18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 54

Stella had stocked up on a few guns, thinking they might come in handy in a pinch. She never expected Jasper to actually have a real gun.

The world order had collapsed, but the core parts of the government were still functioning, albeit at a snail’s pace due to the flooding. Yet, gun control was still quite strict.

So she wouldn't resort to the real deal until absolutely necessary, and certainly not in broad daylight. Rousing the authorities was one thing, but she also had no logical way to explain it to Angela and the others.

Staring at the firmly shut door of apartment 1801, Angela pulled Stella inside, curiosity piqued. “How does he have a gun?”

“He used to be a SWAT officer, probably has his connections.”

“Damn, not only can he fight, but he’s a crack shot too.”

Things should settle down now; Drew and his gang would probably lie low for a while.

Honestly, seeing the madman killed by Jasper was a relief for Angela and the others. He was a great yet pitiful father. Wounded as he was, there was no way he could survive, and falling into the hands of those people, he probably wouldn’t have died a whole man.

A swift death was better. At least he went out with some dignity.

Having a real gun in their group made Angela and the others feel more secure, but they were still a bit worried about being investigated.

They thought they were in for a fight, but it was disrupted by a madman. It was a blessing in disguise.

They watched as the uninjured scattered like birds, while the injured, realizing the 18th floor had no intention of helping, could only mutter curses as they left. Soon, the 17th floor quieted down.

This stand-off had attracted quite a crowd, but many were just lip service, not really participating.

The residents of the 17th floor wisely kept their doors locked. After all, they were too close to the 18th floor. If there was any retaliation, they would be the first to suffer.

However, trouble always found a way to them. When they finally opened their doors, they were met with a distressing scene. The hallway was covered in blood, and numerous bodies lay on the ground.

Why was the 17th floor always the battlefield? The residents grumbled and planned to dump the bodies into the flood waters and clean the bloodied hallway.

They just cleaned up this mess, and were met with the family of the deceased, who were furious upon learning that the bodies had been discarded. An argument ensued.

Fed up with the accusations, the 17th floor residents exploded in anger, brandishing kitchen knives.

“We didn’t ask for any of this! Why are we always the ones to suffer? We didn’t kill these people, so why are we being blamed for not opening our doors? You knew they were criminals. Why didn’t you stop them? Now you blame us for their deaths? If you wanted the bodies, why didn’t you come earlier? Go retrieve them from the water!”

Seeing the knives waving in anger, the family of the deceased dared not argue anymore. They left, muttering under their breaths.

Before coming up here, they had calculated how much they could salvage from the 18th floor residents. Who knew they didn’t get anything but their men would also be killed by the madman? How were these widows and orphans going to survive?

Oh, God, please stop the rain.

…

Around noon, Lukas and Cody brought back some news.

The man who went on a slashing spree lived on the seventh floor. He was a divorced father living with his daughter. Their home had been broken into by a masked gang, who took all their supplies.

Desperate, his daughter resorted to selling her body to survive. When he found out, he was furious and slapped her. Overwhelmed with shame, she jumped into the flood waters.

Already living a tough life with his daughter, the man snapped upon losing her and went on a vengeful killing spree. Several were slashed to death on the spot, a few bled out, and others were severely injured. Many were trampled in the chaos, but without a boat, they couldn't get to a hospital and were left to suffer at home.

Hector and Drew were unconscious, with little hope of survival.