18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 54

Stella had stocked up on a few guns, thinking they might come in handy in a pinch. She never expected Jasper to actually have a real gun.

The world order had collapsed, but the core parts of the government were still functioning, albeit at a snail’s pace due to the flooding. Yet, gun control was still quite strict.

So she wouldn't resort to the real deal until absolutely necessary, and certainly not in broad daylight. Rousing the authorities was one thing, but she also had no logical way to explain it to Angela and the others.

Staring at the firmly shut door of apartment 1801, Angela pulled Stella inside, curiosity piqued. “How does he have a gun?”

“He used to be a SWAT officer, probably has his connections.”

“Damn, not only can he fight, but he’s a crack shot too.”

Things should settle down now; Drew and his gang would probably lie low for a while.

Honestly, seeing the madman killed by Jasper was a relief for Angela and the others. He was a great yet pitiful father. Wounded as he was, there was no way he could survive, and falling into the hands of those people, he probably wouldn’t have died a whole man.

A swift death was better. At least he went out with some dignity.

Having a real gun in their group made Angela and the others feel more secure, but they were still a bit worried about being investigated.

They thought they were in for a fight, but it was disrupted by a madman. It was a blessing in disguise.

They watched as the uninjured scattered like birds, while the injured, realizing the 18th floor had no intention of helping, could only mutter curses as they left. Soon, the 17th floor quieted down.

This stand-off had attracted quite a crowd, but many were just lip service, not really participating.

The residents of the 17th floor wisely kept their doors locked. After all, they were too close to the 18th floor. If there was any retaliation, they would be the first to suffer.

However, trouble always found a way to them. When they finally opened their doors, they were met with a distressing scene. The hallway was covered in blood, and numerous bodies lay on the ground.

Why was the 17th floor always the battlefield? The residents grumbled and planned to dump the bodies into the flood waters and clean the bloodied hallway.

They just cleaned up this mess, and were met with the family of the deceased, who were furious upon learning that the bodies had been discarded. An argument ensued.

Fed up with the accusations, the 17th floor residents exploded in anger, brandishing kitchen knives.

“We didn’t ask for any of this! Why are we always the ones to suffer? We didn’t kill these people, so why are we being blamed for not opening our doors? You knew they were criminals. Why didn’t you stop them? Now you blame us for their deaths? If you wanted the bodies, why didn’t you come earlier? Go retrieve them from the water!”

Seeing the knives waving in anger, the family of the deceased dared not argue anymore. They left, muttering under their breaths.

Before coming up here, they had calculated how much they could salvage from the 18th floor residents. Who knew they didn’t get anything but their men would also be killed by the madman? How were these widows and orphans going to survive?

Oh, God, please stop the rain.

…

Around noon, Lukas and Cody brought back some news.

The man who went on a slashing spree lived on the seventh floor. He was a divorced father living with his daughter. Their home had been broken into by a masked gang, who took all their supplies.

Desperate, his daughter resorted to selling her body to survive. When he found out, he was furious and slapped her. Overwhelmed with shame, she jumped into the flood waters.

Already living a tough life with his daughter, the man snapped upon losing her and went on a vengeful killing spree. Several were slashed to death on the spot, a few bled out, and others were severely injured. Many were trampled in the chaos, but without a boat, they couldn't get to a hospital and were left to suffer at home.

Hector and Drew were unconscious, with little hope of survival.

This setback had greatly dampened the spirits of their enemies, leaving a scene of devastation in the apartment.

Stella was thinking about something else. Those who looked healthy and robust during the standoff were probably the masked robbers. Although the madman had killed a few of them, some had escaped. They would have to be careful of this gang in the future.

The fight hadn't happened, leaving Cooper, the bulldog, feeling out of sorts. Stella had no choice but to console him with some treats.

“Do you have a grudge against Hector?” asked Stella, noticing his penchant for biting Hector.

Cooper showed his sharp teeth and grumbled proudly. To say he had a grudge against Hector was an understatement. It was a deep-seated hatred.

Stella hugged Cooper, her eyes growing distant.

...

Just as she was waking up from a nap, the walkie-talkie rang. “Stella, are you giving Rosie her lessons today?”

It was Jasper. Stella replied, “Sure.”

They hadn't fought today, but conflict was inevitable. The only way out was to improve themselves.

The sound of knocking on the door was heard, and Cooper ran to open the door with his paws, voluntarily exchanging places with Rosie, carrying the dog food to 1801 for training.

Rosie was locked in the room by Jasper, but she wasn't completely clueless. She seemed a bit down. “Stella, when can I grow up and protect you and brother?” Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Stella comforted her, “Study hard, grow fast, and you'll be able to protect us soon.”

Rosie didn’t understand, “Cooper can do it. Why can’t I?”

“You and Cooper are different. He’s a dog and grows up fast. We humans grow up slowly.” Stella encouraged the anxious little girl, “Listen to your brother. He'll help you grow up fast.”

Rosie finally cheered up and sneakily lifted her shirt to show Stella, “I think I can do it. Jasper helps me train every day.”

Seeing Rosie's abs, Stella was shocked. She didn't even have abs!

Children shouldn’t overtrain, but these were exceptional times. Stella didn’t blame Jasper. In this world, being able to protect oneself was crucial.

Time to start training, building up those abs!

Through the wall, they could hear Angela’s punching sounds.

For dinner, Stella and Rosie had spaghetti with meat sauce which smelled delicious. The walkie- talkie crackled again. “Do you want to spar later?”

Without hesitation, Stella replied, “Yes.”

They entered 1801 and started training. Stella hadn’t been able to release her frustration from the morning, so she trained hard. Everyone had secrets, she kept her mouth shut and didn’t ask about the gun.

Facing her aggressive attacks, Jasper defended himself like a fortress. After two grueling hours, Stella sat on the mat, panting like she had been fished out of the water.

He handed her a fresh clean towel, "Here, pat yourself dry."

Stella thanked him, almost collapsing from exhaustion.

Catching her off guard, Jasper commented, "That shotgun of yours has a pretty hefty recoil. You might want to adjust your grip a bit to avoid injuring your arm."

Stella was slightly taken aback.