Rebirth Before the End: The World Restarts With Us

e was her greatest asset now-every additional second a buffer against the chaos. With disaster loomi

predictable, filled her with a faint sense of control. But she wasn't done yet. She slept sound

or your stainless steel door i

g the flimsy structure of her existing setup. "You're replaci

nough to withstand break-ins,"

to drill into the ceiling

oncerns. "No problem.

long after, another team arrived to replace the windows with explosion-proof glass. S

out, huh?" one of

nd no sign of intervention even when the house had previou

ed doors, reinforced windows, and a secure balcony. Apologizing to her neighbor

ate, she was taken aback to hear Marcus on the other end. His voice, war

birthday party today.

dain barely masked.

ndifference. Now, his sudden attention set off alarm bells. She could hear Tessa's lilting, flirtatious voice in t

her surprise gifts and, worse, her superpower. The thought chilled her. Had Tessa di

The weather was hot and heavy with impending doom. The forecasted storm loom

his vast collection of knowledge. Her heart ached as she selected medical texts, martial arts guides, books on spirituality, food pre

for a moment before blocking his number without hesitati

n her chest. The supermarket was her next stop. She took the elevator

, detergent, disinfectant sprays-anything that would keep her safe when the floodwaters came. Then,

erving food, fermentation kits to make pickles, yogurt, anything to stretch her resource

er. But her instincts told her not to get greedy. She didn't need everything. I

torage compartment with a Repair kits: duct tape, sewing supplies, adhesives. She did

rking lot, her phone rang

closing early. You need t

was roaring outside, and the wind howled in angry waves. The owner, a decent man,

beginning, but Ka

failed to recognize the signs. She had the foresi

ra refrained from any further spending,

g she could-movies, music, life hacks, recipes. Offline maps, disaster first aid guides, tradition

ed out city maps and surrounding areas.

ion popped up fro

delayed a day, but now, with the storm raging, the pa

her. She called the cour

tive explained. "You'll need to pick it up before 7

vive in the coming cold-temperatures would plummet to

usly against the wind, every gust of air a slap to her face. The two-kilometer journey felt l

hed in sweat, disheveled and gasping for breath. The station was a

unged right into the chaos, her eyes scanning t

the sky now a thick, oppressive darkness that seemed to stretch into eternity. Kaelira tightened her grip on the large parcel, bracing herself for the chaotic winds as she stepped outside. Ju

id and steady, as though the storm couldn't

ing that in this storm," he called

station, desperate to find a way out of the worsening storm. She pulled out her phone, refreshing the Uber app repeatedly, adding tips and bon

mmer stuffed to its limit. He turned toward her, eyeing her anx

-shirt, paired effortlessly with faded jeans, The young man appeared to be in his early twenties,. His ruggedly handsome face bore a quiet confidence, framed b

d, her voice steady des

ightly, his voice low a

r face. "I live in Opal Sanctuary. Do you think you

d and opened

g in the passenger seat. She was around four or five, with a timid look. She was dressed in a dark pink d

anymore? Without a second thought, Kaelira sat down and placed the gir

horizon was heavy with gloom, scattered with broken tree branc

ress was clutching onto a telephone pole,

phe had offi