The two-day holiday ended smoothly and the sister’s returned to Magnolia Park. The things they collected over the course of vacation piled up and were then arranged by Alvis to their respective places. Perishable items, local delicacies, snacks and food are kept in the Ark.

The toys and gadgets went into the playroom of the villa which now slowly turned into an adult woman’s nightmare. It’s not that Alvis hated pink, as long as her sister likes it, she will endure it burning her eyeballs.

Aside from packaged food, Alvis ordered plenty of easy to eat take outs online and they are scheduled to arrive later that day. Five hundred burgers, pizzas, doughnuts and cakes, bucket fried chicken, meat skewers, a variety of dim sum, dumplings, meat buns, sandwiches, and other items one can find in fast food chains. These things will no longer be available in the future so better store some.

Her budget of more than thirty million dollars would not go to waste. She will use it to the last penny. 

Alvis also made sure to save food from her favourite restaurants to be delivered into the warehouses.

When she went into the site it was also about time for the trucks to arrive. The people who came wondered if this miss had a grudge on the money she couldn’t wait to spend. Some thought she planned to treat a whole community but none suspected something was amiss.

When everything was placed on the prepared long tables, Alvis only waited for the people to leave before keeping them all in the Ark.

Inside the warehouse, the multi-layered metal shelves more than ten meters tall were already filled with tons of boxes, even the hallways in between and the walls were lined with goods she ordered.

Call her capricious but she knew there are others who have a far larger appetite than her. Besides, these foods and materials wouldn't be eaten and used by just the two of them. Preparing for something extra wouldn’t hurt.  

On the fourth day, Friday, Alvis concentrated on receiving and keeping the two hundred sacks of high-grade rice, three hundred sacks of medium quality ones, flour and starches, truckloads of newly harvested vegetables and a variety of seeds for growing food in the garden, salt, seasonings, spices and buckets of condiments, clothes for all seasons and durable fabrics she ordered before arriving in J City.  

Until the weekend, the two warehouses would be full in the mornings and empty after she swept them all at night.

As for their meat supply, she plans to purchase them all alive, fresh, preserved and processed to be placed in the Ark.

Six-hour drive from J City is T Province where 30% of the country’s livestock and poultry products are produced.

The appointment for buying had already been arranged by Atty. Keith before they settled in including the documents for transport. The papers from the Food and Hygiene Administration however were forged by 00. On the other hand, the land rented for a temporary homestead was legally obtained.

Choosing a place to put the animals first was easier rather than buying them from one farm to another and arouse suspicion from certain groups of people. Aside from that she also had 00 delete her traces from her online purchases and her images caught in cameras as a double precaution.

As for taking the animals away, she already has a bold plan.

That same Friday night Alvis prepared to move them while Lallie slept in her room.

Borrowing one of their dad’s motorbike in the underground garage, she rushed from the villa to T Province with the speed that would shame a veteran racer.

[These inventions still rely on gravity. The wear and tear are heavy plus it’s still too slow.] 00 said in her ear.

[Who was the one who told me I can’t take out any of my things again?]

00 turned silent, twiddling its imaginary fingers.

[As long as it can take us to the destination, I have no complaints.] Alvis smirked.

She no longer wonders why her best friend Lacus loved these relics with rubber wheels. The vibration from the engine and the feel of contact to the solid ground plus the air resistance itself, it was such a rush.  

When the end comes, oil will become a big problem as a number two commodity. People will flock every oil depot and gasoline station so she needs to remodel these vehicles to use energy tubes instead of fuel. The noise had to be dialled several decibels lower as well to avoid attracting the zombies.  

It wasn't practical to race down the highway with a noisy engine. You are sure to have a mob of infected chasing and blocking your way.  

She also has no interest in oil, besides, stocking oil will attract people’s attention no matter how discreet you appear to be. The same with weapons and ammunition. Better leave it to people who needed them the most. The Ark's utility area has more useful things anyway.  

After a short drive, she finally arrived. The rented homestead was not a large piece of land. The size was about three acres only enough for a house, a barn and a grazing pasture. Carefully, she scaled the walls, jumped past a wired fence and dashed to where the livestock are kept.

There were light posts at every four meters of the yard. Like a thief, Alvis stayed in the dark while inching closer to her targets. The animals who were peacefully resting were suddenly plucked from the warm ground to an unknown place.

