Chapter 1
Stella Linwood's head was splitting.
She jolted awake, the sharp scent of disinfectant mixing with the office's air conditioning. She found herself in the familiar first-floor lobby at work, surrounded by colleagues whose faces were full of panic.
"Stella, you're finally awake. You suddenly collapsed. We were scared out of our minds."
"Should we take you to the hospital? You're as pale as ghost."
The voices buzzed all around Stella, but she stood frozen, her eyes locked onto the digital watch on her wrist: 1:15 PM.
Wait, wasn't she dead?
She died in that year-long storm apocalypse, swept away by the raging flood after the power station collapsed.
She was trapped in filthy water, watching concrete and steel beams crash toward her, unable to even cry out for help.
But now, she'd been reborn.
Reborn with only ten hours left until the world-ending storm arrived.
Later tonight, a once-in-a-century storm would hit Riverton. Two weeks of relentless rain would cause the power station on the city's outskirts to collapse, flooding the city.
Low-lying areas would turn into a sea, and humanity would be twisted by hunger and fear. Survival would become the greatest luxury.
In her earlier life, she was unprepared. Her landlord threw her out. She struggled in standing water, and her body was never discovered.
But this time, she wasn't letting history repeat itself.
*****
"I'm fine, just feeling a bit lightheaded from low blood sugar. Just need some rest," Stella said, pushing herself up from the floor and shoving aside the colleagues crowding around her. "I'm taking the day off. Not coming in today."
Her coworkers tried to say something else, but Stella snatched up her bag and strode out of the office, her fingers gripping the strap so tight they turned white, her heart pounding.
Ten hours. That was enough.
Enough time to stockpile supplies and build a fortress no storm could breach. In that rainstorm apocalypse, she could survive and live well.
She pulled out her phone and dialed her mom, Susan Linwood.
"Mom, pack your things and come to Sunrise Haven right now. Don't ask why, just get here now." Stella's voice was firm and commanding.
Last time, her mom had been trapped in the flood in the old neighborhood, and Stella hadn't even gotten to say goodbye. This time, she was going to protect her mom and herself.
Susan was confused, but she couldn't argue with Stella's insistence. She agreed to pack up and come over right away.
After hanging up, Stella hailed a cab and headed straight for Riverton's biggest wholesale market, her eyes burning with determination.
This time, anyone who dared covet her supplies would pay dearly.
Sunrise Haven was a recently completed residential complex on the outskirts of Riverton, with less than 10% occupancy.
Most of the units were empty, snapped up by property investors. Sitting nearly 66 feet higher than the old city, it was a natural fortress when the storm apocalypse hit.
Stella's apartment was on the 18th floor, the top floor. The building ran one elevator for every two units.
The apartment across the hall hadn't been bought, so she had the whole floor to herself. Privacy and security didn't get any better than that.
That was exactly why she'd insisted on buying here in the first place. Quiet, out of the way, perfect for surviving on her own when the world fell apart.
The wholesale market was packed. Stella made a beeline for the grain and oil section, spotted Dylan Carter, her usual supplier, and didn't waste any time dropping a huge order.
She rattled off, "Mr. Carter, I want 50 bags of potatoes, 30 bags of flour, 20 gallons of olive oil, ten gallons of canola oil, five cases of every seasoning you've got.
"Ten cases each of soy sauce, vinegar, and cooking wine, 20 bags of salt, and 15 bags of sugar."
Dylan paused, looking at her in disbelief. "Stella, that's a ton of stuff. Are you running a restaurant or something?"
"No, I'm opening a convenience store at Sunrise Haven. Just rented a spot, so I need to stock up," Stella said, keeping her cool and tossing out a quick excuse.
"We'll be doing this long term, so give me your best price. Deliver everything to the temporary storefront at Sunrise Haven by three this afternoon, and I'll pay when it arrives," she added.
She'd come up with the convenience store excuse ages ago. It could let her stockpile supplies out in the open, without anyone getting suspicious.
Seeing a long-term opportunity, Dylan agreed right away and called his staff to start packing up the goods.
Stella moved at full speed, heading straight for the frozen food section. She ordered 50 pounds of frozen pork, 30 pounds of frozen beef, 200 pounds each of frozen chicken legs and wings, 50 pounds of frozen shrimp.
She also bought 20 cases each of frozen pizza, waffles, and ravioli, 100 dozens of shelf-stable eggs, and 50 dozens of goose eggs.
She then rushed over to the instant foods aisle, stocking up on 20 cases of each flavor of instant mac & cheese, 30 cases each of canned chili, canned beef stew, and canned baked beans.
She also stocked up on 50 cases each of ham sausages, fish sticks, and dill pickles, 20 pounds each of summer sausage, cured ham, and smoked salmon, plus ten cases each of vacuum-packed deli meats and BBQ pulled pork.
At the beverage section, she stocked 50 cases of bottled water, 20 cases of milk, 10 cases of yogurt, five cases of each soft drink, and 10 barrels of purified water.
That was enough for the mother and daughter to drink for most of the year.
In the toiletries section, she stocked up on ten bottles each of shampoo, body wash, and conditioner, 50 sets of toothpaste and toothbrushes, 30 towels, 10 bags each of laundry detergent and laundry powder, and 20 bars of soap.
She also stocked up on 50 packs of toilet paper, 20 packs of wet wipes, and 10 cases of feminine products.
She moved through the market like she was on autopilot, never stopping for a break. If it was durable or useful, she took it all. The vendors, seeing her generous spending, welcomed her warmly and promised to deliver everything right on schedule.
After leaving the wholesale market, Stella headed straight for the pharmacy. She grabbed ten boxes of every common medicine—cold meds, fever reducers, antibiotics, painkillers, diarrhea pills, band-aids, iodine, gauze, and alcohol.
She also picked up vitamins, calcium tablets, probiotics, motion sickness pills, and mosquito repellent. By the time she finished, she had two massive boxes stuffed full.
Next was the hardware store. She bought ten of the strongest deadbolt locks, five combination locks, ten hot glue guns, 100 hot glue sticks, two folding shovels, and two fire axes.
She also bought ten high-powered flashlights, 50 batteries, 20 rechargeable desk lamps, two small generators, and ten cans of gasoline.