Chapter 25-Then or now, he knew

Chapter 25: 25-Then or now, he knew

After checking the farming area, Aymara moved to the pharmacy.

The pharmacy looked more like a private hospital than a section of her survival fortress.

Shelves covered the walls from floor to ceiling, packed with everything she could possibly need during the apocalypse: medicine for infections, painkillers, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medication, allergy medicine, emergency drugs, nutritional supplements, medical equipment, bandages, syringes, disinfectants, oxygen supplies, and respiratory medication.

Most importantly, she had secured enough of Nathaniel’s medication to last for years.

Aymara checked every shelf against the list stored inside the system.

"Pulmarest, aerovex...present," she confirmed his stock. "Fibrolex... immunava... NutriCore... respira rescue inhalers."

She went through the list again, refusing to rely on a single inspection. After confirming Nathaniel’s medication, she checked the emergency supplies, oxygen equipment, medical tools, and the temperature of the medical storage area.

Everything was exactly where it needed to be, and the temperature remained perfectly controlled. Only then did Aymara finally relax.

"This is good," she folded her arms and surveyed the pharmacy with satisfaction. "I didn’t miss anything."

From the pharmacy, she continued deeper into the fortress, inspecting one section after another.

Storage rooms were filled with supplies, food warehouses were packed, cold-storage units were operating perfectly, and water purification systems stood ready for use.

She checked the fuel reserves, primary generators, backup generators, and solar systems before moving on to the repair workshops, where spare engines, mechanical parts, tools, and metal reinforcement materials had been carefully organized.

Aymara continued through the clothing storage areas, where blankets and furniture had been stocked in abundance, then checked the weapons storage, ammunition reserves, and emergency equipment.

Everywhere she went, the system provided confirmation.

[Current Survival Resources Are Sufficient for Several Decades of Oceanic Isolation.]

Aymara stopped walking. "Several decades?"

A smile slowly appeared on her face. "Perfect, that should be more than enough to offer luxury in a fallen world and for starting over if the nightmare ever comes to an end."

Another notification appeared.

[Survival Fortress Can Withstand Hostile Human Attacks.]

Aymara nodded. That was exactly what she wanted to hear the most.

Then another notification appeared.

[Survival Fortress Can Defend Against Mutated Marine Creatures.]

Her eyebrows lifted. "Mutated creatures too?"

The system didn’t elaborate. Aymara stared at the notification for a few seconds before shrugging.

She wasn’t interested in asking because the system might pick on her again.

After everything she had witnessed in her previous life, she wouldn’t be surprised if the apocalypse brought something far worse than floods and hurricanes. If monsters came, let them come. Her ship was ready.

By the time Aymara completed her inspection, an unfamiliar sense of peace settled over her.

For the first time since remembering her previous life, she felt as though she could finally breathe.

She had food, water, medicine, endless fuel, weapons, power, farming and technology. She had built a fortress capable of moving across the ocean and survive all the trouble waiting for them.

"Be it monsters or survivors, if anyone or anything comes for me... I’ll be ready."

Aymara returned to Nathaniel’s room to keep him company. He was still asleep. She leaned against the doorway and quietly watched him.

"My Nate," her voice softened as a faint smile touched her lips.

She had spent the entire week preparing for this moment. Every purchase, every upgrade, and every sleepless night had been for this. Tomorrow, the world would change but she was ready for it.

Ring! Ring!

Nathaniel’s phone began vibrating on the bedside table. Aymara’s gaze immediately shifted toward it.

The name displayed on the screen was familiar. It was Nathaniel’s best friend, Noel Hiser.

She hesitated for a moment before picking up the phone. The moment she answered, Noel’s voice exploded from the other end.

"Finally! Someone picked up! Nathaniel where are you? Wait, don’t answer that yet. I need to tell you something. I’ve already stocked everything: food, water, fuel, medicine, equipment, emergency supplies. I even reinforced the ship and loaded enough supplies to last for years. Everything is aboard!"

Aymara blinked. Noel didn’t even give her a chance to respond before he continued.

