The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 424

Chapter 424

The survivors might have had time to run, but they couldn’t bring themselves to leave anything behind. They grabbed water, food, and even tried to carry bedding with them.

Some wouldn’t let go, not even of a quilt.

Nicole didn’t have to imagine it. A rescue team had just pulled a body from the rubble, an older man in his sixties. He had already been slower than the rest; even in death, his arms were still wrapped tight around a blanket.

He wasn’t the only one. There were more like him, probably a lot more.

Nicole let out a quiet sigh. There wasn’t much to say.

She stopped and turned to the boy. “Go find the rescue team over there. See what they tell you to do.”

He hesitated, then went.

After a short exchange, one of the men in orange pointed toward a group of survivors farther off.

The boy stood there for a moment, unsure, then came back and took his sister’s hand. “Thank you.”

Nicole sighed and handed him a folding knife. “Take care of your sister, and don’t tell strangers your parents are gone.”

She turned and walked off without looking back.

She saw the fear and helplessness in his eyes, but there was nothing she could do. In her past life and this one, she had seen that look far too many times.

A little after 9 a.m., the Westbridge River came into view.

Nicole raised her binoculars. Oakhaven Gardens was still standing.

It had made it.

Unfortunately, everything around it hadn’t. The surrounding developments had all collapsed.

The river had been split by deep fissures, cut clean through.

The roads were either destroyed or blocked by fallen buildings. They had to circle around more than once before finally making it back.

Part of the outer wall had collapsed. Alex was already directing people to rebuild it. “Come on, keep moving. We need that wall back up if we want to stay safe.”

Isaac spotted them and came over. “You guys okay?”

“We’re fine. Just some minor injuries.” Nicole glanced at him. “How’s everyone else?”

Isaac had some injuries as well, but nothing serious. “Didn’t think it’d be this bad. The riverbank we used as a safe zone split open. A lot of people got hurt.”

There were falls, cuts, bruises, and injuries from being knocked down in the panic. Nearly every resident had been hurt in some way, though most of the injuries were minor.

A dozen or so were seriously injured. Three people had fallen into ground fissures and been buried alive. By the time rescuers dug them out after the aftershocks, they were already dead.

1/2

424

+15 Bonus

The only bit of luck was that Oakhaven Gardens had held. Every building nearby had gone down. Whoever built this place had done something right.

Seeing the three of them back safe, Alex came over and led them to the security office. He had injuries as well, scrapes on his forehead and elbow.

“Zeph, if you hadn’t warned us yesterday, we might not have caught it in time. Most people here made it out, but other areas got hit hard. There aren’t enough official rescue teams, and the city’s calling for civilian help.

“Isaac and I talked it over. The city’s been helping people, handing out supplies before all this. We’re thinking about putting together a rescue team from here, go out and look for survivors nearby. What do you think?”

Nicole had already heard about this from Zeph, so it didn’t surprise her.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify