Chapter 7 The Cleanup

Overnight, while Elysia snoozed away, hundreds of zombies stood at the shore with their undead eyes staring at her waterlogged yacht. Some brave zombies tried to enter the water but jerked back upon contact. With no way to reach their prey, they stood and watched until the sun graced the horizon, forcing the zombies to retreat into buildings or the sewer system.

The morning sun shined through the windows, unimpeded, bathing the curled up girl in light. She turned her back to the window but failed to return to sleep. Elysia groaned as she sat up, white hair in a tangled mess as her amethyst eyes focused. She glared at the oppressive sun out the front windows as she swung her legs off the couch.

With a drunken stride, she waddled out of the control room toward the bathroom she spotted the previous day through a door next to the TV. Fortunately, unlike most things in her new ship, when she turned on the faucet it worked, allowing her to splash water in her face. She stared at her reflection in the mirror for several seconds before leaving the bathroom to return to the control room, dropping onto the captain’s chair with an ungraceful flop.

While staring out the massive front window, her mind wandered. It’s nice not waking up to zombies or on a sidewalk. Still, if I’m going to continue to sleep up here, I’ll need to find some curtains. I doubt I’ll be sleeping below deck anytime soon. I think the first order of business is clearing the debris from the deck, then going to town to supply myself. Once I’ve resupplied, I can start tackling below deck or more like tear everything out.

With a plan of action set, she exited the control room, wandering out into the rear deck, crossing her fingers that the raft survived the night. Fortunately for her, it did, so she got to work dumping trash into the boat, filling over half before hopping down. She sat on the bench in front of the motor before pulling the pull cord only for the motor to turn over but not start after several tries. After glancing down at the motor, she face palmed herself at her stupid mistake.

She returned to the rear deck of the yacht, opening another compartment next to where the motor was to find a gas tank. Her thin arms strained as she waddled toward the rear of the deck, dropping the full gas tank on the elevator platform she used to bring the motor down. After dropping the tank in the boat and connecting it, she plopped back on the bench, releasing an exhausted sigh.

Elysia took a minute to recover before giving the pull cord a yank, firing the motor on the first try. She revved it a few times, then let it idle down. Once sure the motor was running properly, she untied her ropes, then turned toward shore. The motor struggled to push the heavy loaded raft but made it to shore a few minutes later. Elysia rammed the raft onto the sandy beach before getting to work unloading it. Her eyes landed on a dumpster in the parking lot a dozen meters away, prompting her to take several dozen trips, dumping trash in the dumpster before returning to the raft.

She pushed the raft back into the water and jumped back in. On her way back to her yacht, her mind wandered as she wiped the sweat from her face. Why am I doing this? It’s gonna take me hours to clear Umbra if I dump everything in the dumpster. I’m sure that wave caused tons of trash to wash out to sea. My yacht hardly makes a difference, but it feels right. I guess I can do this little favor for the environment. It’s not like I have much else to do at the moment, though I’d like to do a supply run before the end of the day. Strangely, I’m not feeling hungry, but I’m sure that will change after all of this cleanup work.

Charge 25.

After spending the next three hours ferrying trash from her yacht to the dumpster, she collapsed on the beach, exhausted.

Achievement! Doing your part for the environment.

Though tiny, you made a difference.

Reward: Two attribute points.

Elysia stared at the text for a few seconds before willing it away. I really should check my status later. I still haven’t picked a class.

She spent fifteen minutes laying with her eyes closed basking in the sun’s warmth before standing up. I should spend some time sunbathing. I miss my tan. I look like a ghost now.

A groan escaped her lips as she strained to pull the raft further up the beach out of the water, tying it to the lifeguard tower. With her boat secured, she left the beach walking to the parking lot, only to groan again upon realizing how far the grocery store was. I need to find myself land transportation, preferably something small enough I could transport it back to Umbra. Maybe a motorcycle? Definitely not a heavy one. That stupid strength stat was right. I’m weak.

