18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 357

Rosie had been studying under Stella for a few years and had picked up some medical know-how. She figured her sudden blindness was due to nerve damage. The relentless sandstorm howled, filling her ears and nose with grit. Pebbles, whipped up by the storm, pelted her body, each impact making her gasp in pain. She couldn't even open her mouth to scream. All she could do was crawl, groping blindly across the ground.

No matter how desperately she felt around, she couldn't find her brother or their vehicle. Everything had vanished in the chaos of the storm.

Uncertain of her location, her immediate priority was to find shelter from the unrelenting sandstorm.

With her sight stolen, Rosie relied solely on touch as she inched her way through the storm, unable to stand for fear of being swept away or struck down by flying debris.

By a stroke of luck, after hours of crawling, she found herself at the base of a hill.

The hill faced the brunt of the wind, so Rosie cautiously made her way around to its sheltered side for some respite.

Along her path, she stumbled upon several people, though she couldn't tell if they were dead or alive. They didn't move, either way.

Luckily, the first aid kit she carried was still strapped to her, not lost to the storm.

After spitting out the sand from her mouth, Rosie unscrewed the cap of a water bottle, sipping just enough to moisten her parched throat. She tore open a packet of emergency rations - a compact, high-calorie bar that tasted worse than stale bread - but she consumed every crumb without wasting any.

She rationed her water and food meticulously, just like her brother had instructed.

The first aid kit contained medicine, and even though she couldn't see, she identified each pill by its shape and packaging. Stella had made her memorize what to take and how much, depending on the injury.

After taking her medicine, Rosie clutched a small knife and rested. The roar of the storm was the only sound in her ears.

As time passed, the air grew colder. It must have been nightfall, she thought, as she wrapped herself in a blanket from the first aid kit.

The pain persisted, and fever seemed to be setting in. Her lips were cracked, her throat burned as if on fire.

She had no idea when the storm would end, and her blindness - caused by nerve compression - wasn't something that would be fixed in a day or two. She dared not drink too much water, just enough to stave off the thirst.

deeper, and her body curled

out to her in the darkness - her brother, Stella, and Cooper's. But when she opened

fever ebbed and flowed; she continued taking pills

her uncle had locked her in a storage room without food or water

a fear she thought she had

longed for her

then two,

had only three bottles of water. With fever raging for days, even the most sparing sips couldn't make it

bars left, but her throat was so scorched that swallowing

but hunger and thirst clouded her consciousness, and the storm showed no signs of

returned to her childhood, to the days when her parents held her

awareness faded, Rosie curled up even tighter,

she found herself in a

Stella had told her stories. She must have been captured by some local

well what happened to girls who were captured: first they

still poor, and the days in the storm without proper treatment

aid kit was gone, along with her gun and knife. However, the small

her circumstances, Rosie dared not

were thrown into the cave

spoke with vulgar words, and many bore scars from acid rain, their faces a grim reflection of the

the men seemed to have other matters to

their faces, but she was certain Stella wasn't among them.

cave was silent, save for the occasional cries and panicked whispers of the women as they regained

surveying the

regaining her composure. The other woman did the same, her lips parting as if to speak, but no words came out. Instead, she gently nudged the person beside her who was still unconscious. Hours passed, and a few men entered, appraising the women they had captured over

blessing in disguise, delivering not only supplies but also a group of women with a hint of their former wealth and beauty. It had

the day before,