The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 684

But there was no time to figure it out. In an instant, the wind roared, sand and rocks filled the air, and the sky went dark. No one could even tell which way was which.

The evacuees farther up the road saw the dust storm first. Screaming in panic, they tried to turn their cars around and get away before it reached them.

One driver had barely started turning when the car behind him slammed into his rear bumper after the other driver hit the gas instead of the brake. Neither of them even had time to argue before the dust storm swallowed both vehicles whole.

"Nicole!" Zeph's expression changed instantly. "Get inside!"

Poppy and Cola were nearby and sprinted toward the Hummer, but the storm reached them in the blink of an eye. Zeph instinctively lunged forward, trying to grab them.

The violent wind blasted Nicole's face with sand and flying rocks. Something struck her hard in the head, sending a sharp stab of pain through her skull.

Sand blew into her eyes, burning so badly that she couldn't open them.

Suddenly, her feet left the ground. She grabbed onto the Hummer on instinct, but a gust caught the door and slammed it hard into her wrist.

It felt like the bone snapped.

Pain shot through her arm, but Nicole clenched her teeth and refused to let go, even as the storm lifted her off the ground and tossed her around like a rag doll.

Fighting through the pain, she slowly dragged herself closer. She braced her forehead against the door and finally managed to climb into the Hummer.

"Zeph?"

The storm screamed around her, drowning out everything. The moment she opened her mouth, sand blew in, and the wind swallowed her voice.

Still unable to see, Nicole felt around blindly.

Her hand brushed against something in the passenger seat, and the tightness in her chest eased. She immediately pulled the Hummer into her storage space.

The roaring wind and deafening noise vanished in an instant. The sudden silence was almost unnerving.

Nicole pulled out a bottle of water and struggled to twist the cap open. She rinsed the sand from her mouth, then gritted her teeth and flushed out her eyes.

"Ow..."

Something warm ran down her forehead. A flying rock must have cut her.

She gently checked her wrist. It was badly bruised and already swelling, but it didn't seem broken. At least she got lucky there.

Nicole reminded herself that Zeph had always been calm and capable. No matter how bad things got, he always found a way to survive.

He would be fine. He had to be.

Nicole's thoughts were all over the place, but there was nothing she could do except wait for the storm to weaken before going out to search. If she went out now, there was no telling where the wind might carry her and the Hummer.

She pulled out some medical supplies, cleaned and disinfected the cut on her forehead, then bandaged it.

Her wrist had swollen to nearly twice its normal size. Blood still seeped from the scraped skin, and even the slightest movement sent sharp pain shooting up her arm.

Gritting her teeth, she cleaned the injury, wrapped it, and pressed an ice pack against it. Then she took an anti-inflammatory and a painkiller before closing her eyes and trying to rest.

About half an hour later, she put on body armor, bundled herself in a heavy military coat, and pulled on a motorcycle helmet. Even if the storm swept her away, the extra protection should at least keep her from dying if she hit the ground.

Still uneasy, she tossed a coil of steel into the Hummer to weigh it down.

Nicole took a deep breath.

Once she was fully geared up, she left the storage space again.