And in the quiet mountain estate—
Suzie forced Reed to play board games all the while Sophia cooked elaborate meals from their abundant supplies with Elise complaining about being bored.
Reed stood on the balcony that night after the heat finally stabilized at catastrophic levels worldwide.
...
Second day of the Solar flare.
The shutters lifted slightly, revealing a sky tinted faintly red from atmospheric disturbance.
The first phase had begun, but they... were untouched.
Suzie stepped beside Reed quietly.
"For once," she said softly, "I'm glad you're paranoid."
Reed glanced at her, his gaze was asking if she was being humourous pr just purely lame.
With a pout, she bumped her shoulder against his.
"Whatever you call it… i ain't einstein, got that or want some more, hmph~."
'Women.'
He looked back at the burning horizon while inwardly muttering.
Suzie crossed her arms as if she could hear his thoughts.
"What was that look for?"
"Nothing," Reed replied calmly.
"Hmph."
She leaned on the balcony railing, staring at the strange sky. The sun had already dipped below the mountains, yet the horizon still glowed with a faint crimson hue.
The solar radiation had altered the atmosphere, leaving the sky tinted like a permanent sunset.
Suzie spoke after a moment.
"So… what now?"
Reed didn't answer immediately.
Below them, the estate lights quietly flickered on one by one. Motion sensors triggered soft illumination across the courtyard and outer walls.
The security cameras rotated slowly, scanning the perimeter.
Everything functioned perfectly, exactly as he had planned, but remaining inside forever wasn't part of the plan. After a moment he spoke.
"Tomorrow... I'm going out."
Suzie turned her head towards him, her brows knitted together.
"Going out as in… the outside in the outside of the outside?"
"???"
*SIGH*
"something i feel frightened by you genius."
[A/N: No god king was harmed. (⌐■_■)]
Suzie just puffed out his chest in pride.
"He wasn't praising you, you idiot."
Sophia rebuked instantly, annoyed by her daughter's too much innocence factor then questioned Reed.
"Why would you go outside when the world is currently trying to barbecue itself?"
Reed leaned against the railing, expression relaxed.
"There are some things i hide from you before, but now i think, is the right time to tell you... The thing is..."
As he spoke, Sophia and Suzie's expression became more and more grave and by the end of it, their faces had turned ashen.
"W-w-what if, i-its all a dr-eam?!?"
After a long while, Sophia spoke, stuttering in nervousness.
Reed sigh faintly.
"I also hoped that would be the case, but it isn't as you can now see."
"The first phase 'Solar flare' won't last forever, the solar radiation spike will gradually stabilize within a few weeks but the damage it caused will stay and it will only continue to increase."
Suzie frowned slightly.
"So?"
"So, that damage will create opportunities and that's what I am after."
Reed continued, his gaze drifted toward the distant mountains.
...
When night came, the temperature lowered considerably, but still harmful in a long term.
Reed stood in the garage wearing light tactical gear.
Jacked with breathable combat pants, reinforced boots, gloves, and a light vest hidden under a casual jacket. A handgun rested holstered beneath the jacket, he was ready.
Sophia stood nearby, arms folded.
"How far are you going?"
"There's a small city about two hours away."
"Two hours? That's your idea of a short trip?"
"For rural China, that's basically next door."
Reed grabbed a pair of sunglasses, completely his setup while Sophia stepped closer out of concern, helping him.
"Will it be dangerous?"
Reed chuckled softly.
"Don't worry."
"That sentence never ends well," Suzie muttered half-heartedly, not trying to show the concern hidden in her heart.
Reed opened the SUV door.
"I'll be back as soon as I can."
Sophia held his gaze for a moment, then nodded.
"Be careful."
Suzie added immediately.
"And don't die because that would be extremely inconvenient for us."
Reed smirked.
"I'll try my best not to."
...
The road down the mountain was quiet.
Normally there would be farmers, motorcycles, trucks transporting goods.
Now, not a single soul.
The solar flare had disrupted communication satellites and electrical infrastructure. Some areas had power, others were completely dark.
Reed drove steadily through the winding mountain roads.
Elise suddenly appeared floating in the passenger seat.
"You're finally leaving the house."
Her tone sounded half excited, half relieved.
"I was starting to think we'd become mountain hermits."
Reed kept his eyes on the road, just a slight smirk confirmed his acknowledgement.
The apocalypse would not be survived alone. Even the strongest individual would eventually run into limits like information networks, trades and most importantly, manpower.
Alliances would become valuable, and now is an opportune moment for such.
After another thirty minutes, the mountains slowly gave way to scattered buildings as the outskirts of the city came into view.
The atmosphere immediately felt different. Smoke drifted from several areas and traffic lights blinked erratically.
Some stores were closed, utterly deserted, while others had people gathered outside arguing loudly.
Reed parked the car near a quiet street and stepped out. Even though it was night, the heat hit him immediately, still brutal, though survivable.
Elise sat by his shoulder, commenting leisurely.
"Well… humans are handling the apocalypse exactly how you'd expect."
People walked around sweating heavily.
Some carried supplies, while others simply looked lost. Reed walked calmly through the streets, his gaze observing everything.
Food stores were left with empty shelves, pharmacies surrounded by long lines, electronics shops selling portable fans and batteries at ridiculous prices.
And everywhere was anxiety.
Humans were excellent at pretending everything was normal, at inducing fake hope among themselves, but the cracks of faith were visible.
They turned onto a smaller street as commotion erupted ahead. Three men surrounded a small convenience store owner.
"I'm sure you have hidden ample supplies somewhere, tell us!!!"
The owner shouted angrily.
"I don't have anymore, and even if I had, why should I give you? What you are doing is nightlight robbery!"