Apocalypse Queen: My Space, My Rules Chapter 21: Give Me a Second

Seeing her storage space expand to more than twice its original size, Mariella felt a rush of excitement.

After stepping out of the storage space, she planned to keep driving around and stock up on more supplies.

But she had barely driven a short distance when one of the tire suddenly went flat.

She pulled over and got out to check. Before she could even figure out what was going on, a group of burly, broad-shouldered men closed in from nowhere.

They were all bare-armed, covered in tattoos, and looked like the kind of hard cases nobody wanted to mess with.

However, Mariella didn't flinch. She lifted an eyebrow and asked, "What do you want?"

It was midday, out in the open. The apocalypse hadn't even started yet.

She didn't even dare act recklessly, and these guys actually had the nerve to attack someone right on the street?

"Heh, missy. You messed with the wrong people. We were told to teach you a lesson!" The man leading them had a long, jagged scar across his face. When he grinned, it only made him look more vicious.

The men behind him all gripped baseball bats, ready to move the second he gave the word.

Even though the girl standing before them was gorgeous enough to make them swallow hard, she had crossed someone she shouldn't have.

They were in it for the money. Break her limbs, leave her crippled, and call it a job done.

Mariella let out a short, cold laugh and said slowly, "Give me a second."

The group paused, thrown off, unsure what she was about to do.

She opened the car door and bent down, using the motion as cover while pulling a chainsaw out of her storage space.

The chainsaw roared to life with a harsh, grinding sound that made everyone's scalp prickle.

This thing was basically the fastest way to shut down trouble.

The group of thug instantly went pale. Not a single one dared take a step forward.

Mariella didn't wait. She drove the revving chainsaw right at the scar-faced man.

The scar-faced man didn't even hesitate. He turned and ran.

Once the leader bolted, the rest completely fell apart, scattering like birds.

"Tch, can't you come up with something new? That was just embarrassing!" Mariella said, giving the fleeing men a thumbs-down in open mockery.

She put the chainsaw away, grabbed a jack from the trunk, and swapped out the tire herself.

Four years in the apocalypse had taught her how to handle just about anything.

Just as she got back into the car, her phone rang. It was Lucas Sterling, the owner of an outdoor water gear store.

The four escape pods she had ordered, along with ten oxygen packs, had arrived.

Mariella gave him the address of the garage she had rented and told him to send everything there.

...

The two fifteen-seat, team-model escape pods took up almost the entire garage, so the remaining two family-model escape pods and ten oxygen packs had to be left outside.

Mariella settled the remaining payment with Lucas, then asked if he could also help her get 50 gas masks and 20 hazmat suits.

Lucas agreed without hesitation. "I can get some friends to help out. I'll have them ready for you soon. The quality will be solid, but the price might run a bit higher."

"Money's not an issue." Mariella didn't even blink as she paid the deposit.

Lucas left in high spirits.

Mariella stepped into the garage and, with a casual wave of her hand, stored the two team-model escape pods into her storage space.

She reorganized everything inside her living quarters, stacking whatever she could and making full use of the vertical space all the way up to the ceiling.

The bathroom and restroom areas had also expanded, so she moved the scattered supplies into those spaces as well.

She cleared out the living room and set it aside specifically for the two largest team-model escape pods.

After stepping out of the storage space again, she moved the two family-model escape pods and ten oxygen packs into the garage, then transferred them into the storage space too, stacking them neatly in the living room area.

With the most critical survival gear secured, she finally felt a little more at ease.

Mariella went to check the extra 130 cubic feet of storage space and felt the pressure settle in.

She still had a long way to go. She needed to keep stockpiling like crazy. But she was running out of money.

Mariella stepped out of the storage space, walked out of the garage, and had just gotten into her car when her phone rang again.

"Finally got through to you. So you changed your number." It was Donald.

Mariella asked slowly, "Are you calling to tell me those people who set me up have already been dealt with?"

"Uh, no." Donald denied it quickly.

Then, realizing how fast he had shut that down, he sounded a little awkward as he added, "Your reward for stepping in to help has been approved. The government is awarding you 30,000 dollars, and Brightcastle Kindergarten is giving you 100,000 dollars, so that's 130,000 dollars in total. When you've got time, come sign the paperwork, and we'll transfer it to your account."

Mariella needed money, but even that amount wouldn't solve her bigger problem.

She pressed on, "So what's the situation with those three? Can you give me the inside scoop?"

Donald hesitated for a moment before answering honestly, "Jennifer's case has already been processed. Thirty days in detention and a fine of 50,000 dollars. Kingston was released on medical bail due to his injuries, so there's no final decision yet. As for Harvey, he's back in custody again for a second time, and the charges have piled up. His case is more complicated, so it'll probably take at least 15 days before the results come out."