The sky churned in dark, bruised shades of purple. Thunder cracked like the earth itself was splitting apart.
Trees bent nearly to the ground, their branches thrashing violently, on the verge of snapping.
A massive billboard had been ripped loose, twisting through the air like a broken wing.
At a ti like this, anyone outside would be courting death.
Then... Her heart skipped.
At the edge of her balcony, part of the security grill had been pried loose by the wind.
Just a corner—but enough.
How long would it hold?
She stared at the storm for a long mont, making sure it wasn’t an imdiate threat, before finally retreating to bed.
Wrapped once more in her blanket, she felt an overwhelming sense of safety.
And yet, this was only the beginning. The storm would only grow worse.
She wondered if the reinforced windows of her safehouse could withstand sothing like this.
That thought lingered as she drifted back to sleep.
She was woken again—this ti by a series of sharp, explosive cracks.
Glass shattering.
One after another.
Like firecrackers detonating through the building.
Suzy sprang out of bed and rushed to the window.
Her own glass still held.
She exhaled in relief.
But across the street, several apartnts had already lost theirs. Curtains were ripped outward, thrashing wildly in the storm.
Air conditioning units dangled precariously, ready to be torn free at any mont.
Suzy sucked in a breath.
This typhoon was far more terrifying than she had imagined.
In her dream, she had collapsed from hunger the night before the storm arrived.
By the ti she woke, it had already passed—leaving only destruction behind.
And then ca the endless rain.
But now, seeing it with her own eyes, the sheer violence of nature sent a chill through her.
Sleep was impossible.
She moved to the living room, heated a cup of milk, and sat down to watch the storm.
Leonard’s door had opened at so point—he must have been awakened too.
He joined her on the sofa.
"Why aren’t you sleeping?" he asked.
"Too loud," Suzy replied. Then, after a pause, "Want sothing to eat?"
He shook his head—then nodded. "Got any fruit? Just sothing light."
Suzy reached into her space and brought out a neatly prepared fruit platter.
Leonard blinked, then laughed as he took it. "You’re like Doraemon."
They sat side by side, quietly eating fruit, watching the storm rage outside.
***
Before long, Suzy noticed water seeping through the window gaps. She quickly pulled out thick towels and cloth from her space, stuffing them into the cracks to block the leak.
Barely had they finished—
Crash!
Another window in the living room shattered.
Cold wind and rain burst inside instantly, making both of them shiver.
Leonard jumped to his feet. "Suzy—pack everything we need into your space first."
She nodded and moved quickly.
Essentials. Supplies. Anything important. In monts, everything was stored away.
Only the landlord’s bulky furniture remained.
"We move tomorrow," Leonard said decisively.
The window was broken—there was no fixing it.
He had planned to stay longer, but now, even the weather was urging them to leave.
"How’s your room?" he asked.
Suzy checked quickly. "Still intact."
"Sa here," Leonard said. "Let’s stay in our rooms for now."
She nodded.
Before heading back, she snapped a photo of the storm-ravaged balcony and sent it to Derek Martin.
To her surprise, he replied almost instantly.
[Suzy, I’m okay. But several apartnts nearby have already lost their windows.]
He sent a video.
Across from his building, shattered glass lined multiple units. Air conditioners had been ripped away entirely.
Bright red curtains whipped violently in the storm, like sothing alive.
Then, Suzy’s gaze dropped to the lower part of the fra.
Her heart tightened.
Floodwater had already begun to gather below his building.
Murky, debris-filled water.
Rising.
[Suzy: It’s flooding that fast?]
[Derek Martin: Yeah. Our area is low-lying.]
[Derek Martin: I heard it’s worse elsewhere. A friend on the first floor said water’s already entering his ho.]
Suzy’s chest grew heavy.
Across A City, only a handful of places—like Starlight Towers—sat on higher ground.
Most areas were vulnerable.
After days of rain—and now the typhoon—flooding was inevitable.
But this was only the beginning. Soon, the water would rise higher.
Second floor.
Third.
Fifth.
Sixth...
And beyond.
By then, travel would probably rely entirely on kayaks and inflatable boats.
Suddenly, Suzy rembered—Derek Martin didn’t have a boat. When things settled, she would have to bring him one.
After the typhoon passes, she decided.
If possible... she wanted to go as soon as tomorrow.
***
They chatted a little longer. Derek shared bits and pieces of news he had gathered recently.
Before ending the call, Suzy reminded him to stay safe and told him she would co find him soon.
Then she hung up.
She lingered by the window for a while longer, watching as the storm seed—just slightly—to weaken.
Only then did she return to bed.
***
She slept until morning, unaware that in just one night, large parts of the city had already been swallowed by floodwater.
When she woke, the storm had passed. Outside, an eerie calm had settled.
She pulled back the curtains.
The world beyond was utterly in ruins.
Fallen branches. Uprooted trees. Debris scattered everywhere.
Suzy let out a quiet sigh.
***
At the sa ti, Richard Stone was fully geared up—ready to head out.
Two hours earlier, he had received a ssage from Teresa.
Her ho had flooded. She lived in a nearby residential area—low-lying terrain.
Now her place was subrged, and with nowhere else to turn, she had reached out to him.
Teresa Pyper... She was soone special to Richard.
Before the disaster, he had warned her to get ready too.
Because of that, she had fared well during the heatwave—never lacking food or power, staying in constant contact with him.
And over ti... Their connection had deepened.
In his past life, she had been one of the few who treated him with genuine kindness.
Rembering that, Richard couldn’t sit still any longer.
He decided to bring her into his safehouse.
He wanted them to live together.
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