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.

a worried vigil by her side. "I want to give her a blood transfusion. We're siblings; it should work," he insisted. Stella shook her head. "Her blood loss isn't critical enough for that. Let's monitor her first. Transfusions between relatives can cause immune reactions. Rosie's unconscious mostly from

but Stella reassured him before heading

own bruises and swallowing more meds, she returned to check

and get some rest," she

agreed, returning refreshed a while

muttered, "Cooper and Snowflake

Arcadia for too long, not with the constant threat

a room warmed by a crackling fire, turning

and they both fell into a deep, much-

Despite her own exhaustion, Stella forced herself up to clean the mess outside. Rosie and Cooper had taken

but this

now, but not forever. Rosie had to toughen up in

was clear, Stella moved the frozen bodies into

a shovel, helped clean up the bloodstains, erasing the

they finished, Rosie had woken

didn't press her for details. Instead, she fed her some nourishing

Rosie drifted

in this harsh world was tough, and everyone

a hearty

next morning, feeling somewhat rejuvenated, she and Jasper helped each other with medicated

improving but had to stick to light meals due to

need to rehash the previous

had not only lured them into a

losses, they waited until dark to make their

off during the day

in the shipping

But once the fight started, fear took

for her life, but in fear her

After that night, Rosieered

gaze steely and

I've grown up. don'Dneed to worry

In

patrol, joining

the bodies.

corpses had been in