18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 502

After a while, faint sounds began trickling from inside the house.

"Rosie, Cooper?" Jasper and Stella called out frantically, their voices echoing in the cold air.

Snowflake, their loyal dog, was just as anxious, whimpering pitifully.

The door creaked open, revealing a pale-faced Rosie clutching a gun. Her eyes lit up at the sight of her brother and sister-in-law. "Bro, Sis?"

The tension in her body melted away, and she crumpled to the floor. Jasper's quick reflexes caught her just in time. "Rosie, what's going on? Are you okay?"

Rosie was a mess of injuries, her clothes stained with blood. She forced a weak smile. "Bro, I kept the house safe. You finally made it back."

Fear had gnawed at her, worried they wouldn't return in time.

Too exhausted to keep talking, her heavy eyelids fluttered shut.

"Rosie," Jasper's voice cracked, his face ashen. "Rosie, stay with me. Don't sleep. I'm here now."

Stella, panicked, urged, "Let's get her inside. Quickly."

Jasper, hands shaking, felt for her breath and nearly collapsed in relief when he found it.

Inside, Stella wasted no time checking Rosie's wounds.

Rosie had taken bullets to her thigh and arm, and her body bore numerous other wounds, evidence of a brutal battle.

Though none of the injuries were fatal, the bleeding hadn't been stopped in time.

Exhausted from the fight, Stella couldn't rest yet. She prepped for surgery to remove the bullets.

It took over an hour to extract the bullets, disinfect, and bandage the wounds.

After giving Rosie antibiotics and anti-inflammatory meds, Stella turned her attention to Cooper.

The dog had also been injured, with a deep wound exposing bone. But Rosie had managed a makeshift bandage.

Cooper was a trooper, enduring the stitches with stoic patience while exchanging playful banter and tender moments with Snowflake.

Caring and scolding all at once.

her head. "Her blood loss isn't critical

was still anxious, but Stella reassured him before heading

own bruises and swallowing more meds,

and get some rest," she advised

finally agreed, returning refreshed a while

barely able to keep her eyes open, muttered, "Cooper and Snowflake are on guard. They'll alert us if anything

too long, not

crackling fire, turning

they both fell into a deep, much- needed

up to clean the mess outside. Rosie

but this was the harsh reality

Rosie

was clear, Stella moved the frozen

with a shovel, helped clean up the bloodstains,

time they finished, Rosie had

press her for details. Instead, she fed her some nourishing

Rosie drifted back to

world was tough,

with a hearty dinner and a good

helped each other with medicated massages to

was improving but had to stick to

need to rehash the previous

not only lured them into a

waited until dark to make their

had sensed something was off during the

openings in

But once the fight started,

but in fear her brother and sister-in-law wouldn't come

After that night, Rosieered

steely

I've grown up. don'Dneed to worry

In

Jasper returned from patrol, joining Stella in Arcadia to

the bodies.

been in The