LOGINThe group peeled off their rain gear, changed into dry clothes, and gathered in Hughie's apartment.There was nothing left to scavenge in the city, so they had gone back to the villa district this time. The houses were already picked clean, but they weren't there for that anyway.They went deeper into the mountains, hoping to run into wild boars again.Instead, they found a reservoir. It had been stocked with fish. With the flooding, a lot of the fish had spilled out, drifting through the creeks and channels down the mountain.The water was murky. You couldn't see a thing.Cola found the fish by scent and movement, diving in and biting them out one by one. There was no telling how many had already washed away.But one thing was certain: there were still plenty left in the reservoir."If we can figure out a way to catch them," Jeremy said, already thinking ahead, "we could trade with the Quinn guy again. We might not have to worry about food for years."Even so, they would hav
Nicole knew it was Gabrielle who had asked Victor to come warn them. It hadn't changed much, but she appreciated the gesture.So, she waived three treatment fees and gave Gabrielle half a bottle of herbal liniment. It wasn't much, just about two ounces, but in times like this, it was already generous.And yeah, there was some goodwill in it, too.Everyone had their eyes on the 18th floor. You couldn't count on people to be kind. If the Goodmans were willing to pass along information, that alone could save trouble."Gabrielle, it's getting colder these days. Your back can't handle damp or cold," Nicole said. "Massage it with the liniment at night, then wrap up in a blanket. It'll heal faster."In her last life, Gabrielle had frozen to death. Only Victor survived, and not for long.This time, Nicole had given her a warning. Whether she made it or not depended on her."Thank you, Nicole. I'll try it tonight."Then Gabrielle brought up another patient."The family upstairs… Their
"That's actually a smart idea. I'll try it, too," Nicole said, impressed with what the people in 1803 came up with. "Do you think I could hollow out my couch and stash food inside?"Beatrice blinked. Wait. Why didn't they think of that?After she left, Nicole went back to sewing the fur coat. She still had extra material, so she decided to make one for Snowy and Ash, too.Both rabbits had thick fur, and Snowy was about to give birth again.Nicole had no idea if they would survive the deep freeze. She wanted them to make it, but if they couldn't, then they would become food.It all came down to fate.She picked both of them up, measuring and adjusting fabric as she worked. Their fur felt warm and soft in her arms.They had definitely filled out, especially Snowy. Her belly was round, heavy with kits.By the time Nicole finished, three coats were done.Not bad. She felt a little more confident in her DIY skills.Fur alone wasn't enough. She remembered all the fabric she had s
There were so many people packed together, plus the heavy rain and poor visibility. What was more, Nicole even shifted her position on purpose.And yet, it didn't matter. Zeph still saw through it.Nicole smiled, playing dumb."Pull your shoulder back. Lean forward slightly when you raise the gun. Keep your elbows bent…"Zeph walked her through it step by step.Nicole memorized everything. Back home, she practiced on her own.Neither of them asked questions.Some things didn't need to be said.-After that gunshot, the entire building went quiet. No one dared target the 18th floor again.Still, life didn't stop.Staying cooped up inside all day would drive anyone crazy. Jeremy and Hughie, now much stronger, showed up at Zeph's door and asked to go out and look for supplies.The water kept rising. No one believed the rain would stop anymore.This was the apocalypse. Who knew what was coming next?Supplies were running low. Nothing was coming in. That kind of pressure wore
The girl couldn't take it.Overwhelmed with shame, she threw herself into the flood.She had been all the man had.When she died, something in him snapped. He lost his mind, grabbed a blade, and went after anyone he could find.A few people died on the spot. Some bled out later. Others were less seriously injured, but there were plenty of crush injuries from the chaos.With the rain still coming down hard, there was no way to get to a hospital since no one had a boat. All they could do was lie there and endure it.Edward and Oliver were still unconscious. No one knew whether they would wake up or not. Many hoped they wouldn't.The whole thing ended in failure.The building fell quiet again, but it wasn't peace. It was heavy and full of grief.Nicole had something else on her mind.The ones who had looked well-fed during the confrontation were most likely the same group that had been breaking into homes at night.A few of them had died in the chaos, but not all.That meant t
When Nicole had been stocking up, she had picked up a few fake guns on purpose. She thought that maybe, in a pinch, they could scare people off.She hadn't expected Zeph to have the real thing.The world had fallen apart, but the government hadn't disappeared. It was still there, just slow, buried under the flood like everything else. Weapons like that were still tightly controlled.Unless things got completely out of hand, she wouldn't use a real gun in front of everyone.Alerting the authorities was one problem. The other was explaining it.But if it really came down to it, she wouldn't hesitate.Nicole glanced at Zeph's closed door.Beatrice pulled her into the room, lowering her voice. "How does he even have a gun?""He used to be special operations," Nicole said. "Probably has connections."Beatrice clicked her tongue. "So he can fight and shoot. Damn."With that one shot, the crazed man was gone, and the rest of them would probably stay quiet for a while.Honestly, see







