Rewrite the Apocalypse dream (by Dee Cari) novel Chapter 21

Chapter 21 Buying extra gas canisters every few days

60

Finished

Joanna stared at the glaring red numbers on her laptop screen. Over twenty million dollars gone in just a few weeks. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, a cold sweat breaking out on her neck. Am I going to have to start maxing out credit cards?

Across the kitchen counter, Jolie finished the last of her post-workout breakfast. Joanna looked up, forcing her mind away from the bleeding bank account. In just a few weeks, the physical change in Jolie was undeniable. Her shoulders were broader, her posture straighter, and her baseline stats were climbing daily. Better yet, she possessed an elite focus; nothing escaped Jolie’s eagle eyes, and she had already caught two vendors trying to shortchange them on supplies.

“Jolie, sit down for a second,” Joanna said, waving her over. “I need to run something by you.”

Jolie set down her empty plate, grabbed a mug of steaming green tea, and slid onto the barstool across from Joanna. “Alright. What’s on your mind?”

Joanna took a breath, turning the laptop screen so Jolie could see the digital maps. “We’ve made a great start on supplies, but I haven’t told you the plan for what happens after day zero. When the world ends and the apocalypse begins.”

Jolie froze, her mug halfway to her lips. It was the first time Joanna had explicitly used the word apocalypse. Jolie had learned early on that Joanna was a woman of few words and even fewer explanations, but her life had completely changed the day Joanna appeared. She set the tea down, nodding silently, waiting.

“According to my vision, our ultimate destination is the Evercrest mountain range,” Joanna explained, pointing to a heavily forested, high-altitude region on the map. “We need to buy property there and build a primary, fortified fortress. But we can’t just hike there in one go. We need to secure the route.”

Joanna zoomed out, tracing a line from their current location to the mountains. “One month after the zombies hit, a massive tsunami is going to wipe out the entire coast. It will destroy every port. Right after the outbreak starts, I’m going solo to raid the shipping yards for every piece of cargo left behind. We’ll meet up further inland.”

Jolie’s eyes widened, but she didn’t interrupt.

“On the way to Evercrest, we will have three secret underground bunkers,” Joanna continued, her voice dropping to a serious whisper. “We have to be fast. After the tsunami, a brutal heatwave will strike. Then, a massive earthquake that will crumble every major city in the country. Right after that? Sixty days of continuous, toxic rain.”

“Rain?” Jolie finally spoken, her voice tight.

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11:25 Sat, Oct 3

Chapter 21 Buying extra gas canisters every few days

60

Finished

“It’s not normal rain,” Joanna said grimly. “Whatever is in that water will mutate plants and animals into hyper-predators capable of tearing a human apart in two seconds flat. By winter, a deep freeze will finish off anyone left without a proper shelter. We need to be locked inside Evercrest before the earthquake hits. The journey will take a month. These intermediate bunkers are how we survive the trek.”

Joanna leaned forward. “Today, fifty shipping containers are being delivered to the third warehouse. We are going to take six of them to convert into these underground bunkers-two per location. I need you to source high-end incinerator toilets and connect with an off-grid housing specialist. These bunkers need three rooms: one for bulk supplies, one for living and cooking, and one for sleeping.”

Joanna didn’t mention her grander plan out loud—that she secretly intended to steal thousands of extra containers from the ports to build a paradise-style sanctuary for survivors later on. She didn’t want to sound like a savior. She was doing this to survive, to keep her future team safe, and to stay entirely off the radar of the military or the ruthless Nightshade Base. Just thinking the name of Nightshade’s leader, Elliot, sent a familiar, icy spike of dread through her chest.

“Let’s go,” Joanna said suddenly, snapping her laptop shut to break the tension. “We’re heading to the warehouse to check on the delivery. It’s on the far side of town, so we’ll grab lunch over there.”

ten minutes later, Joanna pulled her SUV into a local gas station and stared at the dashboard. The fuel light was amber, casting a mocking glow in the dimming afternoon light. She groaned, slamming her hands against the steering wheel.

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