Million Dollar Haul

Once the apocalypse hit, animals across the globe would undergo terrifying transformations. Farm livestock—pigs, cows, chickens, and ducks—would mutate beyond recognition. They would grow faster, stronger, and far more dangerous. A common domestic pig could develop enough jaw strength to tear a grown man in half. If Elora failed to stockpile enough regular meat right now, there would soon come a day when the "meat" started hunting humanity instead.

Buying thousands of pounds of flesh from a standard butcher shop was out of the question. She needed a direct line to a massive slaughterhouse. Fortunately, a generous two-hundred-dollar cash tip to a local shop owner named Ben had secured her the perfect connection. Ben wiped his hands on his stained apron and flashed a massive grin, practically shoving a greasy business card into her hand.

"Just tell him Ben the Butcher recommended you. My cousin owns the place down south. He will give you at least fifteen percent off the top." Ben patted his heavy chest with pride.

"I appreciate it." Elora took the card and sent a quick message on WhatsApp to secure the introduction.

The slaughterhouse sat right in Weston, just a short drive from the empty commercial warehouse Gavin had lent her. Elora drove over that same afternoon. She walked straight into the freezing cold-storage office and placed a massive bulk order. She requested 6,600 pounds of pork and 4,400 pounds of prime beef. The raw cost sat around 230,000 dollars. True to Ben's word, the cousin applied a steep discount for the bulk purchase. The final tally dropped to roughly 197,000 dollars.

"I need this delivered to my warehouse by this evening." Elora swiped her card to finalize the massive transaction.

The owner stamped her invoice and handed over a yellow copy. "You got it, boss. The refrigerated trucks will be there before sundown."

Elora drove straight back to the Weston warehouse. The delivery trucks from the wholesale market had already arrived. The massive loading bay was packed with towering wooden pallets. White bags of premium rice, heavy jugs of cooking oil, and hundreds of boxes of assorted spices formed a mountain of survival supplies.

A burly delivery driver hopped out of his cab, wiping sweat from his forehead. He stared at the sheer volume of goods and let out a low whistle of disbelief. "Wow, miss. Are you planning to open a grocery store? That is a lot of stuff for one location."

"My company is giving out employee benefits. I am just in charge of buying everything." Elora gave a polite, easy smile.

"I see." The driver sounded envious as he signaled his sweaty crew to start unloading the freight.

Elora stood back and watched as the workers ferried the mountain of supplies into the cavernous warehouse using heavy forklifts. She offered no further explanations. Once the last pallet hit the concrete floor, she signed the delivery manifest and sent the exhausted crew on their way.

The moment the heavy steel doors rolled shut, leaving her alone in the dim, quiet warehouse, Elora got to work. She placed her hand against the nearest towering stack of rice bags.

With a single thought, the supplies vanished into thin air. She moved methodically through the warehouse, absorbing thousands of pounds of food, cooking oil, and spices into her system storage. The interdimensional space consumed the massive haul effortlessly.

Elora had learned a brutal lesson in her past life. The only things truly safe were the things locked firmly under your own control. Spreading kindness and resources without protecting yourself only invited betrayal and death from desperate survivors.

A short while later, the slaughterhouse trucks arrived. The crew unloaded tons of prime beef and thick pork cuts into the bay. Elora paid the remaining balance in full. She waited for the massive refrigerated trucks to depart before absorbing the mountain of fresh meat into her system.

She pulled up her digital interface. Her total expenditure had just crossed the 1.3-million-dollar mark. In her previous life, blowing that much cash in a single afternoon would have sent her into a panic attack. Now, a deep sense of satisfaction settled into her bones.

Her system storage had organically expanded in response to her massive hoarding. The internal dimensions now boasted over 14,000 square feet of usable, preserved space. It was a flawless logistical triumph. She still had plenty of room to spare for future runs.

Spending money without limits felt incredible.

Exhausted but thrilled by her progress, Elora locked up the empty warehouse, grabbed a quick meal at a roadside diner, and headed back to her apartment to sleep. Tomorrow would require just as much energy.

Early the next morning, Elora tied her hair back and prepared to head out for another supply run. Her phone vibrated on the kitchen counter.

The caller ID read 'Cora'.

Elora stared at the bright screen for a second, trying to place the name. She answered the call and pressed the phone to her ear, remaining silent.

"Elora, why didn't you come to work today?" Cora sounded frantic and out of breath.

Work.

Elora blinked. Ten years of surviving the brutal wasteland had wiped her mundane schedule from her brain. Right. She still technically had a regular job at the zoo. But with the apocalypse looming just days away, showing up to clock in felt like a ridiculous joke.

Before Elora could brush her off, Cora rushed into her next sentence. "Something is wrong with Blizzard today! He refuses to eat, and he is agitated. When the keeper tried to slide his food in, Blizzard almost took his arm off. No one can get close to the cage, and we do not know what to do. Please come quickly!"

Blizzard.

