18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

"Ah..."

Stella Larson bolted upright in bed, sweat trickling down her forehead. Her eyes were clouded with confusion and despair. Her muddled consciousness was jolted by the scene before her. Was this her apartment from before the apocalypse? "Ding-dong, ding-dong."

The sound of incoming text messages prompted her to reach for the smartphone on her nightstand. September 14, 2029, 9:32 AM.

Over a dozen unread messages, all about the impending arrival of a powerful hurricane, "Cleaver," expected to make landfall on the coast in the wee hours of the 17th. The storm was predicted to be a Category 5, bringing heavy rainfall that would last for several days. Stella was bewildered. Hadn't she perished in the chaotic apocalypse? Could her unwillingness to die have plunged her back into this nightmare on the brink of death?

"Ding-dong." Another alert, this time timestamped 9:37 AM.

Stella pinched her arm hard. The sharp pain served as a reminder: this was no dream; she had truly been given a second chance. She had returned to three days before the hurricane that marked the start of the apocalypse. Or more accurately, two and a half days. Stella was far from overjoyed. Instead, she felt an overwhelming sense of fatigue. Hurricanes, torrential rains, floods, extreme cold and heat, and earthquakes, each challenge felt like hell. Was there anything worth starting over for?

But since she had returned, was she supposed to just wait for death? Absolutely not!

She splashed cold water on her face. Looking into the mirror, she saw a young, beautiful reflection. Her face was glowing, untouched by the desperate struggle of the apocalypse. Everything seemed so perfect.

Her weary gaze fell on the pendant around her neck. She had found it in the hospital when she was abandoned at birth. Later, Hector took it from her to give to the cheerleader, Sadie.

Three years into the apocalypse, Sadie still looked pristine and radiant, her clothes spotless, her skin rosy. It was as if she still lived in the prosperous world before the disaster.

Once, Stella had been so hungry she fainted. In her peripheral vision, she saw Sadie take an ice cream from the pendant and start to lick it.

As if inspired, Stella took a knife, sliced her finger, and let a drop of blood fall onto the pendant. The pendant emitted a bright light. When Stella opened her eyes again, she found herself in a sparsely furnished apartment with no doors, except for the one leading to a small garden with black earth on the balcony.

A holographic timer floated in the living room: 01:56:13.

Was this the opulent Arcadia that had allowed Sadie to live so comfortably, the one she tricked it out of Stella's hands?

Once she left Arcadia, she could feel everything in the house with her mind. In order to understand Arcadia's functions, she conducted a test with boiling water, finding that apart from the balcony and the garden, every other place had preservation capabilities. When she attempted to store something using her sense, the timer stopped. But as soon as a person entered, the timer would automatically count down.

With time running out, she didn't have the luxury to contemplate the mysteries within. Now that she had another chance at life and had Arcadia in her possession, she was determined to change her tragic fate.

In her previous life, Stella lived for only three years. She had no idea what other disasters awaited her, so she used her phone to search for types of natural disasters. After reading the dense list of possible disasters, she felt like she could die on the spot. Surviving was going to be incredibly difficult.

Pushing aside unnecessary emotions, she started to make a list of supplies.

Stella grew up in an orphanage, and although the orphanage seemed peaceful on the surface, there were intense power struggles behind the scenes. This environment gradually shaped her selfish, self-preserving character.

Inherently insecure, she started picking up scraps and doing odd jobs in elementary school. By high school, she was tutoring and even cleaning toilets - as long as she was paid. She ranked highly in her exams and as a sophomore in medical school, she was still tutoring five high school students, charging $200 per session.

Stella was a money hoarder. She sold insurance, organized events, and she dared to do anything as long as it was not illegal. After a decade, she had saved $200K in the bank, planning to make a down payment on a house after graduation. Now, all those plans were meaningless.

In the afternoon, she was supposed to have professional classes and in the evening, she was supposed to tutor. But none of that mattered now.

Stella sent a message to the parents, saying that she was ill and hospitalized, unable to tutor for a considerable period. She asked if they could find a replacement and settle the tutoring fees.

The tuition was settled every two weeks, and the parents were all well off. Among them, two sent $500 as a get-well gift, totaling $6K in income.

Stella didn't forget to remind them about the impending hurricane and to stock up on food and emergency medications.

The list of needed medications filled three full pages. Many of the drugs were not only expensive, but also not available in pharmacies. Stella sent a picture of the list to her childhood friend, Cody, who worked for a pharmaceutical company. [New rich client needs these urgently, and they need to be delivered tonight. Can you give me a discounted price?]

Cody replied immediately, [Sure thing.]

Within five minutes, he called, "Stella, this medication list is weird. Are you sure serious?"

"The money has been transferred. The client has only one request: they need the medication tonight."

Without wasting any more time, she hung up the phone and transferred $50K, [Tell me if it's not enough.]

The list of supplies was long. Stella picked up her keys and headed out, her gaze falling on the limited edition, brand new Air Jordans on the table. She felt like slamming her head against the door.

She had always been practical. But when she met Hector, it was as if she was under a spell. To win him over, she gave up her dorm and rented an expensive apartment in a school district, even queuing up at the crack of dawn at a specialty store to buy him Air Jordans. She never spent more than $300 on her own shoes, but she didn't hesitate to spend over $8K on a limited edition pair for him. And what did she get in return?

He took her gifts and the pendant, neither accepting nor rejecting her confession of love. Worse, during the hurricane, he took Sadie to eat all of her stockpiled food.

Three years into the apocalypse, he didn't lift a finger to help her. When she was attacked and slaughtered, he just watched coldly. If she had known this would happen, she would have give those Air Jordans to a dog rather than give them to him.

This time, she wanted to see how Hector and Sadie would fare without her stockpiled food and Arcadia.

The powerful hurricane raged for half a month, followed by three months of torrential rain. The entire city was submerged.

Stella, living on the 18th floor, wasn't submerged, but she was living in dire straits nonetheless.

She left her apartment complex and had a hearty breakfast at a roadside diner. Without wasting a moment, she rented a cargo van and headed straight to the Air Jordan store. The store clerk was surprised at her request to return the shoes. After all, this was a limited edition pair that countless customers were vying for.

After receiving a refund of over $8,600, she could use this money stock up on enough rice, flour, and oil to last for two or three years. Who needed a man?

She drove to a street specialized in doors and windows, and ordered two of the sturdiest stainless steel doors with triple deadbolts, guaranteed to withstand a sledgehammer. Including installation, they cost over $6,000.

To save time, Stella had measured the dimensions before heading out. The shop owner was worried about the measurements, but when they heard which neighborhood and apartment building she lived in, they readily agreed. They had done plenty of business in that area and were confident they could deliver, "If you're in a hurry, we can have it installed the day after tomorrow."

Across the street was a glass shop, where Stella chose the thickest bulletproof glass, priced at 600 dollars per square foot, with the installation slated for the day after tomorrow.

Would they come banging and smashing? Well, in this lifetime, she wouldn't let anyone barge in and bully her.