18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 306

Kitty was in this line of work. She could tell old money from new with a glance at their attire and the softness of their hands.

"No doubt about it," she mused, "just yesterday, they snatched another one. Dragged 'em all out, beat 'em black and blue, and humiliated them in every way imaginable. Fed them slop like pigs, and made them crawl on the ground barking like dogs. Anyone who resisted got a real whooping."

She knew the outskirts like the back of her hand. The gang had brought back a haul yesterday, all top-shelf goods, yet there hadn't been any major uproar in the city.

The numbers added up: same number of goons left as came back, and all within three hours.

This was definitely a case of abduction, except they hadn't taken any hostages with them, which meant those victims were probably dead.

Stella pondered, could Bran be one of their captives? She described Bran's appearance, his height, his style, and his hairdo. "Have you seen him?"

Kitty concentrated hard. "Wearing flip-flops?"

"Exactly." Those flip-flops were Bran's signature.

What a coincidence. Kitty had actually seen him.

"After stuffing their faces, they get their kicks from tormenting their captives. The guy you described was defiant, wouldn't play along, even dared to fight back. Nearly shattered the leader's balls with a kick. They beat him bloody. If someone hadn't intervened, he'd probably be dead by now."

Bran was seriously injured. Whether he could survive depended on fate.

Stella couldn't believe it. Shane had mobilized his forces to overturn Griffith, and yet, there was no word of Bran. Now, it was like finding what you weren't looking for without even trying.

"Hold on a sec," Stella said, pulling Jasper aside.

They stepped into a nook, Jasper's brow furrowed. "You want in on this?"

Was it to save Bran, or could she not let go of her friends?

Stella was candid, "Bran brought this on himself. I'm not out to save him, but the Porras family has something I want."

Jasper looked at her and said. "You're after that helicopter?"

Indeed, Stella wanted that very much. Compared to tectonic plate collisions, eternal night, haze, and acid rain seemed utterly trivial.

Mountains crumbling, land fracturing, the earth turning to ocean—how would they survive?

They had cruise ships, sure, but plate collisions would trigger tsunamis, and even the grandest ship would be no match for the waves. Only from the sky could one truly grasp the scope of the catastrophe and find a sanctuary in real-time.

With her stockpiled gear, she could live well for now, but what about the future?

After a long consideration, Jasper relented, "I'll handle it. You stay with Rosie and Cooper."

Stella wouldn't have it, "If we're going in, we'll need Cooper's help."

Night vision goggles had their limits, but Cooper could see in the dark as if it were day, not to mention his exceptional hearing and sense of smell.

Survival meant taking risks. Recalling his own experiences with plate collisions, Jasper finally agreed.