The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 699

The doctor cleaned Diana's wound and stitched it up as best he could. Beyond that, whether she survived was out of his hands.

Nicole opened her thermos and gave Diana fever medicine and antibiotics.

Once everything was taken care of, Nicole explained their relationship to the staff and said she wanted to look after them herself.

The staff had no objection, so Nicole took a tent from her large backpack and set up a two-bedroom tent with a small living area nearby.

Rainwater covered the ground, so she spread out a waterproof groundsheet, added inflatable mattresses, and moved Beatrice and Diana inside.

The two women shared one room, while Nicole and Poppy took the other.

Rain tapped softly against the tent, and every drop seemed to weigh on Nicole.

Ever since being reborn, she had done everything she could to stockpile supplies, make herself stronger, take risks when necessary, and eliminate threats before they could hurt her.

She did all of that so she could hold on to some control over her own life.

But in the face of nature, she was still powerless.

One sandstorm was enough to make the people and dog she cared about disappear without a trace. No matter how desperately she searched, she couldn't find them.

That was the cruelty of natural disasters. They were unpredictable enough to drive anyone mad.

No news could mean they were safe. Or it could mean the exact opposite.

With every day that passed, Zeph's chances of survival seemed to shrink.

The rescue area was only half an hour from the camp, yet Nicole had seen bodies floating everywhere along the way.

She didn't want to think about it, but the thought kept forcing its way back in.

What if Zeph was one of them?

"Nicole." Poppy looked at her anxiously, choosing her words carefully.

Nicole took a deep breath, pulled a cold steamed bun from her bag, and handed it to her.

"It's okay. Zeph and Cola are both going to be fine."

Poppy was hungry, but she couldn't bring herself to eat.

Besides, the outside world was still too dangerous.

Nicole had the storage space and could react quickly if something went wrong. Bringing Poppy along would only give her one more thing to worry about.

After surviving the sandstorm and then being buried in a mudslide, even a strong adult would've been exhausted. Poppy was still far too weak.

If anything happened to her out there, Nicole would never be able to face Zeph.

Poppy understood. "Okay. I'll wait here for you and Zeph to come back. Cola will be fine, too."

The rescue area didn't have much food to spare. Survivors only got two meals a day, and each meal was nothing more than a fist-sized lump made from dried black moss.

It was barely enough to keep them alive, let alone provide any real nutrition or leave them feeling full.

Nicole left several packs of hard tack with Poppy and reminded her to stay alert and protect herself.

The rain was still falling lightly, and the ground had turned into thick, sticky yellow mud. The floodwaters had receded considerably since the day before, exposing more low-lying ground, ditches, and potholes.

Boats could barely pass through now, but walking wasn't much easier. Travel had become slower and more dangerous, and one wrong step could send someone straight into a deep hole.