Chapter 3 Stockpiling
The next morning, Kiara woke early.
After washing up. she stepped into her storage space to check things
Finished
The eight meals she’d stored there yesterday still sat quietly in the corner. When she touched them, they were still warm.
She didn’t plan to eat them yet. Leaving the space, she headed to the café near her apartment complex, ordered a bowl of granola for breakfast, and then asked the owner to pack up 30 portions each of granola, toast, bagels, soy milk, and waffles.
Once the packages were ready, she waited until no one was paying attention, then slipped all the food into her storage space.
With her stomach full and morning hunger satisfied, she launched into the day’s mission–stockpiling.
The first stop was a 24–hour auto shop she’d been visiting for years. The owner knew her well and greeted her while chewing on a breakfast burrito.
“Kiara, heading out on another trip with your boyfriend?” he asked with a grin.
She froze for a moment. Right–she’d almost forgotten she still had a boyfriend.
Since college graduation, she’d been flush with cash from her rental properties and had indulged her love for outdoor adventures, traveling all over with Milo Hodgson.
But thinking about him now left her in a daze,
In her last life, after the apocalypse hit, Milo had tried to force her to stay with him because of her combat skills. But she’d stubbornly chosen to protect Hugh and Yara, who could barely lift a stick in self–defense.
That choice had ended with a brutal fight and a breakup.
The next time they met, she was chained up in a cave at Yara’s mercy.
Milo had kicked her mutilated body, sneering for a long while before walking away.
She’d never seen him again.
Shaking off the memory, Kiara nodded at the shop owner and smiled faintly. Tm going on a world trip. Replace every part in my car with the best you’ve got, and upgrade the glass to heavy–duty bulletproof
The owner let out a low whistle; he finished his burrito and wiped off the grease on his pants. “Holy moly! That’s going to need top–shelf work. Give me two weeks–I’ll make it perfect.”
After a few more words, she left.
She texted Milo during a lull in her errands, saying, “I’m exhausted. Let’s break up.”
Without waiting for a reply, she deleted every way of contacting him.
Next, she rented a small truck and drove to the countryside to buy fresh vegetables–cabbage, carrots, potatoes, spinach, tomatoes, pumpkins, onions, garlic, lettuce, and more.
She’d fill the truck, drive to a quiet stretch of road, then stash everything in her storage space before moving on to the next
Fruits came next–apples, pomegranates, watermelon, pears, figs, grapes, peaches, oranges, strawberries, plums…. Seasonal or not, she bought them all.
From there, she hit dozens of slaughterhouses, buying pork, beef, chicken, lamb, fish, and seafood. If anyone asked, she told them she was catering a huge party, and she sold it so convincingly that no one questioned her.
She didn’t s
‘t stop there–vegetable and fruit seeds, gardening books, everything she could find.
Her storage space wasn’t just a wooden lodge; it held 20 acres of fertile, sunlit land. With plenty of water and constant daylight, she could grow enough food to last years.
DEAM P P
Chapter 3 Stockpiling
When the food supplies were nearly complete, she turned her thoughts to medicine.
Finished
Frequent, unpredictable disasters were a hallmark of the end times. When that day came, even a mild cold could turn fatal- never mind anything worse.
Buying medicine, however, wasn’t as simple as buying vegetables. Kiara figured the easiest solution was to acquire an entire pharmacy
The problem was, running one legally required a pharmacist’s license–something she definitely didn’t have.
The only person she knew who could make this happen quickly was Garfield, the man who’d recently bought three buildings. from her at a bargain.
She called him and explained what she wanted.
Riding high on his latest deal, Garfield was in an excellent mood. He thumped his chest in assurance, promising he could have it done by tomorrow.
Garfield wasn’t one to make empty promises, so Kiara knew the medicine side of her preparations was in good hands
She was already thinking about stocking up on books once the pharmacy was secured when her phone rang–it was the door- and–window contractor. They’d arrived at Skyhaven.
When Kiara arrived, the contractor and two workers were squatting by the entrance, eating ice cream, with sweat streaming down their faces and soaking through their shirts.
It was only mid–May, yet the temperature was already pushing 104 F. A sign of what was coming, though no one seemed to
notice.
After a quick greeting, she scanned her fingerprint at the gate and entered the building.
Skyhaven was a high–end complex–secure enough that even during the apocalypse, it wouldn’t be easy to break into. She’d bought the top–floor unit, the tenth story. In her last life, she and Hugh and Yara had holed up here for two long years. The workers seemed to sense her cool, distant nature and didn’t try to chat.
They went straight to work.
