The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 421

Chapter 421

Nicole and Zeph packed up and moved farther from the fissure.

Aftershocks were still a risk, so going back wasn’t an option. They would spend the night out here.

They found a spot a little over 100 yards from both the crack and the factory, clear of unstable structures, open enough to set up camp safely.

Nicole pulled a compressed tent from her pack. With four of them, she had picked a larger model, one with two sleeping areas and a shared space in the middle so it wouldn’t feel cramped.

Zeph called Poppy over and walked her through setting up a tent in the field.

Nicole headed to slightly higher ground and lifted her binoculars toward the city.

The skyline was gone. Under the hard sun, dust hung in the air. The observation tower that once rose more than 3,000 feet high, the landmark that overlooked all of Westbridge, was gone.

It vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.

Ruins stretched as far as she could see. What had been a working city was now barely recognizable.

Even seeing it again, Nicole felt her chest tighten, her palms grow damp.

She had lived in Westbridge for 20 years. Now it sat silent and drained of life, nothing like it had been before the

disaster.

Inside the pod and outside of it felt like two separate worlds.

She was safe inside the pod, but the moment she stepped out, everything had already fallen apart.

Nicole stood there in the heat for a long moment before she could look away.

By the time the sun started to drop, Zeph and the two little ones had the tent set up and the sleeping pads inflated.

After reminding them not to wander, he walked over to her, where she stood alone in the fading light. “What is it?

She handed him the binoculars.

He looked for a while before speaking. “The city issued a warning ahead of time. A lot of people probably made it out.”

It wouldn’t be like last time, when bodies were everywhere.

The tent breathed well enough, but it didn’t cut the heat. Nicole took out a portable cooler, added a few ice packs, and poured each of them a cup of chilled juice. “Here. We made it.”

Lunch had been quick. Dinner was a little better, though still light.

Nicole kept the solar lamp dim. Out here, strong smells or bright light would draw attention.

After they ate, they wiped down their hands and feet. Poppy curled up inside and put on cartoons.

Nicole and Zeph sat outside the tent where it was slightly cooler. After a while, she asked, “What were you doing the day the quake hit last time?”

It took him a moment. “It came out of nowhere. No warning. I hadn’t slept in two days. I had just crashed in the

1/2

dorm when it started.”

+15 Bhus

He had been thrown off the bed. He couldn’t even get his footing when furniture came down on him. He remembered splitting his forehead open, blood running down his face.

But instinct took over. He got out of the dorm, and the building came down right after. Once the shaking eased, he went straight back to dig his teammates out.

Aftershocks kept hitting. People helping with the rescue got hurt one after another, and most of the ones they pulled out by hand were gone.

Between the heat, the quake, and suffocation, very few made it.

There wasn’t time to grieve. They went straight into searching for survivors, working for days without rest.

As Zeph talked about it, it still felt like yesterday. He tightened his hold on her hand.

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