18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 358

mouths without a thought for the days before the dust storms.

A ragged group shuffled into a side room, each clutching a half cup of water and a chunk of dense, dark rye bread. Starved and parched, their eyes lit up at the sight of food. They lunged like ravenous ghouls, gulping down the water and cramming the stale bread into their They ate in a frenzy, choking and coughing as they forced the dry food down their throats.

Rosie was still out cold, and someone eyed the untouched portion of food on the table with greedy intent.

The woman tending to Rosie shoved the intruder away. "We're all women here; no need to act like animals."

The pushed-away woman muttered, "She ain't your daughter. For all we know, you might not even make it through the night."

The caretaker's eyes turned icy. "Believe me, I'll cut you down if I have to."

resentful, the others saw the deadly seriousness in

as one whispered, "What do they want with us?" No one had

Rosie water and crumbled bread into

hour, a man herded them towards a pool. "Clean yourselves up. Do a good job later, and there'll be

was precious. They frantically scooped it to their lips while

face, thanked the woman who had cared for her,

given second-hand clothes - worn and

lascivious gazes. Rosie, particularly frail, staggered dangerously close to them, her vulnerability eliciting a rare moment of sympathy from the

despite the rasp in her voice, stirring a paternal instinct in some of the

many survivors had developed acute hearing. She

resembling a living room, where several men sat around a table laden with food that reminded them of a feast: cured meats, bread, and

Rosie observed the scene. These men wore human skins