Chapter 127: Preparing for the End

As we set off for Pueblo, I asked Mahya and Al to take full responsibility for the wheel. I decided to focus on warning Earth about the impending danger. I drafted a warning that explained what was happening on Earth, why we saw all those problems in the CNN article, how easy it was to gain new skills, and recommended learning some martial arts and weapon use. The article was about two thousand words long, summarizing the situation and how to prepare. I planned to post it on social media and websites frequented by preppers, survivalists, and the like.

After finishing the draft, I reviewed the content, trying to put myself in the shoes of someone reading it. I facepalmed and shook my head helplessly. If I had seen it, I would never have believed it. I would have been certain some nutcase had posted it and moved on without giving it another thought.

Instead, I opened a new document and started writing everything that had happened to me since the day I discovered the Gate. I knew some people would think it was a fantasy story, but on the other hand, even if only a few believed me and started preparing, it would be worth it. I purposely included various details that people could verify to ensure that I was a real person and not an imaginary character.

I began with a brief description of my past. I didn’t want the readers’ sympathy or pity, but I wanted them to understand, really understand, that I felt no connection to Earth and had no intention of staying and helping. Maybe my history and the realization that I really didn’t like this planet would make them get off their asses and take matters into their own hands instead of waiting for someone to come and save them.

“Hello reader,

My name is John Rue. I'm either 45 or 49 years old, but I'm not sure with the time skips. I grew up in Alabama, studied at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, and worked for nine years as an ER doctor at St. Bernard Hospital in Chicago. Confirm all those details if you think this is a fictional account.

In the following pages, I summarize my life story, detail my experiences, the factors influencing my choices, and the lessons I've learned. In addition, I included all the relevant Archive entries.

I omitted nothing, even if it put me in a negative light. Furthermore, I'm not trying to portray myself as a saint, but to give a warning to get ready.”

The drive to Pueblo was very short, about an hour, so we arrived before I even finished writing the Prologue. In Pueblo, we did the usual round of shops and I also added toy shops to the list. Mahya discovered Pueblo is called “Steel City” because of the Evraz Rocky Mountain Steel Mill and bought all the steel stock - raw material and finished products. I found out that Pueblo is famous for its green chiles, so naturally, I bought a large supply.

After two days in Pueblo, we continued our journey to Colorado Springs. In Colorado Springs, we did the usual round of shops and also bought a lot of outdoor gear. I stocked up on a vast supply of Enstrom’s almond toffee, while Mahya purchased a large quantity of Rocky Mountain whiskey. We avoided visiting any drug dealers here as well. After spending two days in the city, we proceeded to Fort Collins.

This pattern continued as we made our way to Lethbridge, AB, in Canada, stopping at every major city along the route. We emptied every store that piqued our interest and bought some fascinating local items before moving on. Al stopped asking me to find drug dealers, which led me to realize that the big deal we encountered was more significant than I initially thought, and he seemed satisfied with the amount.

In Lethbridge, Mahya found a jeep mechanic willing to teach us for a more modest sum of $2,000. We eagerly went to learn to be Jeep mechanics. Al even joined us, though I suspected his motive was to earn another ability point rather than to learn mechanical skills.

After a week, we all gained the ability and this time, we decided not to continue leveling it up. Expressing our gratitude to Albert, we redirected our focus to other matters.

We wanted nothing linking us to Calgary, so we handled the contributions we wanted to make from Lethbridge. We took out the list and decided which items to donate. I wanted to donate the entire list to foster homes, but Al preferred to donate some items to LGBTQ+ youth shelters.

Mahya wanted to keep all the electronics, even if they wouldn’t work. She had plans to use the ‘dead zone’ in my house to study them and possibly convert them to Magitech.

“We might as well keep all the stolen electronics and phones,” she suggested, storing the boxes. “They could be useful for metals and basic materials, or maybe future Magitech experiments.”

“Fine by me,” I replied. “At least it empties my storage a bit.”

After my massive food purchase, my Storage overflowed again despite all the points I’d invested in it. We divided the rare coins among the three of us, each taking our share.

“Let’s burn all the stolen identification documents and credit cards,” I suggested.

“Agreed,” Mahya said, and Al nodded. We gathered the papers and tossed them into a fire.

As an experiment, we took a fuel canister, and I poured mana into it. Afterward, we checked the fuel, and it looked normal. Pouring some into a metal bowl, I set it on fire. It burned just fine.

“Looks like we’ve got some extra campfire fuel,” I said with a grin.

Al, meanwhile, had claimed the fetish and bondage equipment for himself. Mahya and I couldn’t help but giggle.

“Remember the Shibari workshop we attended in Paris?” Mahya asked, nudging me.

She turned to Al and said, “Maybe you should find a workshop for your private pleasure.”

Al’s face turned the color of a ripe tomato. “Very funny,” he muttered, looking away.

We threw away the adult DVDs, magazines, and inflatable dolls. They were just taking up space.

“And this prank candy?” Mahya held up one box with a look of disgust.

“Definitely trash,” I agreed. “That stuff is repulsive.” We tossed it in the bin and continued sorting through the remaining items.

