I stood in my bathroom, hoping that whoever was knocking would give up if I kept ignoring them.
But what if it was Amanda? I wiped my hands and went downstairs to check the peephole.
Nope. Not Amanda.
Mrs. HOA Cult Leader stood on my doorstep, flanked by two men: her son and husband, by the looks of it. Her husband had the expression of someone who desperately wanted to be anywhere but here. Her son, however, carried a baseball bat propped casually on his shoulder.
I went to grab the makeshift spear I'd constructed during yesterday's anxiety-fueled packing spree: a wooden closet rod with my longest kitchen knife lashed to the end.
"What do you want?!" I asked through the door.
"Open up, or we're breaking this door down. The neighbourhood council has authorized inspections of all homes to ensure just distribution of the remaining food supplies."
My vision was suddenly filled with the deal hand notification, and I nearly laughed with joy. Apparently, dead plants gave out cards, too. Now, I needed to get rid of these visitors so I could see my new choices.
I took a deep breath and weighed my options. I'd already eaten most of my perishables, and the rest were stashed in the backpack under my bed. I could demonstrate to the public what the new card-supported reality looked like, but I was exhausted from just using my [Torch]. No way I'd succeed in a fight against two men and one very annoying woman.
I opened the door and stepped aside, concealing my spear behind it.
"I'm glad you saw reason, Chloe." The woman, whose name kept escaping me, stepped into the house first.
The smug smile on her face made me want to slap her again, and I squeezed my hand on a wooden pole. Would I get any cards for a human?
I shook myself out of those thoughts. Was I seriously contemplating killing my neighbours? I needed a therapist, stat. I relaxed my grip on the spear, propping it against the wall in the corner behind the open door.
Shifting tactics, I turned to her son with wide, pleading eyes, and let my gaze dart nervously to his bat.
"Please, you can't be serious," I said, letting my voice shake. "I've been out there fighting for my life all week. All the food had spoiled while I was gone. You know I'm a fitness influencer. I don't keep processed food or canned stuff around." I swallowed hard, widening my eyes. "Please don't let me starve. I won't make it out there again."
I made sure my thin wrists were clearly visible as I spoke.
Her husband's resolve crumbled entirely. He lingered in the doorway, trying to reason with his wife as she pushed past me toward the kitchen.
"Martha, let's leave this poor woman alone. We did pick up a lot of things from her porch yesterday. "
Her son ignored my pleas and followed his mother inside. I stayed by the door, hand ready to grab my spear, while they ransacked my half-empty pantry and barren fridge. They took the remaining packages of pasta, rice, and all the other non-perishables I kept just in case. It was all too bulky to carry when travelling on foot, so I didn't protest. They even grabbed the remaining electrolyte drinks, which was fine by me.
At least they weren't bold enough to search the rest of the house. Once they'd taken their haul, they went out. I seriously doubted any of it would actually be distributed to the neighbours, but I wasn't planning to stick around and find out.
I stepped outside to watch them load their haul onto a cart. A few neighbours stood on their porches, observing.
Rage bubbled up inside me. I was about to shout something vicious enough to make her regret robbing me when an angry voice sounded from the house nearby.
"Just what do you think you are doing, Mrs. Meyer?" Amada asked her in the most nonsensical mother tone I've ever heard.
"Go back to your children, Amanda. We've discussed this at the meeting this morning, if you ever cared to join…"
Lightning split the sky, interrupting the fight. Thunder followed seconds later. Everyone on the street looked up.
Just half an hour ago, there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. Now there was a dark wall of heavy rainclouds, spilling waterfalls onto the ground in the distance by the ocean.
Three bright shapes, bright against the dark background, were dancing in the air. They were gliding and soaring, like kites, hiding and appearing out of the thick water haze.
I forgot all about the fight and just stood there mesmerized by the dance of the birds until another lightning bolt split the sky. This time, it was obviously generated by one of the creatures themselves.
