18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 76

Cooper was steady as a rock, moving with a shocking agility that had his pursuers spinning in circles.

It wasn't just the dog they were after; they were so ruthless they were even after Stella. But Stella didn't dodge it. Instead, she sped up, and was charging at them.

She was fast on her ice skates, and the men armed with metal pipes, despite their feet slipping on the snow-clad ground in their snow boots, were relentless in their pursuit. Stella streaked past them, not waiting for the man to raise his pipe. She was like a bolt of lightning.

With a resounding "thump," the man was knocked off his feet. His thick beanie was no match for Stella's golf club. He collapsed on the ground, and his eyes were wide open. Blood was pouring from his mouth, and his breaths quickly fading away. Stella didn't hesitate. Whether they were after her or Cooper, her response was the same, a golf club to the face. They were all highwaymen, living only to rob others.

She knocked a few more skulls before the others realized something was wrong. By then, the girl in the red snowsuit had disappeared from sight.

They thought those had slipped and fallen, only to replace out their teammates were dead when they got closer for a look.

How was a young girl so ruthless?

Surprise and shock were fleeting. The onlookers immediately started stripping the dead of their warm clothing, not minding the lingering body heat.

The remaining people were starving, and their looks towards the dead were complicated. Saliva was pooling in their mouths, yet, they managed to resist their basest instincts and walked away. As for how long they could hold out, even they didn't know. Cooper was getting more and more excited, and his tongue was lolling out of his mouth.

He looked at the relentless Stella and suddenly hit the brakes. It was almost as if he was saying, come on, come chase me! Just as Stella was about to catch up, he bolted again.

Stella and Cooper chased each other, soon returning to the Sunrise Sanctuary.

After the walk, Cooper was full of energy, and his muscles were sleek and shining. Stella rewarded him with a piece of jerky, packing up her things to go upstairs.

On the 12th floor, a tottering figure suddenly rushed out. Stella almost swung her club before realizing it was Amanda.

Her face was as white as chalk, like she'd been dusted with flour. Stella knew at a glance, Amanda didn't have long to live. She was devoid of any signs of life.

Was it because Hector was good at sweet-talking her, or because she thought the food she got for having sex was easy money? She had ruined her body for one pound of food an hour, half of which was taken by Drew, and the rest used to support Hector and the others. Stella didn't understand, perhaps that was the symptom of being hopelessly in love. Even if she had to live it all over again, she was glad she had woken up in time. Otherwise, she might have ended up worse off than Amanda.

"Stella, save me. Please save me." Amanda's voice was hoarse, and her body was swaying. The light in her eyes was dimming.

Stella asked, "How do I save you?"

"I... I can't stop the bleeding, and I have a fever. Can you give me some medicine? I don't want to die..." Amanda was unsteady, leaning on the staircase for support.

"Why come to me?" Stella was expressionless. "I didn't get a single grain of the food you earned. Whoever ate your food, go to them for help. Even if I had medicine, I wouldn't give it to you. Why should I? Because you're pitiful, or because you're stubborn? I'm not your parent, and I haven't taken anything from you. Whoever made you like this, go to them. Playing the victim won't work with me."

With that, she continued up the stairs.

"Wait." Amanda was struggling to speak, panting as she called Stella back. "I truly regret everything. If I knew this would happen, I wouldn't have given up my food. Stella, help me. I don't want to die like this, and then be thrown out the window by them."

It seemed she knew better than anyone that her death was inevitable. She was filled with resentment at the thought of being used up.

Stella stopped, reaching into her bag to pull out a packet of medicine. Inside were a few strong sleeping pills. "Do what you will."

Amanda clung to the medicine, gritting her teeth against the pain. She hobbled back to room 1202.

How ironic. She was the one who rented this room, but now they were waiting for her to die. If she had a chance to do it over, she would never have responded to that message in the group chat, inviting a pack of wolves into her life. She missed home, her parents, her grandparents, and their home-cooked meals, but it was too late.

Clutching the medicine in her hand, Amanda made a decision.

Just as Stella reached the 18th floor, the sound of banging echoed from the hallway. Angela was practicing her boxing and sweating profusely. Lukas and Cody were practicing with their sticks. Their clumsy efforts were amusing, but their determination to improve was commendable.

Seeing her return, the two seized the opportunity to take a break. "Stella, did you go out?"

"Yeah, took Cooper for a walk."

"How is it outside?"

Even in their fur coats, they were still not used to the cold. Since the extreme cold hit, the furthest they had gone was to the rooftop to collect ice and snow.

"It's pretty lively, full of highwaymen and black marketeers."

That sounded terrifying. They would die if they went out, wouldn't they? "Stella, are you joking?"

She saw no point in hiding the truth from them. She held up her blood-stained golf club. "What do you think?"

Lukas was so scared he hugged Angela. "Honey, I'm scared!"

Cody had no one to hug and his face immediately turned serious. The apocalypse turned ordinary people into demons, let alone those who were already on the dark side. Katie's worries were not unfounded. It was only a matter of time before they were targeted. They had to get stronger fast, and they couldn't be a burden.

"Let's continue practicing!"

"We can do this!"

After changing into fresh clothes and removing her bulletproof vest, the intercom buzzed. "Stella, are we going to spar today?"

"Yes, I'll be right there."

She had missed Cooper's training today due to their outing, but Jasper had a solution. He dressed Rosie in warm clothes and boots and put on her windproof hat. "Rosie, go to the stairs and watch Cooper run laps."

"Okay."

Rosie had been cooped up in bed all day, and now she was thrilled to be able to play with Cooper. After two hours of intense sparring, Stella was drenched in sweat, panting heavily. This kind of exhaustion was accompanied by a sense of exhilaration.

Moreover, Stella noticed, as her physical endurance improved, so did the time she spent sowing seeds with her mind. Although it still felt like she was moving at a snail's pace, there was definite progress being made. The future was looking bright!