The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 408

Chapter 408

Zeph didn’t want Nicole getting covered in dust, and the work itself wasn’t heavy. It gave him a chance to get the hang of it.

Nicole had no knack for this anyway, so she stayed out of the way, helping where she could, adding water when he mixed the materials.

With the storm as an excuse not to go downstairs for water, they stayed in and worked on the place for several days.

At first, Zeph was rough with it, but he picked it up quickly. The floors came out smooth, especially after the cement finish. He used a steel trowel to press and polish the surface, going over it three times until it gleamed like glass.

It took patience. Nicole knew she didn’t have that kind of control or focus. The most she could do was bring out food from storage and reward him.

Crab cakes, beef stew, short ribs, steak, and a bottle of red wine.

“Here. Thanks for all your hard work.”

She had read somewhere that a good man thrived on praise, so she didn’t hold back. In this case, he had earned every bit of it.

Zeph looked at her, something unreadable in his eyes, then smiled.

Nicole felt a flicker of unease and took a sip of wine.

It took four or five days, but the interior work was finally done. The gray floors and white walls weren’t fancy, but in the apocalypse, it was more than enough.

Zeph even went to Building 4 and hauled back red bricks to build up the kitchen counter.

Nicole brought out rice, flour, oil, a gas tank, a stove, and basic cookware, just in case.

When everything was done, they held a small housewarming party. They weren’t short on food, and even stuck inside, they needed something to do.

Nicole brought out everyone’s favorites from her storage space, keeping the portions modest. In the apocalypse, wasting food felt almost criminal.

After dinner, they fired up the grill and brought out a few beers.

Poppy chewed on a piece of grilled squid and leaned back with a contented sigh. “Zeph, Nicole, I’m so happy.”

While others were living off sweet potato vines, she had this.

“Woof!” Cola didn’t fall behind, grease glistening around his mouth.

With a new home to celebrate and a good meal on the table, Nicole and Zeph drank a little more than usual.

After a shower, Nicole sat on the bed, the alcohol settling in.

Zeph walked in, drying his hair with a towel. He wore loose pajamas, and the shorts left his long, straight legs exposed. The muscles along them were lean and well-defined.

Nicole glanced over, then looked again.

1/2

+15 Benus

He noticed. He walked over, leaned down, and kissed her. When he pulled back, his voice was low. “Is this okay?”

She didn’t answer. She moved closer instead.

“Wait.”

Zeph pulled back, went to the door, and locked it. No chance of the two little ones barging in.

Only the bedside lamp was left on. In the dim light, their shadows overlapped.

Zeph leaned over, opened the nightstand, and took something out.

Nicole caught a glimpse and paused. “Where did you get that?”

“Back when the typhoon hit, I cleared out a pharmacy. These can be used to keep things dry, hold water in a pinch, stuff like that. So I kept some.’

At the time, he hadn’t expected to use it for its intended purposes.

Nicole frowned. “You handed me everything else. Why keep that?”

He hesitated. “Didn’t want you to get the wrong idea.”

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