Chapter 2 :THE STEP SISTER'S TRAP

Siera did not go back to the Blackwood house. Instead, she had hired a hotel suite downtown. The place was luxurious and spacious. As long as the girl paid cash for three nights, the manager barely asked any questions.

Her timer read 28 days until the end of the world.

The heroine sat comfortably on the king-size bed and opened the app on her smartphone. In the center of the screen, the text described the inventory.

[Space level 2: 10m3. Water purification opened.]

[Next level: meat storage – 50 kg.]

She could see she needed more. A lot more, even. But now Siera needed to consolidate her base. She could not carry 100 m3 of supplies in a small backpack. Even if she did, she needed a way to transport her belongings. The young woman decided to invest in a truck. A big one.

In the morning, she went to the premium vehicle market. One look at the girl’s designer clothes, the jewelry on her neck, and the sales rep became overly enthusiastic.

“I want something that can withstand an atomic blast, survive a car crash, and have a storage compartment,” the woman said in a bland tone. “How much money does it cost?”

The salesman led her to the largest truck in the garage. It was a black-colored pickup truck with a reinforced bumper and a giant box on the back. It resembled a superhero’s vehicle, only with a license plate.

“I would like to try it out,” Siera said, tossing him her card.

She paid extra for an instant registry and went to inspect the hardware stores. Thick chains, padlocks, a crowbar, hatchet, and a box for storing important documents. After equipping the truck, Siera headed to the farm supply stores at the edge of the town.

Fifty kilograms of frozen meat and poultry later, the young woman had her next surprise.

[Ding! 50 kg of meat stored. Inventory level 3 opened – 50 m3. Gardening opened – 1 m2.]

[Next level: 2 animals stored.]

“Oh, great!” The girl nearly kissed her smartphone screen. “Live animals should be fine.”

Siera purchased the seeds for wheat, potatoes, tomatoes, plants, and some fertilizer. She went to the local farm and bought two live birds in a cage. In her small inventory, a couple of chickens got their own yard.

[Ding! 2 animals stored. Animal enclosure opened – 2m2. Automatic feed mechanism opened.]

When her truck returned to the city, Siera’s enclosed garden barely qualified as farmland. The woman was satisfied with her progress and continued exploring the streets. A short while later, her truck passed the familiar hotel when the girl saw an unpleasant sight.

On the first floor’s entrance hall, next to fancy chandeliers and velvet curtains, stood Sophie, a short girl in a dark pink dress, and a man’s stern profile. Siera recognized Marcus.

The young woman sighed. She severely underestimated the main heroine’s despair.

The Blackwood heiress walked towards the elevator and ignored the couple.

“Siera!” Sophie’s voice pierced through most of the lobby, surprising guests and doormen. “Don’t be like this! We can work it out! Surely, you don’t plan to destroy everything because of silly words!”

The woman turned around slowly and looked at her step-sister. Sophie ran up to her and started sobbing. “I know you are upset, but you cannot go to the police! Marcus’s company will be ruined! Our family will be annihilated! Sis, I am begging you. If there is still a shred of humanity in you, leave this alone.”

The actress in Sophie was so tangible it made the girl look genuinely gullible. But her beauty was a trap of a thousand needles, and the desperation in her step-sister’s voice became unbearable to Siera.

“We’ll forget this whole episode,” said her father, patting the girl’s shoulder. “If you promise not to ruin the matter formally, we will let you go, Miss Siera. If you still wish to be a part of this family, show us some mercy.”

The condescension in Marcus’s speech made Siera boil with rage. In the book, every time he showed such an arrogant attitude towards the main heroine, Siera Blackwood trembled in fear.

“The least foolish thing you could do is go and find a nice job, Sophie.” Siera pulled her smartphone out of her jacket pocket and turned the screen to the couple. “Let’s hear what our dear step-mother, Victoria, had to say, shall we?”

On the screen, the recording started playing. Everyone could see Sophie’s fake act of grief. Victoria’s pleading became louder, and more insistent. At the end of the video, Marcus said in a mocking tone, “Just transfer the money to my account, Siera. This matter can be easily forgotten.”

Sophie’s face turned pale, and Marcus stared at Siera in disbelief.

“I didn’t take your account records,” Siera said, her lips moving precisely, so everyone would understand the implications of the current moment. “I took this recording as well. If something like this happens again. If you, dad, or that horrible woman dares to offend me in any way, I will share all of this with every social media page. I will send copies of the video and this recording to every director at Marcus’ company and to the police for financial fraud charges.”

The businessman’s body tensed up, and his eyes narrowed. “You are mad.”

“You do realize that I am not the naive, helpless little sister you all treated me as on my birthday, don’t you?” Siera whispered, her lips curled into a smirk. “Do as you like. You all might want to see if I have more where that came from.”

Again, the young woman turned her back to the men and walked towards the elevator. Her back was straight – she did not look back and did not care if they saw her retreating figure. In the elevator, Siera stared at her reflection in the mirrored walls.

The woman was beautiful. Even more so, since she had burned her insecurities, frustration, and humiliation from the last forty-eight hours. The last thing she saw before the elevator doors closed was the horrified expression on Sophie’s face.

Day 28: Marcus and Sophie – business done. The family is ruined. The truck is bought. The stockpile grows.

Siera looked at her phone when a breaking news notification appeared on her screen.

BREAKING NEWS : Strange mass hysteria reported in a downtown shopping mall. Authorities recommend no one goes there.

Siera raised an eyebrow. There should have been at least two weeks before the first wave of panic began. The woman looked out the window and saw a gathering of people in the street. The police blocked one of the most heavily trafficked city streets with their cars. Several hundred people in the crowd ran up and down the street, yelling and screaming. When Siera narrowed her eyes, she could see their skin almost appeared greyish-blue from the paleness.

One of the girls leapt at a police officer.

The young woman hastily looked back through the binoculars. Her shoulders had stiffened when she saw the strange, methodical movements of some of the shoppers. Even though some seemed to be in shock, the people who walked around zombie-stiff and with vacant eyes resembled a group of zombies in a horror film more than anything else.

She took her eyes off the streets and stared at her inventory.

[Inventory level 3: 50 m3. Gardening equipment opened. Enclosure: 2m2 – animals stored.]

Siera needed more supplies. Now, she only prayed there would be enough time.