18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 21

Stella peered at the floating object, drawing closer, not realizing it was a corpse, until she poked it with her oar.

Initially, the sight was shocking and stomach-churning, but after seeing a few more, she grew accustomed to it. Floating bodies had been a common sight in her neighborhood ever since she had set out.

With her eyes on the clock, she noted that a minute had passed since she had released the rope into the water, and there was still no movement.

Two minutes…

Three minutes…

Four minutes…

Anxiety began to gnaw at her. Stella yanked the rope twice, but there was still no response. Even the most skilled swimmers could only last a minute or so underwater. Even though Jasper was known for his diving prowess, four minutes seemed overly long. She had a bad feeling about this. Just as she was about to pull on the rope again, the water surface broke with a loud splash. Jasper emerged. "I checked several stores. All their doors have been pried open, and they've been cleaned out."

Cleaned out? Who could have done such a thing?

Lukas looked disappointed. "We can't find gas. Even if we had food, we wouldn't be able to cook it."

They had been quick, but not quick enough. They had been beaten to the punch. Stella glanced at Jasper. These fast-food joints had been flooded the day after the hurricane. Even if some of the owners had tried to salvage their stocks, it was unlikely that they would have been able to pry open all the stores. The floodwaters were too murky and fast-flowing for anyone without a diving mask and strong swimming skills to succeed.

Unless these stores had been looted as soon as the disaster struck.

She had a hunch. "We need to try our luck at the propane station. Hopefully, they haven't cleared everything out."

They had come out here, after all. There was no way they were going back empty-handed. They'd have to try their luck at the propane station.

Stella pulled out her waterproof bag and took out her phone. She showed the offline map to the others. "It's around here. I think there's a huge tree at the entrance."

The place was about four miles from Sunrise Sanctuary. It wasn't too far, but it was in a rather remote area.

After figuring out the location, the trio set off in their inflatable boat towards the propane station. The suburbs were filled with bungalows, all of which were now submerged in water, making the area seem incredibly desolate.

On the way, they encountered firefighters trying to rescue stranded individuals. Upon seeing their boat, the rescuers tried to commandeer it to help transport the stranded people. Jasper ignored them, and the trio continued to navigate through the flooded city.

With the city transformed into a vast ocean, it was difficult to make out directions. Stella used her binoculars and said, "Go straight and turn right. There's something green sticking out of the water. It should be the tree."

They slowed down as they approached the tree, and just as Stella had predicted, it was indeed a giant tree. The once tall tree was now almost entirely submerged, with only its topmost leaves visible above the water.

They tied their boat to the tree. Stella gave a general direction, and Jasper, with his diving mask on, dived into the water. After about two minutes, Jasper resurfaced. "I found it, but the station has a roll-up door and a sliding metal gate. It won't be easy to pry open."

He signaled to Stella to bring him the crowbar from his bag.

Lukas looked on in silence. Why was it that he was the only one without any professional gear?