The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 689

Poppy had studied medicine with Nicole for several years, so she knew the basics. Her blindness was probably caused by nerve damage.

The roaring sandstorm kept pounding against her, forcing sand into her ears and nose. Rocks struck her from time to time, making her gasp in pain.

She couldn't even open her mouth, so all she could do was crawl.

No matter how much she felt around, though, she couldn't find Zeph. The Hummer was gone, too.

She had no idea where she was. For now, finding shelter from the storm mattered most.

Since she couldn't see, she could only crawl forward by feel.

Standing was impossible. The wind would either knock her down or sweep her away, and the flying rocks made it even more dangerous.

Poppy was relatively lucky. After crawling for several hours, she finally reached the foot of a mountain.

That side faced directly into the wind, so she carefully followed the slope until she reached the sheltered side.

Along the way, her hands brushed against several people. She couldn't tell whether they were dead or alive. None of them moved.

Fortunately, her emergency pack was strapped tightly to her body, so the storm didn't tear it away.

Poppy spat the sand from her mouth, unscrewed a bottle of water, and took a few small sips. Then she opened a pack of emergency crackers and ate one.

It tasted terrible, somehow even worse than the cold-resistant potatoes, but she forced down every bite without wasting a crumb.

She rationed her food and water exactly the way Zeph had taught her.

There was medicine in the emergency pack, too. She couldn't read the labels, but she could tell each one apart by the shape and feel of the packaging.

Nicole had taught her what to take for different injuries and how much, then drilled it into her until she knew everything by heart.

After taking the medicine, Poppy gripped her dagger and rested.

Other than the howling sandstorm, she couldn't hear anything. She had no idea how much time passed before the air began to grow colder. It was probably nighttime.

Poppy pulled a blanket from her emergency pack and wrapped it around herself.

The medicine hadn't done much for the pain, and she seemed to have a fever. Her lips were cracked and peeling, and her throat burned.

She had no idea when the sandstorm would end. If her blindness came from pressure on a nerve, that wouldn't heal in a day or two either.

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