"And I’m ready to leave! I’ve been waiting for you to tell me what you thinks, but you aren’t answering your phone. I called the hospital and they said..." His voice became increasingly urgent. "Should I go and pick you up?"

Aymara’s gaze slowly moved toward the sleeping man.

Noel continued speaking. "How soon do you think the apocalypse will happen, man?" He asked. "Your calculations were terrifying. And if your theory is correct, we’re talking about something much bigger than an ordinary natural disaster. I need to know how much time we have!"

Aymara’s eyes narrowed. Her fingers tightened slightly around the phone.

’He knows!’

The realization settled heavily in her mind. Nathaniel knew about the upcoming disaster. It was not because he had been reborn. He wasn’t like her. He had no memories of their previous life.

He had simply seen the signs, calculated them and came to know the world was ending. Aymara stared at him through the doorway.

’Did you know back then too?’

Suddenly, an old memory surfaced. Six years ago in her first life, Nathaniel kept calling again and again around that very time back then. Messages appearing one after another sounding urgent, "Call me."

"Aymara, please answer. Something is wrong. You need to listen to me."

She had ignored every single one. At the time, she had been afraid. Afraid Dylan would see Nathaniel contacting her and become angry with her. She was afraid of losing the man she thought loved her so she had blocked Nathaniel.

She hadn’t even stopped to ask why someone who had respected her decision to leave him alone for years had suddenly become desperate to contact her.

She had simply shut him out and now she understood. Just like this life, he had caught the apocalypse coming in the past life too and tried to warn her but she, blinded by love, ignored him.

Her eyes slowly reddened. He was trying to warn her, he had tried to reach her and she had slammed the door in his face.

Aymara lowered her gaze. "Idiot."

She wasn’t sure whether she was talking about Nathaniel or herself. Probably herself.

"Hello? Are you there?" Noel’s voice pulled her back to the present.

She took a slow breath. "Yes, I am here."

"Aymara?" The other side sounded shocked. "Where is Nathaniel?"

"He’s with me."

Silence fell over the line and then Noel’s voice sharpened. "What?"

"I said Nathaniel is with me."

"How? He was in the hospital!"

Noel sounded offended for Nathaniel. After everything Aymara put Nathaniel through, she was the last person he wanted to be close to Nathaniel.

"He isn’t anymore," Aymara said politely.

There was another pause. Noel seemed to understand. Nathaniel would never go with her willingly, so, she must have forced him.

"You took him?"

Aymara glanced at Nathaniel. "Yes."

"Is he safe?"

"He’s sleeping."

Noel released a long breath. "You didn’t hurt him."

His relief was obvious, but his voice quickly became serious again. "Can you wake him up and ask him how much time do we have before the disaster hits?"

Aymara looked toward the window. Beyond the glass, the ocean stretched endlessly beneath the darkening sky.

She didn’t need to wake Nathaniel to give Noel an answer.

"Get on your ship right now and set sail, Noel."

"What?"

"Get aboard and leave," her voice became firm. "Don’t wait for tomorrow or for another calculation. Don’t wait for anything or anyone."

Noel fell silent, he could feel that she had known all along and had made preparations. It warmed his heart to see that she had remembered to protect Nathaniel when it mattered.

"How soon?"

"Tomorrow, Noel. It will here tomorrow."

The single word seemed to suck the air from the room. "Tomorrow?"

"Yes," Aymara looked down at Nathaniel. "The apocalypse will hit tomorrow."

Noel didn’t speak for several seconds and then she heard movement on his end.

"Are you certain?"

"I wouldn’t be telling you if I wasn’t," Aymara walked toward the window. "Get to sea as quickly as possible. Whatever you’ve prepared will be useless if you’re still at the harbor when everything starts."

Noel swallowed. "And Nathaniel?"

"He is safe with me."

"You really have him?"

"Yes."

"Then I’m leaving now."

Aymara nodded even though he couldn’t see her. "Good. For Nate’s sake, I wish the best and pray you survive what’s coming."

Noel hesitated. "...Aymara."

"What?"

"Thank you for coming back for him."

She didn’t answer immediately. Her gaze returned to Nathaniel. Then she said quietly, "Don’t thank me. Just survive."

She ended the call.