18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 367

Tom's punch landed hard, and the young boy's lip split, blood trickling down as his head spun in confusion and pain.

Facing his father's blazing eyes, he clutched his cheek, too terrified to say another word in his defense.

Tom took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself, before bowing deeply to the crowd. "Everyone, I'm truly sorry. It seems I've failed as a father, causing all this trouble. Please accept my deepest apologies."

The crowd's anger simmered, but they knew the fault lay with the spoiled brat, not the refugee camp that had saved so many lives, including theirs. The camp leader had always been at the forefront of rescue efforts, even braving the rain to offer comfort. He was a good man; it was just his son who had gone astray. After a moment's thought, and despite their grievances, no one wanted to escalate things further.

Stella wasn't looking for a fight, especially since the camp was filled with Tom's people. Picking a real fight would only put her at a disadvantage due to their numbers.

She turned to Rosie, "Did they hurt you?"

Rosie shook her head, "No."

Stella relented, "Alright, for the sake of my sister-in-law being unharmed, I'll let this slide. But if there's a next time, I won't be so forgiving."

Tom thanked her, then turned to his son and slapped him twice more. "You ungrateful brat, apologize now!"

Under his father's stern gaze, Hunter braced himself and muttered, "I'm sorry."

Stella responded coldly, "I can't hear you. Say it louder."

sorry!" he repeated, though his

allowing Tom to

breathed a sigh of relief and asked with concern, "Did you

her head, her

"Jasper's tough; he'll be okay. He's probably just delayed

outside the city. It took

it, all to force them out. Kitty, in desperation, floored the gas pedal, hoping to break through, but the engine failed to start

had. Then, suddenly, a sandstorm hit. Cody and Lukas, being closer to the car, scrambled inside to seek shelter from

sandstorm abated, they sought each other out, despite their pain. They found each other first, but then torrential rain brought mudslides,

unaccounted for. The camp had disbanded, but their search could continue. They were determined to find Jasper and Cooper. Despite his

injuries were severe; he needed the best care, and traveling with the group would

said, embracing them. "You're all hurt and should be resting,

was baffled. "Stella, are you saying we're a

recover from a bone injury.' If I let you go out there all battered and bruised, you might end up in worse shape than when we started." Angela insisted, "Friends

and see if we can find him and Cooper. Luckily, I found a bike on the road. I'll ride with

or nauseous. After days of hardship, every one of them was frail and couldn't afford more strain. Yet the thought of Stella scouring the earth for Jasper while they could offer no help was a

accepted their good intentions. "You saved Rosie earlier and protected her again today. That's more than enough help. Look after yourselves; we may

a separation was a luxury. Stella looked at

they embraced her in farewell. "Stella, whether or not we