18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 58

"Hey, sis Stella, I know." Rosie raised her hand to answer first, "Cooper caught the fish, and he won't let us eat it."

What? That was strange. Stella was utterly confused. How could her adorable puppy be so selfish?

"Woof!" Cooper tugged at her sleeve and pulled her towards the dining table. A big bowl of fried fish fillets sat on the table, their aroma making her mouth water.

Cooper stood on his hind legs, leaning on the table and nudged the bowl of fish forward: ‘Here, have some!’

Stella looked puzzled, turning to Angela and the others for answers.

After they finished marinated the fish chunks, Stella hadn’t returned. They thought they couldn't rely on her for everything, so they put their heads together and managed to whip up the fried fish.

But then Cooper fiercely guarded the fish, not allowing anyone else to touch it. He was drooling himself, and yet, he wouldn't let anyone else have a bite.

They were usually democratic. After all, Cooper was the one who had caught the fish. And right now, he was the the big boss with maxed-out survival skills in their group, so no one dared to cross him. Despite their hunger, they had to hold back.

Cody was so hungry he was pleading, "Hurry up and eat. We're starving."

Stella chuckled, "Our Cooper is so great. He's even taking care of me now."

Cooper barked excitedly, "Woof!" His eyes sparkled as if he were saying: ‘Hey, I'm taking care of you!’

Stella grabbed a piece of fried fish and took a bite. It was crispy, fresh, and delicious. Their survival group had finally started to make progress in cooking.

Watching the clever dog, Stella decided to tease him, "Cooper, I've had my share. Who's next?"

"Woof, woof!" Cooper wagged his tail vigorously, drool dripping from his mouth.

Stella understood and put a piece in his bowl, "Who's next?"

Cooper tugged at Rosie's pant leg. One by one, he chose Angela, Cody, Lukas, and finally Jasper. Cooper seemed quite pleased with his decision and started to eat.

Jasper, who was pushed to the back of the line, let out a sigh. He could understand being ranked lower than Stella, and he could understand Cooper favoring the kid. As his trainer, he was strict during their lessons, but he always rewarded Cooper for completing his tasks. He never expected to be Cooper's least favorite person. Jasper was confused and began to question his life.

Everyone laughed as Angela brought out a pot of hot soup. They all enjoyed their meals and discussed their tasks for the next day. Yawning, they all went their separate ways.

Stella, the recipient of Cooper's undivided attention, was in high spirits. She took out two smart bathtubs filled with hot water from Arcadia, sprinkled them with dried rose petals, played some soothing music, and closed her eyes to enjoy her relaxing bath.

Cooper, with bubbles on his head, was lying in the bathtub, cocking his head to look at Stella. His bright dog eyes were full of stars. Yes, he too was a dog who had enjoyed a floral bath.

After the bath, they both snuggled into their blankets and fell asleep.

In her drowsy state, Stella heard a soft buzzing sound, "Stella, are you awake?" Her eyes would not open, and the low voice was intermittent. Ever since Cooper arrived, her quality of sleep had improved.

The alarm clock went off and Stella woke up. It was four thirty in the morning. She got up groggily to change her clothes and the walkie-talkie buzzed again. It was probably Jasper reminding her that it was time to leave.

She searched for the walkie-talkie but couldn't find it. That was strange, where did it go?

She saw Cooper lying in his dogbed, not moving, and complained, "Cooper, don't just stand there. Help me find it."

Cooper didn't move, maintaining his lazy and graceful posture.

"Buzz...buzz..."

Where could it be? It was right by her bed. How could it disappear?

Stella started to search under her bed and the doghouse.