18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 376

Stella spotted him too-no doubt about it, he was a beggar. Dressed in tattered rags, barefoot, and wandering aimlessly. "Another soul driven mad by the apocalypse," she sighed to herself.

Just as she was reflecting, the sound of a car caught the beggar's attention. Surprisingly, he turned and waved frantically to flag it down. "Robbery tactics are getting more and more creative," she thought. "This guy could very well be a decoy for an ambush."

Stella cocked her gun, ready to take him down if he showed any sign of threat.

"Hey, stop the car, stop the car!" the beggar shouted.

Stella scanned the area but saw no sign of an ambush.

Jasper didn't hit the brakes and just drove past.

"Damn it, stop!" the beggar yelled, flipping them the bird.

Stella squinted, recognizing the figure in the rearview mirror.

"Stop the car," she commanded.

Seeing the truck pull over, the beggar's mood swung from irritation to hope. He limped over and asked, "Buddy, could you give me a lift?"

He hurried over but froze in shock when he got a better look.

It was like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over him in the dead of winter.

Without a word, he covered his face and turned to leave.

"Bran," Stella called out.

It was as if his heart had been pierced; his entire body stiffened.

His dignity, once guarded, now trampled into the mud.

But Stella didn't mock him or ask how he'd come to this. "Get in. We're still a good ten miles from the base. If you walk, your feet will be shredded."

to a destitute beggar by natural disasters. Fate

had

was a nightmare come true. But what could he do? He climbed aboard, the truck bouncing him all the way back to

a pile of garbage, numb to the jostling of the vehicle, his eyes void of any

entered the base and drove up to the recycling

trading, and

steel took the workers some time to clean, and after weighing,

steel could sustain a family for a

meant no prying questions about where the steel

She went straight to

escape pods, these ten packs could last

real-life Robinson Crusoe situation, it was

the credits left, Stella spotted coal for sale but decided to save up and buy a

other supplies, aside from a

family was eager to return home and clean

a word, probably a matter of

a deep breath inwardly, not sure what

way back to their private compound, they crossed

and stuck her head out, "Hey, Bran. You left some meds with me a while back. With things as chaotic as they are, I can't keep them safe anymore. When do you want to pick them

expecting the usually covetous Stella to offer the meds

"Uh, later," he mumbled.

to come by soon. We'll probably head out scavenging again after a short break. Wouldn't want you to make

Bran merely nodded, "Mhm."

the address to the compound and

watched the truck drive away, feeling his heart, already battered by the disasters, bleed

compound, the trio and their dog enjoyed a

home-cooked

juice while discussing with Jasper, "Remember when the Porras family's annex got hit by that satellite? Bran gave us a lot of meds as thanks. I think he added extra as a gesture of goodwill. Now that he's hit rock bottom, I'm thinking of returning the surplus.

in Goldbridge except Bran. With all the disasters, looking

and his prideful nature, asking him to do hard labor for food was out of

of necessity, he had turned to scavenging,

luxury, now reduced to a pitiful state, it was a poignant