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."

a wealthy family, now reduced to a destitute beggar by natural disasters. Fate had

room left in the cab, so Bran had

his worst moment exposed to someone he knew was a nightmare come true. But what

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

the base and drove up

trading, and

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

truckload of steel could sustain a family

about where the steel came from, which

She went straight to the base's store and

for escape pods, these ten packs

a real-life Robinson Crusoe situation, it was

to save up and buy a whole load at

supplies, aside from a submarine,

road, the family was eager to return home

left without a word, probably

a deep breath inwardly, not sure

to their private

she pulled over and stuck her head out, "Hey, Bran. You left some meds with me a while back. With

usually covetous Stella to offer

"Uh, later," he mumbled.

head out scavenging again after a

Bran merely nodded, "Mhm."

giving him the address to the compound and exchanging goodbyes without much fuss, they parted

drive away, feeling his

and their dog

of home-cooked food after days

sipped on 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

a hurry, probably all in Goldbridge except Bran. With all the disasters, looking after their golden boy wouldn't

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

he had turned to scavenging,

by beauty and luxury, now reduced to a pitiful