Chapter 2: Space Upgrade

Evelyn POV

I pulled into the underground garage of the Pacific Heights house and killed the engine, but didn't get out right away.

The trunk was crammed with today's haul—beef, bottled water, canned goods, first aid kits, and two cases of emergency ration bars.

I opened the door, walked around back, and started transferring everything into the ring's space, piece by piece.

With each item, a mechanical chime sounded in my mind.

Ding—one pack of toilet paper, $42.99.

Ding—twelve rolls of heavy-duty bin bags, $67.50.

Ding—eight packs of disinfecting wipes, $94.00.

Ding—twenty-four bottles of drinking water, $18.99.

The numbers stacked up like a running tally inside my head.

“Once the total supplies exceed one thousand US dollars, the space will expand to ten square meters.”

Just as the space was stuffed full, it suddenly expanded inside my mind.

Ten square meters of storage space.How much supplies could this hold?

The system prompt followed immediately: Space upgrade complete. Next milestone: accumulate valid supplies worth over $10,000 to unlock thirty square meters.

I stood there in the garage, a faint smile tugging at my lips.

I loaded the rest of the supplies into the space, then climbed back into the driver's seat to test the system's logic.

I tried placing my phone inside—silence.

I withdrew it and tried my wallet next, cash and cards included. Still nothing.

I frowned, shifting my hand to check the ring on my wrist. Still no response.

I stared at the ring for a good ten seconds, and the answer surfaced on its own: the system only recognized things that could save your life in the apocalypse.

Today I'd hit four locations—a warehouse club, a medical supply wholesaler, an outdoor gear chain, and a gas station.

By the time I got back that evening, the space had grown to a hundred and twenty square meters—bigger than the combined living and dining rooms of this house.

I'd burned through nearly a million of the three million dollars. Two million left.

I'd already set my priorities: seventy percent for food and water, twenty percent for medicine and first aid supplies, and the last ten percent for tools—flashlights, batteries, lighters, rope, water purification tablets.

In the apocalypse, a can of beans, a bottle of clean water, or a box of amoxicillin could buy a life at any moment.

Tomorrow I'd stockpile for one more full day.

The day after, I needed to figure out how to get to Los Angeles and find Ethan.

I pulled the car into the driveway, and the moment I cut the engine, I saw someone standing on the front steps.

Kayla Bennett.

White face mask, light brown curls, doe eyes, wearing a pale pink athletic jacket, clutching her phone and pacing back and forth on the steps with an anxious, aggrieved expression

But she had a heart more vicious than anyone I'd ever known.

"Evelyn, do you really think Derek Hall likes you?"

"Let me tell you—we've been together for a long time. The only reason Derek stayed with you was because you were willing to spend money on him..."

Cutting straight to the soul.

Before I was shoved into that horde of zombies, Kayla Bennett's venomous words had echoed in my ears.

My best friend and the boyfriend I'd dated for two years—they came from the same town. Back then, I'd naively called it fate.

Turns out, the fool was me all along.

At the thought, my hands clenched into fists, a cold gleam flashing in my eyes. I wanted nothing more than to kill that woman right now.

But killing her now would be too easy.

Every suffering I endured in the apocalypse, every pain—I would make Kayla Bennett and Derek Hall experience them all, one by one.

And there was something else I wanted Kayla to taste: the flavor of betrayal by the one you love most.

At that thought, I smiled.

I stepped out of the car and walked into the circle of light cast by the porch lamp, lifting my chin with practiced ease. "Kayla? What are you doing here?"

Kayla hurried over, her voice tinged with reproach. "Where have you been? I texted you and you didn't answer, I called and you didn't pick up—I was worried sick—"

She reached out to loop her arm through mine.

I sidestepped without making a fuss, casually pulling my keys from my pocket as though I were just looking for the lock.

"Went out to pick up some things. Phone was on silent and I didn't notice."

I slid the key into the lock. "The flu's been pretty bad lately—is that why you're wearing a mask?"

Kayla nodded, her tone full of concern as she said the virus was spreading fast and told me not to go out so much.

Then, out of habit, she leaned toward the door—for two years, she'd come and gone from this house without ever needing an invitation.

I rested my forearm lightly against the doorframe. The door opened only a crack.

I caught something flicker in Kayla's eyes.

Something I'd never noticed before.

Kayla said Derek couldn't reach me and asked her to check in, her tone carrying a hint of expectation she hadn't quite managed to hide.

I laughed inwardly.

In my past life, every time Derek and I fought, Kayla would show up immediately, gently mediate between us, and glue the two of us back together.

Back then, I thought it was friendship.

"Did something happen between you two? Did you fight?"

Kayla asked, her eyes filled with just the right amount of concern.

"No."

I shrugged. "I just got tired of it. Two people get tired of each other, so they break up."

Kayla froze for a second.

"Tired of it?"

She repeated the phrase like she hadn't understood.

"Yeah."

I narrowed my eyes slightly, smiling calmly. "And do me a favor and let him know—I canceled the lease on his apartment this afternoon. He needs to move out by tomorrow."

I saw an expression cross Kayla's face that I'd never seen before—not worry. Panic.

She opened her mouth to say something, but I'd already closed the door.

The door shut in Kayla's face.

She and Derek were both from small towns, and San Francisco's cost of living had left them barely able to breathe.

I was the one who'd found Derek that apartment, subsidized his living expenses every month, and even tried to convince Ethan to let Derek move into this house—Ethan had refused outright, and I'd fought with my brother over it for ages.

The old me would never have said something like "tired of it."

I stood at the second‑floor window and pulled the curtain aside just a crack. I could see outside clearly without them spotting me. Through the glass, I spotted two figures on the sidewalk below, talking in low voices

Kayla hadn't made it far outside the neighborhood when a figure climbed out of a parked car and hurried after her.

It was Derek.

I let the curtain fall shut, turned around, and picked up my phone.

These two weren't worth any more of my time.

I just wanted to find my brother.

I opened my laptop and searched for flights from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

All canceled.

I frowned and switched to trains—Amtrak suspended.

Long-distance buses—no schedules available.

I pulled up a news aggregator, and the keywords jumped out at me one after another: highway closures, flight cancellations, the Bay Area entering a "weather advisory state."

The official statement was carefully worded, citing "an approaching severe weather system expected to persist for an extended period" and advising residents to avoid non-essential travel.

So we were trapped inside the city.

Why hadn’t I noticed this in my past life?

I sat up straight, reopened the laptop, and began searching for every possible alternative route out of the Bay Area—private airfields, harbors, mountain roads.

Two days until the apocalypse.

I had to find a way out before then.