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APOCALYPTIC WORLD - 7 HOURS LATER.
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After a major remodeling for the old, dilapidated store, Alexander found himself sweating profusely, but with a satisfied expression. The store was as clean and fully stocked as in its prime, shelves full of neatly arranged supplies, every can gleaming under the fluorescent lights, and the floor so spotless you could almost eat off it.
Alexander wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and let out a long sigh of relief. Using his pocket dimension for hours, even for small things, still brings its minor annoyances, like that slight tingling sensation every time he uses it.
He walked at a relaxed pace down his newly inaugurated center aisle, enjoying the absolute contrast. Outside, the world was still a dark pit of Black Fog and infernal heat; inside, the air conditioning was running at full blast, and it smelled pleasantly of pine cleaner.
He approached the beverage cooler, took out a bottle of ice-cold water, and drank it almost in a single gulp.
"That's better," he muttered, making the empty plastic bottle disappear directly into his spatial inventory with a simple thought. "Now that the place is clean, how am I going to get people to come here?"
He settled into the padded chair he had installed behind the checkout counter and propped his feet up on the table, crossing his ankles.
The store now shone like a giant beacon in the middle of the dark wasteland. The biggest contrast you will see in the apocalypse, since outside all the buildings were in complete darkness; the sun was at its peak and would soon begin its descent.
Alexander knew perfectly well that so much light, background noise, and the smell of food would attract things much worse than the three slow zombies from the morning. However, with his spatial power covering every inch of the glass like an invisible wall, he wasn't worried in the slightest. Besides, the idea from the beginning was to see if there were humans here and negotiate; if there were only mindless zombies, unless he got a tank in his world and the heaviest weapons to move around, there was no way he would come back here.
He rested his hands behind the nape of his neck, looking toward the main door with a calm smile, almost wishing that something big enough would try to break in and bother him.
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Thirty minutes had passed, and approximately thirty zombies were gathering outside the doors, stopped by a strange force that prevented them from advancing. Alexander calmly chewed on some skewers he had been making while he waited. He had activated the domain to be completely safe while waiting for survivors, but the only thing he had seen in this half hour were approaching zombies. He had also noticed that the number of zombies was minimal here. Either they were gathered somewhere else, this place was sparsely populated, or the zombies had been hunted down a long time ago.
There are many possibilities, but since he didn't know which was the most likely, he stopped thinking about them and continued eating.
BAAAM
A small explosion of fire, and all the zombies were carbonized on the spot; Alexander showed a surprised expression at the sudden burst of flames.
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Outside the store.
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"Are there still people who dare to open a store in this hellish world?" A girl approached the illuminated store with a surprised expression, as if she truly couldn't believe someone would be idiotic enough to bare their thigh to a hungry tiger.
"Well, what does it matter, this will be my gain anyway." A smile bloomed on her face, and she walked up to the doors of the store. Just as she tried to push it open, nothing happened, and she felt herself being repelled; even the heat emanating from her hands had disappeared when she touched the doors, leaving her surprised.
"You are an awakened too," the girl stated as she watched Alexander, who was approaching with a bottle of beer in his hand. "Is this your power?"
Alexander remained silent as he evaluated her: a beautiful, tall girl, almost as tall as him, and he was 1.95 meters. Sky-blue hair tied back in a ponytail, white skin, gray eyes, slightly tanned skin, and she was wearing clothes that, incredible as it might sound, were as bundled up as if it were a freezing winter day in this hellish climate; you could die of heatstroke, yet this girl was dressed as warmly as in the winter season. Could it be that she's sick in the head and can't distinguish between cold and heat?
"My name is Valéry, boy. How much does this cost?"
"Everything costs gold."
'What era are we in? Who still uses those useless things?' Valéry couldn't help but scoff in her mind and stared intently at the boy in front of her. 'Is he pulling my leg?' Gold is the most useless thing in these times, and this boy really wants to exchange such precious resources for a useless mineral?
Alexander knew her thoughts just by looking at the change in her expression. Wasn't this the exact same expression those old men made when he told them that no girl would reject him, even if he were fat?
"I only accept gold; if you don't have any, you can go on your way and not bother me." Alexander answered her and didn't look at her again. 'Poor girl, even in the apocalypse she doesn't carry any gold; what a sad life she must live.' He couldn't help but feel sorry for her, but he didn't show it outwardly; it was a simple thought of pity toward someone who was really having a hard time, but without any intention of helping her—to each their own fortunes and misfortunes.
Bam
A fireball crashed against the doors and vanished instantly; Alexander looked at the girl expressionlessly.
"How much are these instant noodles?" the girl asked, with a bit of regret because the doors didn't break.
"One hundred grams of gold a bowl." Alexander answered. She might not have money right now, but she could very well go out and look for some; with her skills, she is more than capable of doing it—she is somewhat strong from what he noticed earlier.
"A hundred grams? Even if gold is as valuable as scrap metal right now, it is still hard to come by," the girl couldn't help but say in annoyance. Does he think gold grows on trees just because we are in the apocalypse?
"You have the right not to buy." That was the simple response Valéry received. Alexander took out his phone and put on some offline games; after all, there was no Wi-Fi network in this world and he had nothing else to entertain himself with, apart from talking to this girl who apparently had no one to complain to and was now coming to take it out on him.
While playing, he made the grill open up, and the smoke from the meat in the aisles reached all the way to the ceiling; he grabbed a skewer and ate it all in one bite, and with another, he threw the meat into the bowl of noodles he had in front of him.
Valéry swallowed hard involuntarily as she watched him eat. When was the last time she had eaten a hot meal? Normally, she survived on canned goods and bars she had found. Not even the animals were edible anymore; with all the beasts evolving, who knew what kind of effect it would have on them.
Grrr
The faint growl of her stomach made Valéry blush with embarrassment. Even though the sound was faint, in this silent wasteland where even a pin dropping to the ground could be heard, her noise was heard as clearly as if it had been out loud.
Alexander acted as if he had heard nothing and went about his business.
"I don't have that much gold right this instant. Can I pay later?"
"Go and look for gold. When you have it, come to me and we'll do business; I don't do credit." This was the simple reply from Alexander, who pushed his noodles aside and focused on the game. He wasn't here to do charity, and in two hours he would have to leave; who knows if she could bring the gold before he left, or if she was even going to follow through and bring it. 'But I could also motivate her.' With a small smile,
Alexander approached a shelf, took one of the sausages that were there, and headed to the doors of the store. Then he threw it onto the ground outside the store, right in front of Valéry, watching with expectation to see what she would do.
Valéry's body froze instantly. The insult directed at her was more than obvious, but how long had it been since she ate meat? Something real with nutrients that would not only feed her enough to keep her walking, but that also tasted good and satisfied her hunger. She had learned a long time ago that pride didn't fill your stomach.
After barely 10 seconds, she grabbed the sausage from the ground, took off the wrapper, and finished it in 3 bites. Alexander marveled; in 10 seconds, hunger won over dignity. What else could he make others do in exchange for food? He couldn't help but think, honestly this is entertaining. Coming from a world where women believed they were entitled to what was theirs and what was yours, with that mentality where even the fat and ugly ones had that entitlement, it was somewhat entertaining to see them crawling for some food.
'I must have some sort of strange fetish for humiliating others.' He couldn't help but wonder, because he was truly enjoying this moment; it is like when you eat a dish that you previously refused to eat because you thought you wouldn't like it, but when you do, that food becomes your favorite.