Doomsday survivalist: A Guide To Survive!
Rule 8: Human Greed
They spent the next two hours walking the perimeter of the property Marcus bought. The sun wasn't too harsh yet, but the dust kept sticking to their shoes as they moved around the half-constructed fence line. Scaffolding rattled. Workers shouted orders to each other. Trucks beeped as they backed up.
Marcus grinned like he finally owned a kingdom.
Jake whistled. "Damn. This is bigger than I imagined."
Rayco didn't answer. He was staring at the blueprint spread out across the hood of one of the delivery trucks. The ink was already smudged from sweat, but the lines were clear enough. Thick concrete walls. Reinforced steel frames. A hidden elevator disguised as a maintenance shaft. Four rooms underground. Two baths. A storage room big enough to hold a month's supply for fifty people. A water filtration tank. A small generator room. A narrow emergency exit that came out near the river a few blocks away.
And smack in the middle: a common room the size of a small gym.
Ghelle clapped dust off her hands and joined them. "Give us a few weeks and this will be done. As long as you don't mind everything looking like a war bunker."
Jake snorted. "War bunker? This looks like a prison, bro. All you need are those guys in orange jumpsuits."
The others laughed. Even Rayco smiled a little, though his eyes stayed serious.
"It needs to hold," he said quietly. "When everything starts freezing over, people go crazy. Cold makes you desperate."
Marcus nudged him. "We trust you. Just tell us what else we need."
Rayco pointed at the workers. "Extra pay. Enough to keep their mouths shut. I want this place forgotten by everyone except us."
Ghelle nodded and took mental notes. "On it."
Jake leaned on the rail of the temporary fence and asked, "Your families reached Cebu already?"
"Yeah," Ghelle said. "They're settling fine. Thanks to Mike lending us that boat. Would've taken ages if he didn't."
The moment Mike's name came up, a familiar voice cut in behind them.
"Speaking of me…"
They all turned. Mike was walking toward them with that usual calm face he wore whenever the situation was worse than he wanted to admit.
Rayco's expression shifted. "You found something."
Mike nodded once. "The government's mobilizing a covert team. They're planning to send them into Antarctica."
Jake blinked. "To do what? Freeze to death?"
"No," Mike said, folding his arms. "To check the creature inside that iceberg. They're going to investigate before it drifts closer."
The others got quiet. Rayco didn't.
"They're too late," he muttered. "That thing's already cracking. When it hits Manila, you know what happens."
Mike exhaled. "That's why I need you watching their movements. The moment they screw up, we have to contain the outbreak fast. You know what the first infected wave is like."
Rayco rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. I remember."
Mike stepped closer. "I've got a private meeting with the vice president. He wants you there too."
"No." Rayco shook his head immediately. "You handle it. I'm not stepping into Malacañang. Not yet. Not until I know who I can trust."
Mike sighed but didn't argue. "Fine. But listen. Before the ice age hits, the VP wants me to prep the public. Guide them on insulating their homes. Enough warnings so they don't die in the cold… but subtle enough to avoid a panic."
Jake, Marcus, and Ghelle all shifted awkwardly.
Rayco scratched his cheek and chuckled. "Can you blame me for starting early?"
Mike stared at him, then laughed under his breath. "Of course not. You've always been ahead of everyone."
He checked his watch. "I need to go. A lot of things to arrange. Stay sharp."
He left in a hurry, leaving the group staring after him.
Marcus nudged Rayco. "So… what was that about?"
Rayco summed it up as casually as he could. "Government knows something's coming. They want Mike to help prepare people. We don't have to worry about that. Just focus on training. Especially your stamina."
Jake groaned. "Bro, you're killing us with this cardio."
"That's the point," Rayco said, smirking. "I'm not carrying any of you when the snow hits."
He walked off toward the exit, already planning the next steps in his head.
The others exchanged glances.
They weren't sure whether to be excited or terrified.
Because every time Rayco said something like that…
he was never wrong.
THE DAY RAYCO DISAPPEARED — START OF THE HUMAN GREED ARC
Day 153 — 5:41 PM
It was supposed to be a quick supply run. Just Rayco stepping out to buy duct tape and spare batteries. He even joked about it.
"Fifteen minutes tops," he said.
He never came back.
THE FIRST SIGN SOMETHING WAS WRONG
Jake was the first to notice.
He checked his phone, saw no reply, and frowned.
"Rayco always responds," he muttered.
Elisia looked up from the table. "What?"
"He's not answering."
