The News Of Doom
Eunice POV
While the three of them were enjoying the cool spring air, I stepped outside, gathering tools for measuring doorways, corridors, floors, and walls. I meticulously documented everything on my phone. Afterward, I returned to my personal space, placing all the measuring equipment inside. I stepped into the spring-fed pool, sat against the wall, and closed my eyes. Mentally, I entered my space and began cleaning up a snake carcass. I took the useful materials, placed the unusable organs in a designated corner with the day's trash, and disposed of it. My space automatically disposes of trash every midnight if I put it in the specific corner.
Next, I plowed the fields and planted rice, corn, wheat, and sweet potatoes, crops that fill the stomach quickly. I also organized the storage areas and arranged the cabin to my liking. Time moves much slower within my personal space; everything remains exactly as I leave it. In my past life, I struggled to keep anything alive, but I can always maintain and preserve objects, plants, and non-living things in my space. This was invaluable during the apocalypse when monsters roamed the Earth. After a thorough check and arrangement, I exited my space, finding the three of them still enjoying the pool.
"Alright, it's been two hours. We should head back to the RV; it's getting dark," I announced, stretching and helping them out of the pool.
"But we want to swim some more!" Fiona whined, still lingering by the water's edge.
"We can always come back and swim whenever we want, right, Sissy?" Dahlia enthusiastically said, hugging my thigh.
"Yes, of course, and we can bring things in later too," I smiled, ruffling their hair.
"Noona, this place can be our secret hideaway!" Thomas exclaimed as we all walked out of the cave.
"Let's have a barbecue later, Sissy!" Fiona said, swimming toward the riverbank.
"We can have Korean barbecue instead. I'll handle everything; just sit back and relax and enjoy," Thomas announced, helping us walk back to the van.
"Alright, we'll leave it to you," I replied, heading inside to shower and change into a light sweater, leggings, and socks.
The twins and Thomas showered and changed into pajamas, ensuring thorough cleaning of their bodies and hair. Thomas went outside to start a fire for the barbecue while I and the children prepared the vegetables and meat.
"Noona, I'll take care of the rest," Thomas said, stepping in to take over.
"Okay, we'll go wait outside," I laughed, heading to the refrigerator to get some fruits, washing and chopping them into smaller pieces.
The twins and I enjoyed stargazing by the RV, while I pointed out constellations and how to identify north and east. We munched on the fruits while playing some songs, enjoying the cool night air. After a few minutes, Thomas emerged with a foldable table and placed plates of side dishes, dipping sauces, and thinly sliced meat.
"Should I get soda or root beer?" I asked, noticing the twins' eyes light up at the mention of soda.
"Soda?" Fiona asked, a wide smile spreading across her face.
"Really soda?" Dahlia asked, confirming with a beaming expression.
"Yeah," I nodded. The two of them dashed to the RV, returning with a large bottle of Coke and four cups filled with ice.
"Hihihi, Sissy!" Fiona giggled, handing me the cups of ice-cold soda.
"Sissy," Dahlia grinned, handing me the Coke bottle.
"I change my mind; let's drink water instead." I held up the Coke bottle, as if heading toward the RV.
"Sissy, you already said we're going to do it! No erase!" Dahlia exclaimed, pulling my leg towards the table.
"Noooo!" Fiona cried dramatically, hugging my legs.
"Hahaha!" Thomas and I laughed at their antics.
"Alright, I was joking-so dramatic!" I pinched both their cheeks before filling the four cups with soda.
Thomas began cooking the thin slices of meat while I diligently fed the three of them, ensuring they enjoyed the meal. After dinner, we settled in the living room, huddled together on the carpet with our blankets and pillows. Thomas was on my right, Dahlia on my left, and Fiona in my lap. We decided to watch a movie until late.
"What movie shall we watch?" I asked, scrolling through the list of movies I downloaded onto my flash drive.
"Can we watch Shrek, Sissy?" Dahlia asked, jokingly looking at Fiona.
"Why Shrek? Let's watch The Hunger Games!" Fiona exclaimed, clapping her hands.
"What about you, Tommy? What's your vote?" I asked, looking at him.
"The Hunger Games," he said, looking at me.
"Me too," I said, as Dahlia dramatically stood up, then sat back down, throwing her hands up in a fit of giggles when Thomas tickled her.
