Shelton Underwood, who had just returned home, sat bolt upright before his father.
"Dad, Flora Bloom might have been kidnapped. You have to help her."
"Kidnapped? Are you sure?"
Tyler Underwood was the top official in Janton, a man known for his experience, caution, and profound thoughts. He did, however, have an impression of his son's girlfriend, Flora Bloom.
The young woman seemed innocent and pure, unversed in the ways of the world. He knew his son had given her a supplementary credit card. The fact that she never used it had made him feel quite at ease about her.
As Shelton Underwood explained the situation to his father, he noticed Tyler Underwood's brow furrowing as well.
Hearing his son's account, the likelihood of Flora Bloom being kidnapped seemed very high. As the top official in Janton, and with a wife who was a savvy entrepreneur, he was all too familiar with scams and extortion plots.
Still, the possibility that someone was trying to extort money by targeting his son's girlfriend was very real.
After a moment of silence, he said calmly, "Alright, I'll call my contact at the police station and have them look into it."
So, Tyler Underwood dialed a number and held the phone to his ear. A long moment passed, but the call went unanswered.
His brow suddenly furrowed, then relaxed, but a heavy feeling settled in his heart.
'As the top official, there's no one in Janton who wouldn't take my call immediately!'
But it was the same for three calls in a row, and his expression turned grim. 'How are these people handling their duties? They're not even answering my calls.'
Meanwhile, Shelton Underwood, even more anxious than his father, spoke up.
"Dad, you have to think of something else! Flora is so innocent. If she's really been kidnapped, the consequences are unthinkable!"
Tyler Underwood turned to give his son a long, deep look. How could he not know what his son was *really* worried about? Though his son was a player with a wandering eye, he was different with Flora Bloom. At the very least, Tyler was certain his son hadn't managed to get the girl into bed yet.
'He's this worried, yes, but while liking her is part of it, I'm afraid the fear of someone else getting to her first is the main reason.'
But the phone just kept redialing, only to be met with a busy signal every time. This not only made Shelton Underwood frantic but also sent a chill down Tyler Underwood's spine.
'Is something big about to happen?'
Shelton Underwood finally couldn't take it anymore. After muttering that he was going to find Flora Bloom, he ignored his father's protests, grabbed the car keys, and bolted out the door.
Meanwhile, Flora Bloom, back in her apartment, had just accepted a delivery from the mall. Looking at the goods covering the floor, she grinned like a fool.
'These are the supplies I'll need to rely on in the apocalypse.'
With a single thought, everything on the floor vanished, reappearing a second later outside the thatched cottage in her space.
Flora Bloom took a sip of water from the stream in her space, recovering some of the energy she'd lost while shopping.
'I mean, come on, I'm two months pregnant. I can't let my little Polly Bloom suffer, no matter what.'
Adhering to the principle that a pregnant woman must never shortchange herself, Flora Bloom ordered enough takeout to feed ten people. There were burgers and fried chicken, Sichuan and Cantonese dishes, braised meats, soups, and salads. She even ordered ten portions each of fried noodles, fried rice, and various specialty congees.
She ate a little until she was full, then stored all the remaining takeout in her space.
She discovered that whether things were hot or cold, once placed in the space, they would remain in the exact state they were in at the moment of entry.
In other words, the space had functions for keeping things fresh, hot, or cold, which made Flora Bloom marvel at its magic all over again.
While Flora Bloom was organizing her supplies in the space, the apartment door opened. Who else but Shelton Underwood had a key?
Shelton Underwood burst into the apartment and frantically looked around, searching for something. He called out, "Flora! Flora, are you here?"
'So, he came looking for me.'
Flora Bloom, watching from her space, saw the scene unfold with perfect clarity.
Flora Bloom smiled coldly. With a flash of intent, the sharp fruit knife she had stored in her space appeared in her hand.
'Shelton Underwood, you shun the path to heaven and barge through the gates of hell! It looks like you won't be leaving here alive.'
When Shelton Underwood arrived at Flora Bloom's apartment, he was utterly dumbfounded.
The once clean and cozy duplex apartment now looked like it had been ransacked. It was practically empty, save for a few things that couldn't be carried away. Even the bed, spare sheets, and duvet cover from the second-floor bedroom were gone.
Although the first floor was clean, there were several empty takeout containers scattered about.
This scene only strengthened Shelton Underwood's conviction that Flora Bloom had been kidnapped.