The dairy cows, beef cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, ducks, chickens, geese, pigeons... disappeared one by one.  

When the caretaker came in the next morning, he was horrified to see that the homestead was empty. He was so frightened he fell down. How is he going to explain this to the new renter? The animals they bought had been stolen, not even a fur was left!

He waited in trepidation knowing he made a huge mistake. Strangely enough, the renter showed no sign of distress, not even anger when she called to cancel the rent. What’s even more surprising was the renter paid an extra.

The caretaker did not want to receive it because of his guilty conscience but the renter insisted. He was also warned not to let his own animals out of the barn for the following days and most importantly, he must begin to stock food and daily supplies because a calamity is coming.

Although still nervous, the caretaker planned to listen to his mystery renter. He heard on the radio that there was this epidemic spreading. Maybe there really is a problem.

Finally, he agreed to accept the extra pay and the week-long transaction ended.  

Putting down her cellphone, Alvis then checked the condition of the animals inside the Ark using 00 interface. She bought five of each livestock and ten for each kind of poultry. She was satisfied with what she saw.  

The Ark is a tactical bracelet the military developed for high ranking officers like her. A four hundred and fifty cubits of space made to transport weapons, chemical and biological samples in the interstellar. It was the same as carrying a small starship.

The enormous room can hold living things so their eggs, dairy and seafood needs would be no problem. Also with 00’s help, controlling and monitoring its contents was easy. As for animal food? They would be eating nutrient solutions from here on.   

[Major, I find your decision admirable. These animals will surely surprise those old experts in the lab!]

These unmutated earth mammals and animals used for consumption of food will be most welcomed by the Imperial Science Institution.

[Well, this is just a small part.]

She had 00 collect data of the planet's flora and fauna and send it over for further study.  

If only she could obtain a DNA of a mammoth or any animals during the prehistoric earth, those old maniacs would definitely have seizures.  

 

Saturday is a rest day for her and Lallie. After a good breakfast, the sisters walked outside the house admiring the rare tranquil atmosphere. It could have been a nice stroll if not for the long line of trucks entering the yard of their neighbour.

Alvis suddenly felt stifled. She moved as stealthily as possible whereas her unknown neighbour did not even bother to make excuses.

“Wow, so many trucks.” Lallie was amazed her eyes were wide open.

From a black luxury car, a long-haired man came out and walked towards their direction.

“Good day miss,” he greeted with a cordial tone and smile. “Are you the owner of the house next door?”

Alvis’ face was hidden beneath a wide woven hat, when she looked up, the man was surprised to see her so young.

“Yes, we are.”

“We apologize for the noise, I hope there isn't any inconvenience on your part. We will try to shorten the work as much as possible.”

She felt like laughing suddenly. With the house soundproofing, don’t mention trucks, she wouldn't even hear them even if they used jackhammers.

“Oh, no worries. My sister and I were just playing around, we stopped a little because we’re curious.”

Seeing her being agreeable, the long-haired man felt at ease. The sisters' bright nature made a good impression on the man, he felt a sense of amiability for them.

“Our friend who works for the government heard of some disturbing news that a calamity is estimated to strike the country. We are currently preparing for it just in case.”

He gauged her reaction on how she would receive the information before adding further warning.

“Really?” she appeared to be quite shocked.

[Major, stop playing with the person. He was nice enough to warn you.] 00 chastised.  

“Is this going to last long?” Alvis asked, knitting those fine eyebrows.

The man was relieved she did not laugh or walk away. His eyes went to the adorable little girl beside her, it'd be a pity for these kids…

“There was no definite time but it might be good if the miss also informed your parents and began making preparations soon.”

Alvis nodded slowly, “It’s just us sisters now...”

The man was slightly surprised. Although he sympathized, he could only give out warning. “Then keep as many as you can and stay out less.”

She smiled at him, “Thankfully we are done with most of our activities.”

“That’s a relief indeed. Very well then.”

As the man walked away, Alvis thanked him for handing them a warning.

If it were any other people, would they bother to do so?

She hopes that he survives the upcoming storm as there are only a few good people left.

[The person is Captain Leon of a special organization. The order must have come from his superiors.]

[Then that house is probably owned by a person with connections to the government or the ancient families.]

But his action was unlike the two groups she knew.   

Those people would rather swallow the information in their stomachs and watch the world burn.