"Hey, are you trying to frame me here?"
Stella Sterling's eyes widened. She nudged the person on the ground with her foot, feeling a bit exasperated. 'She's so thin-skinned. All I did was say a couple of true things, and she gets this angry?'
What she had done was nothing compared to the blatant favoritism her mother had always shown Yara.
She stared down at the person on the ground, her eyes devoid of emotion, and dialed Yara Sterling's number.
"Stella Sterling, what do you think you're doing?"
The moment the call connected, Yara Sterling's furious and slightly panicked voice came through the phone.
For the past few days, she had been on edge. She hadn't been able to contact the bald guy since that day, and Stella Sterling's attitude remained a mystery. With the situation still up in the air, she couldn't find any peace of mind.
"What's with the guilty conscience?" Stella Sterling chuckled, then cut in before the other could speak. "Your mom fainted at my doorstep. Come and get her."
"What do you mean, *'your* mom'? She's your mom, too—"
Before Yara Sterling could finish, Stella Sterling hung up. Yara stared, listening to the dial tone, and it took her a long moment to snap out of her stupor and rush out the door.
Stella Sterling glanced at Mrs. Sterling on the ground, her expression turning slightly complicated. She crouched down, dragged the woman's body to the side, then stepped around her, took out her keys, unlocked the door, went inside, and slammed it shut.
Back in her apartment, Stella Sterling tidied up her room, then entered her spatial dimension. She took stock of everything she had acquired over the past few days, sorted it all into categories, and made a list of what she was still missing.
This gave her a clear set of goals for her next supply run.
Once that was done, she left the dimension, having completely forgotten about the person outside her door. She turned and went to wash up.
For now, the water and electricity were still running normally. About half a month into the apocalypse, however, the grid would collapse, and life would become much more difficult.
'I need to get more diesel generators and solar panels,' Stella thought. 'I've already got a batch, but they'll be critical resources in the future. It's better to have extras. If one breaks, I can replace it immediately.'
Without them, when the blizzards arrived and the power and water went out, it would be impossible to survive.
'I also need to stock up on more diesel. So many things will require it. After food, it's the absolute top priority.'
But it wasn't easy to obtain. She had considered bribing some workers to get her a supply, but they were too afraid to be obvious, so she could only get small amounts each time.
On top of that, she had been going to the gas station several times a day. She would fill up her car, siphon the fuel into barrels, and then go back for another fill-up. It was a tedious method and didn't yield much.
After several days of this, she had managed to stockpile a few tons of fuel. It was enough for the time being, but it wouldn't last long. She had to find a better way. Until then, all she could do was keep making her daily runs.
Then there was the issue of water. While her dimension had a stream that provided a fresh supply, she couldn't just pop in and out of the dimension every time she needed a drink. She would have to stockpile some water as well.
Stella Sterling mulled over these problems as she showered. The knocking on her front door was incessant, but she acted as if she couldn't hear it. After a long while, the knocking finally stopped. Silence.