18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 12

Stella felt her breath hitch, quickly grabbing a pair of binoculars to look closer.

At the same place, at the same time, two similarly shaped tornadoes with opposite rotation directions, spun like enormous blenders. Where they passed, trees were uprooted, buildings collapsed, and cars were thrown into the air like play toys. Even the torrential rain was sucked up into the vortex. The two tornadoes swiftly approached each other, their high-speed rotation like countless sharp saw teeth, grinding everything in their path.

"Ah!" Angela cried out, instinctively covering her mouth.

When the two tornadoes collided, they fought while merging, tearing and shattering a skyscraper, before swallowing it whole. In less than a minute, the thirty-story building had completely disappeared.

The combined tornado raged on, like a temperamental child throwing a tantrum, not caring about the consequences.

Stella was witnessing twin tornadoes for the first time in her life. Their destructive power was more than double that of a regular tornado, but thankfully, their lifespan was only half as long.

But even in these brief minutes, they could reduce a city to ruins.

Stella's eyes never blinked, staring at the spot where the skyscraper had disappeared. She wasn't sure if twin tornadoes had ever occurred before, but she was certain the skyscraper hadn't been destroyed, as she had ventured inside for supplies during the last icy weather. Unfortunately, it had already been looted clean by survivors, leaving nothing but a mess. But now, it had been utterly destroyed.

Starting over, Stella's confidence came from the supplies stored in Arcadia, as well as her accurate prediction of natural disasters, but now things had changed.

The tornado disappeared from sight, leaving even the usually optimistic Angela gasping for breath. Her cold hand tightly gripping Stella's, "Stella, is this still a hurricane?"

This world seemed so strange, as if there was no chance to return to the prosperity before the hurricane. The twin tornadoes not only consumed and destroyed the skyscraper, but the surrounding area which was a mix of commercial and residential buildings, the most populated area in the city. Did those people stand a chance of survival?

Lukas looked solemn, murmuring, "The name of this hurricane is really fitting. It feels like it's going to chop up this city."

Saying this, he held his girlfriend close, resting his head on her shoulder, "Don't be scared. We were lucky to avoid it. If we can't avoid it one day, it's not as terrifying as it seems. Maybe we'll be taken without even knowing."

Due to his upbringing, Lukas was a bit pessimistic, which was why he fell in love with Angela at first sight. Even when she was beaten black and blue in the ring, she would still be laughing when she got off. She was a sunflower, always warm and sunny. But now, she couldn't muster a smile, and Lukas felt a little sad.

This was not the first time they had witnessed a tornado in the past few days. Angela hugged her boyfriend, "If we're unlucky enough to encounter one, are you really willing to die?"

"Whether I'm willing or not doesn't matter. At least we'll die together."

Stella, who was stuffed with their sweet words fell silent. What did she do to deserve this! The natural disaster was already terrifying enough, and now she was being tortured by their public

display of affection.

Angela, who was a boxer, had muscles that were more solid than Lukas'. Not to mention her waist was thicker than his, even her thighs were more muscular. The image was too discordant, and Stella couldn't take it.

Just as she was about to remind them to take their affection home, she heard heart-wrenching screams from the opposite building.

Stella lived on the top floor and looked up to see a woman standing on the rooftop, holding a four or five-year-old child in one hand and another in her arms.

The woman, with messy hair, stood in the pouring rain shouting hysterically, "You bastard, I will never forgive you in my next life!"

The child was crying loudly, the rain hitting his face so hard he couldn't even open his eyes. He tried to pull his mother back, "Mommy, mommy I'm scared."

"She..." Angela was frightened by the scene, "Is she going to commit suicide? And with her children!"

She opened the escape window, stuck her head out and waved towards the other building, shouting, "Hey, don't give up, the hurricane will pass. You have two children, even if you don't want to live, they do. You can't be so selfish!" The storm was still blowing, and Angela's voice was carried away.

Many people who were hiding in their homes saw this scene in the building across, and they all started shouting towards the rooftop, hoping the woman would come to her senses.

Then the woman, ignoring all the shouts, jumped down with her children. Someone from the building ran up to the rooftop to save them, but it was a second too late. They watched helplessly as

the mother and her children fell.

A tall splash of water erupted.

The children struggled in the water, "Help, mommy... help..."

Lukas covered Angela's eyes, not allowing her to see the cruel scene any longer. The twin tornadoes had taken countless lives in an instant, but it was too far away to see clearly. The visual impact was far less than the scene in front of them.

Angela didn't understand. It was just a hurricane, and why couldn't they find the will to live? Even if the mother had enough of life, the children's lives had just begun. What right did she have to take that away?

The surface of the water returned to calm, and the hurricane roared once again. Lukas closed the escape window and led the stunned Angela back to the living room. All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

Stella was okay. She had seen worse in her previous life, and it only got more brutal towards the end. Not everyone could survive without a strong will.

"I know that woman." Lukas said. Despite his easy-going demeanor, he seemed more resilient than Angela, having seen the various facets of life in the orphanage, "Her husband had a mistress outside and had a child with her. He even took the family's savings to buy a house and car for the other woman."

Before the hurricane, a group of women had been discussing it downstairs, and he had overheard.

The woman jumped off the building with her children in despair. Apart from losing her husband and wealth, it was likely that the man hadn't even come back for the hurricane.

She’s a woman alone with two children. In addition to the natural disaster, there was also the ugliness of human nature. She probably saw no way out and couldn't bear to leave her children to suffer in the world, so she sought release in this way.

He looked blank, "Will this disaster ever end?"

It was like he was asking Stella, but also himself.

After witnessing two disasters in a row, Lukas and Angela were in the depths of despair and returned to their apartment next door. Stella closed the door, listened to some soothing music to adjust her mood, and took out a plate of beef and carrot stew, braised chicken, and salad. She found a light-hearted comedy to watch while enjoying her meal.

...

The hurricane continued, with a gloomy dawn.

Unsure of what Rosie was taught at home, she had been knocking on Stella's door almost every day recently, always punctually after lunch.

"Ma’am, can I see Snowy and Smoky?" she asked. Sporting a ponytail atop her head, she tilted her little head and beamed at Stella while offering her the egg in her hand.

The unsullied, sparkling smile of a child has the power to heal the worst of moods. Her dark, grape- like eyes shone like the brightest stars in the night sky.

Rosie had an affinity for rabbits, often squatting on the balcony to watch them. She even named the two pet rabbits.

The balcony was glass-enclosed, and the rabbit cage was lined with cardboard to maintain cleanliness. Stella brought one of the rabbits, Snowy, to the couch for her to play with. "Snowy is

pregnant, so you can't touch her belly."

Rosie's eyes sparkled. "Is she going to have babies?"

Upon receiving confirmation, she giggled while holding Snowy. "Can I keep a baby?"

Rabbits breed prolifically, and some litters can have over ten kits. Stella wasn't sure if she could afford to keep them all. "If your brother agrees, we can give you one."

Hearing that her brother's approval was needed, her little face darkened, and the disappointment was evident.

Judging by Rosie's clothes, the guy from 1801 seemed to take good care of her. She always had new clothes on rainy days, but she seemed a bit scared of him. Indeed, Jasper had sharp features and an aloof demeanor, which could be intimidating for a child.

Unintentionally, Stella saw a bruise on Rosie's arm, which startled her. There were not just bruises on her arm, but on her legs and waist too, even on her forehead. It was a shocking sight.

"Rosie, how did you get these bruises?" Stella asked.

"My brother hit me," Rosie replied, her head lowered as she continued to pet the rabbit.