After all the sorting, trashing, and burning, our donation list looked like this:

• Rare stamps

• Rare comic books and memorabilia

• Life-size cardboard cutouts of Elvis Presley

• Inflatable sumo wrestling suits

• A giant inflatable gorilla

• A collection of rubber stamps with funny sayings

• A set of velvet Elvis paintings

• Several sets of novelty license plates (e.g., “I LUV MY CAT”)

• Singing birthday cards

• Life-size dinosaur costumes with realistic roaring action

• A crate of singing birthday cards that never stop singing

• Pallets of DVDs and CDs

• A crate of luxury watches

• Pallets of video games

• Boxes of sports memorabilia

• Pallets of software

• Pallets of computer components

• Blank wedding invitations

• Vacuum cleaners

• Dinosaur Bubble Handheld Bubble Machines

• Dancing and Talking Cactus Toys

• Smart Trashcans with a sensor

• Boxes of vintage movie posters

• A collection of talking parrot toys that mimic everything they hear

• A giant, inflatable dinosaur with LED lights

• A crate of voice-changing megaphones

• A life-size mannequin dressed as a wizard with glowing eyes

• A giant inflatable unicorn costume with sound effects

After an online search, we made a list of places to donate, bought boxes, and started packing. Four days of hard work later, UPS came to pick up the packages to send them on their way to their new homes.

We sent them to:

Foster Care Homes Donations:

• Bright Future Foster Care Home, Denver, Colorado

  • 50 rare stamps

  • 1 crate of rubber stamps with funny sayings

  • 50 CDs

  • 50 DVDs

  • 50 video games

  • 50 sports memorabilia

  • 1 life-size cardboard cutout of Elvis Presley

  • 30 luxury watches

• Hope Haven Foster Care, Portland, Oregon

  • 50 rare stamps

  • 1 crate of rare comic books and memorabilia

  • 1 inflatable sumo wrestling suit

  • A crate of computer components

  • 10 vacuum cleaners

  • 50 video games

  • 10 novelty license plates

  • 1 giant inflatable dinosaur with LED lights

  • 1 box of blank wedding invitations

  • 10 luxury watches

• Sunshine Foster Care Center, Phoenix, Arizona

  • 50 rare stamps

  • 1 inflatable sumo wrestling suit

  • 1 crate of dinosaur bubble handheld bubble machines

  • 1 crate of dancing and talking cactus toys

  • 10 smart trashcans with a sensor

  • 50 DVDs

  • 50 CDs

  • 50 video games

  • 1 voice-changing megaphone

  • 10 luxury watches

• Rainbow Foster Care Home, San Francisco, California

  • 50 rare stamps

  • 1 giant inflatable gorilla

  • Most of the vintage movie posters

  • 120 voice-changing megaphones

  • 50 DVDs

  • 50 CDs

  • 50 video games

  • A box of sports memorabilia

  • 10 novelty license plates

  • 10 luxury watches

LGBTQ+ Youth Shelters Donations:

• Safe Haven LGBTQ+ Youth Shelter, New York, New York

  • 50 rare stamps

  • Velvet Elvis paintings

  • 1 life-size dinosaur costume with realistic roaring action

  • 1 giant inflatable unicorn costume with sound effects

  • 1 crate of singing birthday cards that never stop singing

  • 50 CDs

  • 50 DVDs

  • A crate of computer components

  • 10 luxury watches

• Pride House LGBTQ+ Shelter, Austin, Texas

  • 50 rare stamps

  • 10 novelty license plates

  • A crate of computer components

  • 10 luxury watches

  • A crate of talking parrot toys that mimic everything they hear

  • 50 CDs

  • 50 DVDs

  • A box of sports memorabilia

  • 1 crate of dinosaur bubble handheld bubble machines

• Unity LGBTQ+ Youth Center, Chicago, Illinois

  • 50 rare stamps

  • 1 crate of singing birthday cards

  • 1 crate of blank wedding invitations

  • 1 life-size mannequin dressed as a wizard with glowing eyes

  • 62 CDs

  • 96 DVDs

  • 49 video games

  • A box of sports memorabilia

  • 1 crate of dancing and talking cactus toys

  • 10 luxury watches

Again, if you think this is a fictional story, you can verify those donations. I hope you believe me and get ready.

After all the shipments were on their way, we checked our financial situation. We had a little over two million dollars left. I couldn’t believe that with all the shopping, we barely made a dent in our funds. We raided every shop in the city, buying everything we could find from every store and supermarket. I suspected that we might have created a shortage in the city because of our extensive purchases.

We managed to reduce the money to just below one and a half million dollars.

“I want to set aside fifty thousand dollars for our expenses before we cross the Gate,” I suggested.

“A sum of twenty thousand should suffice,” Al countered, leaning back in his chair. “If that turns out to be incorrect, we can always pay an unexpected visit to a drug dealer.”

I frowned, not liking the idea. “I don’t want to risk us in Calgary.”

He waved off my concern. “We can travel for an hour, perhaps even two, to pay them a visit.”

“I just want us to be safe,” I insisted.

“We will be,” Al reassured me. “Rest assured, we have the capability to manage it.”

Reluctantly, I nodded. “Alright, we’ll keep it in mind, but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

Except for the twenty thousand dollars we put aside for our final push on Earth, we went to visit jewelry stores and spent the entire remaining amount on jewelry. We then divided the loot among the three of us.

With that, we were almost ready and headed to Calgary.