The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 34

Chapter 34

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Chapter 34

A modified nail gun appeared in Zeph’s hand.

The other boat started deflating right in front of them, fast.

The tattooed men panicked, shouting as they lost their footing. A few slipped and fell straight into the water. The current was strong, and two of them were swept away almost instantly.

The rest tried swimming toward Nicole. She raised her stick and brought it down hard on their heads.

“Damn it, you little tramp! You trying to kill me?”

“Help, I can’t swim!”

Zeph didn’t stop at the boat. He fired at them, too.

Cries filled the air. The boat collapsed, flooding fast, dragging the rest into the water.

Nicole moved like she was playing a game, striking again and again without hesitation, cracking skulls as they

surfaced.

People like this were everywhere now, looting and killing. Whatever humanity they had left was long gone. Taking them out now meant someone else might get to live.

In the chaos, someone grabbed Nicole’s stick. A bald man surged toward her, face twisted with rage.

Nicole yanked him closer and swung her blade without a second thought.

A scream ripped out as blood burst into the water. He let go of out of pain, and the current instantly took him.

Hughie stood frozen, stiff as stone.

He knew Nicole could fight. He and Jeremy together hadn’t stood a chance against her.

But this…was something else.

She cut people down like it was nothing.

The last of the thugs vanished into the flood. Rain poured from every direction, washing everything clean.

After a short rest, Zeph went back under.

One lifted, two hauled, moving in sync through the downpour. They got lucky and found 12 propane tanks. Split evenly, it would last them a long time.

Even better, Zeph found three double-burner propane stoves in the depot. They had been sitting underwater for a while, and there was no way to tell if they still worked.

But it didn’t matter. They were taking them.

The tanks were bulky; the assault boat could barely hold everything. They were round and unstable. One bad bump, and they would roll straight into the water.

Nicole pulled out an inflatable raft from her pack, inflated it, and tied it tightly to the boat. They moved half the tanks over and secured everything with rope.

Exhausted, she dug out six chocolate bars and handed them around.

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Chapter 34

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They ate in silence, catching their breath. Then, they started back.

Zeph and Hughie took the front, while Nicole stayed on the raft. Getting the tanks was hard, but getting them back safely was worse.

That much fuel? Everyone would want it.

Sure enough, trouble showed up.

On the way back, Nicole’s group ran into people out scavenging. The moment those people saw the tanks, their eyes lit up. But since all they had were kayaks, they couldn’t keep up.

Closer to the city, they almost ran into a long boat packed with 20 men.

Luckily, Nicole had been watching ahead with binoculars. Zeph turned just in time and avoided them.

Finally, they made it back to Crownview Residences.

But Zeph didn’t slow down. He gunned it and slid the boat into place right outside the building.

Hughie got flung into the water. He wanted to call for help, but couldn’t.

By the time they reached the window, Beatrice was already waiting.

The four of them moved fast, hauling the tanks inside. A few doors opened as people peeked out, but no one dared step in.

Nicole’s group had a reputation now. People might be jealous, but they weren’t stupid.

On the way up, they ran into an elderly woman.

“Where did you get all those tanks?” she asked.

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