18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 334

Buddy chose to stay.

Stella didn't mind one bit. She figured he'd leave when he got bored, saving her the hassle of dealing with him thinking her place was some sort of paradise, showing up whenever he felt like it.

After Austin and the others took their second dose of the treatment, the government finally announced a breakthrough: a medicine to combat the toxic smog had been developed.

Looks like Mark really pushed for it because Griffith got a bigger share of the meds than other towns, probably thanks to some strings he pulled.

Since the drugs were delivered in batches, they couldn't cover all the survivors at once. So, they had to resort to a lottery system, with one representative from each household coming to draw.

Stella, out of curiosity, tuned into the Swan Hill channel and found out that the officials there hadn't shared the news with the lower-class citizens. Not surprising, considering Swan Hill was a provincial capital with more government and corporate employees, so there was even less to go around for the common folk there.

The success of the antiviral drugs breathed some life back into the ghost town that the villa neighborhood had become.

Homeowners started venturing out, hoping to get lucky in the draw. Before leaving, they'd wash their hands religiously and mutter a little prayer for good luck.

Only then Stella realized that nearly half of the residents had succumbed to the virus. She didn't even want to think about the slums or other areas.

"Hey Stella, where's my dog?"

Through the haze, Bran approached, wearing a breathing helmet that looked like a motorcycle helmet, complete with its own oxygen supply. The rich really did live differently.

Like owner, like dog. The cured Buddy didn't even look back as he followed Bran. Stella wasn't upset. She couldn't very well hold a grudge against a dog, right?

Just as she was about to close the door, a large head squeezed its way in. He was back, dragging his own doghouse, along with two bags of premium dog food and toys.

Buddy, looking pitiful as ever, dragged his bed to a corner of the yard, offering his food and toys to Cooper.

Stella had to laugh, "Do you think he thinks he's human?"

Jasper nodded in agreement, "I think so."

"It's like I'm mistreating him or something."

In the end, she gave Buddy the first floor, but the second floor was off-limits.

It wasn't that Stella disagreed; it was Cooper who bared his teeth. Only the 'big brother' was worthy of the second floor. Did this little grunt know what overstepping meant?

As the weather turned scorching hot, with no breeze and temperatures nearing 45°C, the air grew stifling. Stella gave up on the idea of air conditioning, considering the volcanic ash outside, and instead used a fan with ice cubes for cooling.

Experts were actually pleased with the rising temperatures as it could potentially inhibit the spread of the virus. The suspended ash particles could heat up under sunlight, which wasn't ideal for the virus's survival.

Despite the intense heat, the survivors, having been tested by extreme conditions, had grown more resilient.

As people began to recover, many tried to restart their gardens, but no matter how carefully they tended to them, the seeds either failed to sprout or the plants quickly wilted.