Chapter 20
packs of facial tissues × 12 packs
We also bought soybeans. If soy sauce ran out later, we could brew our own.
My mom used to do it when she wasn’t so busy, back when I was a kid.
At this point, all the shopping coupons from three supermarkets—Dafasco, Yonghui, and Yaohan—were used up.
“Heh heh, I had no idea I’d accumulated so many coupons.”
5. Five days left.
Today’s task was much easier. So far, the only thing we were short on was water. We needed to buy water in multiple trips.
Oh, right, and we needed to buy some self-defense tools.
To be fully prepared, we drove the cargo van and bought another 50 large jugs of water, 19L each. I also bought several kitchen knives and a few small knives for defense.
Passing by a gym, I had a sudden idea to buy a treadmill for home. I could run on it every day; otherwise, my physical fitness wouldn’t keep up. Even though we had tried to make every possible preparation, what if?
Thinking of this, I went to a car dealership and looked at an RV.
The salesperson raved about it, saying it was bulletproof, had a high chassis, and was super safe.
Last night, at dinner, I mentioned that if things got really bad, we’d have to leave, so a car with high safety ratings was essential.
I went with the salesperson to complete the paperwork and arranged to pick up the RV in three days. When I got home, I found my mom had bought a lot of lemons.
These last a long time if refrigerated. This would be our vitamin supplement for when the apples and oranges ran out and the tomatoes weren’t ripe yet.
Four days left, my dad dragged my mom out to stock up on even more supplies.
I don’t know how my dad managed it, but he even brought back several barrels of gasoline. “We’ll put it in the RV when it arrives. If things get bad, we’ll leave.”
For the next few days, I tried my best to go live every day, reminding everyone to stock up on supplies.
Forgive me for not being able to say more; I was too insignificant. I just wanted my family to be safe. I truly couldn’t be a savior.
When we got home, my mom went to organize supplies as usual, and my dad continued working on the composting toilet on the rooftop.
Our apartment, aside from paths for walking and sleeping, was completely filled with supplies.
My grandparents passed away early, and my parents didn’t have other siblings, so that was one less thing to worry about. But my mom had many colleagues.
She subtly hinted to a few close ones to buy more things for home, using the old line about the health advisory getting serious again, better safe than sorry.
My mom had been strict all her life, so her words carried a lot of credibility. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be direct, but this whole thing was just so unscientific.
If not for their blind trust in me, my family would never have believed it.
My parents lived in a faculty apartment complex bought by their high school.
It was crowded, in a busy downtown area, and an older complex, so the safety factor wasn’t good.
That’s why we decided to stay in Silverwood City.
Of course, that’s what I told them when explaining why they should come over.
All in all, we bought 200 large water jugs of drinking water.
Besides various bottled waters and drinks, we also bought several large water collection systems, and plenty of water purification tablets. Water wouldn’t be an issue.
A few days ago, my dad had already connected the solar panels. After testing them and confirming they worked, he connected the fridge and the two large chest freezers to them.
The garbage problem was tricky. I heard the unit next door was empty, so I simply rented it out specifically for garbage storage. We had to handle sanitation properly.
With just one day left, the internet, just like in my previous life, reported malicious attacks in coastal areas. Our family exchanged glances.
My dad took out the heavy-duty locks he bought from the hardware store and locked the stairwell from the 19th to the 21st floors.
After observing for days, these floors seemed to be empty.
“Dad! Mom! We’re going to be okay!”
6. The zombie outbreak.
Ever since it hit Ins, we’d set up a watch schedule at home. Mainly because I’d forgotten exactly when the zombies appeared in Silverwood City.
While we still had internet, the three of us quickly got our phones, iPads, and whatever else we had to download variety shows and TV series.
My mom even bought a stack of books, saying learning never stopped as long as there was life.
Whether we’d actually study, I didn’t know, but I figured that pile of books would hurt if you threw it at someone.
It was my turn to watch tonight. I was watching an old TV show while looking out the window.
With my extensive experience from my previous life, I knew these zombies were especially sensitive to light.
