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 destitute beggar

so Bran had to settle for sitting on a pile of muddy

what could he do? He climbed aboard, the truck bouncing

atop a pile of garbage, numb to the jostling of the vehicle,

entered the base and drove up

and

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

of steel could sustain a family

staff's casual attitude meant no prying questions about where the steel came from, which

the credits. She went straight to the base's store and bought

escape pods, these ten

case of a real-life Robinson Crusoe situation, it was better to

and buy a whole load at once, for the day when it might come

a submarine,

was eager to

left without a word, probably a matter of

inwardly,

the way back to

"Hey, Bran. You left some meds with me a while back.

usually covetous Stella to

"Uh, later," he mumbled.

nodded, "Alright, but try to come by soon. We'll probably head out scavenging again after a

Bran merely nodded, "Mhm."

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

away, feeling his heart, already battered by the

and their dog enjoyed

of home-cooked food after days

juice while discussing with Jasper, "Remember when the Porras family's annex got hit by that satellite? Bran gave us a lot of meds

in a hurry, probably all in Goldbridge except Bran. With all

of military skills and his prideful nature, asking him

to scavenging, a

reduced to a pitiful state, it was a poignant reminder of the harshness of