The first store led to the second.

The second led to the third.

And before I knew it, we had somehow turned into one of those extreme couponing survival families that stored canned beans under their beds and talked about government conspiracies online.

But what was getting to me the most?

I hated how effective they were.

Chenghai and Zhenlan moved through the stores like they had been doing this their entire lives. There was nothing random about what they grabbed either. Medicine. Batteries. Water filters. Camping fuel. Flashlights. Multi-tools. Portable stoves. First aid supplies.

Useful things.

Boring things.

I mean, can you believe that not even one single bag of chips had entered their cart yet?!?

That’s black coffee with no milk or sugar psychotic behavior there. Who didn’t want the finer things in life?

Like sugar?!

The outdoor supply store turned out to be even worse.

Yuche opened the back doors of the SUV while Chenghai and Zhenlan loaded it with so much camping gear that it seemed like they were preparing for the world’s most depressing vacation.

Sleeping bags.

Portable heaters.

Water purification tablets.

Axes.

Rope.

Fishing wire.

Hunting knives.

Dehydrated Pad Thai.

It was the stuff of nightmares.

I turned away in disgust as Lingyun dragged another duffle bag toward the SUV before dropping it beside me with a grunt. "I think they forgot the part where surviving is supposed to be enjoyable."

Chenghai didn’t even look up from where he was checking expiration dates on emergency food packs. "Enjoyment isn’t necessary."

"That is genuinely the saddest thing I’ve ever heard."

Zhenlan shoved several hand-crank radios into another bag before finally speaking. "Comfort gets people killed."

I immediately clutched the bag of gummy candies hidden under my arm protectively.

"Well then," I replied, "I guess I’ll die moisturized and emotionally supported."

Lingyun snorted hard enough he almost dropped the bottled water he was carrying while Yuche looked suspiciously close to smiling too.

But neither Chenghai nor Zhenlan reacted. They just gave us all a look like we were being childish and moved on to the next store.

The electronics store.

Half the lights still worked overhead while emergency backup power kept several displays glowing dimly across the showroom floor.

There was everything that a nerd could possibly want... if you wanted the latest phone or laptop. But personally speaking, I thought the cell service was crap. Then again... I didn’t need to call out to be able to watch my shows using my in-home WIFI.

Chenghai headed straight toward the camping electronics while Zhenlan disappeared into the storage room in the back like he already knew where everything valuable would be.

A few minutes later he returned carrying two heavy boxes filled with portable solar chargers.

"We should prioritize long-term sustainability," he said as he dropped them into the cart.

I stared at him.

The apocalypse had turned this man into a motivational podcast.

Meanwhile I was still trying to figure out how to survive without becoming one of those people who went crazy because there was nothing on TV.

Yuche grabbed several portable battery packs from one of the shelves while Lingyun wandered into the movie section nearby.

"...Guys?" he called suddenly.

Nobody reacted immediately.

Mostly because Chenghai was currently arguing with himself over which generator had better fuel efficiency.

Lingyun held up a Blu-ray box dramatically.

"Should we take movies?"

"Absolutely," I answered instantly, rushing toward the man.

"No unnecessary weight," Chenghai replied with a shake of his head at the exact same time.

Lingyun looked between both of us. "...I’m choosing to follow Rouxi on this one."

And that, my friends, was the only correct choice.

The second nobody was paying attention, three entire shelves worth of movies, games, chargers, headphones, and portable speakers disappeared neatly into my space.

The convenience store after that somehow felt even stranger. I mean, we had just raided a convenience store, and now there was a second one within three stores? The people in this city really liked their snacks.

Not like I blamed them.

The coffee machines still sat behind the counter and a hotdog slowly rotated beneath one of the heated display lamps near the register. I mean, I was pretty sure it was a hotdog. It was a bit green and wrinkly... but hey, that was convenience store food for you.

I wonder if they had any taquitos....

I stopped walking immediately and continued to stare at the thing in front of me. "...That hotdog has been cooking for six months."

Lingyun physically recoiled. "Why would you say that out loud?"

"Because now I have to live with the knowledge and I don’t want to suffer alone."

Yuche quietly walked over and unplugged the machine. "Better?" he asked, a slight smile on his face.

"Not really," I purred in reply. "I’m traumatized for life now."

"There, there," he replied stroking my head. "I’m here."

Chenghai ignored all of us and continued filling baskets with canned food, protein bars, instant noodles, powdered milk, and bottled water.

Zhenlan pushed another cart toward the front entrance before pausing beside one of the refrigerators.

"...I miss having a space user during supply runs." The words slipped out quietly enough that I almost thought I imagined them.

Chenghai didn’t bother to look up and he nodded his head. "So do I. Having to take everything physically is making everything harder."

Well.

That was interesting.

I kept my face blank as I grabbed another bag of candy off the shelf.

Space user.

Now... how would they know that term? I hadn’t said peep about space systems or users for obvious reasons.

In fact, the only way they would know about it was if...

They had been reborn too.

Which, now that I thought about it, made me feel a bit stupid. If it could happen to me, why not to them, too?

But what do I do with that information now?

Either way, there was absolutely nothing terrifying about that whatsoever.

Insert sarcasm here.

Lingyun frowned slightly. "What’s a space user?"

"A rare ability," Zhenlan answered automatically before seeming to realize he’d actually responded out loud. "Storage. Transportation. Resource management. Think of them like a walking warehouses where everything is protected."

"...That sounds ridiculously useful."

"It was."

Was.

Interesting choice of wording.

I pretended not to care while several entire shelves quietly disappeared into my space behind everyone’s backs.

Zhenlan might be willing to share what he knew about space users, but I wasn’t. After all, I didn’t miss where he called a person nothing more than a walking warehouse.

After the fifth store, the SUV was almost full.

The problem? 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Nobody seemed interested in stopping.

"We hit the sporting goods store next," Chenghai announced while adjusting one of the duffle bags over his shoulder.

Then the ground beneath my feet vibrated.

Very faintly.

Just enough that several loose cans rattled softly against one another nearby.

I stopped walking immediately but none of the others stopped....they must not have felt it.

Another vibration rolled beneath the pavement and I turned my head toward Yuche and Lingyun. "...Do either of you feel that?"

Both men stopped but they shook their heads. Lingyun frowned immediately. "Feel what?"

The ground trembled again beneath my boots. "That."

It was like something was moving very far underneath us.

My stomach twisted instantly.

Ah.

There it was.

I sighed softly and rubbed one hand across my face.

"What do you think?" I asked tiredly. "Zombie boss battle or plant boss battle?"