18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 1

"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.

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

timer floated in the living room:

Arcadia that had allowed Sadie to live so comfortably, the one she tricked it out

water, finding that apart from the balcony and the

had another chance

her phone to search for types of natural disasters.

emotions, she started to make

in an orphanage, and although the orphanage seemed peaceful on the surface, there

long as she was paid. She ranked highly in her exams and as a sophomore in medical school, she was still tutoring

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

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

to the parents, saying that she was ill and hospitalized, unable to tutor for a considerable period.

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

about the impending hurricane and to stock up on

the list to

replied immediately, [Sure

he called, "Stella, this medication list

has been transferred. The client has only one request:

more time, she hung up the phone and transferred $50K, [Tell me if it's

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

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