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."

destitute beggar by natural disasters. Fate had a cruel sense

the cab, so Bran had

he knew was a nightmare come true. But what could he do? He climbed aboard, the

of garbage, numb to the jostling

drove

trading, and

took the workers some time to clean, and after weighing, they earned 3000 credits minus the

could sustain a family for a few

questions about where the steel came from,

keep the credits. She went straight to the base's store and bought supplies-ten oxygen

escape pods, these ten packs could last

real-life Robinson Crusoe situation, it was better

half the credits left, Stella spotted coal for sale but decided to save up and buy a whole load at once, for the day when it might

a

was eager to return home and clean

a word, probably a

inwardly, not

then, on the way back to their private compound, they

"Hey, Bran. You left some meds with me a while back. With things as chaotic as they

aback, not expecting the usually covetous Stella to offer

"Uh, later," he mumbled.

try to come by soon. We'll probably head out scavenging again after a short break.

Bran merely nodded, "Mhm."

to the compound and exchanging goodbyes without much fuss, they

away, feeling his heart, already battered

and their dog

the comfort of home-cooked food after days on

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

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

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

had turned to scavenging, a dangerous and unglamorous

surrounded by beauty and luxury, now reduced to a pitiful state, it was a poignant reminder of the harshness