A sharp spark of recognition hit Elora. The memories flooded back in a rush. Blizzard was a massive white tiger at the city zoo. He was a crossbreed born with a severe genetic defect that compromised his immune system. When he first arrived at the facility years ago, he had been at death's door. The veterinary staff had essentially given up on the sick cub.

Elora had refused to let him die. She had stayed by his enclosure day and night, nursing him through the worst of his illness, hand-feeding him until he regained his strength. She pulled him back from the brink of starvation. Since then, they shared an unbreakable, historic bond. Under her constant, careful care, the sickly cub had grown into an imposing, dominant adult tiger.

"I understand. I will be there right away." Elora ended the call and slipped her phone into her pocket.

A small smile touched the corners of her mouth. A new idea had just sparked in her mind.

Elora drove straight to the zoo and hurried toward the heavy predator enclosures. Cora stood pacing outside the thick steel bars, flanked by several anxious, sweating staff members.

"Elora, you are finally here!" Cora let out a massive sigh of relief. "Quick. You need to take a look at him. Blizzard always listens to you."

The surrounding keepers visibly relaxed at the sight of her familiar face.

"Ms. Voss, thank goodness you made it." A younger keeper wiped his brow with a trembling hand.

Elora gave a brief nod and approached the enclosure.

Inside the expansive, reinforced cage, a monstrous white tiger paced the perimeter. Blizzard was a mountain of solid muscle and thick fur. He radiated raw power. In the far corner of the enclosure, a live chicken stood frozen in pure terror, pinned under the oppressive aura of the apex predator, too scared to even chirp.

As Elora stepped closer, Blizzard's ears twitched. The thick fur along his spine bristled. He lowered his massive head, bearing his razor-sharp fangs as a deep, rumbling warning growl vibrated from his massive chest. He was on the very edge of a violent outburst.

Elora only needed one glance to tell that he was irritated by the crowd.

"Blizzard." Elora kept her tone even and calm.

The warning growl cut off in an instant.

Blizzard's ears shot upright. His ice-blue eyes locked onto Elora through the bars. The moment he recognized his savior, his aggressive demeanor shifted. He sprang to his feet, watching her with rapt attention.

Elora stepped forward and grabbed the heavy keys to unlock the iron gate.

Cora reached out in a panic, trying to grab her arm. "Wait, Elora! He almost bit a keeper earlier today. It is too dangerous to go in there right now."

"It is fine." Elora waved her off and slid the heavy lock open with a loud clank.

The staff held their collective breath. Elora stepped into the enclosure and pulled the iron gate shut behind her.

The metal latch had barely clicked into place when Blizzard moved. He launched himself across the dirt enclosure, turning into a terrifying blur of white fur and muscle.

He closed the distance in a heartbeat and lunged. His massive weight slammed into Elora, knocking her flat onto the dusty ground.

"Ms. Voss!"

"Elora!"

Panicked screams erupted from the other side of the heavy bars. Cora looked like she was about to faint from the shock.

Blizzard pinned Elora to the ground with heavy paws the size of dinner plates. His cavernous jaws hovered mere inches above her face, exposing rows of deadly, bone-crushing teeth.

Elora did not flinch in the slightest. She simply lifted a steady hand and grabbed the apex predator by his thick snout. "How many times have I told you? No licking. That hurts."

A tiger's tongue was coated in rough barbs designed to strip meat from bone. A single affectionate lick could easily scrape a human's skin raw.

Blizzard paused his terrifying assault. He let out a soft, pathetic whine that did not match his massive size. He obediently clamped his mouth shut, lowered his huge head, and rubbed his cheek affectionately against Elora's neck. He purred loudly like an oversized house cat.

Outside the enclosure, the collective tension broke instantly. The staff let out long, nervous breaths.

"Only Ms. Voss can deal with Blizzard."

"Well, of course. She practically raised him. She is basically his mother."

"That is our Ms. Voss for you. She is the only one who can walk through the predator zone without a worry. It is like she has some kind of gift. Big animals, small animals, they all listen to her. Otherwise, how do you think she became department head at such a young age?"

"Why?" a new trainee stammered.

An older keeper smirked. "You guys are new. You have not heard her famous story? She started here as a volunteer. One time two crocodiles were fighting like crazy in the reptile house. Everyone was about to use tranquilizer darts. Ms. Voss just marched in, slapped one crocodile on the snout, then slapped the other. Two smacks. Instantly they both stopped fighting and behaved like angels. After that, she became a legend."

"Wow!" The trainee stared at Elora in awe.

The older keeper shrugged his shoulders. "What can you do? Some people are just born for this job."

Elora scratched the thick fur behind Blizzard's big head. "Get off. You are heavy."

Blizzard immediately lifted his massive paws, rolled over onto the dirt beside her, and exposed his soft, white belly to the sky.

Elora smiled and gave his stomach a firm rub. "Why are you refusing to eat your food?"

Before she could investigate the terrified chicken in the corner, a mechanical voice suddenly chimed in her mind.

"Beep! One hundred percent trust detected from the native. Combat rating: S-Class. Do you want to form a contract?"