Stepping into the empty condominium where she lived for two years stirred a strange feeling in her chest…
Then the echo in the bare room reminded her–she didn’t have a single piece of furniture.
In her past life, Kiara had scavenged abandoned condominiums for whatever she could find. This time, she wanted things done right.
Looks like she’d have to buy some proper furniture.
Reinforcing the windows and walls would take days, and she had no intention of standing over the workers‘ shoulders the whole time. She simply told them she wouldn’t pay the balance unless the job was solid–and that she’d add a bonus if it was done well. That promise alone made them work more carefully.
Leaving the condominium, she found a middle–aged man with a slight belly leaning in the doorway, peering inside.
Her face darkened, she walked over and asked coldly, “What’s up?”
He grinned. “New here, huh? I’m your neighbor across the hall–Travis Walsh. So… you live alone? No parents around?”
Kiara knew exactly who he was. In her last life, Travis and his buddies had seized the residents‘ supplies and raped every attractive woman they could get their hands on
In her last life, Kiara had crossed paths with Travis before. Once, Yara had complained about being bored at home. The moment she stepped outside, Travis grabbed her. Kiara had fought tooth and nail, charging straight into his den to drag Yara back. But in the end, Yara had still cozied up to him. The two of them–a perfect pair of snakes–had set her up so badly she’d been left with a permanent limp.
It was because of that injury she had eventually fallen into the hands of the ruthless father–daughter duo and ended up as their food supply,
Finished
Chapter 3 Stockpiling
Remembering it now, Kiara’s eyes grew colder as she took in Travis’s loathsome face.
With a sharp bang, she slammed the door shut, brushing past him without a glance. “None of your business.”
“Hey, kid, you got no manners? Travis’s voice hardened with irritation.
When he reached out to grab her arm, Kiara caught his wrist and shoved hard.
A loud pop echoed in the hallway; his shoulder was out of its socket.
Her gaze locked on his pain–twisted face, her voice dropping to a low, dangerous rumble. “Don’t mess with me.”
Another name was added to her kill list. When the end came, this man would be the first to die.
A disturbing thought crept in–she realized she was starting to enjoy the freedom to hurt those who deserved it. A part of her was beginning to look forward to the apocalypse.
When her figure disappeared into the elevator, Travis spat on the floor and growled, “I’ll get you for this, bitch. Just you wait.”
Kiara didn’t hear his empty threats. Outside the complex, she drove to her warehouse and stored away the last of her supplies.
Travis’s appearance had been a reminder–she needed to start preparing firearms and heavier weapons,
She had no intention of becoming her neighbor’s walking pantry.
When she was done, she texted a soldier she’d met while traveling in Adroria, asking if he had time to talk.
Hours passed with no reply; she figured he was busy and didn’t dwell on it.
It had been a long day. Lunch had been nothing but a rushed plate of burgers, so Kiara decided she deserved a proper dinner.
In the new world, good meals would be a rare treat.
She found an authentic cheese fondue restaurant and ordered over 30 dishes.
Unlike last night, when she’d eaten until she could barely move, this time she paced herself, savoring each bite.
Just as she finished, her phone lit up. The soldier replied warmly, asking what was going on.
Kiara didn’t discuss details over text–too risky if her phone was tapped.
She simply said she’d be in Adroria next week and suggested meeting up.
James Dean readily agreed.
After that, she headed to an auto dealership and bought ten top–performance off–road vehicles, sending them to her mechanic for upgrades.
When he asked about it, she said she was helping friends.
He chuckled. “Kiara, thanks for bringing me all this business. I’ll give you 20% off.”
“Deal, she said with a nod.
That afternoon, she hit the electronics hub, buying dozens of laptops, phones, tablets, gaming consoles, and a pile of massive–capacity flash drives. She lugged them to her truck like sacks of grain.
That night, she stayed home, downloading everything she could—classic movies, TV series, novels, comics, variety shows, and documentaries.
Especially when it came to a fantasy drama, which she’d watched more than ten times, and just downloading it again was enough to make her curse out those worthless season–eight writers all over.
She also downloaded dozens of top–quality wilderness survival documentaries–because in the apocalypse, you didn’t just prepare for the likely, you prepared for the impossible.
The end of the world would be dull enough as it was. She intended to make her time in hiding as full as possible.
Chapter 3 Stockpiling
Finished
While the downloads ran, she opened her food delivery app and went on a spree–fried chicken, roast chicken, barbecue ribs, milkshakes, cakes, cheeseburgers, chili, french fries, buffalo wings, barbecue platters, hot dogs, crepes…
Her plan was simple–until doomsday arrived, she’d tap on all the food in the delivery menu every single day.
Send Gifts