So, at night, we no longer turned on any lights. This trick not only protected us from zombies but also from other people.
Suddenly, I saw the security guard at the complex entrance stumbling towards us, followed by two blood-covered “people.”
The guard was running and screaming for help. It was too late, after 2 AM. Besides me, no one else was likely awake.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to help, but there was truly no point. My eyesight was always good, and the complex had streetlights, so I could vaguely make out the blood-splattered arm of the guard.
It took less than two minutes, and the guard stopped screaming for help, instead stumbling around like a headless chicken.
I dialed 911, reporting the situation in the complex, while also rushing back inside to wake up my parents. My dad was okay; he adapted quickly to new things.
My mom, however, wasn’t. It took a fright before she spoke: “Will these things turn into people?”
I didn’t need to answer; I believed my parents already knew the answer.
My dad, seeing my mom was scared, put an arm around her shoulder and comforted her, “What’s there to be afraid of! We’re all together! Even if the sky falls, I’ll protect you two.”
This commotion probably meant no one was getting back to sleep, so we decided to hold a family meeting and discuss everything.
“To kill them with one blow, you have to hit their heads. Hitting other places is useless. They don’t feel pain anymore.”
“Don’t worry,” my dad said. “Your mom and I already know all about this from watching The Walking Dead the other day.”
Seeing my parents calm down, I took a deep breath and said one last thing: “Dad, Mom. There’s one thing I have to say. In the apocalypse, the scariest thing is human nature. We can only ensure our own safety; we can’t be saviors! I know you’ve been teachers your whole lives, but this is the apocalypse! You have to protect yourselves!”
Thankfully, my parents weren’t the type to be overly compassionate. They exchanged glances and slowly but firmly nodded. “Don’t worry, we understand. As long as our family is safe.”
7. Day one of the zombie outbreak.
I stayed on watch until 6 AM. Unable to sleep, I decided to wait until my mom made breakfast before going to bed.
Around 7:50 AM, people started leaving for work. My heart sank, and I saw a man from the building across the street exit, briefcase in hand.
Perhaps it was a common ailment of modern young people, but he was walking and looking at his phone, completely oblivious to a “person” lunging at him from behind, biting his arm and refusing to let go.
“Damn it, are you crazy?!”
With his shout, another zombie rushed over.
The man finally realized something was wrong, running back towards his building and yelling for help.
An old man, out for his morning walk, suddenly stepped forward and knocked both zombies down.
Before he could say anything, the man who had just been bitten tackled him to the ground.
“Get off me! Get off!”
I couldn’t bear to watch the scene below. Many people were leaving for work in the morning, which meant there would undoubtedly be many casualties.
The complex residents finally realized something was wrong, and no one else came out.
Sleepiness washed over me. I gave my parents a few instructions and then went back to my room to sleep.
When I woke up at noon, my mom had already prepared lunch.
Now that the zombies had just broken out, electricity and water were still stable, but we’d agreed last night that we shouldn’t use the range hood.
The range hood was noisy. Zombies were one thing; they were mindless.
But we were afraid of attracting other survivors. With our family’s physical condition, we’d be easy pickings.
It was okay if our quality of life was lower. With our amount of stored supplies, we could definitely wait for rescue. If supplies ran out and rescue still hadn’t come, then we wouldn’t survive anyway.
One difference from my last life was that we still had a signal this time.
The complex residents’ SnapChat group was tallying the number of survivors in each household.
Since the outbreak had just begun, some people still fantasized that order hadn’t completely broken down. My dad and I discussed it.
“Let’s not report our numbers. We have enough supplies anyway. And we’re a small group. What if someone comes to raid us?”
I agreed wholeheartedly.
While I was washing my face, my mom served lunch, saying, “I saw in the group chat this morning, everyone’s doing pretty well.”
The group she mentioned was her old colleagues. My mom had subtly hinted to them, and they had all stored some supplies.
Lunch was stir-fried cabbage and tomato beef. After eating, we each got an orange.
“After lunch, I’ll stand watch. Avery and your dad can take turns on the treadmill.”