With her next plan of action set, she turned left, entering a residential neighborhood while keeping an eye out for any potential vehicles. Several minutes later, she came upon an open garage with a Tahoe and dirt bike inside. She approached the dirt bike, attempting to lift it, but gave up after a second and walked away. Well, a dirt bike is out. There is no way I could get that in the raft, let alone onto Umbra. What about an electric bike? I doubt those are as heavy and I could still use it if I run out of battery. I wonder if the cycling shop survived the flood. I always considered those using electric bikes as cheaters, but if I’m going to use it as my primary form of land transportation, I don’t want to peddle around town. Besides, I need to limit my physical exertion until I figure out what this charge stat does. I think I’ll spend most of tomorrow experimenting.

Elysia crossed through yards, heading North toward Emerson. Goosebumps formed on her arms as she passed a rather dark house. Scared to find the source, she took off in a sprint, reaching the next street a few seconds later. The prickly goosebumps died down as she continued a block away from Emerson.

After crossing another yard, she reached Emerson taking a right, passing by a small grocery store before trotting up to the cycling shop. She pulled on the door, only to find it locked. Elysia scowled as she circled around to the back to try the employee entrance, finding this door unlocked. Thank you, whoever closed the shop last.

Her eyes strained to make out the dark interior, forcing her to fumble along the wall for a switch, but once she found one, nothing happened. Well, refrigerated goods are out now. The flood probably knocked the power out. Should I even bother with an electric bike? How will I recharge it? Sure, I could use the yacht, but what if I get stuck on land? I guess if nothing else, it will serve me to stock Umbra in the short term. Speaking of Umbra, I’ll need to find a way to refill the diesel. It wouldn’t be practical to take gas cans to shore. That would be way too heavy. Maybe another marina survived. I think I’m fine for now but I have to plan for the future.

Elysia followed the light of the front showroom down the hall, resting her left hand on the wall as she shuffled forward on high alert for an ambush. A few minutes later, she reached the showroom lit up by natural light through the surrounding windows.

She skipped past the fancy road bikes, costing as much as a car, despite the temptation of stealing one in favor of the electric bike section. A black bike with purple accents caught her eye. The bike had shocks in the front and under the seat like a mountain bike but had hybrid tires for better rolling resistance on pavement while retaining grip off road. She checked the price tag tied around the storage rack over the rear wheel, eliciting a whistle. Yeah, no way I could afford this. Though not as bad as some high-end road bikes and mountain bikes. Still, over ten grand is a steep price. I’m glad I’m not paying for it. Though I did steal a likely several million dollar yacht.

Elysia lifted the bike off the display rack with surprising ease. Curious, she flicked the frame, causing her to nod in satisfaction. No wonder it’s so expensive. It has a nice carbon frame and probably other weight reduction. I thought an electric bike would be heavy with crappy balance, but this one seems to have solved it though at a steep price.

While rolling her new bike around, she grabbed the fanciest multi-pocketed saddlebag she could find, plus a hiking backpack. After that, she trotted over to the cycling shoe area, trying on a few options before choosing a hiking boot with integrated cycling clips. Lastly, she swiped a couple of water bottles and holders, stuffing them in her new backpack.

After she changed into her new hiking boots, leaving the ruined running shoes, Elysia unlocked the front door before pushing her bike through.

Achievement! Grand theft.

“Did you really have to steal the fanciest bike?”

Reward: Minus 1 attribute point.

She stopped and glared at the text. Seriously? Now you count the thievery? What about the multimillion dollar yacht I stole yesterday? Or the police car and guns before that? Stupid system. After a moment, she shrugged. I guess I can’t miss something I never had. I haven’t used any attribute points yet, but it’s still unfair.

Elysia gazed down lovingly at her new bike, forgetting about the mean system. She swung her leg over and sat down before flipping on the electric motor. A smile formed when the screen displayed a full charge. Unable to resist the temptation, she floored the throttle, chirping the rear tire as she took off. The motor hummed quietly as it propelled her down the street, effortlessly weaving through the trees randomly sprouted through the road.

She shot past the grocery store while giggling in delight. After circling around the block several times, she finally coasted into the grocery store parking lot. With a giant smile still plastered on her face, she pulled open the door, fortunately finding it unlocked. However, unlike the cycling shop with its many windows, the grocery store was pitch black, forcing her to flip on the headlight on her new bike as she rolled it into the store.