All the neighbours remained rooted in place, jaws slack, gawking at the impossible display of magic. But if the last week had taught me anything, it was that magical creatures never brought anything good.
I rushed back inside, locking every door and yanking the blinds shut.
As I reached for the patio door lock, an idea struck me. I was running low on water, and there was water pouring from the sky. I grabbed every bucket and bin I could find and ran to arrange them across my backyard. On my way back inside, movement caught my eye. Amanda was waving at me from her yard.
"Chloe, can we talk?!" She shouted.
"Now?!" I asked.
The still air was growing heavy with moisture, as if we needed another indicator that the storm was coming. Amanda looked up, then back at me.
"Yeah, if you don't have any other plans?"
I glanced between my townhouse and hers. They were identical, so one was as safe as the other. I might as well wait out the storm.
Remembering my earlier plan, I grabbed the bag of candies I'd stashed under the bed for period cravings. Amanda's kids would appreciate them more; at least some sugar would brighten their day.
I circled around the fence to her front porch. The crowd on the street had already scattered, leaving only Mrs. Meyer and her enforcers trudging down the sidewalk. I couldn't help hoping the rain would start before they reached home and soak all their stolen goods. Another roll of thunder shook the valley, so powerful I felt it vibrate through my chest.
Amanda opened the front door before I even knocked. Her house looked even worse than it had last night. Whether because daylight revealed more or because the kids were awake, I couldn't tell, but there seemed to be twice as much chaos strewn everywhere.
Upstairs, her two kids stampeded around with enough force to make it sound like the house might collapse at any second. Something clattered and rolled across the floor above us. Amanda didn't even flinch, continuing toward the kitchen as if nothing had happened.
"Should we check if everyone's alright?" I asked her.
"Oh, don't worry. Hear," she put her finger up, but all I could hear was the thump-thump-thump of kids running and distant rumbling outside. I looked back in confusion. "They are still running around, no one is crying. All is fine." She shared her wisdom.
Amanda came to the kitchen stove, and I noticed a complicated arrangement of the camping burner on top of it.
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"Want some tea?" She asked.
"Coffee, if you have any."
"No, sorry. Run out two days ago." She winced. Then added quietly. "Maybe that was the real reason that pushed Jeff to go..."
"Tea would be perfect, thank you. If I knew you had hot water, I would have stashed the grains better. And, here…" I pushed the bag of Twizzlers towards her across the kitchen counter.
Amanda waved a hand at me. "Oh, mine, you didn't have to… Thank you," She said, hiding the bag in the kitchen drawer. "And, it wouldn't matter. The canister has maybe half an hour of fuel left. Not nearly enough to boil anything substantial."
She turned off the gas and poured hot water into two cups, then poured the remainder into a thermos.
"Sugar?"
"Yes, please," I said, my mouth instantly watering.
Being constantly on a diet meant that I rarely had any sugar, definitely not with my drinks. Not having to think about that for once was refreshing.
She put a steaming hot cup in front of me, sitting across the dining table. The rain was moving in, and we both listened to the distant whisper becoming a freight train's rumble. Then it enveloped the entire house in a sudden, overwhelming explosion of raindrops against the roof, drowning out every other sound in the world. The house was instantly shrouded in darkness, raindrop shadows were climbing down the walls, reflecting the few splashes that reached the window glass.
I sipped on my tea, wincing when it burned my tongue. The residual sweetness was like a consolation prize.
"So, you wanted to talk?" I finally asked.
"You are going to leave soon?"
"Why do you think so?"
"When you got raided today, you didn't resist. I know you have that fancy fire card, and you could have used it. So you don't think we just need to wait until we get rescued?"
I nodded, impressed at how easily she read the situation and that she still protected me, even though I had my "fancy fire card."
"I doubt that. They can't even support the power grid. More monsters appear in the densely populated areas, so all the effort must be bogged down in the big cities. Even if they eventually save us…"
"It would take a while," Amanda finished my thought. "I wanna go with you."
