Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 10

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 grabbed two rigid-hull assault boats and four inflatable rafts, emergency kits for earthquakes and fires, tents, a fire axe, climbing rope, binoculars, radios, waterproof flashlights, and oversized solar chargers.Anything meant to keep her alive had to be top quality. No compromises.Seeing a big spender, the staff got enthusiastic, pushing jackets and sleeping bags. "Everything's on sale today. Quality guaranteed."Nicole looked unimpressed. "Got anything that works at minus 90 degrees?"The clerk gasped, "Minus 90? It's summer all year long here. What good is that to anyone?""I'm heading to Northreach for research," she replied.She didn't look like she was joking.The clerk quic

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 necessary, she wouldn't enter the storage space again. She would save the time during the deep freeze or earthquakes.With food secured and the storage space as a safety net, she finally felt a little steadier about the disasters ahead.She slept through the night without dreams.The next morning, a phone call dragged her awake. The stainless steel door installers had arrived."Are you putting stainless steel doors in here?" one of them asked, surprised."Yeah. There have been break-ins lately. I want something solid."The worker laughed helplessly. "Those top-and-bottom locking bolts are secure, but we'll have to drill into the ceiling and floor. Aren't you worried about damage?""That's f

Nicole never expected the new resident of 1801 to be the same young man who had helped her at the courier station.He looked mildly surprised, too. He nodded once at her, then went back to work.Up close, he was striking in a cold, sharp way. He was tall and lean, with broad shoulders and clean lines under his clothes that hinted at strength ready to explode at any moment.Nicole felt a prickle at the back of her scalp. She exchanged a brief greeting and quickly retreated into her apartment.This life was already different.The typhoon had arrived early. And now, there was a new neighbor. What kind of normal person would install three stainless steel doors in a row?Peaceful coexistence would be ideal, but caution was nonnegotiable.Saving someone didn't mean much once the disasters dragged on. When order collapsed, who could promise anyone would stay the same?Nicole locked her door, brushed her teeth, washed up, and ate breakfast. The sky outside was a little brighter, but st

"There's nothing at home. I'll be fine as long as I'm careful," Zeph said. Nicole hesitated, then agreed. If he had supplies, she would be safer. Better for him to go out and look than to start eyeing what she had.He glanced around the living room of 1801. "Thanks for looking after Poppy.""You helped me yesterday. It's only fair," Nicole said. Nicole was cautious by nature. She had already hidden her stockpiles. The kitchen only had a few low-key items like squash and cabbage.Zeph nodded and left.Her cooking plans were interrupted. Nicole turned on the bathroom light and pulled the organ meats out of the storage space to keep cleaning them. Halfway through, the power suddenly went out.She shut the door and slipped straight into the storage space. Inside, the lights were still.The relief hit hard, then came a deeper sense of confidence about surviving the dark days ahead.People couldn't be trusted. Even with a child around, Nicole stayed careful. That night, she

The water in the storage space never stopped running. Nicole filled every container she had and topped them off again.On the lower floors, three households from the first floor had moved up, spreading out across the hallways of the second, third, and fourth floors. It made the original residents uncomfortable, but everyone reminded themselves that times were hard and kept quiet.That didn't last.Trash started piling up everywhere. People knocked on doors at random, asking to come in and use the bathroom.With the water shut off, toilets couldn't be flushed. Residents had to collect rainwater from their balconies just to manage basic needs. No one wanted strangers inside.The displaced first-floor residents eventually stopped asking. They relieved themselves in the stairwell, then moved farther up when the smell became unbearable.If they were suffering, no one else was allowed to be comfortable either.Arguments broke out nonstop. Shouting echoed through the stairwells at all