18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 37

Even though she knew Cooper was tough, Stella hoped he could become even stronger. After all, who could resist the allure of a juicy steak when faced with the threat of starvation? So, Cooper had to get stronger.

Jasper's request was simple. “I'll help you train your dog, and you have to teach Rosie how to read.”

That was the deal? Stella was taken aback. “Rosie is smart and obedient. You can teach her yourself.”

Jasper looked a bit uncomfortable. “I can't teach reading. Training dogs is easier.”

Stella relented, “Alright, it's a deal.”

He would help her train her dog, and she would teach Rosie to read.

As soon as she opened the door, a dark shadow pounced on her. The low whine sounded anxious and restless. A pair of paws were continually scrabbling at Stella.

Stella petted his head. “It's okay. I'm not going anywhere.”

Cooper was abandoned before and weren't easy to soothe, so she fed him a hot dog. But it was still restless, following Stella wherever she went, not letting her out of its sight.

Not only was she exhausted today, but she was also famished. Reuniting with Cooper was worth celebrating, so Stella took out some grilled ribs, roast duck, and stir-fried beef, along with a beer.

Even if he wasn't hungry, Cooper still watched eagerly, practically drooling.

Stella gave him a bone, and then started watching a show while eating.mCooper was so greedy. He jumped onto the couch and lay on her, occasionally pushing her shoulder with his paw.

When Stella was unmoved, he fetched his own food bowl, as if he was saying ‘feed me'!

“You're a clever one.” Stella tossed him a bone to gnaw on. “Don't stuff yourself. There will be good food every day.”

After dinner, she had to teach Cooper to use the toilet. Not only Cooper, but the pair of breeding rabbits and their litter, too.

The balcony was still damp despite being glassed in, which made the rabbits look quite wilted. She placed a lot of cardboard in their hutch. After moving them to the bathroom, they perked up.

Once they got used to it, they weren't afraid of people and started wandering around the house.

Cooper's eyes lit up at the sight of the rabbits. He instinctively wanted to pounce and bite. Stella quickly stopped him with a fierce look, “No!”

Whether she and Cooper would be eating meat or veggies in the future depended entirely on the rabbits.

They had lived together before, so Cooper was quite familiar with her temperament and could only endure the itching of his teeth. He wasn't hungry now, so he'd bite when he was.

Cooper was smart. After over an hour of training, he was able to relieve himself in the trash can lined with a black bag in the bathroom.

The rabbits, on the other hand, weren't so clever. No matter how much she taught them, they just wouldn't learn. She had to clean up several times a day.

Stella was exhausted. “Cooper, from now on, it's your job to take care of them.” He needed to be a sensible dog and share the household chores with his owner.

By the time she finished, it was late at night. Stella went to bed, only to find Cooper dragging his bed in after her. Well, she understood his need for security.

She woke up several times during the night, always because of Cooper. He was extremely sensitive to noise, so he would get up at the slightest sound downstairs, standing guard at the stainless steel front door and refusing to leave. A long period of life on the streets had changed the dog's nature, so he wouldn't easily make a sound to alert enemies.

Despite being a single-unit building, it was a microcosm of all human life, with plenty of dirty and ugly things happening.

At a little past seven in the morning, she was awoken by the anxious Cooper. When she opened the door, Hector's classmate was knocking on the door downstairs. “Stella, Hector was stabbed by you yesterday and bitten by your dog. He's running a fever now. You have to take responsibility.”

Stella just closed the door and had breakfast.

Breakfast was just a simple bowl of cereal with two bagels. Cooper got a half bowl of dog food and four bagels.

As soon as she finished, Lukas came knocking on the door, preparing for today's mission, spending a million dollars. Angela had the additional task of looking after the dog, in addition to Rosie. There was a punching bag in the hallway now, which was brought by Lukas and Cody. She could practice boxing when she was free, as long as she didn't use them as targets.

They arrived at the department store at nine o'clock. It was still crowded with people lining up. Unexpectedly, the announcer's voice came over the loudspeaker, saying that today's food supply had already sold out, and those who needed it should come early tomorrow.

“I got here at midnight last night. How can it be sold out?”

“I came to line up at nine o'clock last night, but I still didn't get any.”

Immediately, there were cries of disappointment. The people were discontented, but they couldn't do anything at all. Now there were armed soldiers here. Even if they rushed in, they couldn't get the food.

One after another, weary faces, filled with frustration, lingered a few times before finally leaving in despair.

Ninety-nine percent of the people who came to the department store were there for the food, and to pick up other things on the way. The crowd dissipated, and the enormous mall suddenly seemed empty.

Compared to last time, there were significantly fewer items this time. Anything that could fill a stomach was gone in a flash.

They had introduced water purifying service. Ten dollars a litre. People had to bring their own container. Thinking of the dead bodies floating in the water, Lukas and Cody lost interest.

Most of the mall was filled with electronics, clothing, blankets and other goods. Even with money, they couldn't spend it. There were still two rubber rafts left. Lukas thought about buying them for later, but seeing the price tag of 50,000 dollars each, he didn't dare to speak.

Stella had a clear goal, to prepare life-saving supplies for extreme cold for them. She was well prepared, but she couldn't give them what she had. They had to buy it themselves.

The price of essential living supplies had skyrocketed, but clothes and blankets hadn't gone up much. After all, money needed to be spent where it mattered most, so they all wanted to save money to buy food.

As they walked around, they actually saw a mink coat. The knee-length purple mink coat was soft to the touch and very warm when worn. Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

Stella looked at the price, 49,999 dollars. There were both men's and women's versions, and the prices were almost the same. Stella bought seven in one go, even including one for Cooper, which she would alter when she got back.

She spent 350,000 dollars in one go. Lukas' heart bled. “Why don't we get something cheaper?”

“What are you doing saving money now? To use as toilet paper later?”

In addition to the mink coats, there were also warm cotton clothes, down jackets, windbreakers, quilts, socks, boots, thermal underwear, and so on. They could buy whatever they wanted. Unfortunately, there were no pet supplies, otherwise, she would also stock up for Cooper too.

As she was choosing, a middle-aged man suddenly approached and whispered, “Miss, do you want food?”

He looked shifty. It was clear he was not a good guy. Stella noticed him tailing her when she was buying the mink coat, and thought he was a pickpocket or a robber. She didn't expect him to be a food dealer.

“What kind of food?”

“Rice.”

“Water-soaked?”

The middle-aged man nodded. “We also have some that haven't been soaked, but the price is double.”

“What's the price?”

“2,500 for the soaked rice, and 5,000 for the unsoaked.”

Stella pondered a moment. “About the soaked food, how do I know if it's safe to eat?”

“You have my word. We run an honest business here, nothing less.”

After saying that, he took out a handful of broken rice from his pocket. The color of it was a dull, dark yellow but it didn't smell bad.

“How much do you have?”

“However much you need, that's how much I have.”

Stella did some quick calculations, subtracting the necessary expenses. “2000 dollars a pound. Then I'll take 250 pounds.”

The middle-aged man was left speechless.