18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 213

On Thanksgiving, Mark wished the residents of the community a happy holiday over the local radio.

Whether they were happy or not, that was something only they knew. Yet, with his well wishes, even if they were nothing more than sentimental fluff, they added a touch of humanity in a world that seemed to be ending. And, he also shared a short, uplifting story.

For those who were starving or near death, it probably didn't matter, but the community had just received welfare from the city government. They had also found plenty of water to replenish their sources and the sweet potatoes they had planted were soon to be harvested. So, his well wishes and the story he shared came at just the right time.

This was the power of a psychologist, and Stella felt she should read more on the subject.

That evening, the trio and the dog celebrated the holiday.

Stella remembered they had stored some pumpkin pie for the occasion. It took her a while to replace it, but eventually, she did. There was pumpkin, pecan, apple, and even a cranberry pie.

She loved the cranberry pie. After eating the cranberries, she took a couple of bites from the apple pie, and gave the rest to Jasper.

Rosie didn't eat much either. After a couple of bites from the pumpkin and pecan pies, she gave the rest to her brother too. Jasper, faced with a pile of pies, fell silent.

In the end, it was their dog who came to the rescue. Cooper loved the pies, and it happily crunched down on a couple of them.

"Good dog." Jasper rewarded it with a piece of beef jerky.

After several days of staying indoors without any physical activity, Stella felt like her limbs were about to atrophy. She decided to go downstairs to fetch some water.

When she reached the well, she saw that the water level had dropped even further. The well digger and two other community members were continuing to dig deeper.

The mood was heavy. They had been digging for half a day and there wasn't much water to show for it. If the drought continued, not only would the sweet potatoes wither and die, they wouldn't even have enough water to drink. Stella could sense their despair and confusion, and a heavy feeling settled in her heart.

The hot weather didn't seem to be ending anytime soon.

As she was about to lift her bucket and head back, something plopped on her face.

It was warm. Bird poo?

Plop, another one.

Stella reached up to touch her face and found it wet, but it didn't smell bad.

She looked at the droplet of water on her fingertip and paused. Then she looked up at the sky.

Plop, plop...

Raindrops were indeed falling, and they were warm.

"It's raining. It's raining!"

The well diggers shouted in excitement, their voices distorted with emotion, "Thank god!"

But soon, they realized something was off. The rain was warm. It was indeed raining, but it was more like hot water.

The workers quickly started pulling up the ropes, trying to rescue the people in the well, "Quick, quick, it's raining."

The ropes were slippery from the mud, and it was hard to get a good grip.

The rain was falling harder and harder, blurring the world around them. The well was deep, at least seventy to eighty meters, and there were several people at the bottom. If they didn't get them out in time, the rising water could pose a serious threat. Stella returned to help pull the ropes. But they were too slippery, and it hurt her hands. She took out a handkerchief from her pocket and wrapped it around the rope.

The rain was hitting her face so hard she could barely keep her eyes open. The rising temperature added to their fear. What if the rain got hotter and scalded them?

In their fear, some people took off their shirts and wrapped them around the ropes, pulling together with all their strength. The community patrol team also rushed over to lend a hand.

All three people from the well were successfully rescued. By then, it was pouring outside, and everyone hurried home, using their clothes to shield themselves from the rain.

As Stella was about to lift her bucket and run home, her arm was suddenly pulled. An umbrella appeared over her head. It was Jasper.

"Let's go." The weather was unpredictable, and for all they knew, it might start raining boiling water. Jasper took her under his arm and they hurried home, with him instinctively tilting the umbrella towards her, "Be careful." They ran home quickly through the downpour.

Rosie was waiting at the entrance of their apartment building, and Cooper was wagging its tail furiously.

Tears welled up in Stella's eyes. In her past life, things had been rough. But in this life, not only did someone risk the rain to come get her, but there were also people waiting for her to come home.

Jasper took a dry towel from the closet and helped dry her wet hair, "Gotta change. Don't get sick."

He said this but made no move to leave.

Stella pushed him out of the room and quickly changed her clothes. Jasper was left standing outside the door, speechless.

After changing, Stella wrapped her hair in a towel and took a cup of hot ginger tea from the kitchen. She also prepared a cup for Jasper.

She noticed that he was also soaked and urged him, "You should change too."

The community loudspeaker came on, and Mark urged residents who could to store as much water as possible.

Jasper came out with his hair towel-dried, "Stella, should we store water?"

Stella thought for a moment, "Yes."

The water they stored could be used for irrigation and could also be used for renovations.

"Let's renovate our house."

Stella had seen too much malice and darkness, which made her cautious of any form of light, including Mark, the psychologist.

She couldn't deny that he had the ability to heal people's psychological ailments, but he also had the power to manipulate minds.

However, after this rain, Stella felt moved. Actions spoke louder than words. If it had been anyone else, they would have run away at the first sign of the hot rain. But the people of the community stayed. They were scared and worried, but they pushed through and saved the people in the well.

The patrol team did the same. If they had all left, the people in the well could have drowned.

True selfishness and fear couldn't be hidden. Their positive state of mind was largely thanks to Mark. Stella was starting to look forward to her new life in Eastwood Eden.

Outside, the rain was getting heavier. The parched earth was finally getting the moisture it needed.

Watching the heavy rain, Stella felt her own spirits lift. Whether this was nature's way of punishing humans or not, at least it was giving them a chance to survive.

She put on her raincoat and took out the new buckets and basins she had gotten from Monkey. The large balcony had a sunshade, which collected the water and allowed it to flow down. Fetching water was no trouble at all. She filled the buckets first and then poured the water into the water tower in the kitchen. Cooper wanted to help, but Stella shooed him away. Help? More like creating more work. If he got wet, she would have to dry and blow-dry him, which would take a lot of effort.

Stella never saw it coming. Jasper had ushered her home too, "You keep an eye on Rosie and Cooper, I got this."

Banished, she herded the two into the living room, pulled out some popcorn and set up a Disney movie, "You two behave now, and don't move."

The rain continued to pour, but the sun was persistently searing the earth, giving the rainwater a heated shimmer.

In all her years, Stella had never seen such a sight. It sent chills down her spine.

What else wasn't possible now in this day?