Chapter 27:A second chance at us (2)

Chapter 27: 27:A second chance at us (2)

The cruise continued sailing farther and farther away from the mainland.

With the auto-drive system activated, there was no need for Aymara to remain in the control room.

The ship moved smoothly across the endless ocean, its powerful engines barely noticeable from inside the luxurious rooms.

Behind them, the harbor and coastline had already disappeared from sight, leaving nothing but the vast blue sea surrounding them from every direction.

The world still looked normal and that was the strangest part. People were still going about their business on land. Cars were still moving along highways. Restaurants were still serving food. Businesses were still open. People were probably still planning vacations, weddings, business meetings and parties for the coming weeks.

None of them knew that their world had less than a day left.

Aymara sat comfortably in one of the lounges, sipping her tea as she browsed through information on her tablet. She was bored. Very bored.

The ship was practically running itself. Nathaniel was sleeping and the preparations were complete.

The apocalypse wouldn’t arrive until tomorrow. So, naturally, Aymara decided to entertain herself by checking on the people she had left behind.

Her fingers moved across the screen. The first name that appeared was Sarah.

Aymara raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

She leaned back and watched the monitor and tracked Sarah’s activities. On the screen, she noticed that Sarah had been busy.

It turned out Sarah had taken out massive online loans from several different lenders worth millions.

She had used almost every legitimate source of credit available to her, combining the money with whatever savings she still had left and then she had bought a ship.

Not a luxury cruise like Aymara’s, not a military-grade vessel but just an ordinary ship that could travel the ocean. Sarah had also moved onto it with Dylan.

Aymara stared at the information for several seconds before a smile slowly spread across her face.

"So you two are preparing together?" She couldn’t help laughing softly. "At least you won’t be stealing my ship this time around."

Sarah had stocked up on an impressive amount of food. Canned goods, bottled water, rice, cooking oil, medicine, fuel and clothes. Even several freezers packed with meat and other frozen foods.

For ordinary circumstances, it was an excellent preparation but this wasn’t an ordinary disaster.

Aymara’s smile widened. "You got a second chance and that’s all you prepared?"

It was like the girl was getting her revenge for her. With how wasteful those two had been with resources in her past life, Aymara doubted those supplies would last a few months into the apocalypse.

Sarah had made one major mistake. She thought the apocalypse would simply be a matter of hiding on a ship. It wasn’t.

The ocean would become a battlefield. Mutated creatures would emerge from the depths. Storms would tear apart anything that wasn’t properly reinforced.

Pirates would hunt other survivors, people would kill each other for food, medicine and fuel. An ordinary ship with ordinary defenses wouldn’t last long.

And those freezers? They depended on electricity and functioning equipment. Once something went wrong, their precious frozen food would begin to spoil.

Aymara leaned back against the sofa. She wasn’t angry. A small, almost guilty relief loosened something in her chest; at least Sarah had tried. If anything, she was pleased.

"Good, Sarah," her eyes narrowed with amusement. "Keep preparing for the disaster."

She actually wanted Sarah and Dylan to survive for a while as it would make things much more interesting later.

After all, destroying someone who had already lost everything wasn’t nearly as satisfying as destroying someone who believed they had escaped their fate.

"You two better survive."

She took another sip of tea, though the warmth suddenly felt less comforting than it had a moment before.

"I’d hate to miss the show of your struggle in the doomsday."

Just then, the system’s voice sounded in her mind.

[Notice.]

[Beloved is regaining consciousness.]

Aymara immediately put down her cup. Her entire expression changed. "He’s awake?"

[Yes.]

She practically jumped from the sofa. "Why didn’t you tell me sooner?"

There was no answer. The system had delivered the information it needed to pass along about Nathaniel and since it’s job was done, it didn’t stick around.

Aymara didn’t care about the system’s attitude. She was getting used to it.

She rushed toward the kitchen. Within minutes, she had prepared Nathaniel’s first meal aboard the cruise: a bowl of steaming medicinal porridge.

The porridge was soft and easy to swallow, prepared according to the dietary information she had obtained from the hospital. She had added ingredients that would provide nutrition without irritating his stomach.

Beside it were soft vegetable buns and a warm cup of milk. She added a glass of water and then she carefully placed his medicine beside the tray.

Aymara stared at everything and got deja vu. Her mind took her back to a time in the past when they were still close and she’d take care of him on days he was sick.

She stopped and went still because it hurt to recall seeing it all unfold before and realize that she still had the heart to let him.

"No point crying over it. Just pick up the pieces and move forward," she told herself.

She added a small bowl of fruit and then removed it as she felt it was too much. She added some warm tea before she remembered the doctor’s instructions and removed it.

Finally, she picked up the tray, her fingers tightening around its edges when she imagined him refusing it.

"Perfect," she forced a smile on her lips. "Let’s welcome him onboard properly."

She hurried upstairs.

Cough. Cough.

The moment she reached Nathaniel’s room, she heard a faint cough from inside.

Aymara’s heart jumped. She pushed the door open and rushed in. "Nate!"

Nathaniel’s eyes slowly opened. For several seconds, his vision remained blurry.

The ceiling above him, the bed beneath him, and the scent in the room was unfamiliar.

He slowly pushed himself upright and coughed again. It wasn’t violent, but Aymara reacted immediately.

She rushed to his side. "Careful," she soothed him. She placed the tray down and picked up the glass of water. "Drink slowly."

Nathaniel looked confused. Before he could say anything, Aymara held the glass to his lips. He took a few small sips before another cough escaped him.

Aymara immediately placed one hand against his back and rubbed his back gently.

"Relax," her voice came out soft. "Take deep breaths. Slowly." She gently rubbed his back. "Don’t force yourself."

Nathaniel closed his eyes. He inhaled slowly and exhaled. Again and again.

Aymara continued rubbing his back until his breathing settled.

Only then did she realize how naturally she had slipped into that gentle tone. Her palm lingered against him for half a second before she pulled it away.

It startled her. She had always been like this with Nathaniel before Dylan. Before six years of distance came between them and before she allowed someone else to control her life.

She had always been soft with him.

Nathaniel finally opened his eyes. His gaze met hers and for a moment, neither of them spoke. Then realization slowly settled into his eyes.

It really was her, he hadn’t imagined her in the garden or hallucinated their conversation in the main lounge.

Aymara was standing in front of him and she had kidnapped him from the hospital.

His expression immediately hardened. He pushed her hand away and let out in an angry tone, "Stay away from me."

Aymara’s hand dropped. The rejection stung more sharply than she expected, and her fingers curled against her palm before she forced them still. She didn’t argue with him.

Nathaniel looked around the room. His eyes moved from the medical equipment beside the bed to the carefully arranged furniture, the large window, the thick curtains and the unfamiliar decorations.

"Where am I?"