18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 84

Though Stella was hard at work, she was aware that Cooper, their faithful dog, was a trustworthy companion. Yet, she couldn't fully turn her back on him, and often glanced over her shoulder as though expecting a sneak attack. Suddenly, she saw Rosie pulling out a Swiss army knife from her bag. Wait, what? Little Rosie knew how to handle a knife now?! Without thinking, she turned to Jasper. "Did you teach her that?" Jasper didn't deny it. "Is it wrong?"

"No, no. It's...it's great."

The harsh realities of life forced growth. From hurricanes to floods and freezing cold, many innocent children had indeed learned the ways of survival. Rosie couldn't be left behind. If she was, it would be like inviting the Grim Reaper to their door. A harsh lesson it was, sure, but it was effective.

Chopping bamboo was quick. They cut them into equal lengths and bundled them together with some rope. Rosie volunteered to drag the bundle back. Jasper tied a few pieces for her, warning her not to get tired halfway. "I'll bring these back home."

There were many people around. Some children were dressed in tattered clothes, but all of them were chopping wood with determination. Seeing them, Rosie felt motivated to work even harder.

After preparing the bamboo, Jasper asked Stella, "Do you need firewood?"

Arcadia had plenty of firewood, but it wasn't easy to actually use it. "What about you?"

""Maybe a little?"

So, they cut down a pine tree together, planning to split it and bring it back.

The Moore family's father and son, each chopped down a pine tree, but it was a struggle to bring them back. They were academics and not used to such manual labor.

The climb uphill was tough, but the descent was even more challenging. The snow had turned into icy shards. If they slipped, they would tumble down the hill, possibly losing their lives.

They were careful, helping each other, taking one step at a time. Rosie was leading the way with her Swiss army knife, while Cooper guarded their rear. They worked as a team.

Stella wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all but felt a pang of sympathy too. Natural disasters had forced children to grow up too fast.

They made it down the hill without any mishaps. Cooper, as though understanding the situation, dragged a sled over. Stella loaded the sled with the heavy wood. Then, she put the bundled bamboo on top of the wood. Cooper tried to pull the sled, but it was too heavy. He growled in frustration. 'Human is sneaky!'

Rosie was dragging three pieces of bamboo. The ice made it a bit hard, but she managed.

Jasper was carrying firewood in one hand and dragging a large bundle of bamboo with the other, looking as if it was an easy task.

The Moore family watched them in awe.

Cooper tried to pull the sled again, and to his surprise, it moved easily. He turned around and saw Stella pushing from the back.

They received many envious looks from others. This dog was amazing, and much easier to handle than a child.

They took a break halfway, eating some food to regain their strength. During the break, Rosie slipped and fell. Jasper quickly went to help her, while Stella in front was pushing the sled with all her strength. The three men dragging firewood from behind suddenly rushed up, two with knives and one with a brick. The one with the knife went straight for Jasper, while the one with the brick charged at Stella. Stella was in front, with about five or six meters between the two.

Realizing something was wrong, Jasper didn't even turn his head. He just threw a kick, sending the man flying. Following swiftly, he spun around quickly, cleanly and efficiently breaking the neck of another man. Sensing the sudden gust of wind from behind, Stella instinctively drew her knife and stabbed backwards. With a soft sound, the sharp knife pierced into flesh.

At the same time, the brick came crashing down at her forehead. Stella dodged the brick to the side. She was successful, but the sound of the brick shattering was heard.

The brick didn't fall on Stella's forehead; Jasper blocked it with his shoulder. His action made her pause.

The father and son of the Moore family in front heard the commotion and rushed over with their knives. "Are you alright?"

Jasper grunted, "I'm fine."

Stella came back to her senses, "Are you sure?"

"It's alright. I was bundled up."

Two men died in an instant. The man who was kicked away by Jasper was pale with fear and ran away as soon as he got up. Not just him, another woman not far away also ran. Clearly, they were a group.

Stella ran after them, took out a boning knife from the air while reaching into her bag, and forcefully threw it. The man was dressed warmly, the boning knife hit him and he was knocked flying.

Stella caught up, her cold eyes staring at him.

The man was in a panic, "It's a misunderstanding. We didn't mean to." They simply wanted to rob, they never expected the other side to be so fierce, not even blinking when killing. "I'm sorry. Please let me go! I have a wife and a kid. Ahhh....!" Stella was in no mood for mercy. She killed him without a second thought. She had Cooper to keep. If she died today, Cooper would be left all alone.

The woman was shocked and started wailing. She sweared at Stella, accusing her of being a heartless murderer.

"Law and order?" Stella laughed. "You attacked us first."

The woman tried to argue, but Stella didn't give her a chance to speak. Since they were husband and wife, they should be together, even in death.

The woman couldn't believe what was happening. She opened her mouth to speak, but the cold air choked her words. She died soon after.

The incident had happened so quickly that the other people on the road were taken aback by Stella's ruthless efficiency.

An elderly woman, wrapped in the comfort of her years, voiced her grievance, "Young lady, they ambushed you, and yes, it's not right, but you folks are still okay. You actually killed them. The woman didn't exactly stab you with a knife, plus they've got children to care for. You're being too harsh."

The others remained silent, but their agreement was evident in their silence.

"These four were in cahoots. Do you think the woman didn't know they were out for blood and loot?" Stella found it absurd. "If I didn't kill her today, should I just wait for her to come back for revenge?"

"Well, you can't be that ruthless, wiping everyone out like that."

"Since the knife didn't cut you, of course, you wouldn't know the pain," Stella retorted with a cold smile. "I see you have a family to care about too. Sticking your nose in other people's business like this isn't the best thing to do. Are you itching to meet your maker? I'd be more than happy to oblige!"