"Why? You still have food and a roof over your head. I don't think Mrs. HOA Dictator will be so cruel as to not share food with children."
Amanda looked outside, at sheets of rain pouring off the roof, like a second wall, separating us from the world. Her brows were furrowed, and her mouth pressed in a tight line.
"You'd be surprised. But no, food is not the main reason. Jeff said if he's not back by tonight, we need to leave. Those vines are getting stronger every day, even in the places where there aren't any dead animals. Pretty soon, they'll swallow everything. So we agreed that if Jeff doesn't come back on time, we'll make our own way out and meet him at the evacuation point. They mentioned it on the radio before the battery died. You know that campground over by Yager River?"
I nodded, and Amanda continued.
"We'll pack up what we can and head there to wait for him. After that, we're going to his parents' place. They've got a ranch near the Nevada border. It's a long way from here, but they'll have food, and it's gotta be safer than staying here."
That was a fairly reasonable plan. I wasn't going to take my chances with this HOA crowd and meat-eating plant either.
Another rumble of thunder shook the entire house, and I almost fell out of my chair, jumping to my feet.
"That was close," Amanda said, wincing at the tea she spilled all over her shirt.
The thunder of galloping footsteps drew my attention to the stairs. A taller girl with nearly luminous red hair caught her smaller brother by the back of his hoodie just as he was about to launch himself face-first down the last few steps.
"What did I say about running on stairs?!" Amanda shouted, getting distracted from her wet shirt.
"Sorry, Mom," the kids said in a rehearsed chorus.
"Mom, what was that?" The girl asked, showing outside. "Was it thunder? It was so loud?"
Amanda went to check on them, murmuring something about the thunder being too close. I sat frozen, staring at the girl like I'd been struck by lightning. I actually had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.
The kid looked exactly like my younger sister, Ester. Or at least, like Ester at that age. She must be all grown up by now.
Amanda lit a candle on the kitchen island, and the spell broke. In the steadier light, I could see more differences than similarities. They looked alike, sure, but not identical.
Amanda busied herself in the kitchen, pouring instant oats and hot water into two cups, adding generous dollops of peanut butter to each, and chopping some candies I've brought as a topper. She acted at ease, joked and foolled around. She jokingly wrestled with the daughter and fussed over the scraped knee of her son, like it was the most important thing in the world right now. It was probably a facade for the kids, but she would have fooled me. The entire mood of the room lifted despite the heavy rain still weighing over the house.
We didn't finish our conversation, but she was busy, and I needed a moment anyway. Seeing Ester in this girl had stirred up too many memories I'd rather leave buried.
"Is it ok if I use your bathroom?" I asked.
"Yeah, just keep the lid closed when you are done. It's a pain trying to keep it clean without running water. And uh, I hope you're only planning on number one. There are way too many protocols for number two in our house."
"For sure."
As the ammonia smell hit my nose, I realized that going to the bathroom for a thinking break wasn't such a good idea. And there wasn't even a window to get some fresh air. Modern houses weren't designed to stay without power for a long time.
I escaped the bathroom and opened the opposite door. By the dark outlines and a familiar floor plan, I figured it was a garage. I moved to the side and sat by the open door with my eyes closed.
Ester's crying face filled my mind. She was an ugly crier: eyes and nose swollen, delicate pale skin turning red and blotting out her freckles. She'd chased after me that early morning when the sun was barely up. We shared a room, so it had been impossible to pack and leave without her noticing.
"Please don't leave me!" Her high-pitched plea had followed me for years, echoing through my dreams.
And now, again.
I rubbed my sternum as guilt churned inside, squeezing my lungs until I could barely breathe. It was hard not to take in everything that Andy said about me, not to see how I brought pain and destroyed families wherever I went. I'd tried to do good and stay away from people. But it was also hard to deny that sometimes I really was a "murderous bitch."
