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 girl being only nine, she was

your heart the next. The purer the smile, the darker the heart. Perhaps they didn't want to, but when hunger struck, it forced people to make choices. Stella knew this

"What are you doing? We've told you we don't know Cody. If you

threw a

her face was bloodied. Several teeth were missing. A boy from inside the house screamed and threw

the house, the clothes in

care of. But their survival was completely dependent on Cody's resources. They not only showed

them, his face was fierce and remorseless. What did that mean? He knew what was going on;

top of her lungs, and the couple was wailing and crying, putting on a show. But it was all pointless. Everyone else was half-starved and had no time

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

the elderly, but if anything happens to Cody, I'll make sure your entire family

and two packets of salt. The oil didn't seem to be touched. Lukas 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

of survival. The old man didn't

the middle-aged woman. "You're

that, she dragged her up by the collar and threw

Lukas and

the stairs and left. They rowed away in the inflatable raft, leaving the black widow struggling to 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

remembering the beating Cody had taken on her behalf, she agreed.

The refugees were starving. There was no hot water, and food was scarce, leaving a nauseating smell

half an hour later, panting heavily. "The accommodation is divided

hotel was housing thousands of people, and both the internet and power systems were