"Noona, I want to make some red bean porridge tomorrow for a snack," Thomas said as he adjusted his pillow and found a comfortable position.
"Sure, I'll soak some red beans for you after breakfast," I replied while helping the twins arrange their pillows.
I stood up and grabbed some snacks: a bag of popcorn, a large bag of chips, a pack of cookies, a carton of grape juice, and a liter of bottled water. Once I made sure everyone was comfortable, we settled in to watch movies for the whole night, finishing the entire Hunger Games series, which we all enjoyed together. However, Dahlia and I fell asleep halfway through the last part of the movie, hugging each other.
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Third Person POV
Early in the morning, she woke up, took a quick shower, and changed into a pink tube top and grey skorts. After getting dressed, she went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast, making pancakes, sausages, scrambled eggs, and a fruit bowl for everyone. She also started marinating chicken for lunch before switching on a news channel. After that, she picked up a kilo bag of red beans, soaked them, and covered them with cling wrap.
"Breakfast, everyone!" Eunice called out as she placed the plates on the table.
"Good morning," the three of them replied in unison, yawning as they took their seats.
"Whoa, don't tell me the crazy temperature rise is due to that new star near Earth?" Thomas said, taking a big bite of pancake.
"Sissy, we need to shop more, like the news said, or we'll have no food left," Dahlia suggested, finishing her bowl of fruit.
"Sissy, why don't we just live in that cave instead?" Fiona chimed in, glancing at the news.
"Sissy, people are fighting and doing bad things like stealing. I'm scared," Dahlia said, leaning against her chest.
"Don't worry, your big brother will protect you," Thomas assured them, patting both Fiona and Dahlia on the head.
"Should we start moving our stuff into the cave?" Eunice asked, noticing the growing signs of human greed in the world.
"Yeah, I think so, but with how the water is on the cave's entrance, it'll be hard," Thomas replied, reaching for another pancake.
"How about we make a temporary bridge later and block off the area around the entrance?" Eunice suggested, finishing the leftover food alongside Thomas.
"Sissy, we don't have much food left," Dahlia said, tapping her arm to get her attention.
"Sissy, I'm not feeling well," Fiona suddenly said, looking to Thomas to carry her.
"Oh no, Noona, Fiona has a fever," Thomas said, feeling her forehead.
"Put her to bed, and we'll go get groceries," she instructed as she cleaned up and prepared to leave.
"What's the plan, Noona?" Thomas asked, placing Fiona in his bed since it was the nearest bedroom.
"Can you get me a cooling patch, a basin with cool water, and fever medicine from the bathroom cabinet behind the mirror? Dahlia, sweetie, can you find a loose dress for Fiona?" Eunice asked, taking Dahlia's vital signs just as Thomas returned with the thermometer, pulse oximeter, and blood pressure apparatus, along with the things she had requested.
"Thank you! Can you drive us to the nearest store? Just use the GPS," Eunice added, starting to wipe Fiona's body with the cool water.
"Sissy, here," Dahlia said, handing her the dress.
"Okay, Noona," Thomas said as he walked out, and she changed Fiona's clothes.
"Dahlia, go take a shower," she said as she gave Fiona the fever-reducing medication.
"This must be the power manifestation," she mumbled, realizing that she could feel Dahlia starting to heat up alongside Fiona.
The RV started moving out of the forest in the middle of the day, despite the high temperature. Eunice walked out of the bedroom and explained the plan to Thomas, silently praying that he wouldn't catch a fever as well.
"Are you okay? We'll shop this way, okay? You'll drive around the RV once I step out of the grocery store. Park in front and just open the door-I'll throw in the boxes and bags, and when I jump in, just drive away. I'll manually close the door; don't worry. Just keep driving," she explained, and he nodded.
"Okay, Noona. Be safe, okay?" he said as she gave him a nod in return.
"You can also park far from here in the cool shade," she suggested, handing him an earpiece connected to her own.
"Hello, Noona, can you hear me?" he whispered as he adjusted the earpiece.
"Yeah, I can hear you. Just let me know how far you parked or how far you drive away so I can calculate when to tell you to fetch me, alright? And the red beans are in the sink."
