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 a cruel

room left in the cab, so Bran had to settle for sitting on a

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

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

the base and drove up to

and cashing in

time to clean, and after weighing, they

of steel could sustain a family for

meant no prying questions about where the steel came from, which

She went straight to

ten packs could

real-life Robinson Crusoe situation, it was better to be

sale but decided to save up and buy a whole load at once, for the

aside from a submarine, Stella had almost

on the road, the family was eager to return

a word,

took a deep breath inwardly,

on the way back to their private compound,

left some meds with me a while back. With things as chaotic as they are, I can't

aback, not expecting the usually covetous Stella to

"Uh, later," he mumbled.

out scavenging again after a short break. Wouldn't want you to make a

Bran merely nodded, "Mhm."

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

away, feeling his heart, already battered

at the compound, the trio and their dog

of home-cooked food after days on the

Rosie, Stella 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

in Goldbridge except Bran. With all the disasters, looking after their golden

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

to scavenging, a

pitiful state, it was a poignant reminder of the harshness