The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 37

Chapter 37

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Chapter 37

The rice quality wasn’t great, but at least it was something.

Prices would only keep climbing. Eventually, cash wouldn’t even be worth using as toilet paper.

Westbridge had a big population. Supplies like rice and flour would be gone fast. The government would restock later, but most of it would be salvaged from floodwater and dried out.

Forget whether it was safe to eat. You probably wouldn’t even be able to get your hands on it.

Four hundred dollars wasn’t much. Nicole decided to spend it all.

Beatrice was worried the inflatable raft might get damaged, so she wanted to buy a spare. However, the price was set at 2,000 dollars for one raft.

Even hot sauce and dried vegetables had jumped to ridiculous prices.

With how risky and costly it was just to make the trip, the three of them pooled together, grabbed a few essentials and burned through 400 bucks.

Once it was in their bags, it barely filled any space.

Outside, the line kept growing, but inside, the rice and flour were almost gone.

On their way down the stairs, Nicole caught sight of Edward and Mary in line. They were holding hands, looking

close.

Behind them stood Faye Harrett, the girl from 1202 who took Edward and Mary in. She looked thin and frail, her eyes sunken, her whole body drained of energy.

Seeing her, Nicole couldn’t help but think of herself from her past life.

Edward noticed her and quickly let go of Mary’s hand, forcing a smile as if to greet her.

Nicole turned her head and walked past like she hadn’t seen him at all.

They left the building by raft.

Seeing that it was still early, Hughie spoke up. “Jeremy lives not far from here. Do you want to check on him?”

They had last heard from him the day after the typhoon. They hadn’t talked since.

Nicole thought for a moment, then nodded.

Jeremy had terrible taste in women, but as a friend, he wasn’t a bad guy.

In her last life, Beatrice had helped Nicole survive. And growing up, Hughie and Jeremy had been her only real friends.

If Nicole could help, she would.

It took them about an hour to reach Jeremy’s complex. They found his apartment on the eighth floor by memory.

Nicole knocked.

After a while, a woman’s voice came from inside. “Who is it?”

“We’re looking for Jeremy.”

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Chapter 37

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“Wrong place. No one by that name lives here.”

That wasn’t possible. They had helped him move in.

The voice sounded older, probably middle-aged.

A boy’s voice called from inside. “Who is it, Mom?”

“Strangers. They got the wrong door.”

Nicole frowned.

Something felt off. She knocked again, but there was no answer.

The noise drew attention from next door.

An elderly woman opened her door.

Nicole stepped over quickly. “Hi. Does Jeremy Cross live next door?”

The woman hesitated, her expression complicated. She shook her head, not wanting to say anything.

Hughie felt it as well. Something wasn’t right.

He pulled a small bag of rice from his pack and held it out.

The old woman stared at it for a long moment, then finally stepped aside. “Come in. You’re looking for that polite young man, right? The one who jokes around a lot?”

Hughie nodded quickly.

“He’s a good kid, just a little too naive. He let the wrong people in and ended up getting himself kicked out.”

She shook her head as she spoke.

“When the typhoon first hit, that woman showed up with her parents and two kids. He went out in the storm to bring them here. I thought she was his sister at first. It didn’t take long before they kicked him out.”

Hughie froze, while Nicole said nothing. Beatrice’s hands clenched into fists.

“He knocked on that door again and again, but she never opened it. In the end, he had nowhere to go and just stayed out in the hallway. He only got taken away when the rescue teams came.”

Evacuation had been done by the district. People from this complex were sent to the Westbridge Hotel.

Hughie couldn’t even imagine how Jeremy had survived those days. How could someone be that cruel?

“What do we do now?” he asked, anger tight in his chest.

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