The Last Queen of the Apocalypse novel Chapter 4

r 4 Drain Them Dry

That afternoon, Iris emerged from an old office building in the downtown area.

By the time she stepped outside, her bank account had swelled by an additional 1.5 million dollars.

These small loan companies were more predatory than vampires. She’d sold the house to Ryan for two million dollars, yet the greedy lenders only offered 1.5 million dollars for it, with exorbitant interest rates.

Iris had signed a promissory note requiring repayment within seven days. She’d need to pay back two million dollars to the lending company by then, or they’d seize the property outright.

It was a bottomless pit, designed to swindle her out of the house.

But she didn’t care. She had no intention of repaying the loan at all.

Worse yet, she no longer owned the house.

The seven-day loan term was perfectly timed. Right before the apocalypse hit, the lending company would come knocking on Ryan’s door.

What followed would be a vicious dogfight between the two parties—neither was someone to be trifled with, and it remained to be seen who would emerge on top.

No matter who won, though, the house would be worthless in a matter of days.

With 1.5 million dollars now in her account, Iris had a sudden idea.

She proceeded to apply for loans from every lending platform available on the market.

Gorge herself on their money—drain them dry completely.

After a flurry of applications, she secured an additional 500 thousand dollars.

Now, Iris had 3.7 million dollars at her disposal. It was more than enough to stock up on a massive haul of supplies.

Flush with cash, she first headed to a building materials factory to continue reinforcing her fortress.

After purchasing forty to fifty security cameras, she sought out a generator supplier—she desperately needed a power source.

Generators came in four main types: wind, hydroelectric, thermal, and diesel.

The first three were impractical; they required complex installation, took too much time to set up, and were rarely available off the shelf, requiring custom orders from specialized manufacturers.

Diesel generators, however, were perfect for her needs.

“What kilowattage are you looking for?” the store owner asked.

“What options do you have?” Iris replied.

“We have 30kW, 50kW, 200kW to 800kW models. Anything over 1000kW gets expensive,” the owner explained.

Iris quickly familiarized herself with the diesel generator specifications.

The smallest 30kW models ranged in price from 10 thousand to 20 thousand dollars.

Mid-range 200kW generators cost between 50 thousand and 100 thousand dollars.

A 300kW unit would set her back over 100 thousand dollars, with prices doubling for higher capacities.

Generators over 1000kW started at 1 million dollars.

Imported models were also 20 to 30 percent more expensive than domestic ones.

The owner continued, “Domestic models are more than sufficient. Their quality is just as good as imported ones, and they’re more durable and practical. Imported generators are also picky about the type of diesel they use. Are you buying this for a restaurant?”

“Yes,” Iris lied.

She needed electricity to power the fence’s electrical grid, provide daily lighting in the bomb shelter, and a restaurant-grade generator would be more than adequate.

Even so, Iris decided to buy the most expensive and powerful model available.

The system’s rewards scaled with the quality of her upgrades. She wanted the best, no compromises.

“I want the best you have—one and done. Money’s no object,” Iris said, putting on the air of a wealthy tycoon. She purchased the store’s top-of-the-line, best-value generator for 1.2 million dollars.

The owner’s face lit up with joy at her words.