The knock was quiet.
Three times. Slow. Careful.
Ferdie opened the door a moment later. His hair had more gray now. His eyes were tired. His face didn't change much when he saw her, but the silence that followed said more than any words.
"Ava," he said, voice low.
"Uncle."
Beside her, Nazi peeked out from behind her leg, holding his worn stuffed duck tightly.
Ferdie looked down at the boy. His eyes lingered there for a moment, before he stepped back and opened the door wider.
"Come in."
The house hadn't changed.
But it felt different. Too quiet.
A family photo still hung on the wall by the stairs. A woman with soft eyes. Two young girls with bright smiles. All gone now.
Ava glanced at it, then quickly looked away.
They sat at the small kitchen table. The TV was on in the background, some emergency broadcast loop, but neither of them paid it much attention.
Ferdie didn't ask why she was there. Not right away. He just poured her a glass of water, then sat down across from her.
After a while, he finally spoke.
"…So. What brings you out here?"
Ava hesitated. She looked down at her hands.
"I need weapons," she said. "And anything you can spare."
There was no softness in her voice. But there was no coldness, either. Just a kind of quiet urgency.
Ferdie didn't respond right away.
He just leaned back in his chair and studied her.
"Why?" he asked simply.
She met his eyes. "I can't explain everything. But… something's coming. Something bad. And I need to protect my son."
Nazi, still holding his duck, had curled up in the corner of the couch, dozing lightly. His small chest rose and fell with each quiet breath.
Ferdie's gaze shifted toward the boy again.
"…I thought all children were gone, just like what the Bible said."
He paused, eyes distant.
"I'm happy for you. You still have your Nazi."
His voice was calm. But his hands, resting on the table, were clenched.
Ava didn't speak. There was nothing she could say to that.
Finally, Ferdie stood. He opened a tall cabinet by the wall. Reached up onto the top shelf. Pulled down a lockbox and set it on the table.
He unlocked it, then pushed it gently toward her.
Inside were two weapons. An old but well-kept hunting shotgun. And a smaller, compact rifle with a few boxes of rounds.
"It's not much," he said. "But it's what I can give you. The rest I need to keep, just in case."
Ava stared at them, then gave a quiet nod.
"Thank you." She said, "But I need more."
Uncle Ferdie scratched his chin, then stood and looked toward the window. Beyond the glass, the sky was dull and cloudy. No birds. No wind. Just stillness.
"There's someone I know," he muttered. "Not exactly on the legal side of things. But he can get what you need."
Ava tilted her head. "Someone from your prepper group?"
He chuckled, just once. No humor in it.
"No. This guy's from before all that. The kind of person you don't invite to dinner unless you're desperate. But he deals in volume. Military surplus. Stuff off the record."
She swallowed hard. "Is he dangerous?"
Ferdie paused. "Probably. But he owes me."
He grabbed his coat. "Come on. Let's go before the sun drops."
—-----
The drive took about forty minutes. They stayed off the main highways, following narrow roads through empty farmland. Some houses they passed were already abandoned. Others had front doors hanging open, or cars left running in driveways with no one inside.
No one spoke much. The radio didn't work, and there was no signal on Ava's phone.
Eventually, they turned onto an unmarked dirt path. Tall grass brushed the sides of the truck as they moved forward. Rusted signs hung from wooden posts, unreadable from time and weather.
"Place looks like a junkyard," Ava said quietly.
Ferdie gave a small nod. "That's the idea. It keeps most people away."
At the end of the path was a wide lot surrounded by a chain-link fence. Behind it stood rows of old storage containers, broken-down trailers, and half-covered military trucks. It looked like the kind of place you shouldn't ask questions about.
Ferdie killed the engine.
"Stay close to me," he said. "And let me do the talking."
The man who greeted them looked like someone pulled straight out of a crime drama.
He was bald, broad-shouldered, with tattooed arms and a black shirt that clung to his frame. He had a calm smile on his face, but it didn't reach his eyes. There was nothing friendly about it. Just quiet observation. Controlled. Sharp.
Ava stood still beside Uncle Ferdie, saying nothing.
The man looked her over, from her worn boots to her tired eyes.
"You know what you're walking into?" he asked, his voice low and smooth.
Ava met his gaze without blinking. "I do."
There was a brief pause.
He raised an eyebrow. "After the rapture, everyone's coming out of the woodwork. Scared people make expensive customers. Prices are higher now."
"I know."
She stepped forward and dropped the canvas bag she'd been holding.
It hit the wooden floor with a heavy, dull thump.
"₱1.5 million," she said clearly. "I need high Caliber weapons and lots of ammo to protect a farm. Not just for a day. For a long time."
Behind her, Ferdie visibly gulped.
The bald man stared at her for a few seconds. The quiet stretched long.
Then, finally, he chuckled.
"…I like you," he said. "You're not like most of the people who come here. No shaking. No stuttering."
He bent down and unzipped the bag. His fingers moved quickly through the stacks, flipping them with practiced ease.
"All real," he muttered. "Nice."
He stood back up. "Tomorrow. Everything you need will be at your doorstep. Unmarked. Clean."
Ava gave a slow nod.
No handshake. No contract. No small talk.
Just quiet understanding between people who had already accepted how the world was changing.
—-----
As they walked back to the truck, Uncle Ferdie exhaled slowly, like he'd been holding his breath the whole time.
"You really remind me of your dad," he said softly. "When he had that look in his eyes… nothing could stop him."
Ava didn't answer.
She wasn't trying to be brave.
She was just trying to live.
And she would do whatever it took.
—-----
Inside the truck, Ava closed the door gently. She didn't move right away. She sat in silence, hands resting on her knees.
Ferdie didn't say anything. He simply started the engine, and they pulled out of the lot.
The gravel crunched under the tires. The road was bumpy, quiet. The world outside was still.
Then…
Ping.
A soft, familiar chime echoed in Ava's mind. It was subtle, not loud. But it was clear.
The notification system appeared just above her eyes.
[Task Complete: Acquire Weapons and Ammunition]
[Reward: +20 System Points]
[Total Points: 20]
She stared at it, barely blinking.
Before the window faded, another one appeared, colder in color, a faint flicker of static dancing at the edges.
[Countdown to Global Resurrection: 43:12:08]
She let out a quiet breath.
Forty-three hours.
That's all they had before the world changed again.
She closed her eyes briefly, trying to steady her thoughts.
Every second was a thread unraveling.
But at least now… she had guns. She had shelter. She had the system.
And she still had her son.
When she opened her eyes again, the soft glow of the system had faded.
But the weight of that number stayed with her.