ANMELDENEveryone got to work, bustling around as they prepared Christmas dinner.After lunch, Beatrice and the others spent some time touring the two greenhouses.There were chickens, ducks, geese, quail, sweet potatoes, potatoes, vegetables, and even a greenhouse full of medicinal herbs on the rooftop.The four of them were amazed. Nicole really was something else. No matter what kind of environment she found herself in, she always managed to build a good life."Beatrice, one day we're getting a villa here, too. We'll be neighbors with Nicole and Zeph, and we'll raise chickens, ducks, cows, and sheep!"Not to be outdone, Jeremy slipped an arm around Diana's shoulders. "Diana, I'll work hard, too!"Nicole almost laughed. "Do you want some chicks or ducklings? You can take a pair home after dinner.""No." As tempted as Beatrice was, she stayed practical. "We both work. We don't have time to raise them. Once we can afford a villa, we'll come back and ask you then. But make sure you save
Sven was secretly pleased. His son was finally showing some backbone. In the past, Brandon had never argued with him. The boy kept everything bottled up, whether he was happy, upset, or angry."Poppy's family is having guests, too," Sven said, trying to reason with him. "You see Poppy every day anyway. Why don't you invite them over for dinner the day after Christmas?"Brandon looked disappointed. "Okay. I'll ask Poppy tomorrow.""It's always Poppy this and Poppy that with you. Don't you ever play with the other kids?"Weasel and several of the others had children as well, but Brandon never invited any of them over. Sven began to suspect that his son might have a little crush on Poppy.Sven studied Brandon but didn't notice anything unusual. They probably spent so much time together simply because they lived next door.Besides, Poppy was sweet and adorable. It was hard not to like her. They really had lucked out with their neighbors.They had chickens, ducks, geese, and a larg
Several months passed in the blink of an eye, and before they knew it, Christmas had arrived.Zeph had nice handwriting, so Nicole asked him to make a few handwritten Christmas decorations, which she happily hung on the front door.When Sven saw them, he immediately asked Zeph to make two for him as well.The mastiff still came by every day, rain or shine. He had become Cola's devoted follower, and the two dogs often sparred outside the gate.By now, he no longer considered himself an outsider and even started trying to get closer to Zeph.If they hadn't searched him before letting him into the yard, Nicole might have suspected he was a spy sent by Marcus.In the end, they gave him one of the Christmas decorations, and he happily carried it away in his mouth.Beatrice's reproductive health issues were fully treated. Depression, however, wasn't something that simply disappeared for good, so she still had to keep a close eye on her emotional health.She contacted Nicole over the
Hughie opened the trunk. Inside were a case of medicine, a case of cured meat, bags of rice and flour, salt, sugar, half a case of cigarettes, and half a case of liquor.The medicine included injections and pills. Judging by the expiration dates, all of it was past its prime, though some of the pills were probably still usable. They just wouldn't be as effective.The cured meat was old, too. Whether anyone was willing to risk eating it was up to them.The salt and sugar were valuable, especially the sugar, which was stored properly and wasn't spoiled.Nicole took out her thermos, mixed some sugar into the water, and gave it to Diana and Beatrice to help them recover their strength.They couldn't stay in the wilderness for long. Hughie drove back toward their apartment while Nicole sorted through the medicine in the car, setting aside anything that was still usable and putting the rest in a separate pile.As for what they planned to do with the car, everyone had their own way of s
The new district wasn't large, and the west side was less than three miles away. Nicole pedaled as fast as she could and made it there in under twenty minutes.The area was deserted. There were no signs of a struggle, only a sedan that still appeared to be in decent shape.The two women were inside. Diana had been shot in the arm, and the bullet was still lodged inside. Her face was pale from blood loss.Beatrice had tied a makeshift tourniquet around Diana's arm to slow the bleeding. She had several injuries of her own, and her clothes were soaked with blood, but none of her wounds appeared immediately life-threatening.Five men's bodies were crammed into the back seat.The two sides had clearly fought a brutal battle. Beatrice and Diana won, then managed to drive away from the scene.The priority was getting the bullet out and stopping Diana's bleeding. Otherwise, she might not make it.She had already lost too much blood. Driving her all the way back to the villa before treat
Nicole told Hughie and Jeremy everything, including how the wealthy residents had shut her out and made trouble for her.Hughie was speechless. "It's been three years since the apocalypse started. Bandits target rich people first, and God knows how many people die every day. Yet these people still act like they're above everyone else."Jeremy sneered. "People like that had better stay behind their gates. Sooner or later, they're gonna mess with the wrong person."Full and pleasantly buzzed, Nicole almost wished she had a cigarette to go with the moment. "I taught them a few lessons. They've been much better behaved since then."There was still plenty of beer left, so the three of them kept drinking and swapping stories about everything they had been through.After a while, Jeremy suddenly leaned closer. "Nicole, can you help me get some medicine?""What kind?" Most things were manageable, but medicine was getting harder and harder to find."Well... Something for bedroom issu
Nicole didn't hesitate. She blocked Edward right away.Less than a minute later, her phone rang again. It was an unfamiliar number.She didn't need to guess; this was Edward's classmate or one of his friends.Given a second chance at life, Nicole had zero interest in being taken for a fool. She w
Nicole never expected the new resident of 1801 to be the same young man who had helped her at the courier station.He looked mildly surprised, too. He nodded once at her, then went back to work.Up close, he was striking in a cold, sharp way. He was tall and lean, with broad shoulders and clean li
Two miles was nothing. The Hummer reached the entrance to the complex in just a few minutes.Nicole handed the man 400 dollars, thanking him for saving her and for ignoring traffic rules.His voice stayed cool. "No need. I was heading this way, anyway."Seeing he wouldn't take it, she didn't push
Just after midnight, the timer refreshed. One hundred thirty minutes remaining.That meant time could stack.Nicole nearly laughed out loud. Seconds mattered. During crucial moments, even a minute could mean the difference between living and dying.She decided that unless it was absolutely necess







