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.

"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

him before heading off for

own bruises and swallowing more

Go clean up and get some

returning refreshed a

"Cooper and Snowflake are on guard.

linger in Arcadia for too long, not

crackling fire, turning on both the

wrapped his arms around Stella, and they both fell into a deep,

clean the mess outside. Rosie and Cooper had taken down thirty base members. The battlefield outside was a testament to

felt a pang of guilt and heartache, but this was the harsh reality of

could protect Rosie now, but not forever. Rosie had to

confirming the area was clear, Stella moved the frozen bodies

up

the time they finished, Rosie had woken

details. Instead, she fed

drifted back

tough, and everyone bore their scars as

herself with a hearty dinner

somewhat rejuvenated, she and Jasper helped each other with medicated massages to ease

but had to stick to light meals due to her

to rehash the

had not only lured them into a

they waited until

was off during the

the openings in

before it happened. But once the fight started, fear took

trembled-not for her life, but in fear her brother and sister-in-law wouldn't

After that night, Rosieered

gaze steely

up. don'Dneed

In

breakfast, Jasper returned from patrol, joining Stella

the bodies.

had been