The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 705

Nicole sat up and found a pair of eyes watching her.

She rubbed her eyes and looked again. It really was Zeph.

Their eyes met, and neither of them looked away.

"Nicole… Am I dreaming?" His voice was painfully hoarse.

Nicole smiled through her tears. "Zeph, are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Zeph was still groggy, and it took him a while to fully wake up.

He reached for Nicole's hand. This time, when he took it, her hand was warm and real in his.

Nicole stroked his pale, hollow cheek. "Why did you do something so stupid? Why did you give the medicine to Cola?"

Zeph covered her hand with his and stayed quiet for a long moment. "Cola means everything to you. I wanted him to make it back to you. If I didn't, I wanted him to stay with you in my place."

If he hadn't been so sick, Nicole would've smacked some sense into him.

"Zeph, you need to take care of yourself, too. If you don't even value your own life, how are you supposed to protect the people you love?"

Zeph didn't argue. He just kept looking at her as if he couldn't bear to look away.

Nicole gently rested her head against his chest. "Promise me you won't ever do something that stupid again."

"Okay."

"And take care of yourself."

"I will. I'll do whatever you say."

They held each other gently, neither wanting to let go.

When Zeph realized she was crying, he stroked her hair.

"How did you find me?"

"Cola helped me." Nicole leaned against his shoulder. "He saw the fireworks I set off and somehow made it through all of that to find me."

Nicole gave Zeph a nutritional injection and helped him drink some soup.

Once he seemed a little stronger, she asked, "What happened to you and Cola?"

If Cola hadn't seen the fireworks, Zeph might never have woken up again.

Zeph stroked Cola's head. "Good boy."

Cola suddenly broke down, whining over and over.

After they finally calmed him down, Zeph tried to sit up and asked anxiously, "Where's Poppy?"

"You don't have to worry about her. She's volunteering at the rescue area. She can take care of herself."

Nicole wanted to go back as well, but Zeph and Cola were still far too weak. With so many people around, taking care of them would only be harder, especially with Cola attracting attention.

Before she knew it, they had already spent three days inside the storage space, but Nicole still trusted Poppy.

"She's sensible. She won't go wandering off."

Before Nicole left, she told Poppy not to panic even if she didn't come back for a few days. She promised Poppy she would bring Zeph back.

"There's no rush. We'll go back once you and Cola have recovered a little more."