18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 348

Had it not been for the sharp slaps that Bently’s mom unleashed on Lindsay's cheeks which caused Bentley’s eyes flicker, Stella might've thought Bentley had keeled over in some tragic act of devotion.

Bentley's mother was livid, teeth clenched in fury. "If you're so eager to die, do it already! Leave your son behind and just die."

It was that little hussy throwing a fit, insisting on moving to the guesthouse, that dragged her son and grandson over there to coddle her.

Well, now look what had happened. The house collapsed, that woman was dead, and her unborn child too. Her son's spine was damaged, paralyzed, and the poor little grandson was motherless.

Bently’s mother was on the brink of insanity. If she had known birthing such a calamity would lead to this day, she would've choked the life out of him at birth, avoiding this tragedy.

Bran wrapped his arms around the distraught woman. "Auntie, please, try to calm down."

She broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. "He might as well be dead. It would solve everything!"

Stella wasn't an expert in orthopedics or neurology, so she could only tend to Bentley's superficial injuries. Thinking of all the supplies Bentley had provided her, she offered a friendly suggestion, "He's got nerve damage. If it's possible, you might want to see if acupuncture could help."

As for where they could find a master of such things, she was of no help.

After tending to the wounds, Stella rushed off to rescue her own bladder.

Dawn broke, and the rescue efforts ceased.

Due to the night's poor visibility, Cody and Austin had suffered some minor scrapes and bruises.

The Porras family had their own medicine and took care of the injuries themselves.

The debris from the demolished guest wing revealed a charred object, twice the size of an escape pod. This cursed thing had caused injuries and death.

Curiosity stirred around it. "What in the world is this? It sure doesn't look like a missile," they murmured.

Stella inspected it closely. "Looks like a satellite."

A satellite? Confusion painted the faces of the onlookers. Those who didn't understand were baffled, while those who knew what it meant turned pale. With thousands of satellites orbiting Earth, it was rare for one to fall—and even if they did, they seldom hit the ground, typically vanishing into the vast cosmos.

To think the Porras family would be struck by a falling satellite, talk about bad luck.

If the villa hadn't been extended, today's disaster might have been avoided. Poverty, in this case, had saved lives.

Stella approached the charred sphere. Its rapid descent had scorched it beyond recognition, but within the hefty metal mass, there seemed to be chips not entirely burnt to ash.

After much discussion, they were more convinced it was indeed a satellite.

While many saw it as a curse, Stella didn't. Having witnessed numerous inexplicable disasters over the years, she wondered if something had gone awry in the cosmos, like a change in the magnetic fields. If that were true, with thousands of satellites above, their descent to Earth was a chilling thought.

Exhausted, Bran, usually so suave, didn't even have the energy to change his blood-stained clothes. "Jasper, Stella, we owe you big time for this."

Their family doctor had passed away in a smog incident, and since then, they hadn't found a suitable replacement. With many injured at home, it looked like they'd be depending on Stella for a while.

"Whatever you ask for as payment, just name it," he said.

Stella smiled. "I haven't thought of any payment yet. Just focus on your family for now. If Shane needs anything, let me know."

While they spoke, Evan arrived with the police to assess the situation.

Stella, not wanting to attract attention, quickly slipped away with Jasper.

The researchers confirmed that the satellite had indeed caused the damage to the Porras family's guest wing, and it was American.