Chapter 8 - Assumptions and Preparations

Sitting around the dining table, Zach and Zoey could be found having lunch outside of the house. There is a coal grill beside them where steaks can be found being grilled, seeing its juices glistening the meat. When you just looked at them, everything seemed to be fine aside from the unsightly terrain of the place. 

"Is it real, Zach?" Zoey suddenly asked after hearing what Zach was talking about after they had done their shooting practice. For the time that it happened, she seems never used to it but it does mean that she was doing bad. 

"Maybe. I don't know how it happened, but something changed after that Earthquake two days ago." Zach replied but all he was saying was guesses since he was still not 100% sure about everything. 

"I have a theory. Look at it this way. Just how many people might still be alive after those calamities struck? If this shit will continue for so long and for the worse if another kind of calamities will come, I bet no human will survive in the end." Zach said. 

"But the message we heard that day said that the CREATOR was now not cruel enough to destroy us, his creation, so the CREATOR gave us a chance. So, what I am trying to say is, why give us a chance in the first place if these kinds of world-ending calamities will come to Earth? No ordinary human would survive that. If I don't the system, I bet we have long been gone now." Zach followed. 

"Maybe. Just maybe. As time passed by, our bodies were also changing to adapt to the current world." Zach ended his theory with the assumptions that he formulated from his observations because just by thinking about it, he felt like there was no other reason why it happened. Also, the fact that his status window has tiers and levels, he felt like there was something more to it that he didn't know about. 

Zoey remained silent as she also started taking Zach's words because she felt like it was logical since she knew herself that something had changed for her. But on the other side, she was also afraid thinking about what kind of world Earth would become after everything ended. No, she was thinking about why this was happening in the first place. 

"Either way. Everything will come to light if we survive this Earthquake Calamity." Zach said with a smile. As an author, he was fascinated by the things that were happening and so he wanted to see the end. The only problem is that he was experiencing it for real with the risk of being killed along the way. 

Following that, Zoey immediately cleaned the plates while Zach took the time to take a stroll in the neighborhood together with Adam and Eve. Zoey didn't dwell deeply on the changes that were happening to them but Zach was different as he knew how great it would impact their lives. 

Arriving in front of a still-standing tree, Zach looked at it seriously while massaging his fist. He hadn't really tested his real strength once, but he knew that he was getting stronger after all, he was already capable of lifting the bike he had two weeks ago when he was looting in the city.

"Average strength of a normal adult is 10. I wonder what 20 is capable of." Zach said before he punched the tree with all his might as he wasn't afraid of getting injured since he still hadn't used the reward 'Status Recovery' from his daily mission. 

A sound of cracking could be heard which surprised Zach seeing his eyes widen upon looking at the tree. One has to know that the tree he just punched has a trunk triple the size of his hips and though it didn't completely break, its situation was already halfway and if he wanted, the tree would probably break in another five or more punches of his. 

"I'm that strong now?" Zach asked himself in disbelief while looking at his fist that was bleeding. The injury wasn't that serious since there were only cuts and will only need bandaging. He also thought that the pain didn't bother him much which he thought must be due to his high endurance. 

With that, Zach then just took out some bondages in his inventory and tended to his small wounds. Not before long, he started working by taking everything he could from the destroyed houses in the neighborhood be it wood, paper, etc. 

Night came, and Zach could be found lying in the bathtub filled with warm water. After working non-stop in the afternoon, he was almost done scraping everything close to their house. Savoring the moment he was inside, the door suddenly opened from which Zoey came in hiding her body in a towel. 

The two didn't say any words as they were just staring at each other before Zoey started moving and entering the bathtub. Zach's eyes kept on lingering on the beauty of the naked body of her twin sister, but he didn't have a nice look at it seeing her immediately lying down beside him. He didn't know what was happening, but he received her as he embraced her waist. 

The silence continued for about three minutes before Zach and Zoey could no longer stop themselves from indulging in kissing. Their kissing was too intense as Zoey could be found holding onto Zach's head while sitting on his lap whereas Zach's hands could be found moving on their own seeing them caressing her ass. 

"Zoey." Zach suddenly muttered as the two of them stopped to breathe. He looked at her with great lust disregarding the fact that they were blood related. In fact, the feelings that he had were so strong that he would always hold back not to completely devour her every time they were together. 

Zoey, on the other hand, looked at Zach seductively before she leaned forward and stayed on his broad chest. This was the first time she took the initiative and boldly joined him in taking a bath. Looking at it, she really loved being together with him while doing this kind of stuff that she would somehow think that she was a lustful woman. 

With that, the two then just felt each other's breath before sounds of groaning and moaning could be heard after Zoey started relieving Zach with her hands and they took almost an hour before getting out to eat dinner. 

