18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 453

Chapter 453

Cooper sniffed Rosie's clothes and immediately backed away, shaking his head with a look of utter disdain.

"Ugh, no way I'm touching that!"

Rosie's heart shattered like a fragile glass ornament, her spirits plummeting to rock bottom.

Stella came over and tugged Cooper's ear, "Off you go, chill out elsewhere. Stop picking on Rosie."

After a brief scolding for Cooper, she turned to the sensitive Rosie, chuckling with a hint of exasperation, "There's no smell, neither your brother nor I can smell anything. Cooper's just yanking your chain." Rosie took another sniff of her clothes, and her mood brightened like a sun piercing through storm clouds, "Cooper, you're such a mischief-maker."

Cooper wagged his tail with a grin, playfully tugging at Rosie's pant leg.

"Come on, let's play!"

By noon, hunger struck like an unwelcome guest, demanding attention even when the appetite was half of its usual size.

Area B boasted a seawater filtration system, but fresh water was still a luxury, rationed to half a bucket per person per day, with strict timings for its availability.

For a shower, one had to hoard water, with communal baths and toilets on the first floor.

With water being such a precious commodity, using it for showers seemed wasteful. A quick wipe-down was a luxury, and any surplus could be bartered.

To save on Arcadia time, the trio and their dog had a pact - they'd digest their meal and then all head in together for a quick wash, wrapping up within thirty minutes, no exceptions. Cooper didn't need a shower; he had The Garden upstairs and downstairs to run and catch the breeze to his heart's content.

If he got dirty, they'd wash him afterwards, dumping the dirty water back into Arcadia.

Towel-drying her hair, Jasper asked with concern, "Rosie, how's the job?"

Don't ask. Just the thought brings up a stench with every breath.

Fresh into the workforce, Rosie's worldview was crumbling, "Brother, some folks in the Maggot Crew are sneaking bites."

"Sneaking bites?" Stella almost choked on her words.

their mouths when the boss

"What did you do when you

"I pretended I didn't

"Why?"

reasoning, "If they had a choice, if they weren't so hungry, they

hunger, and that feeling was

about eating maggots when people feast on

them on her very first day, didn't it stand to reason the boss could too, if they really

of turning a blind eye because it

to expose

their actions would be wrong. But in these hard

you, sometimes it's okay to turn a blind eye and

by her brother's approval, Rosie finally breathed easier,

their significance in the face of disaster. Survivors did whatever it took, and as long as it didn't threaten one's own survival, it was acceptable. Jasper

a moment, "Brother, I can do

in, where we can defer rent or food payments, and receive fresh water daily, all because

for others to do the work. What if the country can't

through the hard work of

nodded with

gets tough or you're

and

a heart-to-heart with her brother, Rosie felt even more determined, "Brother, I'll do

tomorrow. I need to set the right

outside, and she'd definitely

sun, and Jasper accompanied her, aiming to find a job with light duties and

with the doting

waking up at nine to freshen up, eat breakfast, and pass the time with medical

lunch, her spirits were markedly improved, even cheerful, "Sister-in-law, I can take care of the maggots on my

replaced them with the adorable image

afternoon, Jasper returned with good news. His striking looks landed him a job at Area A's administrative

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255