The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 624

Chapter 624

The only response was silence and the thick smog hanging in the air.

The officers moved closer and cautiously opened one of the black bags. Inside, they found medicinal herbs.

They exchanged confused looks. What was this supposed to mean?

Still, no one lowered their guard. For all they knew, explosives could be hidden among the herbs. They called in several off-duty officers and started checking the bags one by one.

The situation was strange enough that word soon reached Jasper.

The herbs were hauled back to the station.

Jasper, dragged out of bed in the middle of the night, nearly froze when he saw the courtyard piled high with them. A thought struck him.

“Get someone from the alternative medicine research institute over here. Now.”

The officers didn’t waste any time. They drove out that same night to bring the experts in.

Back in his office, Jasper asked, “Did anyone get a good look at who dropped them off?”

“No. It was dark, visibility was terrible, and the smog made it even worse. They stayed inside the trucks, so we never got a clear look at them.”

The officer on duty thought for a moment.

“But I’m pretty sure they were wearing respirators. From a distance, they looked like skulls. Scared the hell out of me at first. I thought they were about to pull some kind of biological attack.”

Jasper gave him a look. “You watch too many movies.”

“I’m serious, Chief Anderson. Plenty of people out there have completely lost it, and random attacks are practically normal now.

“This smog-related illness affects the respiratory system. If it starts spreading on a large scale, who knows how many infected people might deliberately try to expose others? We need to be ready.”

Jasper shot him a sharp look. “Then keep your mask on.”

The officer immediately pulled it snug over his face. “Should we try to track down those two trucks?”

Jasper had read the two anonymous tip letters he kept all these years so many times that they were nearly worn through.

Even if he found the people behind the trucks, what was he supposed to do? Arrest them for dropping off supplies?

After a moment, he said, “No. First get the experts here and make sure there’s nothing wrong with the herbs.”

The smog already had everyone on edge, especially now that it looked even more dangerous than they first thought.

Unsurprisingly, Nicole had another nightmare.

She dreamed Zeph coughed up both of his lungs, filling an entire basin with them.

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Cola was next. With blood smeared around his mouth, Cola pawed desperately at her before suddenly speaking in

human voice. “Human, I can’t breathe! Give me your lungs!”

Nicole jolted awake.

Zeph turned on the bedside lamp. “What’s wrong?”

Nicole pressed a hand to her chest. “Nothing.”

She had barely gotten out of bed when Sven’s urgent voice came over the radio.

“Nicole,

Brandon has a fever, and he’s coughing. He’s breathing really fast. One minute, he’s freezing, and the next, he says he’s burning up. Do you think he’s infected?”

Nicole picked up the radio. “How high is his fever?”

“Almost 104.”

“Did you give him anything for it?”

Sven had fever medicine, but it expired years ago, and he didn’t dare give it to his son.

Nicole thought for a moment. “Wipe him down with warm water, soak his feet in mugwort water, and make sure he keeps drinking plenty of warm fluids.”

Sven wasn’t the only one who called. Weasel contacted her as well. One of his children had come down with the same symptoms.

It was clearly more than a coincidence. The smog-related illness was spreading fast, and children seemed to be getting sick first. Their immune systems were more vulnerable than adults’.

Zeph went to check the backyard and came back looking grim. “The livestock seem affected too. A few of the chickens are wheezing.”

That didn’t necessarily mean they were infected. The ash itself could be irritating their lungs. Still, there was no way to know for sure.

If the animals really were infected, there was always the risk of the disease spreading from poultry to humans.

Nicole thought it over, then made up her mind. “Kill them all.”

The poultry were Poppy’s pride and joy. She had raised and cared for every single one herself, and the decision hit her hard.

They culled all the chickens, ducks, geese, and other birds and packed them into black plastic bags.

After three years of raising them, there were far too many for Nicole to simply throw away.

She disinfected each layer of plastic, wrapped every batch in five or six bags, sealed them inside airtight storage bins, and put them away in her storage space.