The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 427

Chapter 427

The movement was light, and the alarm didn’t trigger.

Nicole held still and listened. The footsteps sounded familiar.

A moment later, Zeph came in with Cola. Both of them were covered in dust, and the smell of sweat clung to him..

“How’d it go?” Nicole handed him water to rinse off, “Find anyone?”

“Yeah. We pulled out more than ten.” Zeph stripped off his dirt-streaked shirt, revealing the hard lines of his chest. “Alex set it up well. We’ve got mandatory breaks every hour.”

He nodded toward Cola.

“He did most of the work. We only moved in when he picked up signs of someone alive. Otherwise, we’d have wasted time and energy.”

Nicole had already checked Cola the second he came in. He looked fine. The vest wasn’t damaged, and his paws were intact.

Zeph smiled. “He’s smarter than he looks. Just does the search. Nothing extra.”

Nicole gave him a light smack. “Are you trying to say that he takes after us?”

“No. I’m saying he knows his job.”

She shot him a look. “You’re getting smooth. So what about Alex’s dog?”

Zeph snorted. “Don’t ask. What’s a toy poodle going to do? It just runs circles around Cola.”

A pet dog without training wasn’t cut out for this. Alex meant well, but Molly couldn’t keep up. Most of the time, it looked more like she was playing than working.

While Zeph showered, Nicole checked his pack. The water was gone, but the first-aid kit hadn’t been touched.

At least he knew where the line was.

She let out a quiet sigh.

After his shower, Zeph soaked his clothes in disinfectant before washing them.

Nicole brought out a pot of chicken soup, along with some corn for breakfast. After they ate, she thought he would go rest and was about to give him the room.

Instead, he locked the door and pulled her into his arms.

Seriously? After a full night out, he still had the energy?

They didn’t stop until he finally dropped off.

Nicole was just as tired, but her body felt loose, the tension gone.

The world pressed down on them all the time. Sometimes, this was the only way to ease it.

She went back to sleep and didn’t wake until noon. She sat on the couch, eating corn and watching TV, too heavy

to move.

Zeph got up in the evening, had an early dinner with her and Poppy, then left again with Cola right on schedule.

1/3

+15 Bchus

He came back the next morning with a bruised hand. A rock had caught his fingers, but it was nothing serious. He had already cleaned and wrapped it.

Nicole still frowned. “Take some anti-inflammatory meds and antibiotics.”

She checked Cola again. He wasn’t injured, but the heat was brutal. Even with temperature-regulating clothing underneath, it wasn’t enough.

She turned on the AC and gave him some chilled watermelon juice to cool him down.

The rescue effort lasted three days before Alex called it.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to keep rescuing people, but after three days without water, survival was already unlikely.

Plus, the earthquake had hit during a brutal heat wave. Buried under collapsed buildings, people faced heat/ dehydration, and a lack of air. The odds were low.

On the second day, they pulled out half as many people as the first. By the third day, no one.

Bodies started to break down fast in the heat. Alex wasn’t willing to put the rescue team’s lives on the line, so he

shut it down.

It was already the fourth day after the quake. They had done what they could.

“I’ve reported everything to the community center,” Alex said. “You all did good. Take a couple of days and rest.”

He didn’t forget the warning.

“This quake hit hard. Most buildings are gone. A lot of people are out there with nothing, and their supplies are buried.

“People need food and water to live. The authorities can’t handle it all at once. We’re not looking to hurt anyone, but we need to stay careful. Things might get messy out there. Don’t go out unless you have to, and don’t go alone.

The moment the rescue wrapped, Alex went straight to organizing repairs on the well.

If they didn’t get water back soon, it wouldn’t just be the people outside. Even Oakhaven Gardens would start losing people.

After breakfast, Nicole sat on the couch with a psychology book when the loudspeaker crackled from downstairs.

“Nicole from Building Five, someone’s here for you at the gate.”

She froze. At a time like this, who would come looking for her?

She stepped onto the balcony. “Who is it?”

“No clue. A bunch of guys!”

Nicole winced. That didn’t sound right at all.

Like she had been running around stirring up trouble. Were they here to make a connection or settle a score?

“Who’d be looking for you now?” Zeph frowned. “I’ll come.”

“No need. Get some sleep.”

2/3

+15 Benus

A few men weren’t a problem.

Nicole grabbed an umbrella and stepped out into the heat.

Whoever it was had better have a reason.

The man who had called her was still downstairs. “They rolled up on a couple of old bikes, and one of them was smoking. They looked shady. Be careful.”

Shady? She didn’t have friends like that. No enemies, either.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify