18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 6

Stella couldn't believe it. Not only had apartment 1801 acquired a new tenant, he was also the same young man who had lent a helping hand at the courier service station.

The man was tall and lean, with a handsome, cool demeanor. His clothes hinted at a muscular physique that suggested explosive power.

After a brief nod of surprise, he continued his work and Stella quickly retreated back to her room.

This time it was different. Not only had the hurricane arrived early, but she also had a new neighbor. Who in their right mind would install three steel doors? She didn't want trouble, but she maintained a level of caution. He was indeed brave enough to help her, but after all, it was before the natural disaster, and with the decline of morality in the end of the world, who could guarantee that he would remain kind?

Now, she found herself in her apartment, brushing her teeth and grabbing some breakfast. The weather was still dreary, and she could hear the howling winds of the hurricane against her windows. In just one night, the streets were flooded and many cars were submerged. The lower-lying areas were completely swept away by the floodwaters.

The rain obstructed the view, and in the distance, everything appeared hazy and ominous. The sky grew darker, as if two invisible hands of darkness were compressing the entire city in their grasp, crushing it with relentless force.

She stood on her balcony with her binoculars, watching as a tornado formed, quickly sucking up everything in its path. Were there tornadoes in her previous life? She couldn't remember. She had a feeling that things were getting worse. Her phone kept buzzing with messages. She switched off her network, annoyed by the constant notifications.

and chopping, preparing a meal. When she turned off the kitchen fan, she could faintly

enough to recognize that the child's crying sounded

knocked for a while but there was no answer. Just as she was about to leave, she heard the door unlatch. The door opened to reveal a child with tear-streaked cheeks, her face abnormally flushed. "Rosie, why are you crying?" Stella touched her forehead, which was burning hot. The child was

hoarse from crying,

had been

would be back soon, and offered

sick child was frightened by the unfamiliarity, but she remembered the

Rosie back to her apartment, gave her some children's cold medicine, and left a note on the door

but become curious about the neighbor. Wasn't going out in this kind of weather

Rosie, who was curled up on the sofa appearing extremely terrified and anxious, Stella's mind drifted back to her childhood. She thought about how she would get sick and curl up in bed, crying into her pillow, feeling abandoned by the world

could only pull out her tablet and play downloaded cartoons for Rosie to watch. The animations certainly did the trick as they

don't be upset. I was looking forward to you coming to my birthday party, but you

wimp. He

people celebrating his birthday with him, so there must still be several people at his house who hadn't left. Parties were all about snacks, beer and cake. They didn't know how to cook, so where