When the World Ends, She Begins novel Chapter 3

Braxton had sent Natalie a message.

"Nat, I've moved right across from Tiffany's place. From now on, we're neighbors.

"I'm sincerely inviting you over to Unit 801 tomorrow night for a housewarming dinner. I'll cook a few dishes to celebrate."

After reading the message, Natalie deleted him from her contacts and blocked him.

You people killed me, and now you're inviting me over for a housewarming meal?

Where's your shame?

I'm counting down the seconds until I get to celebrate your death instead!

She took a deep breath.

I'm not going to let this filthy man ruin my mood. Chill, calm down—anger makes you sick, and nobody's going to take that sickness for you.

Starting the car, she headed back to the food street she had visited earlier that day.

She was going to have dinner outside because once the apocalypse came, there'd be no more dining out.

She found a barbecue joint and indulged herself, ordering plenty more skewers to take away. She quietly stashed them into her storage space back in the car.

Afterward, she bought a milkshake and wandered from shop to shop.

She already had enough food stockpiled to survive, but during the apocalypse, she would never get to taste these delicious treats again.

Natalie loved cooking and was quite good at it, but some flavors just couldn't be recreated at home—like spicy tomato bisque, pasta, seafood platters, pizza, burgers, cake, stuffed crepes, soup buns, milkshakes, and more.

She bought a hundred servings of each favorite.

That emptied the last of the money on her card.

Natalie did the math. She spent 540,000 dollars at the farmers' market, 280,000 dollars at the clothing wholesaler, 140,000 dollars on various daily necessities, and the rest on snacks.

She still hadn't finished stockpiling, and the money had evaporated fast. It wasn't like she'd bought luxury goods, yet a million was gone.

But she wasn't worried. An idea for making more money was already forming in her mind.

The world had never lacked targets to exploit ... Tomorrow, I'm going after the big fish!

By now, the sky was dark and all the shops had closed. It was time for her to go home and rest.

Natalie checked the piles of supplies in her storage space and felt a wave of security.

Facing a disaster that could last for who knows how long, having ample supplies was her greatest confidence. At this pace, she would have everything on her list before the torrential rains arrived.

Natalie drove the car back home after feeling much more at ease.

Meanwhile, Braxton had been waiting a long time for Natalie's reply.

When nothing came, he sent a smiley face.

A single tick popped up, and Brandon was taken aback.

Huh?

Natalie had never accepted his advances, but because of Tiffany, she'd always been polite with him.

Why had she suddenly blocked me?

Braxton frowned.

What had I done to offend her?

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't figure it out.

His attitude toward Natalie had always been gentle and patient.

Though he never succeeded in winning her over, he believed in the power of persistence. Girls were emotional creatures, and sooner or later, he was sure she'd be moved by him.

So he had offered warmth, maintained respectful boundaries, and avoided making her uncomfortable.

It was troublesome, but he thought it was worth it.

The first time he saw Natalie, he thought she was beautiful—not just the typical beauty of a young woman, but she had a kind of noble elegance that only someone from a privileged background could have.

Tiffany had told him that the company they were interning at in their senior year belonged to Natalie's family.

She might not hold shares or a position yet, but as the only daughter, she would inherit it one day.

A modest, low-key heiress with delicate features was his perfect marriage candidate. The more he thought about her, the less willing he was to let go.

He immediately called Tiffany. "Tiffany, Natalie blocked me. Can you find out why?"

"She blocked you? Why?"

"No idea. That's why I'm asking you to check."

"Alright, I'll ask."

Tiffany hung up in annoyance.

Ugh! Natalie is so annoying! Acting all high and mighty just because she's rich!

Sure, she's pretty, but her cold, icy attitude isn't attractive at all.

In college, while other girls joined art clubs, Natalie chose to train in boxing instead. At 5′7″, she wasn't exactly delicate, and she swung her fists like a prizefighter.

There's no way she would be as cute as me!

If it weren't for her wealthy background, how could an undergraduate like her be a match for Braxton, who was pursuing his PhD?

Braxton was refined, charismatic, and had plenty of girls chasing after him on campus.

Yet this bitch doesn't appreciate what she has!

So, she's here to dig for information for Braxton, huh?

So touching.

Dear Nat? Eww.

She's a talented actress! It's a shame that she isn't in the entertainment industry.

In her previous life, even with her boxing skills, she had been injured by intruders.

This time, she would be prepared.

With her plans set, exhaustion pulled her under.

Since the looming apocalypse, she hadn't slept this peacefully. There were no worries about society collapsing, neighbors turning hostile, or fear of waking to find armed men breaking in.

Moonlight spilled gently across her serene face.

Thud, thud, thud!

Natalie jolted awake, her four years of post-apocalyptic caution kicking in.

She sat up instantly.

What's that sound?

Listening carefully, it seemed to come from downstairs. It sounded like someone chopping up bones.

At this hour? If they wanted ribs, why chop them themselves? Should have ordered takeout.

Natalie hated that sound. In the later days of the apocalypse, when food was gone, people started eating corpses.

Breaking them down made exactly this noise.

Although it was still a time of peace and nothing so terrifying would happen now, hearing that noise made it hard to sleep.

After waiting for quite a while, the sound was still going on.

Natalie rubbed her goosebumps, put on some clothes, and opened the door to go downstairs.

Had there been sounds like this in my previous life? I don't remember noticing at all ...

She lived in Unit 1402; by the time she reached downstairs, the door of Unit 1301 was open.

Daniel Huxley, sporting a buzzcut, hammered loudly on the door of Unit 1302.

"Enough already! It's the middle of the night! Let people sleep!"

Inside, everything suddenly went quiet.

After a long pause, just as both Daniel and Natalie were about to leave, the door cracked open.

A chubby, greasy face peeked out.