The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Chapter 35

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“We’ll ask him in a bit,” Nicole replied. “If he thinks he deserves more, we can talk about what’s fair.”

Nicole wasn’t trying to take advantage of anyone. She had more than enough propane tanks in her storage space.

But teamwork was never perfectly fair.

Zeph had done most of the heavy lifting this time. Giving him a couple of extra tanks would make sense.

But what if he asked for seven or eight?

If she refused, he would resent it.

If she agreed, she wouldn’t feel good about it, either.

And next time, if she and the others carried more of the load, how would that get split?

Everyone’s sense of fairness was different. There was no way to make everyone happy. It was better to set the rules early.

They were neighbors, and they would be seeing each other every day. Nicole didn’t want things to turn sour.

She would see how Zeph handled it first. If it worked, they would stay together, but if not, they would all go their

own way.

Beatrice nodded after hearing her out. “Makes sense. If he’s reasonable, we keep working together. If he pushes too far, we go back to finding supplies ourselves and just keep things polite.”

Once they had agreed, the two of them stepped into the hallway.

Nicole looked at Zeph. “How do you want to split this?”

Zeph glanced at her. “Three ways. Equal split. Sound good?”

Beatrice and Hughie both nodded.

Each household got four propane tanks. If used carefully, that could last them a year.

Poppy woke up to the noise. She came running barefoot out of Hughie’s apartment and threw herself into Zeph’s arms. “You’re back!”

He stepped back, still soaked, and patted her head. “Did you behave?”

“I did.” She looked up at him, eyes bright. “I’ve been a good girl.”

Then she turned and ran straight to Nicole. “I want to see the bunnies!”

Nicole smiled and opened the door for her.

After changing into dry clothes, Nicole drank some warm ginger tea and stretched out on the couch to rest.

By evening, Oliver knocked on the stairwell door, all smiles as he returned the inflatable raft. “Thanks for the tip. We got there in time and actually found a few more rafts.”

Nicole didn’t respond. She just checked the raft carefully.

Seeing her silence, Oliver forced a laugh. “I heard you pulled up quite a few propane tanks. Mind telling me where?

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Chapter 35

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“In the water.”

“Which area?”

“Propane depot.”

Oliver smiled. “Are there still any left?”

Nicole glanced at him. “Why don’t you just ask me to give you one?”

He pushed his glasses up. “Come on, I was just asking. Anyway, thanks again. If you ever need anything, come find us.”

“As long as you don’t cause trouble, we’re good.”

Things were getting messy downstairs, and Nicole didn’t feel great about leaving Beatrice alone to watch the place.

So, she knocked on Zeph’s door. “I’ve got a stainless steel door. Want to install one, too?”

Zeph agreed.

With a few of them working together, it didn’t take long to set it up.

After everyone was done, Nicole pulled the curtains and switched on the solar lamp. Then she laid out a spread of good food and a cold beer, finally taking the time to treat herself to a proper meal.

She left one propane tank in the kitchen for show. When it came time to cook, she used a portable power unit instead. The rest of the supplies could wait until things got worse.

She had tested it. All her power units could recharge quickly inside her storage space.

It felt unreal.

She spent the rest of the night sorting through what she had brought back from the supermarket, working until late before finally turning in.

It had been exhausting, but it felt good.

She wasn’t lacking supplies; what she needed was experience. The more she learned now, the better her chances when things got worse.

The next day, things outside got louder.

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