The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 274

Chapter 274

With only the two women home, the Goodmans were especially cautious.

“Who is it?”

Hearing Lydia’s voice, Nicole answered, “It’s me. From the 18th floor.”

Lydia opened the door, surprise and tension written all over her face. “Nicole? Did something happen?”

Before Nicole could answer, Cola charged inside first, followed immediately by vicious snarling and biting noises.

Afraid they might misunderstand, Nicole quickly explained, “A few red-eyed rats got into the 18th floor. They’re extremely aggressive. They’re not afraid of people and keep chewing through everything.”

Gabrielle stepped out of the bedroom. “There really are rats?”

From the looks on their faces, Nicole could tell they had expected a rat infestation sooner or later, so neither of them seemed particularly surprised. Still, the uneasiness in their eyes was impossible to miss.

The fight between Cola and the rats erupted across the balcony in a storm of crashes and banging noises.

The balcony was packed with flowerpots and planting troughs filled with sweet potato vines. Several vines had already been bitten clean through by the red-eyed rats.

Cola stormed in and went wild.

By the time he finished, three rats lay dead in his jaws while two more escaped in plain sight. Fresh rat droppings were scattered across the floor.

The rats had invaded not just the balcony. Some had already made their way into the living room and chewed straight through the couch, exposing the sacks of grain hidden inside.

The bags were ripped open, grain spilling everywhere.

The Goodmans had never expected the rats to be this vicious, and the realization left both women badly shaken. 1

If the rats destroyed their food supply, the family would have no chance of surviving the disaster.

Gabrielle still looked shaken. “Nicole, thank you for tonight. Really.”

“It was nothing.” Nicole noticed Cola circling the apartment and marking territory again, so she awkwardly explained, “The rats might not be afraid of people, but they still fear dogs.”

“Thank God they’re still scared of dogs.” Gabrielle understood exactly what Cola was doing for them. Right in front of Nicole, she lavished the dog with praise.

Nicole had done everything she could, so she brought Cola home.

1/3

After the door closed, Lydia still looked pale. The fear hadn’t left her face yet.

+15 Bonus

“The giant cockroaches were already horrifying enough. Now there are red-eyed rats that aren’t even afraid of people. How are we supposed to survive like this?”

Gabrielle let out a tired sigh. “What can we do? We’re lucky just to make it through another day.”

Neither of them could fall asleep after that. They immediately pulled out all the grain they had hidden. away and locked everything inside metal cabinets.

Using flashlights, they cleaned the balcony, replanted the sweet potato vines the rats had chewed apart, and carried the plants indoors for safety.

“What do we do with the dead rats?” Lydia asked.

All three were enormous, each weighing close to a pound.

Lydia’s feelings tangled together. She felt sick to her stomach, but she couldn’t stop herself from staring

at the rats.

However disgusting they were, those rats were still meat.

Then she remembered what those rats must have been feeding on to survive, and her stomach instantly

churned.

Gabrielle thought it over before answering helplessly, “Skin them first. Dry the meat and store it away. If nobody gets sick afterward, we’ll eat it.”

If people had any other choice, who would willingly eat rat meat? 1

However, they didn’t have the luxury of choosing anymore.

Yes, they still had food stored at home. But no one knew what the future would become, so they had to prepare for the worst whenever they could.

Lydia listened to Gabrielle and forced herself to start working despite the revulsion crawling through her

chest.

With Cola there, Nicole slept soundly and didn’t wake up until late morning.

After breakfast, she sat on the couch reading while the cooling fan hummed beside her.

She had no idea how much time had passed before a sudden commotion exploded next door. A moment later, Hughie’s panicked voice crackled through the walkie-talkie.

“Nicole, we need backup! Hurry and send Cola over! More red-eyed rats got inside!”

The apartment door hadn’t been locked from the inside. Cola shoved both doors open with practiced

ease before sprinting toward the neighboring apartment on all fours.

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