The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 912

Chapter 912

The four of them needed to leave without giving anyone à reason to ask questions.

Nicole went back to the hospital and asked for the afternoon off, saying she didn’t feel well.

They took the ferry to Platform B. Nicole went home to pack, and Zeph headed to the gardening area to find Poppy.

Poppy was finishing her shift when she spotted him, and her face lit up.

“Zeph, my transfer went through! I start on Platform A next week. We can apply for a place there, so you and Nicole won’t have to take the ferry to work anymore.”

Zeph drew her aside.

As he explained, her smile faded. For a moment, she just stared at him.

When she finally spoke, her voice was quiet. “Are we really leaving?”

“Do you want to stay?”

“No, it’s not that. Let me go ask for some time off.”

She loved her job and was happy at the base, but she couldn’t imagine staying without Zeph and Nicole.

Poppy did good work, and with her transfer already approved, she had no trouble getting time off.

By the time they got home, Nicole finished putting everything away. Anything that might invite questions went into her storage space. Only the things they got from Weasel remained.

Nicole, Zeph, and Poppy agreed to leave without any large bags that might draw attention.

Sound carried through the thin steel walls, so they said little as they gathered what they needed and went downstairs.

Outside, Poppy glanced back at their third-floor units, reluctant to turn away. Everything had happened so fast that she barely had time to take it in.

There was so much she would miss, but she didn’t say a word.

She knew how lucky she was to have Nicole looking after her all these years. She loved living here, but keeping Nicole and Zeph safe mattered more.

Nicole struggled with leaving, too. She was finally part of a community again, with a mentor, friends, coworkers, and a few people she came to care about.

Now she had to leave them behind and go back to drifting from place to place, unsure where they would end up. She was just getting used to having somewhere she belonged.

After years of struggling to survive, she finally caught a glimpse of a life beyond it. Losing that now hurt

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Chapter 912.

more than she expected.

Sometimes, losing something hurt more than never having it at all.

Zeph took her cold hand. “Things will get better.”

Nicole pushed those thoughts aside and kept walking without looking back.

They had come to Platform B by motorboat, and now, they were leaving the same way.

The engine roared as they sped through the bitter wind, the boat throwing up spray as it cut across the

water.

They headed straight for the submarine docks and spotted Jacob coming back from a mission.

Nicole smiled and called out, “Hey, Jacob!”

He waved. “You three heading out?”

“Yeah. We’ve been stuck at the base so long, we figured we’d take the sub out for a change of scenery.”

“Just stay inside the perimeter,” Jacob cautioned. “More survivors are showing up outside the base every day. Go out there without an escort, and you could get robbed.”

The government had planned for the worst, developing more than 100 contingency plans for all kinds of natural disasters. Ten years of quiet preparation made everything they built here possible.

Building a thriving settlement was only part of the job, however. They also needed to protect it.

People could show remarkable ingenuity when a disaster threatened their lives. They could be just as resourceful when it came to taking advantage of one another.

As Yorwick prospered, people beyond its borders watched and waited for a chance to take what it had.