The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 787

Chapter 787

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Chapter 787

The helicopter lurched, and Nicole’s heart jumped into her throat.

Turbulence battered the aircraft. Alarms blared, and red warning lights flashed across the instrument panel.

Poppy’s palms grew clammy as the helicopter shuddered around them. Cola whimpered and pressed into Nicole’s

arms.

Nicole went rigid, barely daring to breathe.

Zeph stayed calm, his hands steady on the controls.

He fought through the turbulence, climbing to nearly 30 thousand feet before they finally cleared the worst of it.

The alarms fell silent.

But the helicopter wasn’t built for that altitude. Nicole quickly began to feel sick, and Cola panted with his tongue hanging out.

As soon as the air settled, Zeph descended.

Nicole looked down. Landslides blocked rivers, mountains lay in ruins, and huge clouds of dust rolled across the shattered landscape.

The ocean churned below, its waves roaring as though they could swallow the world.

As the aftershocks eased, Zeph descended to about 13 thousand feet.

Two hours later, thick black smoke rose from the ground ahead. Beneath it, a red glow seemed to spread across

the land.

Poppy spotted it as well. “Nicole, what’s that?”

Nicole studied it through the binoculars for a long moment. “Underground coal fires.”

Judging by their route and how far they traveled, they were over coal country, where rich deposits lay beneath the ground.

The tectonic collision tore the region apart, and the intense heat ignited the coal seams.

The fires spread across thousands of square miles, consuming the region and destroying communities that stood for centuries.

They stared in silence at the destruction, no longer sure their destination would be any safer.

The ground kept shaking and the ocean raged as they flew on.

Six hours later, they reached Ivoryn.

Before the apocalypse, generations fought over this historic region. Now, it was barely recognizable. Mountains split apart, rivers veered off course, and floodwaters surged upstream.

Nothing remained of its former prosperity.

Nicole couldn’t even be sure they were in the right place. The destruction had erased every familiar landmark.

She scanned the ground through her binoculars. The worst of the collision seemed to be over, but the earth still cracked and sank in places.

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Chapter 787

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With so much of the terrain torn apart, they spent more than an hour looking for somewhere to land. Eventually, they found a relatively flat patch of ground in southern Ivoryn.

The helicopter touched down, and the rotors slowly stopped.

Nicole stepped out on unsteady legs. She couldn’t tell if her knees were giving out or the ground was still moving.

For now, they were alive. $1

She and Zeph exchanged a look, then held each other tight without a word.

Another aftershock could hit at any moment. Nowhere on the continent was truly safe.

Nicole put the helicopter into the storage space, and they surveyed their surroundings.

Most of the distant mountains lay in ruins, but the ground beneath them seemed stable. There was no one else in sight. This would have to do until the aftershocks passed.

“Let’s stay here for now,” Zeph said.

Almost before he finished speaking, the ground shook beneath their feet.

Another aftershock. 1

Nicole tensed and immediately brought out the escape pod.

All four scrambled inside. They settled into their seats and fastened their restraints, moving through the familiar routine without thinking.

The pod’s shock absorbers softened the jolts, but they still felt the tremors for several minutes.

There was nothing they could do but wait it out.

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