At first, nobody panicked. They assumed Rayco got stuck in a line, or lost signal, or maybe bumped into someone he knew.
But then—
Ghelle got a text.
It wasn't from Rayco.
It wasn't even from his number.
It was a photo.
Rayco. Unconscious. Rope on his wrists. A bruised cheek.
Slumped in a chair in an unknown room.
Below it, a message:
"You kids have something I want.
Your prophet stays with us until we get it.
Do not involve the police."
Ghelle dropped the phone.
"Elisia—Jake—Marcus—Cyrus… someone took him—someone took Rayco!"
Everything went silent.
Then all hell broke loose.
THEIR FIRST REACTIONS
Jake slammed his fist against the wall so hard the frame rattled.
"WHO TOOK HIM?!" he shouted, grabbing the phone.
Elisia covered her mouth, tears already forming. "No… no, no, no… Rayco—he was just—he was just buying batteries—"
Marcus cursed loudly. "This is why he shouldn't go alone!"
Cyrus checked the message again, reading between the lines.
"This isn't random," he said quietly. "They know he's important."
Jake glared. "Important how? Did someone hear Mike and VP talking? Or—"
Ghelle shook her head. "I don't know. But they want something from us. From him."
Elisia's voice trembled. "W-what if it's about the apocalypse?"
Jake's eyes darkened.
"No one knows except us… and Mike. And Mike wouldn't—"
He stopped.
His throat tightened.
"Unless someone was listening."
THE PANIC SETS IN
Cyrus paced fast, hand on his head.
"Okay—okay—Rayco said this could happen. Remember? He kept saying human greed is worse than zombies."
Marcus swore again and threw a chair. "We can't just wait! We have to go to the police! Or Mike—call Mike!"
"No!" Ghelle snapped. "The message said don't involve the cops. If they realize Rayco knows about the future, they'll kill him before we even blink."
Elisia wiped her cheeks, voice cracking.
"What do we do…? What do we do…?"
Jake grabbed her shoulders, steadying her.
"We save him. That's what we do."
"But how?" Ghelle asked.
Jake clenched his jaw.
"We find them first."
THE FIRST CLUE
Marcus replayed the photo.
"Look… the background. The wall has peeling green paint. That's old.
Those metal bars behind him look like a warehouse partition.
And the chair—look at the legs. Stainless. Cheap. That's common in factories."
Cyrus nodded. "Zoom in on the floor."
Jake did.
"It's concrete," Cyrus said. "But see the stain patterns? Oil. Fresh.
He's somewhere industrial."
Ghelle swallowed hard. "There are dozens of warehouses—"
"But only a few abandoned," Marcus said.
Jake stood up.
"We split into two groups and check every abandoned warehouse within five kilometers."
Elisia's voice shook. "And if we're too late?"
Jake didn't smile. Didn't soften it. Didn't lie.
"We won't be."
CUT TO RAYCO — WAKING UP
Darkness faded slowly.
His head throbbed.
His wrists were tied tight.
His jaw burned where someone hit him.
Voices echoed around him—men talking.
He kept his breathing steady, pretending to still be unconscious.
Then he heard the words that made his blood run cold.
"Wake him up later. The boss says he wants the future predictions straight from his mouth."
Another voice:
"And if the kid refuses?"
A laugh.
"Then we take what we need. Forcefully."
Rayco forced himself not to move. Not to breathe too sharply.
But his heart hammered.
They know. They know I'm from the future.
BACK WITH THE GROUP
Jake checked his gear—knife, phone, flashlight.
"We move now," he ordered. "We're not waiting for the morning. Not waiting for anyone."
Marcus nodded. "I'm with you."
Cyrus grabbed a metal pipe. "Same."
Elisia wiped her last tear. Her eyes were hard now. "I'm coming too."
"No," Jake said. "It's dangerous—"
"I'm coming," she repeated, trembling but firm.
Jake didn't argue. Not this time.
Ghelle took a deep breath.
"Then let's go."
They all looked at the dark night outside.
Somewhere out there, Rayco was tied to a chair, surrounded by men who knew too much.
Cyrus whispered the truth none of them wanted to say aloud:
"This is happening earlier than Rayco predicted…
Human greed.
It's already starting."
Jake tightened his fists.
"Then we hit them first."
And the group stepped out into the night—
determined, scared,
and ready to break the world apart
if it meant getting Rayco back.
RAYCO — TIED TO A CHAIR
His wrists throbbed against the rope. Someone punched him earlier. The taste of blood still clung to his tongue.
He didn't lift his head. Not yet.
Boots approached.
"Wake him."
