18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 39

Don't let her youthful appearance fool you! The girl got a dark side.

She was the classmate with the folks in apartments on the 8th and 12th floor. However, she ended up breaking the girl's ribs and cutting her hair. And the boy, well, he was even worse off. He was bitten by a dog and then stabbed. They had to carry him to the hospital in the morning.

No one should provoke her! That was for sure.

Drew's team had just returned, looking weary and only bringing back firewood. Every foraging spot in the vicinity seemed to have been picked clean. Even moldy bread was taken.

As they watched the residents of the 18th floor, they could only sigh in envy. How could there be such disparity in the same building?

The moment Stella reached the 18th floor, a dog named Cooper came rushing out of room 1803, furiously leaping at her, whining non-stop.

Cooper thought, “You promised not to abandon me, didn't you? What a lie!”

Rosie too came rushing over, hugging Stella's waist. “Cooper and I were so well behaved today.”

Stella laughed and was just about to say Rosie loved her more, when Rosie suddenly dashed towards room 1801. “Jasper, Rosie missed you so much.”

As per usual, everyone gathered in room 1803 to divide the loot. Upon hearing that they'd found a pig, Angela's concern overcame her excitement. “The fridge isn't working. How are we going to store the pork?”

It was half a pig, so there was no way they could finish it in a few days. It would be such a waste if it was spoiled.

Jasper had a surprising solution. “I have a car refrigerator at home. It's USB powered. The meat should just fit in, but the light is poor and it charges slowly. Anyway, it can be used for some days.”

A car refrigerator? Stella had seen a couple of those back in Arcadia. She quickly said, “The landlord has one as well. I'll go look for it in his room later.”

Their storage problem had been solved, but the pork in room 1803 couldn't be spoiled either. Cody suggested, “Why don't you two start with ours?”

Stella had no objections, but they still wouldn't be able to finish it in a few days. “Cut off the fat and render it into lard. We can make a pork stew tonight. Whatever we can't finish, we can preserve in salt.” With the cool rainy weather, it should last a few days.

Cody was drooling in anticipation. “Aren't we eating this for lunch?”

“You guys can eat, but I need to go out again to see if I can get some dog food for Cooper.”

Lukas offered, “Do you want us to go with you?”

“No need, just handle the pig.”

Worried about their lack of experience in rendering lard, Stella reminded them, “Separately cut the pork skin. Don't fry it with the fat. Be careful of oil splatters...”

Jasper also didn't know how to render lard, so he was quietly learning on the side.

Once home, Stella had a portion of shredded pork in garlic sauce, filled her stomach, treated Cooper's wounds, and then prepared to go out again.

Cooper clutched her trouser leg. Was he going to be abandoned again?

Stella scratched his head. “You guard the house. I'll go get us some meat.”

The pig had floated down the river. She remembered that there was a large pig farm upstream. If the pig had indeed come from the farm, there was likely more than one. There were several mountains in the upstream river, so the pigs were very likely to swim across to seek refuge.

Arcadia didn't have much pork stored, and now she had Cooper to feed as well, so Stella wanted to try her luck.

She wanted to make a quick round trip, but Cooper adamantly refused to be left behind. She had no choice but to bring him along. After all, when it came to hunting, dogs were much more skilled than humans.

Cooper didn't have a raincoat, so she took a plastic bag, cut a few holes in it, and slipped it over his head. Well, the look was a bit stupid.

Stella held back her laughter and took out her phone to snap a picture of her dog donned in a plastic rain coat.

The pair set out, operating a rubber raft towards Griffith Mountain.

Griffith Mountain wasn't very high. At the foot of the mountain was Griffith Park. It had vast lakes and attractions, all of which were now underwater.

Upon reaching a flat area, she made sure no one was here before storing the raft in Arcadia.

While climbing the mountain, Stella chose to take the cement path to conserve energy and kept an eye on the sides of the road. In the roadside bushes, she spotted some pig feces that hadn't been washed away by the rain.

Stella was delighted; it seemed she had guessed right.

Along the way, Cooper suddenly jumped forward, disappearing into the bushes in no time.

Stella covered the dog's mouth, "Let's sneak into the village quietly...”

Cooper understood instantly and automatically switched to stealth mode. Its tail fell back, with its mischievous dog eyes looking forward.

Not far away, there appeared a gazebo. Through a telescope, she saw twelve pigs sheltering from the rain in the gazebo. Pigs are omnivorous animals that can survive on grass, but they seem to have been washed away for some time, starving away their fat. All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

When they saw a person and a dog approach, the pigs seemed about to leave, but after several digging motions, they were too lazy to move.

Arcadia wasn't able to contain live animals, so Stella took out her highest power electric shock rod, a type that could kill with several shocks.

She entered the gazebo and targeted the nearest pig. The pig fell to the ground with a thump before it had a chance to squeal. The rest of the pigs were startled and ran out.

Cooper rushed forward like a flash of lightning, fiercely herding them back. Any disobedience was met with a bite!.

Men, dogs, pigs, chased one another in the rain...

In less than fifteen minutes, all twelve pigs were electrocuted. Stella struck them a few more times to make sure they were dead before placing them in Arcadia.

She didn't expect Cooper to be such a good hunting dog and rewarded him with a baked chicken leg.

"Cooper, good job! Hoarding all the pork in this lifetime, and we'll live a life of luxury every day."

"Woof!" He wanted to eat meat!

They continued their search along the mountains. Cooper was in full advantage, leading the way in search of prey.

Pigs were social animals. Under Cooper's lead, Stella quickly found the second group, nine pigs of similar size.

The terrain was not steep, but it was slippery. When people slipped, pigs did too. Only the dog moved nimbly, running proficiently in Stella's direction.

All nine pigs were captured again. Stella, now with twenty-one pigs, carried a proud breeze as she walked.

The third and fourth groups were found one after another, and many solitary pigs were also killed. There were altogether sixty-eight pigs, capable of producing over ten thousand pounds of pork.

She searched Griffith Mountain twice, but no more pigs could be found. It was now evening, so Stella descended the mountain with Cooper. As they walked. Cooper suddenly darted out like an arrow and quickly disappeared into the forest.

Worried for its safety, Stella quickly followed in pursuit. By the time she arrived, Cooper was digging the soil vigorously with its claws. "Woof!" Its bark was fierce, and its eyes were filled with a murderous aura.