Just as Shelton Underwood turned, Flora Bloom, clutching the fruit knife, suddenly appeared behind him.
In an instant, the sharp fruit knife plunged into the center of his back.
Shelton Underwood, caught completely off guard, couldn't react. A wave of pain hit him, and he spun around, trying to grab his attacker.
But when he turned and saw Flora Bloom staring at him with a cold, indifferent expression, a chill shot through his body. He felt as if his heart was about to stop.
'It's Flora... Flora wants to kill me?'
He stared in disbelief at the still dazzlingly beautiful and seemingly innocent girl before him, his eyes filled with incredulity.
"Flora? Why? Are you trying to kill me?"
Hearing this, Flora Bloom sneered internally. 'In my past life, I asked him the same thing when he plunged a knife into little Polly's body. *Why are you doing this?*'
Shelton Underwood clutched the painful wound, questioning Flora Bloom forlornly. Although he had ulterior motives concerning her, he did love her. And he believed she loved him too.
But why was the girl before him acting like a completely different person, even trying to kill him?
Flora Bloom sneered, and another fruit knife materialized in her hand.
This time, she gripped the knife and lunged at Shelton Underwood head-on.
Faced with death, Shelton Underwood finally processed the situation. This girl, who he thought was innocent and gentle, truly wanted to kill him.
As unbelievable as it was, he had no choice but to accept it.
Blood streamed from the wound in his back, staining the floor a messy crimson and filling the air with a nauseating, coppery stench.
Shelton Underwood barely dodged Flora's frontal assault and was about to make a break for the door, but somehow, Flora was already behind him. She yanked the fruit knife from his back and, a second later, brutally plunged it back into the same wound.
As a pampered young master, Shelton Underwood had never experienced such an injury. After Flora stabbed him in the same spot several times, the pain rendered him immobile.
Blood poured from his wound, pooling on the floor beneath him.
Flora Bloom rolled Shelton Underwood onto his back. Looking into his fading eyes, she said coldly, "Do you know why I'm killing you?"
"Flo... Flora... do... do you have a reason? W-why?"
The weakened Shelton Underwood didn't have the strength to answer Flora's question; he only struggled instinctively to get up.
"You killed me and my child. Just killing you now is letting you off easy. You should know, in the world to come, living will be more painful than death!"
"Help... Don't... don't kill me."
Flora Bloom was about to say more, but at that moment, her apartment door suddenly swung open.
"AH! A murderer!"
After a high-pitched scream, the woman who had cried out saw that Flora Bloom had noticed her and hastily fled.
'Damn it. The apocalypse is still more than forty minutes away. If I get caught now, I'll have to deal with the police. What a hassle.'
So, Flora Bloom paid no more mind to the dying Shelton Underwood on the floor. With injuries that severe, he was certain to die without immediate medical attention. Even if he somehow survived her many stab wounds, he would surely get infected by the virus and turn into a zombie in the coming apocalypse. A normal person's immune system could hardly fight off the zombie virus, especially when injured.
With injuries like his, even if Shelton didn't turn, he'd be eaten alive by zombies.
'And even if he's found and taken to a hospital now... hehe. In the apocalypse, hospitals will be the most densely packed places with zombies. If he goes, he's never coming out!'
A ball of deep blue water gathered in Flora Bloom's palm. She pulled the fruit knife from Shelton Underwood's back, picked up the other one from the floor, and let the sphere of water envelop both blades, washing them clean of blood.
After stowing the two knives, Flora Bloom walked out of the apartment alone, got into her SUV, and waited.
She had to wait. In just over forty minutes, the world would descend into chaos. She planned to take advantage of the initial confusion, while people were still reeling, to go to a nearby mall and gather more supplies.
'No one ever has too many supplies.'
Then, she'd head to Sinia City to get her parents. After that, she would plan her trip to Morhaven to find Joel Bloom. In her past life, Belle Bloom had tortured Joel so horribly, and she wouldn't let history repeat itself.
In this apocalypse, she would never again entrust her fate to anyone else.
"AHH!"
A blood-curdling scream echoed through the air. The sounds of car horns blaring and vehicles colliding followed one after another, as panicked shouts and horrifying screams blended into a unique apocalyptic symphony.
A smile touched Flora Bloom's lips.
The first scream of autumn heralded the arrival of the apocalypse.