The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 440

Chapter 440

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A 20-ton water tanker rolled in.

From the terrace, Nicole watched as soldiers called the refugees out and lined them up to collect water. A tight feeling settled in her chest.

“I wonder how Hughie and the others are doing.”

Halloway had taken the hit from the earthquake, too, but it had held together. Lake Evergreen’s reservoir hadn’t suffered major damage. The geology there was stable, which was why the military had built a base in that location.

Zeph stood beside her. “Things are different now. They’ve got the skills and the experience. Wherever they are, they’ll manage.”

Nicole nodded. Survival was instinct; they would find a way.

Once the roads were cleared, water convoys started running every two days.

Two hundred miles didn’t sound far, but the cost was high. Still, the policy was clear: human life came first.

The refugees received limited water, just enough to keep them alive.

Food was just as scarce. They were given ration balls made from potato and sweet potato, mixed with dried vegetables. Everything had been grown and stored in a rush, racing against one disaster after another.

Life went on, slow and exhausting.

At night, they dreamed of lavish meals and the life they had lost. By morning, they woke to empty rooms and empty stomachs. Their dreams were the only escape and the only reminder that one day, this nightmare might end.

Even if it was nothing more than wishful thinking, it was enough to keep hope alive.

In the evening light, Poppy watered the sweet potato vines under the shade canopy.

She worked carefully. They had enough water, but others didn’t. She poured slowly at the roots, not wasting a drop.

Nicole was thinking about dinner when Poppy suddenly cried out, “Ah!”

Thinking she had fallen, Nicole rushed outside.

She had barely stepped onto the terrace when a searing heat struck her arm, then her face.

Scalding raindrops the size of peas began pouring from the sky.

Not boiling rain again.

There was no time to think. She grabbed Poppy and ran inside, nearly running into Zeph.

“What happened?”

“It’s boiling rain again,” Nicole said. “It’s even hotter than last time.”

Last time, the rain had only been hot enough to soak your feet. This time, it felt like it could burn them.

Poppy’s skin was delicate. Her arm had already turned red.

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Zeph ran cold water over it while Nicole searched for burn ointment.

“Did you get burned?” he asked Nicole.

“A little, but I’m fine.”

After treating Poppy, Zeph insisted on applying ointment to Nicole’s arm and face. “Better safe than sorry.”

Nicole thought it felt like putting on an expensive face mask..

The boiling rain came fast. Within moments, it turned into a downpour.

Clear skies vanished, swallowed by thick clouds.

Zeph didn’t stop moving. He grabbed buckets and started collecting water.

The rain was too heavy for Alex’s loudspeaker to work, so he switched to the radio, calling people one by one.

When Nicole picked up, a crack of thunder split the air, and static burst through the device.

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