The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 401

Chapter 401

Poppy sucked on a piece of hard candy, stubbornly keeping her eyes open, while saying to Zeph, “I miss Mom and Dad, but I don’t want to leave you and Nicole.”

Zeph pulled her close. “Be good. Listen to Nicole and stay awake. Don’t fall asleep.”

The pounding outside grew louder, kicks and fists slamming against the door. The people crowding the storage room wore twisted, vicious expressions, as if the ones inside were criminals they had every right to kill.

Even with Zeph bracing the door with his body, it shuddered under the blows.

A concussion patient couldn’t take that much noise and jarring. At this rate, the door wouldn’t hold.

Nicole took Poppy from Zeph and set her down. Through the small window across from the door, she saw the ground outside buried under layers of hail. The stones were thinning now.

Hailstorms usually lasted anywhere from a couple of minutes to half an hour.

It had already been about 20 minutes. It would stop soon.

The shouting outside grew harsher. The door would eventually give out.

Nicole didn’t hesitate. She grabbed a few empty medicine bottles, stuffed them into a bag, and made sure everyone had their masks on.

Then she picked Poppy up again, shielding the girl’s head with her hand.

A few men raised their feet to keep kicking, but the door suddenly swung open, throwing them off balance and nearly knocking them to the ground.

They looked up and froze.

A cold gaze met theirs. So did the black barrel of a gun.

Zeph pressed the muzzle against one man’s head, his anger held tight. “Try that again.”

The man wasn’t hurt at all. He shrank back under Zeph’s stare. “I-I’m injured. I just wanted some medicine. I wasn’t trying to hurt you or anything.”

Zeph stepped forward.

The man stumbled back with each step. “D-Don’t do anything stupid. There are police here.”

Voices rose around them.

“We’re all hurt. Just give us some medicine.”

“The medicine’s here. There’s not much left.” Nicole lifted the bag, then shoved it into the hands of the man at the front. “If you want it, take it from him.”

She let go and moved off immediately with Poppy.

With the gun in Zeph’s hand, no one dared block their way. If anything, people edged back, afraid of getting dragged into trouble.

The man barely had time to register his luck before someone lunged for the bag.

Medicine was worth more than food or water. Sometimes, a single pill meant the difference between life and

1/2

+15 8mus

death.

Now that he had it, envy spread fast.

One person grabbed, then another. In seconds, the crowd swarmed him.

“Stop! Don’t take it! It’s mine…”

His shout disappeared under the crush.

Nicole and Zeph forced their way out of the packed lobby. Outside, the hail had nearly stopped, with only the occasional smaller piece still falling.

Survivors rushed out with buckets, desperate to collect it.

In the heat, the hail melted fast. They raced against time, ignoring the danger. Some were still bleeding from being struck, blood running down their foreheads, but they didn’t stop, scooping ice into their buckets as quickly as they could. 1

“Water… We finally have water!”

They didn’t care that it was mixed with dirt. They grabbed it and shoved it straight into their mouths.

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