And that's why I was still alive.
I knocked my head back against the wall and winced at the dull thud. Dwelling on the past never improved the present.
At least survival was simple. Even if I wanted to contact Ester, I couldn't. It would take days to reach home on foot, assuming I made it at all. It was better to just focus on the present.
Of course, I was going to help Amanda get to the evacuation point. The question was how, though. Her kids were adorable, but they were also young, with short legs that tired quickly.
Another lightning bolt sliced open the sky, and for a moment the garage blazed with light. That's when I saw them: two bicycles. We wouldn't be able to outrun monsters on bikes, but it beat carrying kids on our backs the whole way.
Relieved to have at least some kind of plan, I remembered I still needed to choose a card before it would be chosen for me. I closed my eyes and pulled up the deal hand screen.
Two blue cards and one green card appeared in front of me. At this point, I wasn't surprised to see [Torch] again. It was my most-used and favourite skill, even if using the fire left me completely drained. The second blue card was [Weed-whacking]. I paused, genuinely tempted. A card that could fight plant-based monsters would be useful right now. And beyond that, a gardening skill meant growing food, something we'd all need to do sooner or later. But would it actually help me survive today?
The last card was green, showing a pulse line trending upward: [Rapid Recovery]. Green colour meant passive improvement, something that would work all the time, hopefully without nasty side effects. This was the third time I'd been offered some variation of better recovery. Maybe it was finally time to take it? Third time's the charm, right?
Surviving the last week had taken everything out of me. I looked and felt emaciated. And the most successful strategy for getting through any fight was simple: run away. I needed energy for that.
I confirmed my selection and pulled up my deck to read the description.
Recover 10% faster from injuries and fatigue.
Ten percent didn't sound like much, but it applied to both health and exhaustion. More importantly, it wouldn't cost me anything: no collapsing afterward, no needing a week of sleep just to function.
"Chloe! Are you all right?" I've heard Amanda calling from the kitchen.
I hurried out of the garage. The kids were eating peacefully at the table, so Amanda and I cleared some space at the kitchen counter for ourselves.
I pitched my idea about the bikes. She liked it immediately, since they often went on bike rides with the children. We discussed what we'll have to pack, focusing on basic survival needs.
While the rain continued to pour, we worked on planning our route. Amanda had a map, and I tried using my [Pathfinder] skill, but it wasn't much help. I had no idea what monsters were in that area. Besides, there weren't many options anyway. Only one road led through the campsite.
My stomach started growling. Rain or no rain, I insisted on getting home and finishing whatever food I had left. I also needed more sleep. Preferably without the nightmares.
"See you in my backyard tomorrow at sunrise. We have to do something before we leave." I told Amanda, squaring towards the door.
"What?" She asked, curious.
"Gardening!"
Chloe's Deck (8/10):
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Blue Card: [Leap]
Instantly leap forward up to 6 feet. Beware of obstacles. Cooldown 30 minutes.
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Blue Card: [Heal Wound II]
A medium burst of healing for a single target area you touch. Cooldown 1 hour.
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Green Card: [Spear]
Basic proficiency with spear weapons. Grants +5% damage and improved accuracy when wielding spears.
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Green Card: [Poison Tolerance]
Dulls the worst poison effects, giving your body time and chance to fight it. Does not work on lethal poison dosages.'
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Blue Card: [Pyromaniac Torch II]
Fire recognizes a kindred spirit. Go on. Light it up, and the fire will stick to your target. Just be careful what you feed it. Cooldown 10 minutes.
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Blue card: [Pathfinder]
Read the landscape and identify the safest routes by using subtle signs like animal tracks, worn earth, natural markers, and subconscious knowledge. Cooldown 6 hours.
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Blue Card: [Tissue Splice].
Fuse two edges of tissue. Cooldown 1 hour.
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Green Card: [Rapid Recovery]
Recover 10% faster from injuries and fatigue.