18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 7

She didn't even blink before blocking him. The phone rang not even a minute later. It was an unfamiliar number. It didn't take a genius to figure out it was one of Hector's pals or Hector himself.

Stella was not about to be duped again. If they managed to get even a crumb from her, she’d have lost. She turned off her cellphone, only to find that Rosie had fallen asleep on the sofa. She was curled up tightly, even in her dreams, she looked uneasy.

She checked her temperature, the fever had dropped to 100.4°F. Stella wanted to be stealthy so as long as Rosie was here, she couldn't continue her culinary adventures. As Stella ate her sloppy pasta, she found it surprisingly delicious.

The balcony had an escape window, while the rest were covered with frosted glass stickers. Light can pass through into the room, but the situation inside cannot be seen from the outside.

Stella took out her planting pots and soil, and a few pounds of potatoes. She cut the ones that had sprouted into chunks, coated the cut ends with wood ash, and planted them in the pots. She planted around 20 pots and placed them all on her patio in Arcadia. She also planted a few pots of garlic, green onions, lettuce, and spinach. She took out her hanging hooks and hung the pots on the railings. As long as she took care of them, she could have fresh vegetables anytime.

Before she could wash her hands, there was a loud knock on the door, "Stella, Stella!" The voice was unfamiliar. If she wasn't mistaken, it must be one of Hector's friends. Apparently, they were truly desperate.

"Stella, we know you love to cook. Can you spare us some food?"

"We'll pay double, no, five times the price."

"Just accept the friend request. We'll send the money right now."

"I mean, we're all friends here. We'll see each other again. Do you have to be so ruthless?"

Despite the two stainless-steel doors separating them, their voices were loud and their words grew increasingly offensive, even resorting to kicking the door in frustration.

Stella grabbed a knife from the kitchen and flung open the door, brandishing it, "Who kicked my door!"

Three guys stood outside. They were initially pleased to hear the door open. They all knew Stella was smitten with Hector, and they figured she'd never let her man go hungry, right?

Their snacks had run out last night, and they'd been starving all morning and afternoon. They couldn't hold on any longer. All they had left were a few bottles of beer, which only made them hungrier.

Hector had described Stella as a strange girl with a hoarding habit. She had plenty of food stashed away, so much so that most of it would expire before she could finish it. They'd often made fun of her behind her back, but now their mockery had come back to haunt them.

Before they could utter a word, Stella swung the knife at them. They scattered in terror, and anger flared up, "Stella, have you lost your mind!"

Stella stood in the doorway, her expression icy, "Get lost. I wouldn't want sons as shameless as you."

The guys were taken aback. Once they'd recovered, they started hurling insults, "Stella, what the hell do you mean!"

"Since I'm not your mom, why should I feed you?" Stella threatened them with the knife, "Kick my door again, and I'll chop you up for dinner."

She'd survived three years in a post-apocalyptic world, had been in fights, and killed. She'd seen the worst of humanity.

Facing her menacing demeanor, they were terrified, "You... we're all friends here. And we're not refusing to pay."

"First of all, I don't have any food, and even if I did, I'd rather feed it to dogs than give it to you. You think I don't know what you say behind my back?" Stella glared at them. "If you despise me so much, why come begging when you're hungry? You become so spineless after skipping just two meals?"

The guys were flushed with embarrassment, shaking with rage.

"Tell Hector not to be all lovey-dovey with the cheerleader on one end while asking me for food on the other. Eating a free meal and trying to act high and mighty – isn't that cheap? If he comes to bother me again, I'll expose him on the school forum and neighborhood group. Let's see if he still has any dignity left."

Just because they were hungry didn't mean they had no dignity. And Stella, wielding a knife and with a crazed look in her eyes, looked like she'd been pushed over the edge by Hector's relationship with Sadie.