The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 203

Chapter 203

Nicole shook her head without hesitation. “No, thanks. We’re just regular people, trying to get through the

day.”

Jasper let his eyes slide past her and settle on Zeph. “And you? You look like you’ve had training. Military, maybe law enforcement. Things are falling apart out there. We could use people like you. Ever think about stepping back in?”

Poppy tensed and grabbed Zeph’s sleeve. “Zeph…”

Zeph rested a hand over hers, steadying her before answering, “I left after an injury. Our parents are gone, so it’s just me and my little sister now. She needs me.”

Jasper paused, a flicker of regret crossing his face. “Understood. If you ever reconsider, you know where

to find us.”

They climbed into the vehicle and pulled away.

With time to spare, the group made their way toward the department store.

Zeph didn’t say a word along the way. He was usually quiet, but this felt different. Nicole could tell something was weighing on him.

Maybe Jasper had struck a nerve.

Men like him didn’t just walk away from that kind of life without a reason, and someone with his ability wouldn’t have been sidelined so easily. Whatever forced him out had to run deeper. Still, that sense of duty probably hadn’t faded.

In the end, everyone had something they couldn’t hold on to.

Poppy kept hold of Zeph’s hand, a faint smile lingering on her face.

Nicole glanced down just as Cola lifted his head, his dark eyes catching her reflection.

Up ahead, Jeremy and Hughie were messing around, loud and carefree, while Beatrice trailed behind them, letting them burn off energy.

The department store was packed. To avoid trouble, Nicole slipped the dog into her backpack before heading into the trading area.

It was her first time here, but the others moved through the crowd with ease.

Even with the biting cold, the place felt busier than it had during the floods. People filled every corner, though most were just looking. Very few trades were actually going through.

Every stall offered something different, but the requests were all the same: food, fuel, and medicine.

They showed up day after day, and still left with nothing.

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Chapter 201

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Nicole had no clear goal. She wandered slowly, scanning the goods, until one stall caught her eye.

The man running it had been a vet before everything fell apart. His table was lined with pet supplies: chew toys, grooming products, deworming meds, shedding tools, and nail clippers.

Before all this, he would have made a killing. Now, no one even paused to look.

Nicole had never prepared for a pet back then, so she had nothing like this on hand. Seeing it now, she stopped without thinking.

She picked through the items and set aside chew sticks, a ball, a leash, a deshedding brush, and several bottles of deworming medicine, checking each one carefully to make sure it was sealed and still usable.

When it came to the dog, she didn’t hesitate. If it might be useful, she took it.

“How much for everything?”

It was a sizable pile, especially the medicine. Before everything changed, it would have cost a small fortune. Now, people could barely keep themselves alive, let alone worry about pets. The man hadn’t made a single sale in over a month.

He swallowed, then raised three fingers.

“Three pounds of rice.”

For most people, that would have been steep. For Nicole, it was nothing.

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