18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 25

Men's emotional expressions are quite different from women's. Instead of Stella or Angela accompanying him, it was Lukas who went in to chat.

They didn't get into specifics; they just mentioned that they had spotted him at the Griffith Hotel when they reached the neighborhood.

The conditions at the shelter were terrible, so Lukas invited him to the Sunrise Sanctuary, "We're staying next door to Stella's place. It's a three-bedroom apartment, and you can move in with us. We'll figure out the rest later."

Stella called Angela to a window at the end of the hallway. "What's your plan?"

Angela didn't really want any outsiders disrupting their lives, but these were exceptional times, and friends needed to help each other. Without Stella, she and Lukas would have had no other option but to stay at the shelter.

"Lukas is actually quite sentimental," Angela said. "He only has you and Cody as friends. Besides, who doesn't have difficult times? The flood will eventually recede. Let's let him stay with us."

Their food supplies would last two or three months. If they ran out, they'd find a way. Angela was a straightforward person who didn't overthink things. Plus, she firmly believed that the world would returned to normal.

As the two women chatted by the window, Lukas and Cody emerged from the room. Cody approached the two women with a forced smile, "Angela, I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

Angela slapped his shoulder. "We're friends. After the flood recedes, just treat us to a good meal."

As they left in an inflatable boat, Stella handed Cody a package of cookies. Cody thanked her, tore open the package, and wolfed them down. The corners of his eyes were teary.

Lukas also offered the last of his crackers.

"I'm... I'm so sorry." Cody said.

"It's nothing," Stella said. "We've all had our low moments in these end times. There's no such thing as easy."

Upon their return to the Sunrise Sanctuary, everyone was utterly exhausted. Stella took out two pounds of rice she had bought from the supermarket and other items. "Cody, don't say I'm taking advantage of you. Once the flood recedes, you owe me a hundredfold. I’ll have a 1% cut on all deals."

Despite her mercenary words, her tone was teasing and familiar. She was the same Stella, showing no disdain for him. Cody let out a small sigh of relief. "I'll give you a 2% cut."

"What about me?" Lukas asked indignantly. "You're covering mine and Angela's brunch for a year."

"Deal," Cody agreed.

Upon returning home, they changed into sleepwear and fell onto their beds. Stella stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. Unlike Lukas and Angela, Cody, who was used to dealing with business, was far more insightful. Stella had to protect Arcadia's secret and couldn't give anything away.

For the next two days, none of them left the house.

Stella, when not reading or training, spent her time in the house organizing their supplies. Exhausted to the point of breaking her back, she finally managed to sort out all the goods they had looted from the supermarket. The supplies piled up to the ceiling. She locked the large room and hid the key in Arcadia.

During this period, Angela came over once. While they were chatting, Stella asked about Cody, "How's he doing?"

"He hardly speaks. He just sleeps all day," Angela said with a sense of foreboding. "That woman really hurt him. And life is so hard right now. Do you think he'll ever recover?"

"He's been like this every time he's broken up with someone. He'll be fine in a couple of days," Stella said, rummaging through a cabinet. She pulled out a bottle of whiskey. "This is a gift from his company to their clients. He gave me one. Let him drink it and he'll be fine."

Men always needed to vent. Despite being an orphan, Cody had come from a tough background and was stronger than most.

Thinking about it, Angela agreed. "The storm has been over for a few days now. Why won't the rain stop?"

Not only did it not stop, but the water levels were rising, making them feel suffocated and anxious.