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.

ear, "Don't encourage Rosie

as she declared, "Fighting is easy. If anyone dares to bully me, I'll

was no match for her brother. But after getting into a fight with someone else today, she realized

did you get for the

responded quickly, "We got some tools, textbooks, a

fluffy hairband, which she was currently wearing on

on brother's fish?

as long as you think it's worth

different needs, and anyway, Jasper wasn't short

and a lighter. Angela passed her a pack of sanitary pads, "Even in the apocalypse, we still have to bleed every month. It's

refused, "I have plenty.

are hooked. They want to go again tomorrow.

a few days. You go

laughed gleefully at the idea

math and language. When Rosie finished her homework, Stella sat on the couch to continue her project. Finally, she had finished her first thermal suit for Cooper. She called him over,

suit, with a hole for Cooper's tail. There

be another hole. Not wanting to put diapers on Cooper, she cut

he had just come out of a coal mine with

was blunt, "It

looking at

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

comforted him, "No way, Cooper is the most handsome dog

even more handsome than my brother, and the suit Stella made

at

his head, "I'm not lying, my dog is

that and nuzzled into her arms:

Unfortunately, his thick fur meant he didn't feel the 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 long as it kept them warm,

handed him a nail gun, "I

"Keep it."

a life-saving tool, and he was just giving it to