Hearing this, Claire Winters and Autumn Lynch thought it made some sense.
Claire Winters was both anxious and furious. "What do we do now?! Sierra Sullivan isn't coming back, we can't get out, there's no food or water in this house, and who knows when the sandstorm will stop. Are we supposed to just starve to death in here?"
The moment she heard the word "die," Autumn Lynch's eyes turned red with fear. "I don't want to die! Mom! I don't want to die!"
Claire Winters quickly pulled Autumn Lynch into her arms. "Don't be afraid, Autumn! Mom won't let you die! Desmond, you have to think of something!"
"What am I supposed to do?!" Desmond Lynch snapped. "I've searched this house top to bottom, inside and out, countless times. There isn't a single grain of rice! Let's just endure it for one more night! Maybe the sandstorm will have stopped by tomorrow morning!"
Claire Winters and Autumn Lynch exchanged a look and said nothing more.
Right now, they had no other choice but to hope for the best.
「...」
「The second day of the apocalypse.」
In the morning, the first thing Sierra Sullivan did after waking up was go to the window.
Seeing the situation outside, Sierra was once again stunned.
In her past life, the sandstorm had only started to die down half a month into the apocalypse.
But this was only the second day, and the sandstorm had already subsided!
Although sand was still blowing in the wind, she could now vaguely make out buildings within a hundred meters.
Sierra didn't let her guard down because of this.
'The situation seems to be improving, but it might be hiding even more terrifying unknowns!'
Sierra found a pair of binoculars and watched the scene below while eating breakfast.
With the sandstorm weakening, people with no food or water at home would definitely venture out to find supplies.
Just as Sierra had guessed, there were quite a few people in the residential complex.
They were all fully geared up.
Not only were they wearing windbreakers, but also hats, masks, and goggles.
Everyone was wrapped up tightly, moving forward slowly.
The sandstorm had raged for a day and a night, covering the ground in a layer of dust that made walking difficult.
Even though they were being very careful, someone's foot slipped, and they fell right onto the ground.
Someone nearby saw this and hurried over, wanting to help them up.
But before the person could get close, the one sitting on the ground suddenly began to writhe frantically.
The distance was too great for Sierra to hear their voice.
But just by the exaggerated way their body was twisting, she knew they must be in extreme pain.
In an instant, Sierra guessed what was happening.
'That person was bitten by Dunescrawlers!'
These weren't ordinary sand ants. They were a mutated species that appeared after the apocalypse.
These Dunescrawlers were the same color as the sand, about the size of a soybean, and appeared in swarms.
When humans encountered them, there was usually only one outcome: being devoured completely.
In her past life, Sierra had witnessed the exact same thing from this very spot—a survivor downstairs being eaten clean by a swarm of Dunescrawlers in a matter of seconds.
That scene had left a huge impact on Sierra, giving her nightmares for days afterward. Every night, she would dream that she was being eaten by a swarm of Dunescrawlers.
She never expected to see the same scene again, and on just the second day of the apocalypse.
The person downstairs had already been devoured completely by a swarm of Dunescrawlers.
The people around them were terrified by the sight and immediately scattered, all running toward the entrances of their own apartment buildings.
The ground was covered in sand. Walking slowly was fine, but running in a panic made it easy to fall.
A few people fell, and before they could even get back up, they were covered by the swarming Dunescrawlers.
Before long, their flesh and blood were also eaten clean by the Dunescrawlers, leaving only skeletons and clothes.
Although the scene wasn't particularly gory, it sent a chill down Sierra's spine, and she lost her appetite for breakfast.
Sierra put away the rest of her breakfast and took a long moment to calm herself down.
In the apocalypse, Dunescrawlers were just one of many types of mutated creatures.
In an apocalypse fraught with danger, she didn't have time to be afraid.
'If I can't even handle a scene like this, then even with my dimensional space and all my stockpiled supplies, I won't survive for long!'
After calming down, Sierra took out her breakfast and continued to eat.
'I have to eat my fill to have the strength to train.'
The mutated creatures were terrifying, but the survivors living in this building were just as dangerous.
She had to make herself stronger to be able to protect herself.
After her meal, Sierra was about to begin her daily training.
Throughout the morning, Sierra didn't look outside again.
In the afternoon, just as Sierra was about to start training, her doorbell rang.
Sierra frowned.
'Could it be Mandy Sinclair again?'
Sierra tiptoed toward the door, but the face on the LCD screen wasn't Mandy Sinclair's. It was a man.
The man had a refined appearance, with gold-rimmed glasses and a slight smile. He spoke politely.
"Hello, I live on the tenth floor. My name is Sebastian Crawford. Something terrible just happened downstairs; I don't know if you saw it. But the situation is critical now. One person can't handle this alone, and who knows when officials will send a rescue team."
"I think the residents of our entire building should band together, help each other, and get through this crisis together. If you're willing, you can come to the tenth floor, and we can all discuss a plan!"
After he finished speaking, Sebastian Crawford waited quietly for a moment.
Hearing no response from Holly Sinclair, he turned and left, seemingly heading upstairs.
Sierra had some recollection of this Sebastian Crawford.
In her past life, Sebastian Crawford had also come knocking on her door, just like today.
Back then, however, after discussing it with the three members of the Lynch family, she had decided not to go to Sebastian Crawford's place.
They had food and water, so there was no need to team up with Sebastian and the others.
Later, she heard that Sebastian had indeed gathered some of the building's residents, forming a small group with him as their leader.
'From that perspective, Sebastian Crawford is certainly a man with some tricks up his sleeve!'
Ambitious and capable people always managed to live a little better than others in an environment like the apocalypse.
Lost in thought about her past life, Sierra soon returned to the living room.
Reborn into this life, she still had no intention of joining Sebastian Crawford's little group.
'Even my own flesh and blood can't be trusted, let alone a stranger like Sebastian Crawford.'
'Reborn, I want to be a lone wolf!'
Sierra pushed the jumbled thoughts from her mind and started her training again.
「Meanwhile, on the tenth floor.」
In a spacious living room, numerous people were sitting or standing around, and every one of them had a grim expression.
Two women, in particular, had cried until their eyes were red and swollen, and they were still sobbing uncontrollably.
Their husbands were among those who had been eaten by the Dunescrawlers that morning.
'They just went out to get supplies, how could they never come back?'
'It was supposed to be just a sandstorm, why are there such terrifying creatures in the sand?'
'What in the world is happening?!'