18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 15

Stella, in her pajamas, stepped onto the balcony. The hurricane was still fierce, but the wind was noticeably beginning to weaken, while the rain was intensifying. The second floor was entirely flooded, and water was creeping up to the third floor, causing a flurry of chaos in the building.

She had breakfast, a warm, crunchy sandwich from Arcadia, filled with fried eggs, ham, greens, and ketchup. The aroma unfurled delightfully on her taste buds. Stella had stockpiled over a hundred of these sandwiches in Arcadia, enough to last her a good while. Delicious as they were, they were a bit greasy. She made herself a cup of honey tea, sipping it as she flipped through her second-year pharmacology textbook.

At around ten o'clock, there was a knock at the door. She assumed it was Angela, but it turned out to be the resident from 1801, Jasper.

Stella was surprised. He was usually a loner, a man of few words. Even though Rosie often came to visit Stella, Stella had hardly spoken to Jasper. Suddenly, Stella was on her guard.

Jasper, with a stern face, looked anxious. "Rosie is ill. Can you help?"

Stella was shocked. "What kind of illness does she have?"

"She has a fever, she's throwing up, and has diarrhea. She's talking nonsense."

Sick people would usually go to the hospital, but with the hurricane going on, it was impossible to leave. Stella warned Jasper, "I can help, but I only have basic medical knowledge. Don't put all your hopes on me."

"Thank you."

Considering that he helped her before, Stella reluctantly agreed to visit Rosie. She returned to her room and tucked a folded fruit knife into her pocket.

room was furnished with vintage pieces, all neat and organized, worlds apart from her own messy place. These days,

on the balcony and the triple-layered stainless steel door. The entire apartment was fortified like a

but also had a rash.

and pulse, and examining her bruised body, Stella realized her medical skills were rudimentary, but they would have to suffice. Stella turned to Jasper. "Rosie is weak. Moderate exercise could improve

in her body, lowering her immunity and causing a cold, hence the vomiting, diarrhea, and rash. Jasper was known to be bad with

the cause of Rosie's illness, Jasper's face was filled with guilt. "It's my fault. I didn't take

bruised body, Jasper was taken aback. Rosie never complained about being tired, and even laughed off the pain when Jasper massaged her bruises. He handed Stella a medicine box filled with a variety of drugs, "Stella, which ones can we use?" If

the box, surprised by how well-stocked it was. Most of them were children's medicines, too. Rosie's illness was fairly simple and treating the symptoms would suffice. Stella selected some medicines for the cold, and for the stomach problems, she put a patch on Rosie's belly. "Once Rosie gets

and brought back a bottle of balm. "Apply this

some medicinal herbs here. Could you help me see which

was well-prepared. He brought out two large bags of

circulation and stopping blood stasis. "Put them in a glass jar, add a liter of vodka, seal

it in cold weather not only warms the body but also

child was pitiful, with tears hanging on her eyelashes. Her pale little mouth kept murmuring, "Mommy, I want mommy.

sat by the bed, gently wiping away Rosie's tears, and comforting her with

Jasper's eyes and recognized that he cared

leave, Jasper stopped her and handed her a pack

could keep a person

pulled out a glass jar to soak some sugar in vodka. "I'm always advising others, but always forget about myself." In the extreme cold, enjoying a cup of this mix by

washed and dried them on her balcony in