Just then, my phone suddenly rang.
It was a FaceTime call, and the ringtone was extremely loud. I quickly lowered the volume and switched to voice mode. It was one of the complex’s property management staff.
“Hello, resident, are you home? We’re counting survivors. Why haven’t we seen your reply?”
My family exchanged glances. “Oh, I’m not home. I’m back in my hometown.”
“Okay, okay then.”
After hanging up, we looked at each other. “What do you think he meant by making a video call?”
My dad reacted quickly.
“I remember now, a few days ago, your mom and I were driving the RV to buy stuff, and we ran into someone on the way back who asked us why we were buying so much!”
This could be a big deal or a small one. The three of us immediately put down our bowls.
“Even though I got the other elevator card a few days ago, using the excuse that I lost mine, what if?”
This complex had two units per floor, and you couldn’t get up without an elevator card.
“Avery, do you remember when the power went out?”
“Probably in two or three more days.”
“Crap.”
My dad went out first, stopped the elevator on the twenty-first floor, and then cut its power.
“Even though this isn’t humane, there’s no other way! As long as our family can be safe!”
To be honest, we didn’t know how many families lived in this building. Not stopping the elevator before was a consideration for other people’s escape.
“Actually, this is better. The stairs are safer. The elevator would be a disaster if something went wrong.”
We could only comfort ourselves this way.
I wasn’t a saint. I wouldn’t put myself in danger to let others escape. But I still felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
“Avery, don’t think about it. Your dad and I checked before. Even though the elevator goes straight to the underground parking, the elevator shaft is pitch black, making it far more dangerous. Taking the stairs, whether up or down, offers a higher chance of escape.”
We could only comfort ourselves like this. After dinner, my dad grabbed the watering can and went to water the seeds in the foam boxes.
Since it was daytime, a tiny corner of the thick blackout curtains on the balcony was opened, just enough for sunlight to spill in.
Before he finished watering, we saw a drone flying in the distance. Along with the drone came an automatically playing broadcast.
“Dear residents, we are facing an unprecedented disaster. Please stay home and await government rescue. Please trust us, we will not abandon anyone.”
Honestly, I was really curious why I never saw rescue in my last life, even when I died.
I was too ordinary, too insignificant, and too selfish. Even with a second chance, I only wanted my family to live well.
After watering, I started watching the self-defense videos I downloaded a few days ago. The complex’s loudspeaker suddenly blared.
“Attention, residents! Let us believe there will be hope!”
Instantly, zombies from all directions began to scurry like headless chickens, searching for the source of the sound.
The complex’s loudspeakers were installed at the entrance of each building.
I couldn’t really understand why, in the 21st century, when everything could be solved by phone, they needed these loudspeakers.
As the loudspeaker blared, the zombies near our building immediately swarmed around. I couldn’t help but curse them as idiots in my mind.
“Avery, will they come up?”
I didn’t remember this part. In my last life, I was alone and so scared during the day that I’d just drift into a daze.
“Mom, don’t worry. We’re on the twenty-first floor. We’ll be fine.”
I said that, but I wasn’t so sure myself. Luckily, it was just a false alarm.
The loudspeaker fell silent, and the zombies went back to wandering aimlessly.
My sharp eyes spotted the man who had gone to work this morning with a briefcase. His arm was covered in blood, and he was stumbling around.
He was still wearing his suit, looking like an executive. What a waste.
8. Day three of the apocalypse. Still just the daily drone broadcasts telling everyone to stay home and not give up, with rescue nowhere in sight.
Most of the young people living in this area worked at a large tech campus nearby. Young people, you know, not many have the habit of hoarding food.
In my last life, if it weren’t for all the snacks I hoarded during Black Friday sales, plus the freebies from manufacturers, I wouldn’t have survived even a month.
In the morning, when Dad was on watch, he saw a man and a woman emerge from the building across the street. They were completely bundled up, moving cautiously.
Around the thirteenth floor, a window opened, and two heads, an old man and a boy, popped out. The boy, about twelve or thirteen, was holding a drone.
