18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 350

Suspicion was a given between Jasper and Stella; they were both as sharp as a tack. The only question was which way their doubts would take them.

Jasper figured they were just trying to piece together what might happen next. Sure, Block 50 had always left some breadcrumbs before, but now? Nothing.

Stella nestled into his arms. "What do you think's gonna happen next?"

"No idea." He kissed her forehead. "As long as we're together, we can handle any disaster."

The satellite kept plummeting, like a wild child with no sense, swinging a bat here, slinging a mallet there, crashing down wherever it felt like.

Their neighborhood had been lucky so far, dodging another hit, but the official landfill power plant wasn't so fortunate—it got smacked, setting off a fire that roared for two days and nights.

The streetlights were out now.

And who knew if they'd ever light up again?

On the rooftop, the trio and their dog sat grilling burgers, soaking in the starlit sky.

Rosie bit into her hot dog, her eyes going wide. "Bro, a meteor shower!"

Jasper looked up, his pupils dilating. "Run!"

Stella instinctively followed his gaze and saw a crimson meteor shower slicing through the night sky, getting bigger and closer...

Red as blood, burning fiercely, almost close enough to graze their faces, the heat nearly tangible.

Growing, expanding, seemingly about to crash right into them.

Yet, in the blink of an eye, it seemed miles away again.

They all sprang up, abandoning their barbecue and beers, tables and chairs forgotten, and bolted downstairs to their car, moving with swift precision.

"Seatbelts," Stella reminded them.

The seats were blast-proof, designed to withstand impact.

Worried about Cooper getting hurt, Jasper bundled the dog in his arms, strapping them together.

The violent impact, the continuous shaking of the earth—it didn't matter that their vehicle, the Predator, weighed 15 tons; it was still trembling.

The battering lasted for what felt like forever, both far away and terrifyingly close, their hearts pounding in unison.

Fingers intertwined tightly, their breaths hitched in their throats.

Then, the world fell silent, as if nothing had ever happened.

No one dared to move. They stayed put in the car for a full half hour before emerging.

The neighborhood channel was going berserk. Some said it was a satellite cluster falling, others claimed another earthquake had struck.

"Dang it, what's next? Is the Earth gonna blow up and take us with it?"

"Maybe it's alien monsters attacking us. We're doomed, totally doomed."

Amid the chaos and fear, everyone was on edge.

Stella's brow furrowed, a silent tension in her eyes.

An hour later, the walkie-talkie crackled to life. Bran's voice came through, "Sis, it's the satellite cluster that fell."

Hearing his voice, Stella had a bad feeling. "Where did it fall?"

"Mount Oak."

Mount Oak? Stella's heart sank.

Geological surveys had shown that Mount Oak was an ancient dormant volcano that hadn't erupted for millions of years. It had been a scenic area for as long as anyone could remember.

Was it truly dead, or just sleeping?