"Damn! Told you I saw something out here," a slim man shouted.

His voice barely carried to the other boats, but they heard his exclamation.

"Wonder if there’s any food," another sighed.

It had been seven days, but food was already a scarcity. The tsunami came so suddenly and so fiercely. There were almost no supermarkets and malls that weren’t submerged. Ever since the third day, they have been scouring the waters to find food items or places that haven’t been completely submerged.

Coming upon this mansion in the middle of all the chaos was like finding an oasis in the desert. After making a few gestures, they didn’t hesitate to drive towards the mansion.

The Hartwell’s, hearing the roar of the boat’s engine, peeked outside. No one mentioned it, but they had been waiting for some government body to find them. Although they had food, being here, without any information from the outside world, was becoming a bit hard.

So, hearing the noise, they felt a jolt of pleasure. The elder Hartwell’s and their bodyguards were the first to leave the mansion. The guard outside, who had been checking the water level, hadn’t even had time to assess the danger.

"There are people inside," someone from the boat said. He licked his lips. They were running low on water. No one wanted to use the brown, muddy waters as drinking water. "Maybe we could get some water."

"I think they have more than enough water." The boats were close enough to see the people standing outside. "Their clothes look clean. They don’t look like the others we’ve seen before."

The man’s hungry eyes stared them down. They had intimidated people with their numbers to give up food before. As long as they don’t have weapons, it should be easy to do it again with their numbers.

The boats docked. The people in the boats stepped out and anchored them.

A tall man from the group was the first to call out. He appeared honest and had an amiable smile. He was wiry and appeared weak.

In comparison to the bodyguards who had strong bodies, this man looked almost malnourished.

"Hello, sorry to disturb you. We noticed your house when we were out searching. I hope you don’t mind if we dock here for a while."

The guards sized up the people coming off the boat. One guard was injured. He could use the uninjured hand, but he was a liability currently. Only four of them had fighting power.

They didn’t sense any malice from these people. There were more than twenty of them, which meant they were outnumbered.

"I have no issue with you staying here for a while. But we have some questions. Do you mind?" The one who spoke was the bodyguard checking the water level.

Turning to the Hartwell’s, his gaze met Mr Hartwell, who gave a slight nod.

"You and three other people can come in. Everyone has to stay outside."

"Sure," the wiry man nodded. "You’re being cautious. I understand that."

He picked two people to go with him. A burly man, a short man, and a young woman.

The wiry man had everyone do their own thing while he went in with the chosen people.

Kain watched until they stepped inside. He glanced at the young man, then turned away.

Not long after he and the other left, the man with the calculating eyes looked up at the balcony where they had disappeared.

The four people walked with the Hartwell’s into the foyer. Though it looked bare, it was still a magnificent sight. They stared at the various furnishings, making the elder Hartwell couple puff up with pride.

The two sets of people sat facing each other.

Wasting no time, Mr Hartwell started, "Can you tell us what it’s like outside? What is the government doing?"

Since the first day, all contact had been lost. If not for their previous preparations, they would be stumbling around in the dark and eating air.

The wiry man spoke, "It’s..." he tilted his head searching for the right word. "...not good. No one has actually seen any kind of military dispatch. It’s like the government went dark."

The answer made their spirits, which had soared, immediately plummet. The desolation on their face was evident.

The man waved his hand, "Hey, you don’t need to look so down. As far as I can see, you’ve got it good. Even if the government doesn’t come now, it doesn’t mean they won’t ever come. Just save whatever you have and hope for the best. Don’t be like us, who have to go searching for food."

Yes, they don’t need to search for food. They can hold out until someone comes to rescue them. These thoughts floated in their minds. They had completely forgotten all the information they had gathered before the tsunami.

No one would be coming. But when someone wants to latch on to hope, everything else becomes irrelevant.

While the man was trying to comfort them, the staircase creaked. Kain and his group appeared. The children found a place to sit while the adults stood.

"Sorry, we saw you come in. We were busy earlier, so we didn’t come to greet you." He then pointed to the people who came down with him and introduced them.

"Ah," the wiry man responded. "I’m Tony." He pointed to the burly man, then the short man, and finally the woman. "This is Ray, John, and Jay."

The Hartwell’s also joined in on the introductions. They used their enthusiasm about meeting people to explain why they hadn’t asked for their names.

It was about midday at this time, so everyone was relatively hungry. A loud rumbling sound came from Jay. She lifted her head for the first time since entering the house. Everyone saw her delicate features.

Her doe eyes made her the picture of innocence. She grabbed her stomach, "Sorry," she said, rubbing her stomach. Another rumble slipped out, and she turned red.

Everyone’s eyes went straight to her. When the men saw her, their eyes couldn’t help but shimmer. The delicate beauty brought out their instinct to protect. Mrs Hartwell, with her soft heart, saw the young girl start to get up.

"You don’t need to leave," she said quickly. "We have enough to share. It’s almost time for lunch anyway. Why don’t you all stay?"

The four declined, but the Hartwell group was enthusiastic. The bodyguard’s eyes were like search lights as they stared at Jay, impossibly bright. They couldn’t touch the women in the mansion, but they could touch one who came to the door.