18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 379

Stella was behind the wheel of her eighteen-wheeler, and Jasper was tearing up the road in his rugged SUV. They hadn't even left the base when they realized someone was tailing them. But they played it cool. Grabbing their walkie-talkies, they coordinated a plan and split in different directions.

Duke, the ringleader, was flabbergasted. "Split up! Chase 'em down! They can't get away," he barked.

Don't let the mud and grime fool you; those vehicles were beasts under the hood.

Stella, now decked out in a bulletproof vest and a steel helmet, floored it. She handled the big rig like a pro, quickly leaving their pursuers in the dust.

Taking a hidden detour through a ravine, she slipped her truck into the safety of Arcadia.

The ragtag pursuers, pushing their beat-up jalopies to the limit, arrived only to be left scratching their heads.

Where'd the trucks go?

Before they knew it, a loud bang echoed, sending them diving for cover.

Turned out, one of their tires had blown out.

"Damnation!" they cursed, scared out of their wits.

With no trace of their quarry, they had to slink back to base, tails between their legs.

Stella arrived at the base of Mount Murray to find Jasper and their canine companions already waiting. "Everything good?" he asked.

"Just a bunch of riff-raff," she replied.

Those who made it into the Kindle Society were usually tough, but this lot? They were smooth-talking slackers. Any edge they had was dulled by life's grind, reduced to conning newcomers into doing their dirty work. If real trouble came knocking, they'd probably run faster than anyone.

"And you?" Stella shot back at Jasper. "Any close calls?"

"None. Lost 'em easy," Jasper replied. His SUV was a beast and had left the pursuers in the dust.

shake. They might set

cross that bridge when we come to

to stir up trouble, but if trouble came knocking, she wouldn't

four-legged friend didn't wander aimlessly. They broke out the

Jasper kept watch, and Stella seemed to be napping in her room, but

had enough to fill two big rigs, but Stella left some behind

loaded, she covered everything

ran into highway robbers, the

for two days, they judged the timing right and prepared to haul their cargo back

to let their guard down either. They'd take a roundabout route just

even their own parents wouldn't recognize them, they drove their clunkers back towards base,

any moment, they slipped by the ambushers unnoticed. The ambushers even thought

both sides of the road, hunkered down

risk an open confrontation, so they had to deal

a truck stopped out of sight in a dip by

attached a silencer

could have helped, but Stella wanted to make it clean, and having Rosie

bring the previously hidden trucks to the rendezvous point when

Stella, she crept back to flank the

came, Rosie drove one of the trucks into view from the opposite end of

the ambushers were instantly on high alert. "Boss,

forward, bulging with cargo that

have enough supplies

the thought of imminent spoils had them chomping

all eyes glued to the approaching vehicle, completely oblivious to the imminent danger

moment of truth arrived, and both Jasper

"Thwip! Thwip!"

silencers swallowed the sound

decided to act, she didn't hold back. One by one,

amiss, started to warn his boss, "Boss, the driver's a young woman with a