Olivia's eyes drifted to the stick in his hand, where two chickens dangled. "What's this?" Before he could answer, a cockroach shot out of her room and landed squarely on her shoulder. The hens jerked to attention, wings flapping, necks craning forward. Olivia caught the shift in their gaze and spotted the bug crawling across her shirt. Without a flinch, she pinched it between her fingers and held it out toward the hens. Harold froze in place. Natalie's jaw dropped. She had just crushed a cockroach with her bare hand. Oblivious to their shock, Olivia kept her focus on the hens. The second the insect got close, they lunged, pecking and wrestling each other for the prize. "You little ones like cockroaches? My place is full of them. Eat as much as you want." Natalie was stunned. No wonder Olivia had time to shave her head even when the building was swarming with pests. Olivia didn't even mind them. Harold's mouth twitched. "You're seriously not scared of cockroaches?" Olivia shrugged. "Why would I be? They're just bugs." Her expression soured. "But there are too many. It's frustrating. My apartment is overrun, and I'm worried they'll get into my food." Harold lifted the stick. "Then take one of these." Olivia studied the hens closely. "They're growing fast."She swallowed hard. Harold's lips tightened. "You can't eat them yet. They're still young." Olivia blinked. "Wait, didn't you just tell me to pick one ... " Natalie burst into laughter. From the look on Olivia's face, she could almost see a roasted chicken spinning on a spit in her imagination. Harold sighed. "I meant take one home to raise. They'll clear out the cockroaches for you." Raise them? Olivia's eyes lit up. That made sense. Keep them inside, let them feast on bugs, and she wouldn't even need to feed them. When the time came, she could eat them. Harold caught the gleam in her eyes and quickly added, "Give it a month or two. "They'll start laying eggs every day. Fresh eggs. You can decide later whether you want eggs or meat." Olivia's eyes widened. "Eggs?" That was even better. She could enjoy eggs first, and when the hen stopped laying, she could cook it. Nothing wasted. She happily pointed at the calmer one. "I'll take this one. "But I've never raised chickens before. I don't know if I'll manage." Natalie cut in, "Watch out for mutant rats. Don't let them kill your chicken." She handed over the rat poison and clove oil she had found earlier. Olivia glanced at the items. "Why is there clove oil too?"Harold's brow creased. "You're thinking snakes?" Yes, and not just thinking. I know they'll show up. But she couldn't say that out loud. Natalie explained, "Snakes, bugs, rats—they come as a package. We already have bugs and rats. I'd rather not risk snakes. I have clove oil at home, so let's be prepared." Olivia shivered. "Snakes? That's terrifying. I've never even seen one in real life." Harold frowned. "It's possible. Snakes aren't afraid of water. If rats and roaches survived the flood, snakes could too. "Honestly, the way everything's rushing into buildings makes me think the temperature's about to spike. "Animals always sense it before we do." Natalie studied him. He was right again.The moment pests swarmed, the heat always followed. Last time, temperatures soared to 140 °F. People had been too busy fighting infestations to notice. But Harold ... Harold always read the signs. He continued, "Snakes hate extreme heat. If the rats and roaches are climbing higher, snakes might follow." Olivia felt her chest tighten. "You're saying the temperature will climb even higher, and snakes will start crawling in too? That's insane. How can we survive that?" Her voice shook as fear poured out. "That's horrifying." Natalie steadied her. "Harold's right. We need to stay inside. If it gets any hotter, we'll be cooked alive." She turned to Olivia. "How's the oil search going?"Olivia replied, "Pretty good. We've gathered most of it, but more people are scavenging now, and supplies are running out." Harold nodded. "We were just talking about it. We'll head out one last time tonight, then we're done." Natalie did the math quickly. The brutal heat would hit by tomorrow or the day after. Tonight was still safe. She nodded. "Alright. Just be careful. Wear your climate suits. After tonight, no more trips outside."