18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 149

Before the big chop, Jasper made sure to snap a few pictures of Stella with his phone. As the buzz of the electric razor filled the air, a growing pile of hair littered the floor. Rosie scampered over, eyes widened as she took in Stella's newly shaved head. "Wow, Stella, you look like a boy."

Stella took a look at herself in the mirror, and... well, she didn't look bad. The buzz cut suited her, even. It gave her a certain edge, a dash of toughness she hadn't had before.

In this post-apocalyptic world, where smiles were far and few between, this new look gave her a certain 'don't mess with me' vibe. With her buzz cut, whenever Stella didn't smile, she looked like she was ready to throw down.

The next day, she went out to the rooftop to fetch some water and bumped into Cody and Lukas, who were popping some popcorn. Both of them were taken aback. "Good lord, when did we get a girl gangster on the 18th floor?" Stella decided to play along, flipping her water bucket at them. "Stick 'em up."

They handed over half a bowl of popcorn to her. "You know, Stella, that haircut really suits you. It's cool, badass, and refreshing."

"Are you guys just buttering me up?"

As the sun set, three buzz-cut figures were having a jovial time on the rooftop. Cody went downstairs and came back with three cold beers. They sat on the rooftop, enjoy beers.

As they drank, Stella noticed that Cody was downing his beer pretty fast. Lukas was a bit slower, but he too looked troubled. Having practically grown up together, Stella could tell when something was bothering them. "What's up?" She asked.

They didn't answer, and Stella didn't push.

...

finally long enough to

sneaky side. He would often send Rosie off with Cooper, so he could have some alone time with her. Today was one of those days, with Cooper busy munching on popcorn next door. Seeing her bag the vines,

1803 in such good condition. She decided to bag them and let them wilt a bit before giving them away. After finishing her chores, Stella sat on the couch, tuning the radio. The local government announced that the provincial base was officially open to

two bases - an official one and a military one. Each base could accommodate up to 300,000

into the apocalypse, the bases were

base was located in Goldbridge, situated in the northeastern direction of the province. It was a typical mountain city with underdeveloped industries, focusing

was in Lincoln, located in the northern direction of the province. It was a semi-industrial city, boasting the province's most abundant water resources, Lincoln River and Echo Lake. It was around 300 kilometers from Griffith. The two bases were about 200 kilometers apart, which wasn't too far by

only heard about the bases later. But what good did knowing do? She didn't even qualify

needed to pay 20 kilos of grain. The

is there such

even afford 20 kilos of

jointly established and managed by various municipal governments. The military provides basic

on the other hand, is arranged by the state. Soldiers establish and manage it entirely,

is humanity's last hope in a crisis. The 50 kilos

were low class or high class, if you were capable, getting 50 kilos of grain wasn't impossible.

illegal activities or who have a criminal record won't stand a chance. Survivors who enter will be under military management. Those

shocked, but it made sense. Even though it seemed harsh, special times called for special measures.

without strict rules. Otherwise, it would inevitably lead to