Chapter 5：You can go now

"Yo, Mr. Joe, hooking me up right now would be like a cozy campfire in a blizzard! I'll make it worth your while," Zane pitched with the charm of a seasoned car dealer.

Joe cracked up, his eyes gleaming like he just won the jackpot. "No sweat, Zane. But let's get some rules straight. My rates are sky-high, and I need something solid in return—you get my drift."

Zane bobbed his head like he was at a rock concert: "Totally, totally. I've got a supermarket and a couple of properties ready to roll."

Little did he know, Joe had already scoped out the scene. Those hot properties and the supermarket were a goldmine, easily worth 30 mil.

With a crafty smile, Joe threw out, "Mr. Zane, since you're all in, how about I float you 30 million?"

"Deal!" Zane bit without blinking.

Joe was buzzing inside, feeling like he just hit a business grand slam.

"Awesome! Just ink this IOU, thumbprint it, and hand over those deeds," Joe directed.

"Easy peasy!" Zane chirped.

So, he offloaded the industrial farms, snagged a 30 million loan, and was sitting pretty with 80 million. Joe, clutching the deeds and the IOU, strutted out with his posse, all smiles.

Zane, drying his hands with a white towel, watched them leave from the industrial farm's doorway. He pondered what Joe would think when the apocalypse rolled around—if he was still kicking, that is.

Standing in the soon-to-be-history industrial farms, Zane's eyes sparkled with resolve. Like a squirrel stashing nuts, he was hoarding food and essentials, packing up for the long haul.

After getting his ducks in a row, he hit the supermarket, a veritable treasure trove. Check it out—fresh meat, clothes, towels, soap, detergent... it's a mini-metropolis!

Even as a Zombies, Zane kept his human smarts and old habits, always sprucing up like a neat freak.

Then, his phone shattered the peace with a text from "Ava." "This mess..." Zane grumbled.

Ava, the campus knockout from Verdantia University, was pure charm, her smile like the first day of spring, always a heart-warmer. Back in the day, even though Zane was a lone wolf, Ava, as his roommate, always brought a touch of warmth.

"Hey dude, my birthday's next month, what's the surprise?" Ava's text buzzed with excitement.

Zane cracked a small smile and texted back, "It's all set." But his heart was a storm of feelings.

Ava seemed thrilled, "Thanks, really, it's the thought that counts."

Zane paused, then texted, "The vibe... you'll see soon enough..."

Reflecting on his past life, he had been a Zombies, dodging zombies just to bring Ava food. But that day, he caught her cozy with three guys. When he showed up, they beat him down cold. His despair was like a wounded pup, whimpering in the dirt.

Now, with the apocalypse looming, Zane planned a "surprise" for them. To him, living folks were just another resource. He'd keep them on ice, waiting for the perfect moment.

So there's Zane, tearing through the supermarket like a bear in prep mode, stocking up for the end times.

He's got a game plan and he's stacking supplies like it's Black Friday and the apocalypse is the main event.

He's also prepping some "vibes" and "surprises" for Ava and her squad.

Once he's done playing Santa for Ava, Zane's back at the industrial farms, sorting out chaos like a circus ringmaster.

Generators, solar panels—you name it, if it's apocalypse-ready, he's on it.

Even managed to wedge an excavator into storage without breaking a sweat.

"Good thing there's extra space around here."

While cleaning up his room, Zane stumbled upon a blast from the past—a photo hanging on the wall that brought back a flood of memories. It showed him and his buddies back at the orphanage, having the time of their lives.

That picture was like a snapshot of his whole childhood.

The memories of Zane from both worlds had blended together.

The kids at the orphanage were a mixed bag—some were always feeling under the weather, others weren't the sharpest tools in the shed, but they were all good at heart.

The main attraction in the photo? Zane and a girl named Olivia Johnson.

Olivia, hugging a teddy bear, had skin as white as porcelain and eyes that screamed innocence.

But here's the kicker—the headmistress once dropped a bombshell that Olivia was a few fries short of a Happy Meal.

At twelve, she went full zombie mode and bit off half a boy's face.

After her little munch, Olivia was sent packing to a mental hospital, and Zane lost track of her.

But back then, they were tight—folding origami, painting, playing games, just living the dream.

Zane, remembering those big eyes and her smile shaped like a crescent moon, carefully tucked this precious memory into storage too.

After his trip down memory lane, Zane hopped on his motorcycle and sped off to his own supermarket.

When he got there, the place was buzzing with trucks and loaders everywhere, and he was greeted by a sweaty Emma Thompson, the store's inventory manager, rushing over with her ledger.

The supermarket was stocking up big time, and she looked busier than a one-armed paper hanger.

"Boss, you're back! Here's the inventory bill, please check if everything's alright," Emma panted, handing over the ledger to Zane.

Zane took a quick look at the ledger, then at Emma's exhausted face, and said with concern, "It's getting late, you should head home and rest."

Emma, a college student working part-time to pay for her tuition, nodded, "Oh, thank you, boss. I have class tomorrow morning, so I might only come in the afternoon."

Zane gave her a serious look, then dropped the news, "You don't have to come back anymore."

Emma's expression changed, a mix of confusion and worry, "Boss... are you firing me? Did I mess up?"

Zane shook his head, "It's not a firing, I've just run into some issues, and the supermarket needs to temporarily close."

Emma looked down, disappointment flickering in her eyes, "Oh..."

Zane added, "I'll pay you double for this month's salary, you can go now."

"Thank you, boss," Emma said, grateful yet clearly saddened.