18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 24

Hearing about Cody's predicament, Angela was fuming. "Give him a beating and get him out of there!"

Sure, Cody had made a mistake, but he'd stockpiled all of Stella's needed medicine - not only was it all there, but he'd saved her both money and hassle. As a friend, Stella couldn't just stand by. After all, Cody had taken a beating for her when they were kids. Without hesitation, Angela kicked the door in, shouting, "Listen up, you've got one minute to clear out. If you don't, you don't want to know what will happen next!"

However, the only response was silence.

Stella handed Angela a crowbar from her bag. Angela, with her brute strength, started prying at the door.

"Who are you?" A voice suddenly echoed from behind them.

A couple in their sixties were walking up the stairs with a young girl who looked no older than nine. They were carrying a hefty bag containing what looked like an inflatable boat. Spotting the bag, Stella immediately recognized it as the one she had anonymously bought for Cody.

The brand was a professional one, not the sort an average person would choose to buy. In other words, these people were not only leeching off of Cody, but they were also hoarding the supplies she had bought.

Stella dragged the young girl by the collar to the door. "If you don't open this door, I won't hesitate to hurt your parents and your daughter."

She even pulled out a knife, scaring the girl into tears. "Mommy, mommy..."

The parents rushed in, stomping and shouting, "Murder! Murder!"

"Go ahead and scream. Let the whole building know that you've taken over someone else's home and pushed them to the brink."

had to be a collective effort! Despite the

your heart the next. The purer the smile, the darker the heart. Perhaps they didn't want to,

a sallow complexion who barked at them, "What are you doing? We've told you

a punch.

missing. A boy from inside the house

the house, the clothes in the

and pushed him hard against the wall. Regardless of what the adults did, the two children were well taken care of. But their survival was completely dependent on Cody's resources. They not only showed no gratitude,

and remorseless. What did that mean? He knew what was going on; he was even a part

couple was wailing and crying, putting on a show. But it was all pointless. Everyone else was half-starved and had no time to concern themselves with the fate of

to hit to cause pain without risking a life. A few punches left the woman unable to scream, and she was thrown out of the

the elderly, but if anything

packed everything into a bag, along with some of Cody's clothes and other necessary items. The elderly woman, relying on the fact that she was female, fearlessly tried to wrestle the bag from Lukas.

He also took the inflatable raft. Without the raft, there was no chance of survival. The old man didn't let go until Stella pulled out a bloody butcher's knife. The family finally showed fear. Their faces turned pale, and

woman. "You're a real black widow,

by the collar

and Angela were

swim not far away. What a pity, she could actually swim. As for how to deal with her, that was up to Cody. If Cody continued to be foolish then there was no need to save him. Even as friends, there

Cody. Stella was torn, but remembering the beating Cody had taken on her behalf, she agreed. By the time they reached the Griffith Hotel, it was full to bursting. The staff was overwhelmed by the

systems had collapsed, and the water was littered with garbage. The refugees were starving. There was no hot water, and

crowd, finally emerging half an hour later, panting heavily.

hotel was housing thousands of people, and both the internet and