18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Two kilometers was quite close, and it only took a few minutes to reach the entrance of her apartment. She handed over $200 to the stranger in gratitude for his heroic act of saving her and breaking the rules. The stranger's voice was icy cold, "No need, it was on my way.” Stella didn't push it. As she got out of the car, she warned, "There's a hurricane coming. It might cause power and water cuts. While there's still time, you might want to stock up on some groceries."

She exited the car, holding the package against the wind, and sprinted into the building. The rain started to fall in big, fat drops. Stella made her way out of the elevator, wiping her face, only to see Hector and Sadie standing in front of her apartment.

They must have been waiting for quite some time. Hector looked impatient, while Sadie, the most popular girl in school, appeared charming and innocent in her white dress.

"What took you so long?" Hector sounded annoyed. "We've been waiting for ages."

Seeing them, Stella couldn't help but remember how she was bullied in the apocalypse, and how they had stood coldly by and watched her being butchered by people. Her mood instantly went sour.

In her past life, she had been naive, but not this time. If they wanted to suck her dry and steal her superpower, they'd have to wait and see. The despair she had once experienced, they would go through twice over.

Stella's face was cold, "What do you want?" She had always been warm towards him, but now she became really cold towards him. Hector was taken aback, "Why didn't you come to my birthday party?" "Why should I? We hardly know each other."

"You..." She was clearly pursuing him and had even promised to gift him something special. Of course, he wasn't here for the gift, but because Sadie was interested in getting to know Stella. Sadie, with a smile on her face, said, "Hi, Stella.”

Stella responded coldly, "I don't know you. Don't call me that."

Sadie was slightly embarrassed but maintained her sweet voice, "Today is Hector's birthday. We thought we could celebrate it together since we all went to the same school."

The birthday party had already ended, inviting her to the eighth floor was just to snatch her pendant.

Stella scoffed, "Are you deaf? I just said we don't know each other. Why the hell should I care about his birthday?"

Hector, unable to bear the insult, snapped, "Stella, what's your problem?"

"You wear a couple's ring with her, but keep inviting me to your place. Are you trying to have your cake and eat it too?"

"You must be delusional. I don't have any feelings for you." Hector was furious. "Sadie, let's go."

Sadie, however, didn't want to leave. "Stella, the thing is, we came to celebrate the Hector's birthday. Due to the typhoon, we can't go back. Can I stay at your place tonight?" "What's the matter with you? We barely even know each other."

Hector, with a stern expression, warned, "Stella, watch your words."

"This is just the way I speak. If you don't want trouble, stay away."

Hector pulled Sadie to leave, but she stubbornly refused to go, gritting her teeth as she forced a smile. "Stella, I really like the pendant you're wearing. Where did you get it?" Stella removed the pendant, "You want it?"

Sadie's eyes lit up, "Can I have it? I really love it."

Stella dropped the pendant on the ground and crushed it underfoot. It shattered into pieces. "Your admiration makes me sick."

Sadie was shocked. Hector was furious that his girlfriend was being bullied, and he threw insults at Stella.

Stella had a vicious look on her face, "Get lost, and stop bothering me."

Hector grabbed Sadie's hand and stormed away.

Stella then opened her stainless-steel door and hurriedly began unpacking her delivery. The polar thermal clothing was thick and warm. The mummy sleeping bag, made from several layers of down, was top-notch quality. She would need them to survive the bitter cold. Outside, the wind howled and the sky was dark. She filled several large white plastic buckets with water and placed a few in Arcadia's bathroom, preparing for the hurricane that was about to hit. The apartment would soon lose power and water supply. Despite the raging storm outside, Stella busied herself in the kitchen, cooking various dishes.

She made hearty meals like stewed pork, spaghetti bolognese, chicken parmesan, and beef stew, all in large portions. The hot food was placed in stainless steel containers and kept warm in Arcadia.

In the calm before the storm, everyone had stocked up on food, so she took advantage of the situation to cook these flavorful dishes. She knew that once the storm hit, she wouldn't dare to cook so freely for fear of attracting attention.

She kept cooking until the early hours of the morning. After a quick shower, she fell into bed exhausted. She was woken by the sound of a drill. She opened the curtains to see the sky was still dark, and the storm was raging outside. She thought it was still early in the morning, but when she checked her phone, it was already past nine o'clock in the morning.

Messages were flooding her phone, with unread texts in the neighborhood and class group chats. Many were excited about the arrival of the hurricane which meant a break from work or school.

Many people in the group shared images or videos of the devastation caused by the hurricane: trees uprooted, luxury cars damaged, and tornadoes splitting metal factories in half. Many began to realize something was wrong, lamenting about not stockpiling food. They mentioned that after work, when they rushed to the supermarket, there was no produce left. The continuous sound of an electric drill seemed to be coming from the adjacent room. Stella was puzzled. The building had three units per floor, and the other two units were unoccupied.

In her past life, when the floodwaters had reached the second floor, the residents were forced to break into the vacant units for shelter. At first, they coexisted peacefully, but as food became more scarce, their eyes became more calculating, and they even attempted to pry open Stella's door several times in the middle of the night. This time, she was prepared. If anyone dared to break into her place, she had a fire ax at the ready.

She could also hear the sound of a child. She opened the door and stepped outside to see a young man in casual attire drilling into the wall of the unit next to hers. Hearing the door open, he turned around.

Stella looked surprised, "It's you?"