The Hoarder    

[Eva]

4:04:57 before the Apocalypse

Eva converted the twenty bedrooms into stock rooms for her provisions. She had not been idle these past few weeks. She had hoarded from different supermarkets in town to avoid suspicion.

All the twenty rooms had been stocked to the brim, but Eva felt like it wasn't enough. There were still plenty of empty rooms in the house.

Eva went to the second floor, where the master bedroom was located. She decided to make it her room. She searched the massive walk-in closet and found a hidden button. This prompted the shelves to open like a door, and what stumbled before her was another door, a highly durable and advanced material, possibly a combination of metals and polymers.

Its surface was smooth and seamless, without any visible hinges or locks. Instead, the door was operated by a sophisticated biometric scanner that reads the user's DNA, retina, and voice pattern, ensuring that only authorized personnel could enter.

And since the tablet already recognized her as the owner, Eva only needed to a push button, and the door emitted a faint humming sound as it unlocked, and a small panel slides open to reveal a keypad.

The user must enter a complex series of codes, which change randomly every few minutes, to gain access to the weapons vault beyond. These codes were generated by an artificial intelligence system that constantly monitored the security of the facility and adjusted the codes accordingly.

The tablet gave Eva the code, and upon entering it on the keypad, the door slides open with a soft hissing sound, revealing a vast armory filled with all kinds of advanced weapons, mostly guns. The room was bathed in a blueish light emitted by a series of glowing panels embedded in the walls and ceiling.

The weapons were arranged neatly on racks and shelves, each one labeled with its name, model number, and specifications. There were Pistols, Revolvers, Rifles, Shotguns, Assault rifles, Submachine guns, Sniper rifles, Machine guns, Handguns, and Automatic pistols, all of which had many variations and subcategories within each type.

The shelves also have all sorts of knives, from daggers to katana and throwing darts. These weapons were all designed for maximum efficiency and lethality.

This was expected of the Prince. From what Eva knew, he was a military man and had served his country in every war before. Now that the world was at peace, he was traveling different countries and enjoying his life.

The air in the room was filled with the faint smell of gunpowder and ozone, giving it a slightly menacing atmosphere. The room was sealed and always in constant temperature to make sure that the weapons were in top shape condition.

Eva already checked and cleaned each one of them, just to make sure. A working gun and a sharp knife meant life and death, after all. She couldn't be caught off guard by a [FALLEN] with a dull knife and a jammed gun.

Eva pulled the rows of drawers and counted the ammunition, labeled and organized for each gun. She checked all the drawers. They were stocked to the brim with ammunition.

Good. But it was still lacking.

Now that the Apocalypse could broke out in any moment, Eva felt restless and wanted to stock up more.

Eva went to the garage after arming herself and decided that it was time for her last hoard. The enormous basement and car garage were converted to water storage. Right now, it was full of water tanks filled with water.

In comparison, she put all her gas reserves in another basement away from the main house. It was connected via a path on the main basement, and the area was supposed to be a second-car garage, but she filled it with gas and fuels.

It would be a problem if some accident happened and it exploded. At least putting them away from the main house would let her sleep in peace.

It was important to note that everything should be put inside the mansion so she didn't have to go outside to take whatever she needed and expose herself to the harsh environment. Not when her mutation was still in progress.

Eva stopped at the three cars left in the garage. An armored car, a van, and an SUV. All of them were bulletproof, and she only modified the armor car and van while she kept the SUV as is was so she wouldn't attract suspicion when she was in town driving it.

The armor car and van had extra layers of metal. Its glass where reinforced with thick metal chains both inside and out. There was a metal spike on all sides, and she had the top modified so it could hold a machine gun. She also put slits on the side of the car to make sure a chainsaw's blade would fit on its slim gap.

After which, Eva went to another General Shop, she passed by Fate Academy and hit the break without thought. She went to that academy, she recalled.

The surge of memories flooded her mind. It was where she experienced her first horrors, and she would gladly not experience it again.

Still . . . she only survived because someone had taken the bite aimed at her. Cold as she was, she knew how to repay her debt.

She still had three hours left before all hell would broke loose. That was enough time for a quick visit after she finished her hoard.

Eva drove the SUV in the Generals Store, and bought Water purification jugs. Lots of them. Multi-tools, which included a variety of functions such as a knife, pliers, saw, and screwdriver. First aid kits. All sorts of medicines that she almost emptied the drugstore if not for the weird glances thrown at her.

She needed to stock up a lot because in the new world, medicines and weapons would be the new currency.

Eva also bought Fire starter kits that included matches, a lighter, and fire starter materials. Navigation tools such as maps, GPS devices, a solar-powered communication device, and a sun compass.

She also bought Hunting and trapping tools if she needed to survive outside, such as a bow and arrow, fishing kits, and snare traps. Shelter-building tools such as a hatchet, a saw, a hammer, flashlights, and tents. Communication devices like two-way radios and satellite phones. Protective gear such as a gas mask, gloves, and safety goggles. And last were Solar-powered chargers, batteries, and coats. Lots of winter coats.

"You going to war, young lady?" the man behind the counter asked with a laugh when Eva paid for her items.

"Worse," Eva replied, "I'm going to hell."