A phone was attached to the drone’s tail. Seeing the man and woman go down, he quickly launched the drone and flew it in the opposite direction.
Not everyone parked their cars in the underground garage; some were parked along the road in the complex.
The drone flying in the opposite direction suddenly made a loud noise, loud enough to attract all the zombies.
The man and woman seized the opportunity to get into their car, an SUV.
I remembered this couple vividly. They were the first to go out for supplies and return safely, bringing back a significant amount.
Anyway, I remembered that in my last life, this family didn’t venture out again before I died.
Sure enough, about an hour and a half later, the couple drove back.
The little boy kept staring at the complex entrance. When he saw his family’s car, he quickly launched the drone in the opposite direction again.
The couple had quite a haul. The trunk and back seats were packed, probably every inch of space except for where people sat was full.
Just like in my last life, after they took their supplies upstairs, they turned back. I knew they were going to look for solar panels, and they’d come back with two cars.
In every way, this couple’s courage was admirable. Soon, as residents ran out of supplies, everyone would have to go out looking for more.
The number of zombies would increase, and searching for supplies would become even harder.
Around 2 PM, the couple returned with two vehicles. The man was driving a cargo van, and the woman was in their SUV.
The nearby zombies had already been led away by the little boy. The couple quickly moved the goods upstairs.
The cargo van was entirely filled with water and rice.
This life, I lived in relative comfort, allowing me to observe more closely what the couple brought back.
Solar panels, various canned goods, rice, flour, oil, daily necessities. I even spotted seeds and soil.
Oh, and they brought back a huge bag of potatoes. Potatoes were easy to grow and could become a staple food later on.
The woman opened the passenger door, revealing a huge bag of medicine inside.
Even though I knew they got home safely in my last life, I still breathed a sigh of relief.
The couple must have reached home safely; the little boy reeled in the drone and closed the window.
This couple sent a signal to the outside world: hurry and go out to find supplies, while there weren’t so many zombies, while there were still supplies outside.
My mom stopped watching TV, focusing intently on that family. Seeing them arrive home safely, she breathed a sigh of relief.
“They’re really brave, aren’t they?”
“They’ll be even braver tonight. That couple will go out again. If I remember correctly, they might clear out the entire Costco.”
Around 11 PM, it was my turn to stand watch.
I saw the couple who had just returned in the afternoon leave again. The little boy operated the drone, flying it far away, even attaching a small light to it, putting all his effort into protecting his parents.
To be honest, while I didn’t know what the outside world looked like right now, judging by this couple’s two safe returns, their fighting prowess wasn’t weak.
Sure enough, this time they brought back two large cargo vans, two truckloads of supplies in one go.
The last time, the couple drove the cargo vans back and returned in their own SUV, finishing up all the hauling by almost 5 AM.
Generally, families with elders and children would have the highest level of security for their doors and windows. So, this family might be able to live comfortably until the very end.
My mom had been a high school teacher for many years, even serving as a head of department for a long time.
Her biological clock woke her up before 6 AM every morning. I told her about what happened, and she sighed, “Everyone’s struggling.”
9. Day four of the apocalypse, water and electricity were cut off.
At first, only the water stopped. I was preparing to cook, and when I tried to add a spoonful of water, the faucet wouldn’t run.
My dad, who was brushing his teeth, still had a mouthful of foam. Then the electricity went out.
My dad watched the TV and sighed. This would make life even harder for ordinary residents.
Even if someone wanted to go out for supplies, most residential buildings were seventeen or eighteen stories high.
Modern young people generally lacked physical exercise, so carrying things up floor by floor might kill them. And that was the best-case scenario.
What if there were zombies on one of the floors?
When I woke up in the afternoon, I found the internet was also cut off.
The complex residents’ SnapChat group messages stopped this morning, still saying, “Please wait for rescue.”
This had little impact on our family.
My dad, the old man, was still happily watching TV, emphasizing to my mom, “This martial arts master’s last name is Miller, just like ours. Maybe we were family five hundred years ago!”