Hoarding Resources In Apocalypse

Chapter 6

At the break of dawn, Ciro walked into First National Bank at 9:00 AM.

He went straight to the loan cashier and she gave him a warm professional smile.

“What can I help you with today sir?” She inquired. 

Like that wasn't obvious already. “I need a loan.” She had started working on her computer to record Ciro's speech and she raised her head, taking every words that he said.

“How much?” She inquired. 

“As much as I can get!”

Her eyes shot up and for the first time, she actually noticed him.

“I said as much as I can get!” Ciro repeated and she coughed. 

Most people that frequented that place already had a fixed amount in their mind. But this young man, he was unlike anyone that had come there before.

“Let's see!”

The loan officer pulled up his account and her eyebrows went up. "Mr. Novelli, our records show this property was paid off in full two years ago. You own it outright. Why would you want to take out a mortgage on an asset you already control?"

Ciro leaned back in the chair and smiled. "Investment opportunities. I need liquid capital fast and the apartment's just sitting there doing nothing. Might as well leverage it."

 "That's unusual but not unheard of. The interest rate will be higher since it's a cash-out refinance."

"I don't care about the interest rate.

She blinked. "You don't?"

"I need the money now. Whatever terms you offer I'll take.”

His words sounded firm. She wanted to say more, then she shut her lips.

‘He definitely wants to waste it on gambling, well that's his business, as long as I am paid, I don't get to meddle in other's private affairs.”

Forty-five minutes later Ciro walked out of the bank with an eight-hundred-thousand-dollar certified check in his pocket and a mortgage payment schedule he'd never make a single payment on because in twenty-five days the banks would be frozen ruins and mortgage payments wouldn't matter anymore.

He drove straight to a check-cashing place and converted half of it to cash. Four hundred thousand dollars in banded hundreds that he stored directly into the VOID before he even left the parking lot.

Back at his apartment he "accidentally" left the bank statement on the kitchen counter showing the deposit. Eight hundred thousand dollars in bold black numbers. Then he went to take a shower.

Sarah showed up twenty minutes later using the key he'd given her last week. 

She called out that she'd brought dinner and he told her to make herself comfortable. He heard her moving around in the kitchen and knew exactly when she saw the bank statement because she went completely silent for ten seconds.

When he came out she was standing by the counter holding takeout bags and trying very hard to look normal. 

"Hey baby. I brought Thai food. Your favorite."

"Thanks." Ciro grabbed plates and pretended not to notice the way her eyes kept darting to the bank statement.

They ate pad thai on the couch and Sarah was quieter than usual. 

Her mind was clearly racing doing calculations trying to figure out how much money Ciro actually had if he could casually deposit eight hundred thousand dollars on a Monday morning.

After dinner she curled up next to him and her voice went soft and vulnerable. "Ciro I've been thinking about us. About our future together."

"Yeah?"

"I know we haven't been together that long but I feel like we have something really special." She took his hand and looked up at him with wide sincere eyes. "And with everything that's happening with your success and your projects I want to be part of it. I want to help you build something amazing."

Ciro waited.

"Maybe I could help manage your finances? I took accounting classes in college and I'm really good with budgets and tracking expenses. I could make sure everything's invested properly and nothing gets wasted."

Not in this lifr

Ciro pretended to think about it. "That's really sweet. Actually I am working on something you could help with."

Sarah sat up straighter. "Anything. What do you need?"

"I'm installing a security system in this apartment. High-end fortress-grade stuff. I need someone to help me research companies and compare contractors."

Sarah's face lit up. "I'd love to help! What kind of security system?"

"Bulletproof windows, vault doors, industrial air filtration, backup generators, military-grade water purification. The works."

Sarah laughed like he was exaggerating. "Wow you really take security seriously."

"Can't be too careful these days."

"Of course baby. I'll start researching tomorrow. I'll find you the best companies with the best prices."

Ciro kissed her forehead. "You're the best." And he almost died of disgust from the act and he made sure that it didn't show.

