The Unborn’s Apocalyptic Warning Chapter 07
Fiona, too hungry to hold out any longer, blended into the work queue.
I saved the filthiest, most back-breaking task for her.
“That dog shit over there. Go clean it up.”
Fiona wept as she swept, eyes darting longingly to the crackers in my hand.
My son’s commentary from the womb: This is incredible. Last life, this woman pushed me down a staircase to steal a single biscuit from me. She could shovel dog crap for eternity and it’d still be letting her off easy!
Hearing that, my eyes turned cold.
Silently, I swapped out Fiona’s packet of crackers for one that had expired two days ago.
It wouldn’t kill her. But she’d be on the toilet for a good two days.
A month later, the floodwaters finally receded.
Power and water returned. The city slowly began rebuilding.
My “fortress” went viral online.
The same media outlets that had ridiculed me had completely reversed their tone.
“The Most Visionary Woman of Our Time—Catalina Reyes”
“Catalina Reyes and the Art of Extreme Risk Hedging”
Praise poured in from every direction.
Financial analysts even ran the numbers, concluding that because of the post-disaster price surge, my stockpile hadn’t lost value—it had actually turned a massive profit.
When Salvatore appeared on a financial news segment, his face was pure adoration.
“My wife actually understands quite a lot. It’s called extreme risk management for household asset allocation. The process was a bit dramatic, admittedly, but the results prove she had genuine foresight.”
I watched Salvatore on TV, deadpan and completely full of it, and laughed until my stomach hurt.
Fiona, between her disgraceful behavior during the disaster and having burned her last bridge with the Genovese family, was thoroughly ostracized from every social circle.
Word was, to appease Salvatore’s anger, her family shipped her off to some nameless town in the middle of nowhere. She probably wouldn’t be coming back in this lifetime.
Looking at the half-room of supplies still remaining, I felt a twinge of concern.
“Honey, all this meat—we couldn’t eat it all in two lifetimes.”
Salvatore waved his hand grandly. “Donate it.”
We sent every last bit to the hardest-hit disaster zones.
And with that, my reputation reached its absolute zenith.
Natalya now sang my praises to anyone who’d listen. If someone so much as breathed a word against me, she’d have the bodyguards toss them into the Pacific.
I rubbed my round belly. “Sweetheart, your forecast wasn’t exactly accurate—but you still saved me and your father. Mommy’s grateful.”
My due date arrived.
The entire household went into battle mode.
Salvatore had the city’s finest obstetric team brought directly to our home—right there in the room that had once been stacked floor to ceiling with canned beef.
The delivery went smoothly. A boy.
The moment the baby opened his eyes, what he saw wasn’t a gray sky or a city overrun with the undead.
It was a gleaming crystal chandelier—and parents and a grandmother who loved him.
He blinked, tiny mouth working.
One final thought echoed in my mind:
“Whoa—I don’t have to gnaw on tree bark this time around? There’s actually milk? This is amazing—I finally get to live a happy life!”
I couldn’t help myself. I gave his little bottom a gentle smack.
Salvatore held his son in his arms, beaming wider than I’d seen him in ages.
At the celebration banquet, Salvatore announced a charitable foundation in our son’s name, dedicated entirely to disaster relief.
I stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing out at the city restored to its former glory—cars streaming past, happy pedestrians, lights blazing everywhere.
My heart was full.
The apocalypse never came. But this whole ordeal taught me something.
In this uncertain world, no amount of steel plating or stockpiled grain could ever be as sturdy as the trust and support of your family.
Salvatore walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.
“Catalina, I heard there’s some news about a comet heading for Earth. Want to look into it?”
I reached back and clamped my hand over his mouth.
“Shut up! Don’t you dare! I’m buying back all my handbags and jewelry! And replanting the garden!”
“No problem. Buy it all back. We’ll replant the flowers too.”
He leaned down and kissed the top of my head.
In his eyes, I saw tenderness—and love.