A cold splash of water hit his face, snapping him fully back into himself.
Rayco sat up slowly, eyes sharp despite the bruise on his cheek.
Across from him stood the man who orchestrated his kidnapping — mid-40s, clean haircut, sharp suit, eyes like someone who had seen too much and decided empathy was optional.
"Good evening, kid," the man said calmly. "Let's talk."
Rayco stayed quiet.
The man stepped forward, hands in his pockets. "First, I want you to know something… I'm not going to torture you. I'm not going to threaten you. That's sloppy. I'm a professional."
He leaned closer.
"And I know you're smart."
Rayco glared at him. "I don't know what you think I—"
The man cut him off with a small laugh. "Save it. Let's skip the warm-up."
He grabbed a folder from the table and tossed it onto Rayco's lap.
Inside: printed screenshots of lotto results, satellite photos of Antarctica, and leaked reports about the sealed ice creature.
Rayco's blood ran cold.
The man smiled.
"Your predictions match every classified piece of data in this folder."
Rayco inhaled slowly. "Those aren't predictions. That's… basic deduction. Anyone with a functioning brain can see the pattern. It's all based on existing facts."
The man stared at him for a moment—
—then burst out laughing.
A slow, heavy laugh that didn't match his calm face.
"You think I don't already know those 'facts'?" he said. "No, kid. I'm talking about how accurate you are."
He leaned on the table.
"Nobody—nobody—knew the exact timing of the Antarctica operation. Not even most of the brass. Only a handful of us knew the creature was inside that ice formation."
He crouched down, eyes level with Rayco.
"Unless two things are true:
You see the future… or you already lived through it."
He studied Rayco's expression carefully.
Rayco didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't answer.
The man smiled wider. Too wide.
"I see. So it's the latter. You've already lived through it."
Rayco's pulse jumped, but he kept his face blank.
The man straightened. "You're not denying it. Good. Let's make this simple."
He gestured at his men.
"Relax his restraints."
They loosened the rope around Rayco's wrists but didn't free him yet.
The man walked in front of him, hands behind his back.
"I'll let you go," he said. "If you answer one thing."
Rayco eyed him. "What is it?"
The man stepped closer.
"Is the creature alive?"
Silence.
Even the guards stopped breathing.
Rayco didn't want to answer. He didn't want this man anywhere near the future.
But lying wouldn't help. Not with what he already knew.
So he exhaled weakly.
"…yes. It is."
The man's lips curled into a satisfied grin.
"Very well."
He turned to his men.
"Free him. Bring our friend home safely. I don't want him hurt."
Rayco jerked back like he didn't trust his ears.
"You're letting me go?" he asked.
The man smiled softly, almost kindly.
"Of course. Look, kid… I'm not the enemy here. I just want to keep this country intact when the world freezes over."
Rayco didn't trust him for a second.
But they untied him, lifted him to his feet, and escorted him outside.
One guard whispered, "Sorry, kid. Boss said no roughing you up on the way back."
Rayco didn't answer.
He just stared ahead, uneasy.
He was released.
Driven back home.
Dropped off safely at the gate.
But he knew something was wrong.
Very wrong.
BACK INSIDE THE WAREHOUSE
The door shut behind Rayco.
The man's polite smile vanished instantly.
His voice was low, controlled, and hungry.
"Where's the doctor?"
Someone stepped forward from the shadows.
A thin man wearing glasses, lab coat wrinkled, eyes glowing with ambition.
"Here," the doctor said. "I heard everything."
The man nodded.
"That boy's information… if it's real—"
"It is," the doctor cut in, breathing fast. "This is incredible. If the creature is alive, that means its genetic structure survived millennia. Do you understand what that means?"
The man frowned. "Explain."
"It means," Dr. Suarez said with a trembling grin, "we might have the breakthrough we've been chasing."
He pushed his glasses up, excitement making his voice shake.
"We need to hurry. We need that ice creature contained, transported, and studied. That kind of organism could evolve in cold conditions, maybe even resist viral degeneration."
The man crossed his arms. "You said you could use its biology to create enhanced soldiers."
Dr. Suarez nodded hard.
"Yes. The ultimate supersoldier project."
The man grinned widely now.
"Good. Then prep your team."
He leaned closer to the doctor and whispered like a command:
"We move before the government does."
Dr. Suarez's eyes gleamed.
"As you wish."
The two men shook hands.
The future Rayco tried so hard to change—
just tipped even closer to disaster.
And this time,
human greed was going to be even worse than the apocalypse itself.
To be continue