The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Nicole watched the floating shape drift closer. When it got near, she nudged it with her stick.

It was a body.

At first, it made her stomach turn. But after seeing enough of them, you stopped reacting. There had already been a few drifting through the complex when she came out earlier.

Nicole kept track of the time.

One minute. The rope in her hand stayed still.

Two minutes.

Three.

Four…

A tight unease settled in her chest.

She gave the rope two sharp tugs, but there was no response.

Most people couldn’t last more than a minute underwater. Even if Zeph was a strong swimmer, four minutes was pushing it.

Something felt wrong.

Nicole was just about to pull Zeph up when the water suddenly churned.

Zeph broke the surface. “I checked a few places. Every door’s already been forced open. Everything inside’s gone.”

Gone? Who the hell got there first?

Hughie let out a frustrated breath. “No propane tanks… Doesn’t matter what we find if we can’t cook it.”

They had moved fast, yet they still came up empty. Guess they were too inexperienced.

Nicole glanced at Zeph. Those takeout spots had been underwater since the day after the typhoon. Even if the owners had moved some supplies, there was no way every place had been cleaned out.

The water was murky, and the current was strong. Without proper gear and skill, no one could’ve done it.

Unless…

They had been looted way before the natural disasters hit.

“We’ve got one option left,” Nicole said. “There’s a propane depot nearby. Maybe the owners didn’t clear everything out.”

They were already out here. There was no way they were going back empty-handed. They might as well try their luck at the propane depot.

Nicole pulled her phone from a waterproof bag and opened an offline map. “Somewhere around here. There’s a big sycamore tree out front.”

It was about four miles from Crownview Residences. Not far, just out of the way.

Once they had the location, they took off in the assault boat.

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The outskirts were all low houses, now completely swallowed by water. The area looked wide and empty.

At one point, they passed a rescue team trying to evacuate trapped people.

When the rescue team saw the boat, firefighters shouted through a loudspeaker, trying to requisition it. A disaster like this didn’t come often. There weren’t enough boats.

But Zeph didn’t slow down. They sped right past.

The city had turned into an ocean Directions blurred together.

Nicole raised her binoculars. “Straight ahead, then right. See that patch of green breaking the surface? That’s probably the tree.”

They slowed as they approached.

It was indeed a massive sycamore tree, now reduced to just its topmost leaves above water.

They tied the boat to it. Nicole pointed out the direction, and Zeph slipped on the diving mask and went under.

A couple of minutes later, he surfaced.

“Found it, but there’s a rolling shutter and another metal gate inside. It won’t be easy to break through.”

He motioned for Nicole to grab the folding pry bar from his bag.

Hughie stared.

Why was he the only one without gear?

Nicole had more equipment in her storage space, but there was no way to explain it.

She saw the spare mask, rope, and harness in Zeph’s bag and didn’t hesitate. She tied the rope around herself and pulled the mask on. “I’m going down to help. You keep watch. If anything happens, pull the rope.”

Hughie nodded. “Be careful.”

The water was freezing.

Nicole dove in, following the beam of her waterproof light toward the depot. She pulled out a pair of heavy cutters

as she swam.

Ahead, she spotted a faint glow. She moved faster.

Zeph was braced in the water, straining to lift the shutter, but the resistance from the water made it brutal.

Nicole swam up and grabbed hold, helping him push.

Their eyes met, and they understood. They pushed together.

The shutter crept upward, revealing the metal gate behind it. Zeph took the cutters from Nicole and snapped the chain. Together, they forced the gate open.

Inside was pitch black.

They were just about to move in when something shot out of the darkness straight at Nicole. Zeph reacted instantly, yanking her back.

The object brushed past her head and shot upward. Nicole swung her light after it.

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It was a propane tank.

Then another.

More followed, drifting up one after another.

She reached out instinctively, then stopped when she realized these were empty tanks.

Full ones wouldn’t float like that.

She pulled out a high-powered waterproof flashlight and scanned the space. In the corners, she could just make out several tanks sitting still.

She swam over and tried to lift one, but it didn’t budge.

Zeph moved in, grabbed one, and hauled it out. He gave the rope tied to his waist a hard pull.

Hughie hauled on the rope from above. The two of them surfaced quickly.

Nicole climbed back onto the boat, helping drag the heavy tank up. The owner must not have had time to move everything.

“You stay up here and take them,” she said. “I’ll bring up the rest.”

After catching his breath, Zeph went under again.

The pressure and the lack of air made Nicole feel off. She sat on the boat, breathing hard.

Hughie scanned the surroundings with binoculars. Then, he suddenly stiffened. “Someone’s coming.”

She stood up.

Another assault boat was cutting through the rain toward them. It was hard to see clearly, but she could make out at least five people on board.

Hughie yanked hard on the rope, while Nicole reached for a weapon.

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