Aya blew out a breath as she summoned her determination to step outside her studio. She had woken up, eaten some breakfast and gotten dressed in her temporary battle gear, broom included. She figured she would first see what Marybeth’s and Jack’s apartments had to offer before grabbing bags to carry it. She did not want to burden herself unnecessarily. But now that it was time to leave, she found herself hesitant. Why do the ideas you came up with just before sleep sound so much better in the evening than in the morning? She grumbled to herself.

Nonetheless, her determination, or stubbornness, wasn’t so weak as to give in to the voice inside her head yelling to go back to bed or to do something besides stepping outside the room. Maybe knitting might someday be a useful thing? Snorting, she shook her head before checking to see if she really had everything she needed. Slightly reassured by the act, she slowly opened her door and checked the hallway. Nothing special popped out. She stealthily (ha) made her way over to Marybeth’s apartment. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and slipped through.

Am I becoming one of those heavy breathers? She idly wondered as she clicked on her flashlight to dispel any shadows lurking in the corners. Luckily, she didn’t find anything strange, beside a small lingering smell of death and feces. Trying hard not to linger on that memory, she started her looting. Hoarding of useful things? Acquiring the goods? She pondered silently to distract herself from the fact she was riffling through a dead person’s belongings. Although she rationally knew that Marybeth wouldn’t have minded and if she did, well she wasn’t capable of protesting (unless ghosts were real!?), it still felt wrong. Yet another thing to go used to, she thought to herself. I’m not going through her underwear drawer though! Apocalypse or not, there are limits and I draw the line at granny panties. Or worse, something else than granny wear…

In the end, Aya probably spent a few hours raiding Marybeth’s apartment. She had to force down her gag reflex as she quickly looked through the bathroom, but other than that it went fine. She had a lot of stuff she might need. From shampoo (thank God those plastic bottles didn’t disappear), toilet paper, and cleaning supplies to a few sturdy kitchen knives, more paper, and herbs, it was a small treasure trove. She also collected things she probably didn’t need, like more towels and blankets, but you never knew! She had made several stacks based on their use, leaving the perishable foods in the still slightly cold fridge. To her delight, she also found several cans of beans, corn and other canned vegetables. She had at least a week of balanced meals in front of her and some random things. All-in-all, she felt it was a successful hunt. Which was even made better when she found two shopping trolleys in a closet, which she gladly made use of as she stuffed them full of goodies.

After putting the supplies from Marybeth’s apartment away, she received a new notification.

Notice.

Your skill organization has levelled up. Your skill is now at level 2.

It seemed kind of easy to upgrade skills, although she still doubted its use. She didn’t feel any different now that the skill had levelled up. She shrugged it off as she went to Jack’s apartment, which was two doors down from her own. She carefully swept through the apartment first, wanting no surprises. Just to be sure, she even killed a tiny spider which was lurking in its web in a corner of the living room. She shuddered as she imagined a mutated spider the size of a dog. ‘Bug removal just got bumped up on the priority list!’ she fervently exclaimed. Luckily, it was all she encountered. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot of useful things in Jack’s apartment. Clothes that were way too big to be of any use for her, the standard cleaning supplies she already had enough of and a box of cereal. She did gather a baseball bat, a set of tools, some more cutlery, matches and a slightly worn backpack. She was still slightly disappointed, but at least it was something.

Eventually, Aya was back in her own studio, eating a random mix of perishable food for lunch. She pondered her next move. It would be a waste of food to not try to get to the rest of the apartments on her floor. ‘I could go to each apartment and only take the perishables. And come back later for a better look. Although I’m not sure what I’ll need. More water, especially since I’m starting to smell myself… Food is always good to have more of. Maybe some more clothes my size for better protection. More guns and ammo in the hope that those still work. Let’s see… What am I forgetting?’. Aya made a frustrated groan. ‘How the hell should I know? Food, water, and shelter, but then what? I don’t want to stay here indefinitely. I need to see what happened to my family. Besides, they sure as hell would know more about what to do than I do. Plus, our family property has about everything you would need. And if not, I’m sure Granite Falls would have it.’

‘But how far is it on foot? It’s about an hour by car. I think like 60-80 kilometres? So that would mean… about 16 hours of walking if I maintain a speed of 5 km/h. But that’s assuming I can maintain that speed, and don’t encounter any monsters or crashes. Not to mention I need to eat and rest in a safe place in between. So, I guess it’s more like a 2-day trek?’. She rubbed her face with a hand. ‘At least I have a goal to work towards instead of just gathering supplies and stay holed up. Can’t say I’m overfilled with joy.’.

Aya grumbled some more as she finished her breakfast. ‘So, what do I need to make the journey? Food and water for 2 days. Camping gear since it’s still cold outside. Protection against monsters and, God forbid, looters.’. She felt sick even thinking about the possibility of having to fight against other people, simply for some supplies that could be found everywhere. But she needed to be prepared just in case. People did strange things when they are afraid. She slowly started to pace. ‘I have to make sure it doesn’t get too heavy though. The water alone will weigh 5 kilograms for those 2 days. And I have to carry it on my back. Unless I take one of the shopping trolleys with me. But would that slow me down or make too much noise?’. She groaned and pinched her nose. ‘I guess I need to make a trial run. Would be smart anyway, to see what the situation outside is. Can’t go running around like some headless chicken. Okay. Okay. I think this is manageable.

Step 1. Gather enough good and water for 2 full days.

Step 2. Gather more weaponry. Maybe even built a spear or something.

Step 3. Gather or make a proper protective outfit.

Step 4. Go outside to see what the situation is.

Step 5. Gather adequate camping gear. I’ll see what’s available before making any decisions.

Step 6. Do a trial run with everything I’ve gathered.’

‘It would be really nice if I could find some more people who are willing to come with me. But why would they? Unless they have friends or family there… I guess I’ll cross that bridge when necessary.’. She stopped pacing. ‘Alright, I guess I have my objectives. Technically, I already have enough food right now, but I rather have too much fresh food and binge on it. So, breaking into apartments it is.’. A shudder ran down her spine. ‘I think I just felt my parents roll in their grave…’ Aya joked.