it—no joke.Early on, people's fear of zombies and lack of experience kept them from facing the creatures directly. Zombies lurked everywhere, and if you were unlucky enough to run into a cluster while searching for food, you became their meal.With humans starving for days and zombies just as hungry, the undead started invading residential areas in droves.Take

  • The Endgame Chronicles   Chapter 25

    After sending that message, Hayley didn't get a single reply.She sat there, spoon in hand, staring at the screen for 15 minutes. By the time her first bite of pasta cooled down, there was still nothing.Zombies changed fast—one to ten minutes after a bite. Weak individuals would turn in a minute, while strong ones could last maybe ten.And slicing off a bitten limb? Forget it. The virus would flood the blood immediately, spreading through the body so fast that there was no chance to survive.Hayley could almost predict the girl's fate.Her brother would start gasping for air, then turn black all over and go cold and stiff for a few seconds. If someone killed him at that moment, maybe they could survive.But her dad, favoring the boy, and her stepmom, who loved him, wouldn't allow it. Those few seconds of hesitation would be enough to send them all to hell together.Hayley shook her head. She closed the forum and picked a lighthearted family movie to watch as she ate.She had h

More Chapters
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status