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.

was furnished with vintage pieces, all neat and organized, worlds apart from her own messy place. These days, men who could keep houses well organized were a rare

noticed the new double-glazed windows on the balcony and the triple-layered stainless steel door.

feverish but also had a

have to suffice. Stella turned to Jasper. "Rosie

a short period of time had caused a stress response in her body, lowering her immunity and causing a cold, hence the vomiting, diarrhea,

was filled with guilt. "It's my fault. I didn't take good care

massaged her bruises. He handed Stella a medicine

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 bottle of balm. "Apply this four to five times

bruised easily. I happen to have some medicinal herbs here.

out two large bags

about a dozen types, all of which were used for promoting blood circulation and stopping blood stasis. "Put them in a glass jar, add a liter of vodka, seal it, and it should be ready for

in cold weather not only warms the body but also replenishes

on her eyelashes. Her pale little mouth kept

comforting her with a

in Jasper's eyes and recognized that he cared for his sister, but his methods

handed her a pack of instant noodles. "Thank you for helping

before the disaster, but in these times, they could keep a person alive for several more days. Stella didn't refuse and accepted it

advising others, but always forget about myself."

took out a few pounds of grapes, washed and dried them on her balcony in