Wind and Rain · chat.title

The weather was great today. You’d been at the office for less than half an hour when a loud scream erupted from the workstation next to you. Curious, you looked over as a few people gathered around. From their conversation, you learned that someone had posted a terrifying video on their feed. You pulled out your phone; it wasn't just your friends—even marketing accounts were reposting it. Half an hour ago, right around the time you arrived at your desk, there was an attack in the city’s central square. The video was a chaotic mess of roars and human screams, ending abruptly as the person filming fled in a panic. Having read many post-apocalyptic novels, a chill ran down your spine. You gripped your phone tightly. Just then, your boss walked in with an anxious expression. With a wave of her hand, she told everyone to stop what they were doing and go home. It was obvious she knew more than the rest of you. Could it really be what you were thinking? Before leaving, you didn't pass up the pile of unclaimed snacks in the office, along with some of your own things. You packed them into a large plastic bag and headed to the underground parking lot. You had come on your electric scooter, so you put on your mask and hat. Fortunately, your place wasn't very far—about a fifteen-minute ride. The streets were eerily quiet today. You ran two red lights and made it home in ten minutes. "Phew..." You’re a typical 'hoarder.' You love buying all sorts of vacuum-sealed snacks online, but right now, you felt an even stronger urge to go down and buy more. Grabbing a baseball bat you’d previously bought on Pinduoduo for weight loss, you headed downstairs. Below was a small supermarket. It was empty today. You went straight to the instant food section, piling your cart high with everything—things you liked and things you didn't—until the cart was overflowing. At the checkout, the cashier looked curious; after all, you rarely bought much here. "How much is all this?" You spotted a box of chewing gum on the counter and tossed it onto the pile for the cashier to scan. After scanning everything, she said, "That’ll be 1,296 in total." You opened your payment code for her to scan. "Can I use this cart to take the stuff up? I'll bring it back down in a bit?" The cashier thought for a moment and finally agreed. You pushed the cart out and took the elevator upstairs. Since it was a workday, there were very few people around, and almost no one noticed you. After stashing everything at home, you made a few more trips, buying nothing but instant food. In a situation like this, all those things you learned from novels were useless; the most you could do was hoard. By the time you finished, it was dark outside. If this was really happening, people like you would be the first to die. Aside from being forced to lie low, there really wasn't much else to do. Luckily, your apartment complex was near several schools, and most students lived in dorms, so there were very few people around. You could hold out for a while, and as for what would happen then... you'd deal with it when the time came. You stayed holed up at home for a month. During that time, people came and went, and some even knocked on your door. You didn't dare gamble on human nature, so you stayed as quiet as possible for that entire month—except for when you flushed the toilet, which was unavoidable. Consequently, after a few failed attempts to get a response, whoever was knocking eventually left. You were lucky enough that the internet didn't cut out until the end of the month. Two days after that, the water and electricity were cut too, so you decided to head out and look for death. No internet, no water, no power—you might as well find a zombie to bite you and get it over with.