18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 324

The air was heavy with smog as the officers cautiously approached the mysterious black bag. Upon opening it, they found it to be full of herbs. Baffled glances were exchanged - what could this possibly mean?

Nobody took the situation lightly; for all they knew, the herbs could be a smokescreen for something more sinister, like a bomb. Calling in an off-duty colleague, they meticulously checked each package.

The incident was so bizarre it quickly caught the attention of Detective Evan, who was awakened in the dead of night to find the precinct's yard overflowing with the mysterious herbal haul, leaving him utterly flabbergasted.

With a moment's thought, Evan instructed, "Get an expert from the Institute of Herbal Medicine over here, pronto."

The officers wasted no time and drove through the night to fetch the expert.

Back in his office, Evan inquired, "Did anyone get a good look at the people who dropped off the herbs?"

"No luck," admitted an officer on duty. "The visibility was poor, and the smog didn't help. They stayed in their vehicle and were pretty much unrecognizable."

The officer paused, then added, "They were wearing gas masks though, looked almost like skulls at first glance. Gave me quite a scare, I thought we were under some sort of biochemical attack."

Evan shot him a look. "You've been watching too many movies, haven't you?"

"Evan, I'm dead serious. People are on edge; lashing out at society is becoming all too common. If this smog virus turns into an epidemic, who knows how many might become carriers. We need to be ready."

Evan's gaze was sharp. "Mask up."

The officer clutched his mask tighter, "Evan, should we track down those trucks?"

Evan pondered over the two letters that had almost worn thin in his hands over the years. What use was there in tracking down trucks, only to lock them up?

After a long pause, he decided, "No, let's wait for the expert's verdict on these herbs first."

The smog had everyone on edge, especially this new, more ominous version. Stella, unsurprisingly, had another nightmare, this time envisioning Jasper coughing up his lungs into a basin until it overflowed. Not just him, but Cooper was also afflicted in her dream, clawing at his mouth and gasping, "Human, I can't breathe. Give me your lungs."

She woke with a start, only to be met by Jasper turning on the bedside lamp, asking, "What's wrong?"

"Just a bad dream," Stella patted her chest, reassuring herself.

The calm was short-lived as Austin’s voice crackled urgently through the intercom. "Stella, Dylan's got a fever with a cough, his breathing is rapid and he's all hot and cold, is it an infection?"

Stella commanded over the intercom, "How high is the fever?"

"Almost 40."

"Did he take the pills to lower his fever?"