18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Stella sat bolt upright, her heart pounding. It took her a moment to realize that she had been dreaming and that the world outside her window was still bathed in the bright sunlight. Jasper stirred awake at her sudden movement. "What is it?" he asked.

"I...I had a bad dream," Stella admitted, wiping away the sweat from her forehead. The dreams had felt so real and vivid. She could still feel the terror lingering in her heart. "You know the guy who was sitting next to Bran last night?" Jasper guessed.

"I don't know him personally, but there's some bad blood between us," Stella confessed, recounting the details of the recent burglary incident at Bentley's office.

Living next to the rich and powerful had its drawbacks. You never really knew whose nest you were poking into.

Not only were the three top-tier off-road vehicles off limits now, but even the samurai sword and golf clubs were deemed too dangerous for their use. It was just their rotten luck.

Death was everywhere in this post-apocalyptic world, but Bentley, this domineering CEO that came straight out of a romance novel, seemed invincible.

After having breakfast, Stella took stock of their inventory in Arcadia. The weapons and supplies they could no longer use were all locked away, preventing any impulsive decisions in moments of crisis.

The four members of Lukas' group shared one walkie-talkie. Stella didn't know their exact schedule and didn't want to disturb their work hours, so she didn't reach out to them.

But days passed, and they made no effort to contact her either. She picked up the walkie-talkie several times, only to put it back down again.

When it was time for Collin's class, Stella decided to drive to Swan Hill to pick him up and drop him back home after class.

In the meantime, she used a scanning pen to scan each page of the thick medical books and copy them onto her digital device. Books were precious, and she didn't want to risk damaging them. It was better to return them as soon as possible. Not only did she return the books, but she also gave him a USB flash drive containing scanned copies.

Collin was thrilled. The apocalypse had struck so suddenly that many precious books and resources couldn't be saved and had perished in the floods.

Stella thought for a moment. "Dr. Collin, if you need it, I have a scanning pen you could borrow."

Collin didn't refuse. He hoped that one day the apocalypse would end, and the remnants of their civilization could be passed on to the future generations.

When Stella wasn't having classes, she was tending to her herb garden. Arcadia's medicinal fields expanded continuously, while the variety of crops being cultivated decreased.

Under Rosie's care, the chickens, ducks, and geese were growing quite well. Stella collected another batch of eggs and continued incubating new life with their egg incubator.

Just then, the walkie-talkie rang. It was Angela's voice. Her health had improved, and she wanted to get more herbs. From her voice, Stella could tell that Angela was feeling a lot better. Stella was glad. She prepared the herbs and also took 5 pounds of crushed corn kernels with her.

Austin was at home, so she took Cooper and Rosie to Austin's place.

Jasper decided to go with Stella.

Only Angela was at home. Her health had improved after taking anti-depressant medication, and having books and music for company had helped boost her spirits. Stella not only gave Angela acupuncture treatment, but also adjusted her medication.

Seeing Jasper after two years, Angela's emotions were mixed. If it hadn't been for his self-defense lessons back on the 18th floor, she wasn't sure if she could have survived till now. Jasper was a man of few words, but he was always there to protect Stella. Their journey together was truly enviable. And then there was herself, making a mess of things.

Depression often led to overthinking. Stella sent Jasper away to comfort Angela. "In fact, I'm quite envious of you."

She truly meant it. She had underestimated Lukas.

Stella was an orphan. Jasper's parents had passed away. Since Rosie was young, there were no family conflicts when they interacted. But Angela's family was complicated. If she and Jasper were in their shoes, they might not have been able to stay as committed as Lukas was.

"Your health is not a big issue, and you need to overcome your emotional problems. Think positively and you'll get through this," Stella encouraged.

As they drove back to the community, a loud rumbling noise came from above. It sounded like helicopter blades.

Stella looked up and sure enough, a helicopter was descending towards the rooftop of the Porras family's mansion. The entire community was buzzing with excitement.

While others struggled to get a car, the Porras family had managed to acquire a helicopter. And it was brand new. How could one not be envious?

But envy wouldn't get them anywhere. They simply weren't as fortunate.

After dinner, Stella took Cooper for a walk. As luck would have it, she ran into Bran, who was dressed in his coat.

He had somehow gotten hold of a mastiff, which he kept on a golden leash. "Hey, lady, wanna have a dog fight?" he asked.

Stella ignored him. His dog was just a pet, but Cooper was her companion.

But as it goes, "when kings meet, they fight". The mastiff and Cooper both bared their teeth, their fur standing on end.

The mastiff lunged towards Cooper, but Bran had a firm grip on the leash. However, the sudden lunge caused Bran to lose his balance and fall face-first onto the ground, his slipper flying off his foot.

With Bran dragging behind, the mastiff's speed was reduced. And in a fight, speed was everything.

Cooper, however, was a big and muscular German Shepherd. He charged at the mastiff like an arrow released from a bow, knocking it off its feet.

Before the mastiff could recover, Cooper leapt onto it, his jaws clamping down on its throat. With one command from Stella, Cooper could easily sever the mastiff's jugular.

Bran sat up, his face and hands scraped and bruised from the fall. His precious face!

He looked in the direction Stella was looking and was stunned. His dog had been beaten. It was just too much. Bran sat down on the ground, completely shocked. He couldn't comprehend why the end of the world seemed to have a personal vendetta against him. Every time he managed to scrape himself off the ground, he was knocked down again.

He was humilated by the kids with military and political background at the baseg, and now even the homeowners in the suburban neighborhood bested him. He was truly heartbroken and felt like crying. He wanted to just lay down, accept his fate, and wait for the end. Stella looked down at him with an air of superiority, "My dog has already won. Do you want to continue?"

If he wanted to continue, the Porras family would have dog stew for dinner tonight.

Bran was utterly humiliated. "Miss, I was just kidding. Did your dog really need to take it so seriously?"

"My dog was just kidding too."

Alright then, it wasn't the first time he had been humiliated. Bran awkwardly got up, limping as he slipped on his loafers. "You win. What do you want as a prize?"

Without hesitation, Stella pointed towards the rooftop of the Porras family's house. "You can lose that to me."