"Something bigger?" Austin turned his attention to Thalira.
"You know, electricity is abruptly cut off in some places and disasters such as heavy storms and earthquakes have been happening lately. Maybe you and Mr. Brown should stock a lot of food at home?" Thalira suggested. "Better to stock a lot. Months or even years of supplies."
"I will think about it later." He nodded. "Thank you for your reminder."
Then the two entered Austin's car, heading to the antique shop. Thalira decided to talk to him about the ammunition now before they arrived at Mr. Brown's antique shop. Lest she needed to explain to that troublesome old man.
After Austin heard about Thalira's plan to buy some weapons, he looked shocked. "What do you need it for?"
Thalira was quick-witted. She pursed her lips; a look of fear crossed her face. Her voice turned smaller with a bitter tone. "I have also heard of people turning crazy and biting people like the man earlier. It's so scary. If I meet someone like that or a disaster strikes and I get surrounded by such people…"
Thalira paused, and she shuddered. "I am afraid that I won't be able to survive."
Austin visibly gripped the steering wheel tightly. After a while, he told her, "I will talk to my eldest brother about it. It's him who has the contract of some weapon dealers."
He subconsciously rubbed his wrist and continued to look at the road. The slight graze by the crazy man earlier was throbbing madly, like an itch he couldn't scratch. Even so, he kept a straight face.
Thalira was looking at the window, at the scenery outside. The mood in the car became oddly heavy, like there was an invisible sense of tension and oppression.
Each of them contemplated in silence regarding the unknown future.
***
Thalira brought more antiques for Mr. Brown, but the old man's mood didn't seem as lively as before. Like there was something was weighing his mind.
She only stayed there briefly before she went back. Evelyn had called and requested to meet her. After promising Mr. Brown to bring some more of her antique collection, she bid them farewell.
"Thalira, you are here." Evelyn waved at her and jogged over. Then she dragged Thalira over to an empty bench.
"Sit." Evelyn smiled after she cleaned the bench for her. They were currently in the university park, where people usually take a peaceful walk. "How have you been? We haven't seen you for a while."
"Yes." Thalira nodded. "Sorry, I have been busy."
"That's fine." Evelyn bit her lips, and her hand flew to her mouth. Now she was biting her nails as silence blanketed both of them. Thalira noticed her nervousness.
"Is anything alright, Evelyn?" Thalira took the initiative to ask.
"Uh…" Evelyn scratched the back of her head and she lowered her head, looking like she was ashamed. After a while, she finally spoke. "You have heard that more and more people have caught some sort of infectious disease lately, right? My little brother is also sent to the hospital this week."
There was a slight pause before Evelyn continued. "We have used all our savings to pay for his medical bills, but it still can't cover his treatment." Her voice became lower, and a blush of shame appeared on her cheeks. "Can you help us?"
Her face was painted with a look of expectation. Thalira's heart softened a bit. She thought Evelyn was such a caring sister. She was even willing to put away her feeling of shame in asking for help from a friend.
It reminded her of her sister…
Thalira forcefully suppressed the longing in her heart and turned to Evelyn. "How much do you need?"
"It's around two million points." Evelyn bit her lips. "Do you have it? If it's too much, then any amount you are willing to lend to me is fine. I promise that I will return it to you."
"That's fine." Thalira waved it off. "Send me your bank account number."
She went back after dealing with Evelyn.
Tossing her body to the cold floor, she entered her inner world, finding herself laying on the green grassy land. She stared at the sky, bright and sunny. Unlike the situation outside, where the weather was so unpredictable.
A layer of mist, often mistaken as pollution, permeated the sky. People wouldn't realize it, but that would be the first sign of the apocalypse. The fog would slowly become more thick and trigger the dormant zombie virus.
Thalira lit the fire in her hand and started to train her control ability. With her mind, she commanded it to get bigger and bigger. The scarlet flame wrapped around her hand like a beautiful flower.
She tried to put more energy into the fire, and it grew slightly, enveloping her entire palm. Then a few seconds passed. It died. Thalira snorted, lying down comfortably as the sun bathed her. Still, her mood was a bit sullen.
With a heavy heart, she found out that this body was so weak. A slight exposure to cold and she could get sick for days. Even just a brief fight with that crazy John earlier made her body ache all over.
The excellent news was that, as long as she wasn't too lazy to train, she would get stronger and become a top powerhouse like the original owner in the future. It was good. Most cats were lazy, but she wasn't a lazy cat. Wait, she meant a tiger!
She was a diligent tiger!
***
"What happened?" As soon as she entered the antique shop, her heart started to beat erratically. She stood on alert at the sight of a few unfamiliar men. Her first thought was that the old man, Mr. Brown, had done a wicked deed and someone reported it. Those people would be the one assigned to search and seize his antique shop.
"Come here, Thalira." Austin had a complicated look on his face. As Thalira slowly came over, he gestured to a stern-looking man with a sharp gaze sitting on a chair. "This is my eldest brother, Jaxon Brown."
Ah, he turned out to be a Brown family member. Then, Mr. Brown was still safe.
Austin cleared his throat awkwardly as Jaxon pulled up a stiff smile. "He said that before he gives you the contact number of some weapon dealers, he needs to ask you something first."
"Yes, little miss. I have some questions for you." Jaxon nodded. "I hope that you can answer it. Don't worry though, we won't force you if it's inconvenient for you, but we would really appreciate it if you do."
There were some more people in the room, like six men with camouflage uniforms, obviously from the military. They were also looking at her expectantly.
Thalira swallowed, and asked him, "What is it, Sir?"
"You can just call me Jaxon." His smile appeared more natural. He pulled out a familiar book from his bag and showed it to Thalira. It was the second book they had sold that day, the one about strange mutated creatures.
The book depicted numerous images of various beasts. There was a small explanation at the bottom, explaining the changes of an ordinary animal which slowly gained intelligence into becoming a demon. There was also an important note about the weakness of each animal.
In this world, the evolution of animals turning into demons would be similar to the effect of the apocalypse mutation.
"Do you recognize this book?" Jaxon asked.