18 Floors Above the Apocalypse



Jasper thought the man with the pleading blue eyes looked familiar. Wasn't he the same guy who blew a kiss at Stella from across the room yesterday?

"Darling,” he whispered, barely audible above the whistling wind, “time to send him to meet his maker.”

With a swift motion, Jasper's blade met the man's neck, ending his life. The other two shared the same fate, their souls quickly sent to the afterlife. "Rosie, take over the patrol," Jasper instructed as they headed back inside their sanctuary, Arcadia.

Worried that the melting snow would ruin their arsenal, they dug tirelessly with shovels in hand. After more than an hour, they unearthed a treasure trove: eight submachine guns, five daggers, sixteen pistols, wristwatches, gold chains, and a heap of clothes and shoes.

Stella, superstitious about bad luck, tossed the clothes and shoes into a shipping container in Arcadia, not even allowing them into the villa. The melting snow was repurposed in The Garden to irrigate the crops.

The massacre of sixty Union Base members meant a fierce feud was inevitable. But Stella was indifferent; they hadn't given her a choice, and constant silence would only embolden them.

"Hah, just seventeen branches of theirwork," she scoffed. "Our ancestors have fought them before. If we could win once, we could win again. And if push comes to shove, why not turn it into a sports event?" She chuckled at her own joke.

As night fell, Stella ventured out to dispose of the bodies and collect snow. Keen to avoid any ill fortune, she went further than usual, clearing the surrounding snow first, then dumping the bodies on the frozen surface before covering them with a fresh layer. With two floors' worth of snow stockpiled, Stella returned indoors to rest.

Expecting the Union Base to strike back that very night, Stella was surprised when dawn came with no sign of them. Instead, the Russians paid another visit. Armed with a few pounds of potatoes and corn, they still sought an alliance with Stella.

Never underestimate the Russians' intelligence capabilities; they were aware of yesterday's events. Indeed, the Australians were a force to be reckoned with. Usually reserved and patient, but ruthlessly efficient in combat, they had wiped out their enemies without a sound. The Ivans were persistent. “Jasper, Stella, yesterday's men vanished without a trace. They won't let this slide. We should join forces." Stella's response remained the same. "Thanks for the offer, but we're used to our freedom. We don't like tying ourselves to anyone."

The Ivans resigned. "Alright, but we're still friends." Though the alliance was off the table, they shared the direction of the Union Base's stronghold. "They've got assault rifles, bombs, grenades, Molotov cocktails, flamethrowers..."

Stella almost laughed. With such an arsenal and still reduced to a mere few thousand men, what fueled their confidence? Perhaps it wasn't confidence but an intrinsic disdain for other races.

Not wanting to take the Russians' potatoes and corn for nothing, Stella traded them some dried sweet potatoes and taro. Ivans was thrilled. "Finally, something other than potatoes."

As he left, something seemed to strike him. "Have you encountered anything strange lately?"

Stella was puzzled. "Like what?"novelbin

Ivans pondered. "Animals, maybe?"

Stella caught on quickly. "You've been attacked?"

"One of our team went missing last night." Initially, they suspected the Union Base, but a search party later found a mutilated corpse, gnawed and torn apart. It was their missing comrade.

Now, they had to watch out for beasts as well as the Union Base. Before the glaciers melted, the Arctic was home to many animals. Whether any had survived or mutated into something more ferocious was anyone's guess.

This was a wake-up call for Stella.

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The world wasn't just for humans; it belonged to the animals too. A decade of natural disasters had wiped out many species, but ones were emerging, like the mutated sea creatures. Survival wasn't just about the harsh environment and the treacherous humans; they had to be wary of vicious wildlife too.

Back home, Stella found Snowflake restless and anxious, pacing back

and forth. The animal was irritable,

swiping at Cooper when he tried tot

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offer comfort, baring its teeth in clear message to back off. Snowflake dragged its bed to a corner, tossing and turning uneasily. Stella realized it was time for the birth. Snowflake's belly was large, and the movements within distinct.

Fetching some minced meat and straw from Arcadia, Stella prepared for the new arrivals. After eating the meat, Snowflake used the straw to fortify its nest. Hours of anxious whines and then, the first signs of blood.

Cooper, anxious himself, stayed close despite the earlier rebuff, sniffing around, his concern evident. He ran back to Stella, barking, "Woof!" His expression was a mixture of worry and unrest.

Stella soothed him, "I know, you're about to be a father." An hour later, the first pup was born. Following instinct, Snowflake licked the newborn clean and bit off the umbilical cord before consuming it.

Stella squatted by the nest, gently lifting the pup. Snowflake watched closely, fretting that Stella might take her baby away, whining with anxiety. The pup's coat resembled a mastiff's, but its head was pointed, a clear mix of wolf and dog.

Stella was delighted, stroking the dog's head, "Cooper, you're a dad now." Cooper seemed confused but sensed the pup was his and began to lick it tenderly.

Snowflake was impatient, reaching out with a paw to reclaim its baby, and Stella quickly handed it back. The mother lay down to nurse. After more than an hour, three pups were born. Two males and one female, this couple was utterly charmed by their new brood.

Cooper seemed to grasp the gravity of fatherhood, staying by his wife and children's side, occasionally nuzzling his mate. Concerned Rosie might feel left out, Stella gave her a task, “Rosie, you'll be taking care of the pups from now on. Snowflake needs to recover, and she needs nourishment for her milk."

Stella made sure to feed Snowflake well daily, and the pups, taking after their father, were quite large and plump from birth. They seemed to have inherited the best traits from both parents: good looks and a lively spirit, constantly suckling for milk. Their eyes were still closed, so it was hard to tell whom they resembled more.

To keep them warm, Stella brought out a small heater, placing it beside them to bask them in its gentle glow. Exhausted after giving birth, Snowflake lay there with her eyes closed, trying to catch some much-needed rest. Cooper stayed glued to her side, not moving an inch.

The mysterious disappearance of sixty individuals didn't seem to have caused a ripple on Stella's end. It was only then that the folks at Union Base began to take a serious look at these Australians, realizing they were quite different from the ones they had locked up.

There's no such thing as an enemy that can't be handled. If they're tough to deal with, then you just haven't brought enough firepower to the party. With that in mind, it was time to give these Aussies a taste of what they called a god-level smackdown.

Shake in your boots, Australians! They sent out fifty Blue Eyes, fifty with olive complexions, and fifty with dark skin-no one was to skimp on ammo! Attack! Charge with all your might! Turn them into Swiss cheese!!

And so, with a boom and a bang, the action started again. The Blue Eyes, leading the charge, wore sunglasses and chewed on their pipes, their hawkish noses giving them an air of extreme arrogance. They came strutting over in their snow tanks. Their demeanor seemed to scream, "Today, we're going to blast you into smithereens!"