18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 525

Jasper's mind went blank when he heard Rosie had fallen into the depths of depression. In his previous life, Stella had battled loneliness, depression, and a hefty dose of anxiety. These weren't things to be taken lightly, which is why she had stocked up on medication as soon as she got a second chance at life.

Despite a decade of material comfort, loneliness had managed to knock the usually cheerful Rosie off her feet. Truth be told, even Stella, surrounded by a loving husband and a loyal dog, felt the creeping shadow of solitude.

Life wasn't about scraping by anymore. They had enough wealth to laze around for the rest of their days. But sometimes, the aimlessness of a life reduced to eating when hungry and sleeping when tired gnawed at her.

The shows, movies, and series she had downloaded were played to death over ten years, and the more she watched, the more restless she felt. Even the little bit of fun they had when the lights went out had lost its spark, sometimes leaving her disinterested halfway through.

It wasn't just her; sometimes, she could tell Jasper was just going through the motions. Their passion for playing cards had dwindled so much that even after nearly three months, neither felt like shuffling and dealing.

Life had lost its flavor, a dreary existence despite having everything one could wish for.

Stella looked at Jasper, lost for words, "What do we do with the next several decades?"

Maybe that was the complexity of human nature. Craving eternity when facing death, food when starving, and health when in pain. They had longed to leave the endless sea for solid ground, only to find themselves questioning the essence of life once they were on land.

Only nine months had passed, and the overwhelming joy Stella had felt when she first set foot on solid ground had now faded.

Humans were fickle creatures.

In the end, Rosie was too lonely. Her spiritual desolation made her yearn for the world beyond. Despite their close living situation, the emotional gap between her and the couple only seemed to widen. Stella and Jasper had their own little world, a place Rosie couldn't always fit into.

Rosie was growing up, with her own spiritual world and aspirations. Neither Stella nor Jasper could prevent her from reaching out for help.

Depression was serious. If left unchecked, it could lead to thoughts of self-harm.

After a long silence, Stella wrapped her arms around Jasper's neck and whispered, "Let's step out into the world."

It wasn't just for Rosie; it was for themselves too.

"The outside world

a moment, "Maybe the meaning of life is to struggle

a

spaced out and forgot

the salt." While eating, Stella announced, "We've been here over nine months,

"You want to go out for

too much; my limbs are practically withering. Let's go out and see if there's a

wasn't naive. Seeing the couple's back-and-forth, she felt guilty, "Brother, sister-in-law, are you doing this because of

time, and that's why my thoughts

a sensible

still young. Let's explore while we

never get old, but if you ever do,

Rosie wants to take on

Rosie's spirit

didn't need into the Arcadia and set

lived for months, Rosie could faintly see the poultry shed, the roosters pecking at

the highest peak and howled, perhaps saying goodbye to Hugo, if they could even

for a while, Cooper led Snowflake

easier paths and resting when tired, eating when hungry, and pulling out the RV when night

the second day, the sun was

their spirits were free,

a modest freshwater lake with sparse, unknown aquatic plants along its

mix of seeds

the lake behind the next day, they faced sleet and a

ground to mud, they decided to rest in the

days later, they continued their travels across the endless barren wasteland, spotting plastic trash, half-buried cars, and the