The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 685

The dust storm was still raging outside, but it had weakened a little. At least the Hummer was no longer being lifted off the ground.

The wind was still brutal. Sand, rocks, and debris hammered the windows in a constant barrage.

Everything outside had disappeared behind a wall of yellow dust. Sand blasted against anything in its path, as if the storm meant to grind the whole world down.

Even with her face pressed close to the window and thermal night-vision goggles on, Nicole couldn't make out anything beyond the swirling sand.

Bang!

Something slammed into the windshield. From the shape of it, it looked like a person the storm had thrown into the vehicle.

Before Nicole could get a better look, the wind swept them away again. A streak of blood smeared across the glass, only to disappear beneath a layer of sand moments later.

The windows were bulletproof, but even they couldn't take an endless beating from rocks and debris. Scratches already covered the glass. If she stayed out much longer, something was bound to crack.

Nicole's nerves were stretched to the breaking point, but she had no choice except to retreat into the storage space again.

After living through two lifetimes, she finally understood how long a single second could feel. For the next two hours, she paced restlessly, too anxious to sit still for even a moment.

Two hours later, Nicole left the storage space again.

The moment she saw the yellow haze outside, the little hope she had been holding onto vanished, leaving her cold all over.

The wind had started to ease, so she decided to stay inside the Hummer and wait.

She couldn't see much outside, but Zeph might still manage to find his way back.

What worried her more was that he might have already returned, found the Hummer gone, and gone searching for her instead.

The Hummer's interior was dim behind the blowing sand. Nicole switched on the headlights and the powerful exterior lights, hoping Zeph would spot them.

At this point, hers was probably the only vehicle out there with its lights still on.

But another five or six hours passed, and Zeph still didn't appear.

By then, drifting sand had buried half the tires. If she waited much longer, she might not even be able to open the doors.

Still, the wind kept roaring, and the sand kept blowing, with no sign of stopping.

Nicole stayed anyway, like a lone lighthouse holding its ground in the middle of the storm.

She struggled upright, forced herself to eat two bowls of oatmeal, then took more medicine.

Her fever came down a little, but it kept coming back. Both wrists were badly swollen and painful even to look at.

She disinfected the wounds and applied medication. Once the painkiller and fever reducer kicked in, she finally felt a little better.

Nicole went downstairs and checked the holographic timer in the living room. She had been unconscious for two full days.

The dust storm should have ended by now.

She was still extremely weak, so she forced herself to eat something high in protein and calories before heading out to check.

If the storm was over, there was a good chance she would run into other survivors.

She put on combat boots and a military coat, then covered her helmet visor with privacy film so no one could recognize her. After loading both pistols, she stepped out of the storage space.

Soft yellow sand shifted beneath her boots as a powerful gust slammed into her.

She nearly lost her balance and quickly leaned forward to steady herself.