The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 389

Chapter 389

Once everything was moved in, night had fully fallen, and Zeph and Nicole headed out again to return the truck.

As soon as it got dark, the temperature dropped a little, finally giving them some relief.

They removed two fire doors and worked together to install them at the building entrance, securing them with chains.

Zeph added an alarm so that any attempt to tamper with the lock would set off a sharp warning sound.

The hallway became a makeshift garage, and the Hummer fit inside perfectly.

They didn’t know the residents well yet, and with someone like Alex around, they weren’t taking chances.

They didn’t store the vehicle, but they drained the fuel tank completely.

Zeph didn’t cut corners. He spent the night installing steel doors on the stairwells, the kind that could be powered, adding another layer of security.

Even after dark, the heat still lingered. Cola lay flat on the ground, tongue hanging out, too worn out to move.

Poppy wasn’t doing much better, sweating even in front of the cooling fan.

They had no choice but to install the air conditioning that night. The balcony had no railing or glass, so turning on the AC would have sent the curtains flying.

So, they worked for hours installing steel frames and bullet-resistant privacy glass before setting up the unit. By the time everything was done, it was already past 4 a.m., with dawn not far off.

After a shower, Nicole collapsed onto the bed under the cool air and fell asleep almost instantly.

Zeph pulled a light blanket over her, turned off the lights, and lay down beside her.

When they woke up, it was almost noon. The four of them sat in the simple dining area, having brunch.

Poppy didn’t forget her chores: washing dishes, wiping the table, and taking hay next door to feed the rabbits.

Nicole kept busy, continuing to organize the space.

But Zeph worked so efficiently that she barely had anything left to do. He even carried a bucket downstairs to draw water from the well near Building Two.

The well was usually locked, and since the output was slow, each building had its own time slot.

When it was Zeph’s turn, maybe because of his reputation, the staff filled a little extra for him, but it still came to less than half a bucket, and the water was cloudy.

“This heat’s brutal, and the water level’s dropping again,” the staff member said while showing him how to filter it. “Let it sit for a couple of hours so the sediment settles, then pour it through a bottle packed with clean sand…”

Worried he might not get it right, the man offered his own homemade filter. “You can take this if you want.”

Zeph declined and carried the bucket back to Building Five.

The water might not be clean, but it wasn’t easy to come by outside.

The shortage was getting worse. The city’s drilling machines had been running nonstop, but with worn-out parts and no replacements, more than half were already out of service.

1/2

+15 Banus

7

The few that were still running couldn’t keep up with how fast the freshwater was being depleted.

Seeing the murky water, Nicole knew the water table had dropped again.

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