The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 26

Chapter 26

If Nicole’s storage space were two orders of magnitude bigger, she would’ve been racing through the entire city, stripping it bare.

Instead, all she could do was watch life-saving supplies sink beneath the floodwater, knowing that what followed would be people turning on each other, stabbing over a moldy piece of bread.

Reality was brutal. She could only protect herself.

She pulled her focus back and kept racing the rising water.

Shampoo, body wash, soap, sanitary pads, disinfectant. Milk, yogurt, powdered milk, oat milk powder, protein shakes, instant oatmeal, pudding mixes, sugar in every form.

The water was already up to her thighs. She didn’t have time to check brands or pick favorites. Her hands swept the shelves fast. Like it or not, anything was better than feeding it to the flood.

Canned food, trail mix, chocolate, energy bars, crackers, cheese, jerky, smoked meats, potato chips, and various snacks. Her storage space filled at a visible pace.

She grabbed stacks of pasta, then moved to the instant food aisle. Cup noodles, instant meals, boxed mac and cheese. Most of it had already been looted. The only thing left was a weird flavor nobody wanted.

Nicole didn’t hesitate. She wasn’t picky.

Last life, she had chewed tree bark to stay alive and eaten dirt meant to stop hunger. By the end, she had used sticks instead of toilet paper.

At the condiment aisle, she went straight for the essentials; cooking oil in whatever kind she could find, soy sauce, and vinegar. These were all in large bottles that didn’t waste space.

She even got hot sauce, pickled vegetables, and fermented goods. Dozens of brands lined the shelves. She cleared entire rows. Anything she liked, even if it was already soaking in water, she fished out anyway. No wasting food.

Then came seasoning packets. Barbecue rubs, chili seasoning, taco seasoning… Nicole swept them into storage without even reading the labels.

The water reached her waist. Even though she was wearing a full rain suit, the cold seeped in, and every step felt

heavier.

Still, this was the last big haul. Whatever she grabbed now meant one less fight for food later.

The first floor was already gone. Anything left down there was lost.

When the water crept up to her chest, buoyancy kicked in. Most items were either floating or pinned underwater. Collecting became harder, but her storage space was nearly full anyway, even the bathroom section packed tight.

She reached for a floating bag of puffed snacks when a beam of light swept across the water.

Nicole froze. Someone else was here.

She ducked behind a shelf, heart hammering, every nerve on edge.

She didn’t know how many people there were. Fighting in waist-deep water would put her at a disadvantage. Worse, she had already cleared most of the valuable supplies on this floor. If someone discovered her storage space

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Chapter 26

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She couldn’t risk it.

Nicole pulled a portable diving mask from storage, sealed it on, and slipped silently under the water, heading for the fire exit.

Floodwater poured into her rain suit, weighing her down. She kicked forward, holding her breath, stripping the suit off piece by piece as she swam. When her lungs burned, she surfaced just enough to breathe through the mask.

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