18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 65

The first time Rosie got into a fight, it left a deep impression on her young mind. She clung to Jasper's neck, "When I grow up, I'll protect you too." "Alright."

"I'll protect Stella too, and Cooper."

"Alright."

Next, they sold fish, with Jasper showing her the ropes.

Stella listened silently. Jasper's teaching methods were rough, but in a world where order had collapsed, maybe Rosie would have been worse off if they'd stuck to the old ways of kindness and gentleness. "Yes, what your brother taught you isn't wrong."

Curious, Stella asked Rosie, "Have you ever been hungry or been beaten up?"

Rosie lowered her head, nervously fiddling with her clothes.

"That's okay. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"When Jasper didn't come home, I was so hungry. My cousin bullied me, and my aunt scolded me."

"Do you want to go through that again?"

"No!" Rosie shook her head vehemently, her voice tinged with a sob. "I don't want to."

"Well, remember that feeling. If anyone ever treats you like that again, you fight back. Don't be afraid. They can't beat you."

"But my aunt said the police would take me away."

"As long as you're not the one starting trouble, the police won't take you away." Stella comforted the little girl, "Today, when you fought, the police didn't come to get you, did they?"

Relieved, Rosie said, "I'll listen to Stella and Jasper. No one will bully me anymore."

Cooper growled his agreement from the side.

tugged at his ear,

she declared,

felt inadequate. She trained hard every day, but was no match for her brother. But after getting into a fight with someone else today, she realized

subject, Stella asked, "Rosie, what did

tools,

currently wearing on her head,

Stella, did we lose out on brother's fish? Cody and Lukas said

long as you think it's worth

anyway, Jasper wasn't short of

pads, and a lighter. Angela passed her a pack of sanitary pads, "Even in the apocalypse, we still

refused, "I have plenty. You keep

and Cody are hooked. They want to go again tomorrow. Do you want

few days. You go

the idea of

sat on the couch to continue her project. Finally, she had finished her first thermal suit for Cooper. She called him over, "Cooper, come here." The suit was black, to hide any

was brutal, so Stella had made a onesie thermal suit, with a hole for Cooper's tail. There was another hole at the rear end, so he could relieve

Not wanting to put

just come out of a

blunt, "It looks

mistake and immediately covered her mouth, looking at Stella with innocent

at the suit: 'Get this ugly thing off me. It's ruining my

Cooper is the most handsome dog

to make amends, "Cooper isn't ugly. He's even more handsome than my brother, and the

at Stella,

lying, my dog is the most handsome on

her arms: 'If I'm

change in temperature now, so he didn't react to the suit. When she finished the second suit, she used the leftover fabric to make a suit for Smoky and Snowy. It wasn't pretty, but it wasn't about looking good. As

and handed him a nail gun, "I almost forgot to return this to

"Keep it."

surprised. This was a life-saving tool, and he