She dashed into the wholesale store, pulling two heavy-duty, large-capacity carts as she navigated different aisles, grabbing as many snacks and food items as she could. While chaos erupted around her with people panicking and grabbing whatever they could find, she discreetly packed boxes into her carts as best as possible. After the natural disaster, she knew that snacks, cigarettes, alcohol, and other unnecessary products would fetch higher prices and earn her more points when donated.
"Hey, that's mine, sir! Go get your own cart!" she heard a woman with a large pregnant belly scream when a burly man took her cart filled with baby products.
"Bitch, you're making a scene over a cart! Just grab another one!" an overweight woman shouted as she ran after the man.
"But can you at least leave the baby essentials I got?" the pregnant woman said as she cradled her belly.
"Sure, heh," the big man replied, as his wife poured the baby items out of the cart and onto the floor.
No one helped the pregnant woman as she silently wiped her tears, trying to organize her things. She asked someone to watch her belongings, but no one accepted. Stressed and panicked, she felt the weight of the world on her shoulders as people cursed at her to move aside, kicking some of her items as they passed. The pregnant woman apologized repeatedly, trying to save as much as she could from the scattered mess.
"Here, let me help," a soft, angelic voice said. The pregnant woman looked up to see a beautiful lady with long black hair-a goddess in her own right, with a beauty that could topple kingdoms.
"Thank you, uh...?" the pregnant woman replied, taking her hand.
"I'm Eunice. You shouldn't be the one out here doing this," Eunice said gently as she began putting the baby items back into the cart: baby bottles, baby food, clothes, newborn diapers, baby wash, wipes, and powders.
"I'm Genie Hans. Thank you so much for your help," the pregnant woman said, attempting to assist Eunice. However, Eunice stopped her.
"Just focus on taking care of yourself and your little one." Eunice said as she pick up the things putting it in the extra cart.
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Eunice POV
I smiled at her, remembering that Genie would likely become a leading figure in the fashion industry, particularly in protective clothing. She once shared her story about how her courage diminished her faith in humanity after a crazy encounter in the supermarket. She had been disowned by her own family due to an unexpected teenage pregnancy-not because of anything malicious, but because her boyfriend was forced to leave the country. Despite being pregnant, she followed him and did everything in her power to find him.
Thinking about my meeting with Thomas was just as shocking. In this post-apocalyptic world, he had become the top architect, rebuilding the new world. His backstory was one of hardship; he lost his grandparents and faced numerous struggles just to survive, all while hoping to reunite with the girl he loved.
"Genie, you shouldn't strain yourself. Let me help you, okay?" I said as I continued to load things into our cart.
"Thank you so much, unnie," Genie replied with a warm smile, her eyes shining with gratitude.
"How did you figure out I'm older?" I asked as we pushed the cart toward the checkout counter.
"The way you talk and how you take care of me reminds me of how my nanny's daughter treated me," she giggled, and I nodded, pulling an empty cart as I sensed a threatening presence around us.
"I see, but I'm in a rush. Can you just go along with my plan?" I asked urgently, noticing several men eyeing us. I began scanning pockets of items I had bought, placing them in the cart.
"Sure, unnie," she replied, her nervousness evident as I nodded reassuringly.
"Okay, here's the deal: when an RV arrives, just jump on and move away from the doorway. If you can, sit in the nearest seat and put your seatbelt on. Don't worry about me-just do it, okay?" I instructed her firmly in a whisper, discreetly sliding a knife onto my belt while I continued to organize the items.
"Yes, yes," she whispered back, helping me with the cart.
"Tom, drive in!" I called out as I finished tapping my card. The moment I heard the payment confirm, I nodded at Genie and gestured toward the RV with my eyebrow.
Once outside, I felt the men following us, though they kept a distance that wasn't overtly threatening. I rushed to throw boxes and packs into the RV, feeling the weight of their presence closing in after Genie climbed aboard. I pushed the cart toward the nearest man as I threw in the last of the items, but when one rushed towards me, I kicked him away.
I swung a punch at another man, tossing in the last bag-baby clothes-just as I drew my knife. I slashed at the closest assailant, who grunted in pain.
"You piece of-" the burly man groaned, clutching his bleeding arm.
"Stay away! Tom, start driving. I'll catch up!" I shouted, landing a punch on another man trying to enter the RV.
"Fuck off!" the wiry man spat as he kicked my abdomen, catching me off guard.
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