She avoided the meat and frozen section in favor of dried goods. First, she rolled into the candy section, grabbing several bags of chocolate before moving on. Dried fruit came next, as she didn’t trust the fresh fruit. For protein, she stuffed a bunch of packs of nuts and dried meat in her backpack. On her way out of the dried meat section, she spotted a stand full of nutrition bars grabbing several boxes. Lastly came the part she dreaded, heavy liquids. She bent down to lift a twenty-four pack of water bottles, dropping it on the rack on the back of her bike.

After testing the balance, she turned her bike toward the exit when she heard an ever familiar groan and shuffling. Spooked, she jumped on the bike, flooring it down the aisle as multiple groans answered the first one. The heavy pack of water bottles acted as a sandbag in a trunk, giving her grip on the polished floors but also ruined her balance, causing her to teeter. To aid the motor, she pedaled as fast as she could toward the thankfully still open door.

She let out a sigh of relief as the sun shined down on her. I think I should avoid large grocery stores from now on. A gas station is probably a better bet.

Her cargo laden bike cruised down the street with her pedaling along to save on battery. Every time she weaved around a tree, the bike wobbled, but she kept it upright all the way back to the beach. She parked it in the parking lot with the kickstand as she pushed the boat back into the water before transporting everything onto it. Finally, she rolled the bike through the sand, laying it in the boat. With everything loaded, she pushed off, then gave the motor a swift yank, firing it up.

A few minutes later, she tied the raft to the yacht before transporting everything up into the kitchen area. She opened the fridge but to her disappointment, it wasn’t working. After surveying the appliance for an on switch in vain hope it was just off, she gave up, setting her supplies on the counter before returning to the raft.

She heaved her new bike out of the raft before setting it on the elevator platform, transporting it up to the rear deck. After rolling it over the dirty but cleared wood plank deck, she parked it in the living room area before returning to the rear deck. Another thing added to the list, find some deck furniture. The stupid wave washed everything away. It’s a shame too. The deck had a nice grill and several comfy looking patio chairs. I wish I at least had lights up here. I don’t really want to go back to town, so maybe I’ll futz around with the electrical. Who knows, maybe the issue is as simple as a fuse. I’m glad I took those electrical electives at the community college last year.

Elysia wandered back to the control room, where she spotted a breaker box. She opened it, scanning through the breakers, finding several tripped. The only breakers not tripped were the control console, anchor, engine, and pumps.

First, she flipped the cabin lights, causing them to light up. She did a little happy dance before flipping the exterior lights breaker. After resetting it, she trotted to the console to turn them on, causing lights all over the front deck to light up. She glanced through the back to find the same on the rear deck. Emboldened, she returned to the circuit breaker resetting the kitchen next, hearing the fridge start up. Sweet. Maybe the electrical isn’t as bad as I thought it was. It’s a fancy ocean worthy yacht, so it’s only logical they outfitted it with appliances and wiring resistant to water. I wonder what’s the chances of the sound system and TV working up here. I guess it’s worth a try if it’s isolated. The worst that will happen is the breaker will trip again.

She reset the breaker for the upper living room before rummaging through the compartment under the couch to find a remote. When she pressed the power button, nothing happened, causing her to frown. She walked up to the TV pressing the power button, but again, nothing happened. After seeing there wasn’t a light on the TV, she gave up. Oh well, I don’t really need a TV. I doubt any nearby channels are broadcasting anyway. Though maybe they isolated the evacuation to this area. But if they did, why would sis be out in the ocean somewhere? It would make more sense to evacuate inland.

With the living room being a bust, she returned to the breaker box flipping on the bathroom, but knowing the sink and lights nearby worked, she didn’t bother checking. She scanned the remaining breakers, hesitant to reset them. Should I risk resetting below deck? Sure, the wave battered up here more, but it’s still soggy down there.

Elysia shrugged her shoulders before flipping everything below deck at once. At the top of the stairs, she saw light coming from below, giving her hope. She descended the stairs, stepping on the soggy carpet.

The moment the metal clips at the bottom of her cycling boots contacted the soaked carpet, electrical current coursed through her body, dimming the lights as she collapsed to the carpet, seizing.

The lights exploded, plunging the room into darkness, revealing dimly glowing purple veins running under Elysia’s skin as she stared up at the ceiling in a daze.