The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 788

Chapter 788

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Chapter 788

After seven hours in the helicopter without breakfast, all four of them were starving.

Nicole brought out pot roast with mashed potatoes and green beans. The rich, savory smell filled the pod as everyone dug in.

They followed the meal with juice to wash it down.

Aftershocks came and went. The pod absorbed most of the jolts, but no one wanted to risk stepping outside.

They were still alive, and they wanted to keep it that way.

Inside the cramped pod, time dragged.

Nicole propped up a tablet, put on a downloaded movie, and opened a bag of pistachios.

Zeph didn’t particularly like them, but he got good at cracking the shells over the years. He split the shelled nuts evenly between Nicole and Poppy.

Cola gave him a reproachful look. “Woof!”

“Relax,” Zeph told him. “You’re next.”

Nicole and Poppy burst out laughing.

They ate, drank, and used the portable toilet as needed.

By nightfall, everything outside was dark and still.

A day of running for their lives left them drained. Nicole lit some calming incense, and Zeph and Poppy soon fell fast asleep.

Nicole moved the pod into the storage space, then climbed out to stretch her stiff, aching muscles.

Everything was calm in there, untouched by the earthquakes and the destruction outside.

She slept for a few hours in her outrageously expensive bed, then returned to the pod.

By the next day, the aftershocks eased enough for all four of them to get out and stretch their legs.

With nothing else to do, they set up a grill beside the pod and started cooking.

Nicole finally had a use for the charcoal she stockpiled before the disasters.

She brushed honey over the golden chicken wings and lifted one to her mouth just as another aftershock hit.

The food could wait. She dropped the skewer and scrambled back into the escape pod.

When the shaking stopped, the grill was still upright, but the food was another story.

Poppy stared at it in dismay. “Nicole, the wings are burnt to a crisp.”

So were the canned ham, potatoes, corn, and zucchini.

Poppy knew what it was like to go hungry as a child. She hated seeing so much food go to waste.

With plenty of supplies in the storage space, Nicole could afford to take it in stride. “It’s alright. We’ll make some more.”

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Chapter 785

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They could take their time cooking and eating. There wasn’t much else to do, anyway.

They grilled all morning and cooked outside again that afternoon.

Zeph set two large rocks in place to support a pan over the fire, and all four of them gathered wood nearby.

Poppy took charge of cooking, frying up pork with potatoes and onions.

Another aftershock hit halfway through. One rock tipped over, sending the pan and their dinner tumbling into the dirt.

Poppy stood frozen, spatula in hand.

Before she could burst into tears, Nicole turned on Zeph. “Where did you find those rocks? Couldn’t you pick a couple that wouldn’t fall over?”

Zeph silently took the blame.

Accident or not, wasting more food didn’t sit right with Nicole either. 1/

This time, she chose something they couldn’t spill: sweet potatoes roasted in the fire.

They could roast regular potatoes, too. Both smelled delicious as they cooked.

Darkness fell before long, and the three of them sat around the fire eating hot sweet potatoes.

The sweet potatoes were piping hot, their skins charred black. Peeling them left soot on everyone’s fingers, which soon found its way onto their faces.

Zeph laughed at the smudges around Nicole’s mouth. He peeled his sweet potato and handed it to her.

She took a bite, then reached over and wiped her sooty fingers across his face. Two black streaks marked his normally serious face.

Poppy burst out laughing. “Zeph, you’ve got soot all over your face!”

She pulled out her phone and started snapping pictures.

Once she started, she wanted a shot of everything. She took individual photos, paired them up, got Cola in on the fun, and finally took one of the whole family. 1

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Chapter 79

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