Anna Gale looked at the wildly sprawled things on ground and knew she had to do something. "Bring books up. I will try to see if we can recharge solar lights and bring them here to use them in darker days of winter. Maybe we can find charger as well. Too bad this place has no storage area."
"But... it has." Michelle pointed at one corner filled with all kind of stuff. "There is latch door going down."
Anna didn't see it when she pushed everything out of way so she was stunned and moved all the boxes on side and really saw wooden latch door but inconspicuously made so that it looked like part of wooden boards.
There was small opening in ground and even a bit of cord could be seen. With a pull she took the tucked cord out and slowly pulled the latch open.
The basement was not like in her world, big and spacious. It was barely enough for some things to be stored in. She jumped down and touched the ground.
Even though outside was now pouring rain for two days the ground and even walls were dry as desert.
Alice brought her lit candle and finally she saw it. It looked like the walls and ground were sealed somehow with some strange clay and sighed.
"We have no other option. If vegetables stay in this warm room they will sprout or rot. We must bring everything down.
She pointed at nearby big bowl they didn't need to use. "Give me that thing. We can place vegetables inside."
The two girls pushed the big bowl and slowly lowered so she could put it in the corner. Bit by bit they brought the potatoes they put in corner and it fitted exactly the corner.
Next was a basket she wanted to put onions inside.
As expected the basket became full as well and the jars with various pickled vegetables.
Even cans of food went down and only the fresh vegetables she brought were left there as they were not ripe so she let them ripe in warm room.
"Sister, what about eggs?" Michelle pointed at dozen eggs in small basket they brought from neighboring house.
"You are right." Anna took the basket and carefully placed on top of everything and closed the latch.
Now the house was much cleaner. She took one of empty notice books and started making a list.
- Nails
- Hammer
- Rain clothes
- Mattress
- Toys
- More books
- Solar lights...
- More food...
She was not delighted in happiness about the few jars of food and few boxes of food.
Since she usually was around their mother every day she learned many things about household and amount of food used in household.
She was not maybe big, but she already knew basic knowledge of basic things needed to survive.
"I'll cook rice. We can eat them with vegetables. Tomorrow I'll try to make bread. Mother showed it to me. If it doesn't work I'll just add more water and make fried dough." Bread and fried dough tasted both amazing, so both girls were excited already.
Rice was not hard to cook. Water was brought in plastic bottles from the other world and she planned to use next chance to go and take full shower.
Why not using such a chance if she could?
Most of water bottles were brought up so they could drink it if in need.
Suddenly there was light again.
Again?
*Zombies will be not coming back for a time being. You have been given permission to go to your past world three times a day each time one hour. Do you want to use it now?*
Anna Gale glanced at her sisters. "Let's go take shower. You two can take shower while I search house of things we need."
The two girls agreed right away. "Sister, but water will be cold."
Anna Gale nodded calmly. "Go get the clothes for all of us. Gate... can we go to neighbors house next to our house that has solar panels?"
The gate suddenly appeared and showed living room of neighbors house.
Every time the living room.
She saw the two girls carefully going down and glanced at the clock. "Do we have one more chance today?"
*Yes.*
That was enough for her to go straight to the main gate that was wide open and closed it with a key and with nearby cupboard.
She turned switch on and saw that there is light.
With quick steps she went to nearby bathroom that had shower and regulated water to comfortable temperature. "You two slowly take shower while I go to check their basement and rooms."
She planned taking bath after the gate opens one more time.
With quick steps she went up and dragged down one mattress from one bed and then the next one. Finally she went up one more time and got one more from another room and dragged them into the living room of the house they lived now.
The girls came out of shower and saw the three mattresses and shook their heads.
Their sister is overthinking.
But they had no idea that Anna felt uncomfortable as she slept on ground night before that was literally cold. Even if they put bunch of blankets, the ground was still cold.
She glanced at the floating countdown and saw that there is still ten minutes left and just went into kitchen to take few more bowls.
For some reason she felt anxious and wanted more of these things.
And grabbed whole roll of plastic bags she found in one of drawers in the kitchen.
She saw the door vibrating as it showed last ten seconds and rushed trough it.
"If I stay in that world and the gate opens again on one hour, nothing will happen, right?"
*Yes. But danger of zombies and bandits is too high to take chances.*
Oh yes, she forgot other survivors that probably did similar thing and raided houses as well.
They might really not like the idea an child to join them. Or might do bad things that her father always spoke off.
Should she be glad that her father had crazy idea about outside world being filled with all kind of people trying to harm him and them.
But then an idea flashed in her mind....