18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 489

Jasper and Cooper took off like a shot.

As they bolted, the distant red dots started closing in faster, like they had rockets strapped to them.

Inside the house, Snowflake sensed something was off and bared her teeth, ready to charge out the door. Stella and Rosie instinctively grabbed their guns.

The two women and the wolf reached the door just as Jasper and Cooper came barreling back in.

"What's going on?" Stella asked.

Jasper quickly deadbolted the door, securing all three locks. "A pack of gators."

No sooner had he spoken than a series of thuds hit the door.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The impacts were rapid and fierce, shaking the entire shipping container like a tin can in a storm.

Stella was baffled. The gators hadn't bothered them last night when they came ashore to lay eggs. Why were they attacking now?

The banging didn't let up; it only got more intense.

Front, sides...

Even through the container and layers of ice, Stella could imagine the swarming chaos outside.

She approached the lookout point with her gun, trying to get a glimpse.

In the gloomy watchpoint, a pair of red eyes suddenly appeared.

Cold and bloodthirsty.

Holy smokes, red-eyed gators.

If it weren't for the lookout point being just 20cm wide, trapping the gator's head, they'd be flooding in.

Even so, the trapped gator kept wriggling, trying to get inside and devour them.

Could it be because she threw their eggs into the sea?

After a whole day, any traces or scents should have been scattered by the wind and snow by now.

Stella was puzzled, but the eerie red eyes made her quickly close the lookout.

She put on night-vision goggles and peered through a higher watchpoint, spotting a mass of gators outside, easily a few hundred.

If they broke through the container, the three humans and five dogs wouldn't even be enough to pick their teeth with.

door, Cooper and Snowflake squared off, fierce and

"Bark! Bark! Bark!"

"Howl... Woo..."

only intensified the pounding

these two were making things

scent of humans was inciting the gators' ferocity, and she didn't feel confident about facing them

you can't

entire shipping

could last longer, and deal

in the Arcadia, and everyone, humans and dogs alike,

their room, after a shower and lights out, Stella and Jasper discussed how

a much tougher fight than dealing

up the next day, well-rested and fed by 8 AM, they armed themselves to the teeth. Even

stepped out of the Arcadia, weapons loaded and even flamethrowers at the ready, it was time to face the

this was the

it was

lookout, but saw no sign

to the sea at

nothing, she finally opened

the place was littered

They resembled pig dung.

damn creatures, unable to catch their prey, had vented their frustration with excrement. Talk

cleaned up the gator droppings around

suggested, "Should we dry it out and use it

found the idea

of fuel stored in the Arcadia, with

Stella. Considering the level of the gators' vengeance,

hunted fish in the sea with ease, so why bother coming ashore for

figure it out, she checked around the

eggs were buried in the snow, and

with half a brain could tell it was Snowflake and Cooper's

it was no wonder the red-eyed gators

She called over Snowflake and pointed at her nose, scolding, "Don't think just because you're the new bride in

family, you

all sorts of rubbish, see how I deal with

said it, it went in one ear and out

a bone spared, turning the area

Snowflake when Cooper came to defend his mate, pushing Stella's hand

No scolding, no hitting.

grabbed Cooper by the ear. "And you,

had stashed away. This time, instead of tossing them into the ice hole, she placed them

and a simple flame probably wouldn't scare