When the World Ends, She Begins novel Chapter 14

After the power went out, the entire condo building was plunged into darkness, but the hallways were full of noise.

With barely any battery left in their phones and no signal, the fear that had been building inside everyone finally exploded.

One by one, people opened their doors and poured into the hallway.

"I feel like the sky's falling!"

"The emergency lines were already useless. Now the internet's down too!"

"Do you guys have any food left?"

"This rain can't last forever, right?"

Everyone talked over each other, voices rising in panic. The hallway was chaotic.

Then someone shouted, "Start filling up water! If they shut that off too, we'll be stuck drinking rain!"

In an instant, everyone scattered, rushing back inside to fill up any containers they could find.

By now, the floodwater had reached the sixth floor.

The people from the fifth and sixth floors—who had nowhere to go—were the most anxious. They crowded in the hallway, full of regret.

Why didn't we leave with the others when we had the chance?

They couldn't help but blame their neighbors on the higher floors for not helping them.

Meanwhile, in unit 801, Braxton and his sister, Tiffany, had just moved all their supplies over from her old place in 802.

Working in the dark, they gathered everything they had left, some pasta, and two packs of instant noodles.

"That's it," Tiffany said grimly. "At this rate, we'll run out in a couple of days."

Braxton hesitated. "What if we ask Natalie for help? She's into gourmet food—she probably has plenty of supplies."

Tiffany bit her lip. "But she hates you after what happened ... "

Braxton shook his head. "Even if she's still mad, we used to be close. She's not heartless. She wouldn't just let us starve."

Tiffany thought for a moment, then nodded. "You're right. And with the water getting higher, it's gonna reach our floor soon anyway. Her place on the 14th floor would be way safer. Let's just move in with her."

They grabbed what little they had and headed upstairs.

But when they got to the 14th floor, they found that the hallway door had been reinforced with a metal security gate. They couldn't even get to Natalie's front door.

Braxton banged on the outer gate. "Nat? It's us!"

Nothing.

Tiffany's eyes lit up as she remembered something. "Wait. Didn't she install a second reinforced door inside?"

Braxton frowned. "That means she might not hear us. We'll have to knock louder."

So they did.

"Nat! It's Tiffany—please open up!"

"Nat, I know you're in there! Please!"

They pounded the door until their hands were numb and their voices were hoarse. Finally, Natalie opened the door.

The truth was, she'd heard them from the beginning. But she was busy connecting the generator and reading the manual.

Power outages were more than just inconvenient. Prolonged darkness could drive people into depression.

For Natalie—and her dog, Lucky—that was unacceptable. This place would not go dark.

Once the generator was hooked up, she connected a gas tank in the kitchen so she could keep cooking, then put everything in perfect order.

Only then did she walk over, grab a kitchen knife, and calmly unlock the door.

When the door opened, Braxton and Tiffany's eyes lit up.

But then they saw the knife in her hand.

"Nat ... are you cooking something?" Braxton asked, trying to sound casual.

They were thrilled. Natalie was still eating well—if she was chopping meat, that meant she had plenty of supplies.

Meanwhile, they'd been living on cereal.

"Nat," Braxton said, "we've run out of food. We were hoping you could lend us some."

"Or ... " Tiffany added quickly, "if you'd let us stay here for a bit, I'll do all the chores. We won't be a burden."

In my last life, you two didn't look so pathetic when you ruined me and left me to die.

Braxton froze. Is she seriously asking for money?

We're old friends. Can't she just help us out? Her place is fully stocked—why is she acting like a gold digger?

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