Chapter 8 - Buy Buy!

"Husband, what are you talking about?"

My mother is already impatient. Father did not tell her anything since early morning, acting all serious and mysterious. (A/N: yes, I did it on purpose. Come at me!)

"Dad, what is a magnetic field?"

Asked my younger sister Leya ignorantly. She is only 11 years old, the youngest in the family.

*pat* *pat*

What can I say? Pat them while they are still cute.

"Akeel Called me and …."

My father told the family the same thing as what my friend Salem said yesterday on our group chat. And the atmosphere becomes a little bit serious.

"Dad, is it the end of the world? This is the same scenario as in the movies."

"Dad, if someone in the family got separated from the family or died, can it be Laith?"

"Hahaha! Goodbye Laith. You were a bad brother!"

"Yeah! Goodbye! Nobody is gonna miss you! Hehe."

You don't have to think about it. The two monkeys did not miss the chance, and the serious atmosphere previously was instantly dispersed.

*chuckle* *laugh*

The family started laughing including me. What? Do you think I will get mad? I am not a small-hearted person.

*slap* *slap*

"Ah! Don't hit! Don't hit!"

"Sorry! Laith, it's the last time I swear!"

I am not a small-hearted person. However, just in case their ego got inflated, I have to deflate it to prevent future troubles.

"Laith! don't hit your brothers, and you two don't make this kind of joke"

The social justice officer got summoned to the rescue. Of course, I mean my mother.

"""Ma'am Yes Ma'am"""

After the import slapstick finished, I turned to my dad and asked.

"So Father, what are we going to do now?"

Everybody's attention was focused on my father. As the head of the family, he was the one to make the plan of action.

My father started tapping the chair arm while thinking silently. Nobody disturbed him. Even the twins didn't say anything and went on AirPlane mode.

After 5 minutes of thinking, he stopped tapping.

"We don't know how serious this matter is, but we can't just wish for the best"

My father looked at my mother then at us.

"We will start buying food and other essentials to prepare for the worst case."

My dad has already decided.

"But how much should we buy? Everything is expensive these days, what if we buy too much and nothing happens in the end? Although we have a lot of savings, we can't spend extravagantly."

Mother's concern is also true. Compared to the average income per capita in my country, the prices are too expensive. Talking about the economic collapse, I can talk all day and will not be finished.

"We can buy rations and grains that will last for a long time. If nothing happened and it turned out to be a false alarm, we can resell it. "

"We have 8 empty shops under our building, the big deal we would open a grain store or something."

"Laith is jobless anyway, he can have some work"

*laugh*

O_o"

Ouch! I was shot with a stray bullet! Why is it me again?

I got laughed at again! Even my mother was smirking a little.

"Okay, stop laughing and be serious."

I did not expect it. I was saved by my father. I shall forgive you old man for the previous shot.

"Mr. Jobless will have a job at least."

Forget about it.

"Father, what about the fuel?"

"We will have to buy some fuel from the black market, even if it's more expensive."

The black market is not the black market you think.

As there is a fuel rationing, you can only buy a certain amount of fuel every week. Some people will sell their fuel ration in the 'black market' for more than double the price.

"I will call Walid, he has some connection with some distribution channels."

Waild is my friend 'Rock' in the Madhouse group chat(chapter 4). His father has a car repair shop and it's normal to come into contact with all kinds of people and have a wide range of channels.

"Hmm! let's buy enough to fill a 1500 gallon tank."

"?"

"isn't that too much?"

"As I said before, we can resell almost everything. Buy and don't worry about the money."

Wow, the old man has the majesty of a rich tycoon. Even if he isn't one.

Thinking for a second, I suggested.

"We should buy a generator with a silencer just in case"

"Already ordered one"

"Walid's father should deliver it by tomorrow"

It seems like father has already thought about a lot of things.

Suddenly I remembered the chat from yesterday.

"Father, do you think we should use the underground parking?"

He looked at me puzzlingly.

"What for?"

"We were joking yesterday about turning the underground parking lot into a bunker."

"A small hydroponic farm could be made inside and the Iron Gate is quite sturdy. It's even safer than here."

Father shook his head not liking the idea it seems.

"There is no need. It's too much of a hassle."

Hassle or not safety is the greatest concern actually.

"Father you know that it's not safe here."

"What if something happened, you don't know what those gangsters wannabe could do"

Hearing this, the old man had a thoughtful look on his face.

"Dad! Let's make a Bunker."

"Yes, Dad! Let's add things like in bunker defense games!"

The twins didn't give 2 cents about the situation and started thinking of the matter as a game.

"Then, you two are responsible for cleaning the 'Bunker'"

Father said with a smile. The twins didn't reciprocate this smile for sure.

Let us just say, it has been one year since the last time someone went down there. Let alone cleaned the place.

"No Dad! I think you are right there is no need for a bunker."

"Yes! Such an unnecessary hassle."

Someone is quick to change his mind. But,…

"It's decided"

Father took the chance to find something for the twins to do other than playing all day.

""Mom! Help!""

Turning to their only hope, my mother.

*chuckle*

"I think it's a great idea."

*fwoosh* *fwoosh*

I think I heard the sound of something being deflated. Ah! It's just the twins setting on the couch with a defeated expression.

I laugh at them in my heart Not daring to laugh loudly. What if the table turns at me? who is gonna save me?

"Okay! Let's go buy the food now."

Father stands up ready to go to the grain market.

"Now?"

'Eh so fast?'

"Yes now. When do we go? When it's too late and too many people know?"

Will, don't look at me like that.

A thought suddenly came to my mind.

"It's alright to buy now but what if people saw us buying so much food?"

"Then just say we are opening a shop, the big deal?"

Father didn't seem to catch up on this one. Surprisingly the two monkeys did.

"Dad, just like strategy games the enemy can attack to plunder resources."

"Yes! If people know we have so much food, when something happens they will try to steal from us"

The twins although they keep on jumping around and like to play are not stupid. No one in this family is. We might not have everything in life, but intelligence is not something we lack.

My dad nodded with a smile.

"In this case, Let's….. wait until next chapter" (A/N: Don't Hit! Don't Hit)