18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 21

Stella peered at the floating object, drawing closer, not realizing it was a corpse, until she poked it with her oar.

Initially, the sight was shocking and stomach-churning, but after seeing a few more, she grew accustomed to it. Floating bodies had been a common sight in her neighborhood ever since she had set out. With her eyes on the clock, she noted that a minute had passed since she had released the rope into the water, and there was still no movement.

Two minutes... Three minutes...

Four minutes...

Anxiety began to gnaw at her. Stella yanked the rope twice, but there was still no response. Even the most skilled swimmers could only last a minute or so underwater. Even though Jasper was known for his diving prowess, four minutes seemed overly long. She had a bad feeling about this. Just as she was about to pull on the rope again, the water surface broke with a loud splash. Jasper emerged. "I checked several stores. All their doors have been pried open, and they've been cleaned out."

Cleaned out? Who could have done such a thing?

Lukas looked disappointed. "We can't find gas. Even if we had food, we wouldn't be able to cook it."

They had been quick, but not quick enough. They had been beaten to the punch. Stella glanced at Jasper. These fast-food joints had been flooded the day after the hurricane. Even if some of the owners had tried to salvage their stocks, it was unlikely that they would have been able to pry open all the stores. The floodwaters were too murky and fast-flowing for anyone without a diving mask and strong swimming skills to succeed.

Unless these stores had been looted as soon as the disaster struck.

She had a hunch. "We need to try our luck at the propane station. Hopefully, they haven't cleared everything out."

had come out here, after all. There was no way they were going back empty-handed.

her waterproof bag and took out her phone. She showed the offline map to the others. "It's around here. I think there's a huge

from Sunrise Sanctuary. It wasn't too far, but it was in a

the trio set off in their inflatable boat towards the propane station. The suburbs were

trying to rescue stranded individuals. Upon seeing their boat, the rescuers tried to commandeer

to make out directions. Stella used her binoculars and said, "Go straight and turn right. There's something green sticking out of the water. It should be the

had predicted, it was indeed a giant tree.

dived into the water. After about two minutes, Jasper resurfaced. "I found it, but the station has a roll-up door and a sliding metal gate. It won't be easy to pry open." He signaled to Stella to bring him the crowbar

that he was the only one without

fish it out in front of them. When she saw that Jasper had a simple diving mask, rope, and binding rope in his bag, she didn't hesitate to put on the mask, tie the rope around herself, and said, "I'll go down and help. Keep an eye on our surroundings.

Lukas nodded. "Be careful."

dived in and swam towards the propane station, guided by the light from her waterproof flashlight. She also took out her steel pliers. From a distance, she saw a faint

made it incredibly difficult. Stella swam over to help him lift the door. Their eyes met, and they put their strength together to lift

behind it. Jasper took the steel

she quickly swam up. Stella shone her flashlight towards it, and from the shape, it appeared to be a propane tank. And it wasn't just one. Many propane tanks floated out from inside the station, all vying to reach

float that easily due to their density. She took out her high-beam waterproof flashlight from her pocket and scanned the

the building. He then pulled the rope tied around him. Lukas

the heavy tank. It was likely left behind because the owner didn't

bring the rest up." Jasper took a breath and dived back into the water. The water pressure was intense, and holding her breath made Stella feel uncomfortable. She sat on the boat to catch her breath. Lukas was on