The next day Sarah threw herself into the research with terrifying enthusiasm.

 She sent Ciro links to contractors and suppliers every hour. 

Companies that specialized in bulletproof glass and reinforced steel doors and biometric locks and HEPA air filtration systems and diesel backup generators and underground water storage tanks.

She created spreadsheets comparing prices and reviews. She called companies for quotes. She made P*******t boards with design ideas showing sleek modern security features that looked like luxury upgrades.

Natalia joined the effort that afternoon. Sarah had clearly told her about the "renovation project" because she texted Ciro offering to help with interior design for the security installation.

"You want it to look good not just functional," Natalia's text said. "I have an eye for making practical things beautiful. Let me help!"

For the next two days Sarah and Natalia worked like they were planning a wedding. 

They sent him contractor recommendations and design mockups and detailed supply lists. 

They debated the merits of triple-pane versus quadruple-pane bulletproof glass. They compared backup generator fuel efficiency. They researched air filtration systems rated for biological and chemical threats.

"You should definitely get the triple-pane bulletproof glass," Sarah said over coffee Wednesday morning. "It's more expensive but it adds massive value to high-end properties. Buyers will pay premium for that level of security."

"And you absolutely need backup power," Natalia added scrolling through her phone. 

"What if the grid goes down during a storm or something? Rich people pay extra for self-sufficient systems that keep running no matter what."

Ciro took notes while they enthusiastically designed every detail of his apocalypse fortress thinking it was a luxury real estate flip.

Sarah emailed him a master contractor list organized by specialty. Glass installers, vault door manufacturers, HVAC companies that specialized in sealed-environment air systems, water purification specialists, security consultants who'd worked on government bunkers.

"I even found a company that does military-grade NBC filtration," she said proudly. "That's nuclear biological chemical protection. Probably overkill but if you're going for maximum security why not?"

"You're amazing," Ciro said and meant it in ways she'd never understand.

That night Sarah texted Natalia and Ciro read every word through the spyware feed.

Sarah: "He's putting serious money into this property renovation. Fortress level security, backup systems, the works. This is way bigger than we thought. I think he's sitting on millions."

Natalia: "Keep helping. Make yourself indispensable. Once he trusts you completely we'll have access to everything."

Sarah: "I'm working on it. He already depends on me for all the research and planning. I'm becoming essential."

Two days later the contractors arrived. Three teams working simultaneously to transform Ciro's ordinary apartment into an impenetrable fortress.

 Men in work boots carried in sheets of bulletproof glass and reinforced steel door frames and industrial HVAC units.

Sarah showed up to watch the installation with wide excited eyes like she was overseeing a home makeover show.

"Babe this is insane," she breathed watching workers install a vault door on the main entrance. "How much is this costing?"

"About four hundred thousand for the complete system."

Sarah gasped but her eyes weren't concerned they were calculating. She was doing math about how much total wealth Ciro must have if he could drop four hundred thousand on security alone without blinking.

"That's a serious investment," she said carefully. "But I guess for the right property it makes sense. You could flip this for double once everything's installed."

Ciro nodded and said nothing.

That evening after the contractors left Sarah stood in the apartment looking at the half-installed bulletproof windows and the massive vault door frame and the industrial air filtration vents and she pulled out her phone.

Text to Natalia: "Once he trusts me completely we'll have access to everything. The apartment, the money, the investments, all of it. Marco needs to move fast on his pitch before Ciro spends everything on renovations."

Natalia: "Marco's setting up the meeting for this weekend. Just keep him interested and dependent on you."

 Sarah: "He's already dependent. He asked me to help him research water storage systems tomorrow. And he mentioned maybe I should just move in to make coordinating the contractors easier."

Natalia: "WAIT. He asked you to move in??"

Sarah: "Not directly but he hinted at it. And once I'm living here I'll have access to everything. Keys, passwords, bank statements, everything."

Ciro read the messages from his kitchen and felt cold satisfaction settle in his bones.