18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 4

The digital clock struck midnight, resetting the timer to 130 minutes remaining. This meant that time could accumulate.

Stella was ecstatic. Every second counted, and it might just save her life in a crunch. She resolved not to enter Arcadia unless necessary, saving up her time for when extreme cold or earthquakes struck.-

With her supplies and Arcadia as her lifeline, she felt a newfound confidence towards the impending disasters. She had a dreamless night and was woken up the next day by a phone call. The installer for the stainless steel door had arrived. "Miss, you're getting a stainless steel door?"

"There have been break-ins in the neighborhood recently. I need to install high-quality ones."

The workers were bemused. "It's safe alright, but we'll have to drill holes into your ceiling and floor. You sure about this?"

"No worries. Safety comes first."

The landlord was away on work and there were no news from him even when the house collapsed during an earthquake, so the renovations were not a problem.

Workers replacing her windows with explosion-proof glass arrived shortly after. The sounds of drilling filled the apartment. Worried about disturbing her neighbors on the weekend, Stella apologized in the group chat and sent a small gift. She opened her food delivery app and continued her spending spree until her money ran out.

In less than two hours, the door and windows were installed. Stella paid the remaining fee, feeling a huge weight lifted off her as she looked at her fortified apartment.

Her phone rang. Expecting a delivery, she was surprised to find Hector on the other end. "Stella, I'm having a birthday party today. When will you be here?" Hector's voice was gentle and warm, laughter and chatter audible in the background. Stella scoffed. "Sure, I'll be there."

after her surprise gifts and her superpower. She could

now he was the one seeking her out. Alarms went off in Stella's head. How did Sadie find out about

on the 8th floor, the sounds of cheerfulness seeping out

went straight downstairs without any hesitation. The weather was still sweltering, but the winds were picking up as a sign of the upcoming storm. The streets were filled with the howling

informed everyone that the storm was

Had the

her studies. The vast library woule be flooded during the flood, and countless

the books she wanted

and headed to the supermarket. She rode the elevator to the top floor parking lot, took a thorough look around, and then left. Faced with a plethora of goods, she didn't purchase anything. Instead, she wandered around the second

3 pm. Stella agreed verbally, but by the time she returned the car, it was already 4 pm. The storm was raging and the wind was howling. The owner was

out of the blue, but people were given time to prepare. Unfortunately, they failed

cash for emergencies

phone, continuously downloading data, including various movies, music, life hacks, recipes, offline maps,

from her shopping app popped up. Stella remembered that she had forgotten about her online order for polar gear. The order was supposed to arrive the previous evening, but due to the seller's delay and courier service issues, it had just reached the courier

station would be flooded and without the polar gear, she wouldn't survive in temperatures below -60 to -70 degrees Celsius. Unable to get a cab, Stella gritted her teeth and hopped onto a public bicycle, pedaling furiously to the courier service station. The 2 km journey was harsh with the wind blowing so fiercely that she could barely keep her eyes open. Garbage and loose

sweat, Stella arrived at the courier service station looking disheveled. As the storm had delayed

rolled up her sleeves and started rummaging for her parcel. Fortunately, her parcel was large and she managed to find it after about 15 minutes of searching. The storm had intensified outside and the sky was so dark it could have been mistaken for night. Stella braced herself, hugging her large parcel as she stepped outside. Just as she left

hastily thanked him, but her voice was drowned out by the wind. The man glanced at her. "It's not safe for you to be carrying such a large parcel in this storm." Caught off guard by the early arrival of the storm, Stella had no choice but to retreat back