Five days later, it was now time again for the next calamity to happen. Just like they always did, Zach and Zoey together with Adam and Eve could be found on the road away from their house and trees to prepare for what is about to come. And as if they knew what was happening, the two Huskies kept on barking while walking around. 

[Preparation time has ended.] 

[Commencing World Cleansing Procedure 2-2: Earthquake Calamity.] 

A couple of seconds after the message, the ground started weakly shaking before getting stronger and finally reaching the intensity just like before. The cracks on the ground continued while some layers of the Earth came out as if they were shaping the landscape. 

Everything that was happening was witnessed by Zach and Zoey but they were all focused on crouching as they stayed put in place after Zach saw that they were in the fairly safe area. Together with Adam and Eve, the group of four remained silent and waited for everything to end. 

[World Cleansing Procedure 2-2: Earthquake Calamity is over.] 

[The next Earthquake Calamity will commence next week.] 

After three minutes of non-stop shaking, the message appeared once again. Zach and Zoey stood up as they looked at the surroundings feeling surprised and bitter. The terrain of the area changed again after the calamity however, what they were most surprised by was that the house they were staying in didn't survive and took some damage. 

"Looks like we will be staying outside tonight." Zach said after seeing that none of the houses around were lucky enough to remain intact. The house they were staying in probably was left with the kitchen and bathroom as the living room and bedrooms probably had been destroyed. 

Zach and Zoey accepted everything very fast seeing them already working. Zach left the assembling of the family tent that he had in his inventory to Zoey while he checked out the house to see if there was still a safe place to stay inside. 

Soon, night came very fast. Meanwhile, a huge family tent could be found assembled outside the broken house seeing all of its walls aside from the kitchen and bathroom broken down after Zach made it that way. 

Zach and Zoey could be found sitting side by side while staring at the bonfire that was giving them warmth to fend off the cold wind of the night. They had already done eating and were now only resting for a bit as they were still not ready to sleep. 

"Zach. Let's just say what your assumptions were true about this calamity following a pattern. Then, should there be a new type of calamity two weeks after? If there is. I wonder what kind it was." Zoey muttered while looking at the fire dancing. This thought suddenly came to her after she recalled what Zach had told her that day. 

"It's possible and I hope it won't be that bad." Zach replied while caressing Zoey's shoulder. Thinking about it, there were a number of calamities there is, and looking at it, Meteor Shower and Earthquake classified as natural calamities. If there really was a pattern, he thought that the next one would be the same classification. 

"Flood, Tornado, Drought, Snowstorm, Tsunamis, and many more. We should probably get ready for them." Zach suddenly said as he thought of the natural calamities or disasters that he knew of and probably prepared themselves for them since there was a high possibility that one of them would be next. 

"What are saying, Zach?" Zoey asked upon hearing Zach talking by himself. 

"Nothing. I just think I'm getting closer to the truth." Zach said before finally deciding to get inside the tent so they could rest for the night since he still had many things left to do tomorrow specifically thinking of creating a new plan. 

The next day comes a new day for the twins. First and foremost, Zach and Zoey do their daily exercises before eating breakfast. After that, Zoey took the remaining morning to train her precision towards the new place that they built not that far from where they were staying, but she suddenly changed to practicing bolo knife saying that she liked the way she gripped it. 

On the other hand, Zach could be found sitting on a chair while staring at the table where a whiteboard could be found with writings on them. Just like he promised last night, he was now creating a plan or more specifically a preparation of what they needed when a certain calamity happens. 

On his first list was Drought. He listed down the supplies and goods that needed to have if such a thing would happen, but everything seemed fine because if he wanted, he could have as much water as they wanted. After that, there is also a list of the other calamities on the whiteboard together with their respective necessary needs. 

Zach pretty much has anything that they need ranging from the food supplies that he got from the mall, tools and stuff in the hardware store, medicines and other necessities in the pharmacy, and weapons for self-defense in the gun shop. He, however, still has something that he lacks. 

Zach thought that if a flood happened, there would be many things that he needed. Though he has life jackets coming from the Survival Gift Pack, having such a thing would not guarantee safety because he doesn't know to what extent the water will rise so what he needs is a boat. 

Zach thought that there was no longer a place where he could have such a thing and if there was, there was a huge probability that they were already destroyed. So, he left his hope in the Random Survival Item that he would get from completing his daily mission. Even though he doesn't know to what extent an item could be classified as a Survival Item, the possibility that it is one is high. 

"If not, then I think I need to do something. Sigh. I hope this thing will end soon." Zach said before looking at Zoey swinging a bolo knife in the distance. She was the driving force that was making him do all these things and so he would do everything to protect her at all costs and survive this world together while hoping that their parents were still alive out there since he still hadn't lost hope.