18 Floors Above the Apocalypse



Stella felt a pang of regret for rushing off so quickly that day. If only she had taken a moment to check things out first.

Jasper chuckled at her thoughts, "You know, you can actually train to hold your breath underwater."

Most people can manage a minute or two underwater, but world record holders can last up to 22 minutes. It's amazing what humans can do when pushed to their limits.

You can also train for speed while free-diving, with the best reaching speeds of a hundred meters per minute. So, Iran's ability to stay underwater for long periods wasn't all that surprising.

Stella couldn't help but marvel at the world's wonders. The sea stretched endlessly, and the sky was painted with the fiery hues of a sunset.

Tired of being cooped up in the submarine, the trio and their dog decided to enjoy a meal in the open air. They had been living on bland box lunches, so they opted for a spicy hot pot instead.

They set up a folding table and chairs, placed a portable gas stove on top, and laid out plates of thinly sliced beef, lamb, meatballs, mushrooms, seaweed, winter melon, tofu skin, and an assortment of greens. The broth bubbled fiercely, its spicy aroma carried away by the sea breeze.

Jasper popped open a bottle of red wine, and the glasses clinked in the golden light. Rosie laughed, "To my favorite brother and sister-in-law, cheers!"

Cooper, who couldn't handle the spice or the wine, barked pitifully, pawing at the ground and turning away from his bowl of chicken breast and bones. He glanced longingly at the ocean, drool betraying his discontent.

Stella, feeling bad for him, gave him some freeze-dried treats. After the fiery meal, they felt refreshed, the gloom lifted, their spirits high. Indeed, there seemed to be nothing a good hot pot couldn't fix. Full and content, they submerged the submarine to wash up and sleep. They woke naturally to a calm and well-lit sea, predicting another day of serene weather. After Blue Blue finished scratching an itch and seeing Cooper eager for exercise, Stella decided to bring out the yacht.

Rosie took the opportunity to sun the flowers, while Cooper dashed up and down the decks in a display of canine parkour.

Having learned their lesson, they kept a close watch for any rapid changes in the weather, which could be as quick as flipping a page in a book. Around noon, a breeze picked up, but it wasn't severe. The pair went down for a nap, and Stella told Jasper to take over in two hours.novelbin

After he left, she indulged in a luxurious face mask, lounging in a beach chair and scanning the sea with her binoculars.

Just as she washed her face and was about to apply her skincare, a foul stench hit her. She sniffed, thinking it smelled like rotten fish. Could it be that they hadn't properly cleaned up after the flying fish last time? Impossible, Jasper was meticulous about cleanliness.

She grabbed her binoculars and scanned the area with heightened alertness. There was a boat! Upwind, a small vessel appeared, drifting slowly with the wind. The stench was undoubtedly coming from that direction.

Stella studied the boat, a sense of familiarity creeping in. A few more looks, and she recognized it - wasn't that a Thai fishing boat? Damn it, a ghost ship? They were more than a hundred nautical miles away, and yet it had drifted here on the current.

The thought of the corpses on the fishing boat and the ongoing stench nearly made her hurl. With the wind blowing their way, the smell was fast approaching.

Cooper's sensitive nose picked up the scent, and he barked twice before rushing out. Jasper and Rosie, hearing the commotion, quickly followed suit. Reaching the deck, they saw Stella standing firmly, her gaze locked on the distant object. Stella handed Jasper the binoculars, "Take a look.”

He saw the fishing boat, but there seemed to be a mass of dark, heaving things gathering around it. A dark current? No, the winds weren't strong enough to spread such a thing so quickly. It was moving too fast, catching up with the fishing boat, swarming around it, and climbing up its sides in a frenzied rush.

They were black, beetle-sized creatures swarming so thickly they looked like a dark tide, making even Jasper, who had no fear of insects, shudder. Lowering the binoculars, he wanted to tell Stella they needed to flee, but Rosie's scream cut through the air, "Ah, bugs, there are bugs!"

They turned to see that while they were fixated on the distant boat, a dark mass of insects had climbed aboard from the opposite side. They were swarming up the yacht at an alarming pace, so many that their movement created a rustling sound.

With their uniformly black shells and eerie green eyes, their sheer numbers were enough to invoke terror. The creatures seemed to have a sharp sense of smell, and once on deck, they made a beeline for the group and the dog.

Stella's mind was buzzing, instinctively wanting to lead her family to safety inside Arcadia, and she had already grabbed Jasper's hand when she realized her mistake. If they brought the bugs inside with them, the whole vessel would be infested.

What were these monsters? Stella wasn't sure, but their eagerness for the fishing boat meant they were carnivorous. Leaving the luxurious yacht would be like amputating a limb to survive. She had a ship, sure, but she and Jasper couldn't pilot it, and the submarine couldn't navigate shallow waters, so the yacht was essential.

The life raft! Thankfully, Stella had been foresighted enough to place the life raft on deck when they brought out the yacht, just in case.

Jasper acted quickly, flinging open the life raft's door and shoving Cooper and Rosie inside. But the swarm of thousands of black bugs was closing in impossibly fast, only meters away.

Just as they seemed about to pounce, Stella grabbed a bag of lime powder from Arcadia and threw it at them. After frantically tossing half a bag, the insects paused as if hitting a stop button and even began to retreat.

Stella breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness her stockpile of miscellaneous supplies had come in handy. But before she could fully exhale, the bugs surged forward again. Stella gaped in disbelief - the lime powder was ineffective?

When one tactic failed, she tried another. After all, she had plenty of supplies. Chili powder, she spread it with all her might, emptying half a bag. Thankfully, the many chili peppers grown over the years had been ground into powder.

Indeed, the choking chili powder repelled the bugs once more. They were deterred but not entirely discouraged.

"Stella!" Jasper shouted, "Get in here!" There was no time. The bugs swarmed from all directions, and Stella had only two hands to throw the chili powder. Even a moment's distraction allowed the insects to close in on her.

What kind of freak of nature is this thing? Not even a good dose of lime powder or chili powder fazes it. Totally bonkers!

The swarm of dark critters was closing in, almost reaching the tips of Stella's boots, when Jasper burst out of the escape pod, yelling, "Tear gas!" Tear gas? She didn't have any stashed away!