Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse-Chapter 21: Rainstorm, Toxic Moths 17

The night felt especially long. Evelyn Ford gave Officer Graham some basic stitches and first aid, but whether he would survive now depended on his own willpower.

The sounds of crying from Buildings D, B, and E never ceased throughout the night. At nine o’clock, Evelyn Ford carried her medical kit to Lauren Keller’s apartment. Lauren’s grandparents were preparing the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Keller. Evelyn stitched the wound on Lauren’s back, then returned home.

Back in her own apartment, Evelyn slid to the floor, her hands trembling uncontrollably. After a long while, she stood up, stripped off her protective suit, and revealed a pair of bloodshot eyes.

After a long-overdue hot bath, Evelyn ate a meal and lay down to sleep. She had thought she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep, but to her surprise, she slept soundly until eight in the evening.

She had just gotten up and washed her face when she heard Mrs. Graham calling for her from outside the door.

"Ford, Chester... he’s not doing well. Please, you have to come take a look. I’m begging you."

"Don’t panic. I’ll go get my medical kit. You head back upstairs first."

After grabbing her medical kit, Evelyn hurried to the twelfth floor. Officer Graham’s condition was critical. His injuries were too severe, and he was running a fever from an infection. Evelyn cleaned and redressed his wounds. Looking at his innocent, unknowing daughter, Evelyn felt a knot in her chest. ’How is such a small child supposed to survive without her father to protect her?’

"I have some herbal medicine at home. Brew it and make him drink it."

Mrs. Graham looked pleasantly surprised. "Ford, that’s wonderful! But if we take it, will you have any left for yourself? We can’t take something you need to survive."

Evelyn nodded. "He’s in critical condition. Keep a close eye on him. If anything changes, ring this bell on your balcony." Evelyn had spotted a small toy bell in their apartment. It would be easier than having Mrs. Graham run back and forth.

Mrs. Graham thanked her profusely again. Just as Evelyn was turning to leave, Mrs. Graham emerged from a room with a box and handed it to her. Evelyn opened it to find a surprisingly heavy, small golden pig.

"Like you said, it has to be a give and take. Ford, this isn’t worth much anymore, but you saved Chester’s life. Our family doesn’t know how we can ever repay you."

Evelyn took the box, then pulled a lollipop from her pocket and handed it to Wendy.

"He’ll get better."

The bodies of the neighbors who had died were also moved into Apartment 601. It seemed that from that day on, the number of poison moths began to decrease. So did the number of people.

Lauren Keller’s grandmother couldn’t bear the shock and passed away the next day. Now, her family consisted only of her and her grandfather, who had Alzheimer’s. On the third day, Officer Graham finally pulled through and regained consciousness.

Arguments continued to erupt from the Collins family’s apartment next door every day. On the fourth day, the torrential rain suddenly stopped. The people in the complex began venturing out to search for supplies. Lauren Keller and Evelyn Ford teamed up, heading for the food factory on Crestview Road.

Lauren Keller had grown quiet and withdrawn, but she now carried herself with a new, tenacious strength.

There were many people out searching for supplies. Assault boats frequently collided, and everyone’s tempers grew shorter and shorter. The slightest friction could lead to people drawing weapons on one another.

The floodwater was unbelievably foul. Anyone who fell in and was pulled out would vomit for a long time afterward.

There were also collapsed, hazardous buildings and rebar submerged in the water, which could disembowel someone with a single careless move.

As they passed a hotel, they saw people brawling over blankets. Elsewhere, someone whose assault boat had been stolen stood screaming curses.

"This is insane, Evelyn. The whole world has gone insane," Lauren Keller watched it all with cold eyes, muttering to herself.

The two of them had come out in a single assault boat. Lauren piloted it from the front while Evelyn sat in the back, armed with a crossbow and a knife. Some had tried to seize their boat, but after witnessing Evelyn’s ruthlessness, no one else dared to get close.

It was uncertain if any supplies were even left at the food factory. When Evelyn and Lauren arrived, they didn’t see anyone around. Lauren was worried their boat would be stolen, so they agreed on a plan: Evelyn would go in first to scout. If she found any food, she’d bring it out in batches while Lauren stood guard outside.

Carrying a waterproof bag, Evelyn climbed through a glass window. It was a cannery. Since canned goods were sealed, the poison moths couldn’t have gotten to them.

The production floor and warehouse below were completely flooded. Luckily, factory ceilings were higher than residential ones, so the water only reached the third floor. Once inside, Evelyn put on a high-intensity headlamp and began to search. It was clear someone had already been there; the place was a mess. However, she found several dozen boxes of canned meat hidden under a tarp in a corner.

Evelyn put thirty boxes away, then carried the remaining six outside. Firstly, their assault boat was too small to hold much. Secondly, having too many supplies would make them a target. It was always best to avoid trouble when possible.

Lauren hadn’t expected to find so many cans, and a rare smile touched her stoic face. Evelyn wanted to go back inside for another look, so she left the crossbow with Lauren.

It wasn’t safe to linger. She did a quick sweep of the upper floors. In addition to ten more boxes of cans, she found two cases of water hidden in an office. A drawer yielded a bag of crackers, two instant noodle cups, and a pack of spicy strips. Evelyn left one box of cans where she’d found the others and put the rest away.

"Water?" Lauren’s eyes went wide.

Evelyn passed the water out, then jumped down from the windowsill and back onto the assault boat.

"Yeah. One case for each of us. And these snacks, we’ll split them half and half."

Lauren shook her head. "I’ll take a case of water, but you should take an extra box of cans. You did more of the work. The snacks are yours."

Evelyn took back the crossbow and gave her an amused look. "Come on, don’t be like that. Staying alive is what matters."

Lauren turned away to wipe at her eyes. Evelyn pretended she didn’t notice, securing their haul and camouflaging it with some torn curtain fabric. For the return trip, Lauren piloted again while Evelyn kept watch from the back.

Just as they were leaving the factory complex, they encountered a group of men. The men eyed Evelyn and Lauren and their boat, but after spotting the knife and crossbow in Evelyn’s hands, they kept their distance.

Evelyn’s gaze was cold as she clutched the crossbow, ready to fire at a moment’s notice. She didn’t relax her grip until they had put some distance between them.

"I thought they were going to try and rob us."

Lauren was anxious to get home, worried about her grandfather with Alzheimer’s, so Evelyn didn’t dally. They headed back as fast as they could. Though they encountered a few more problems along the way, they dealt with them without incident.

Back at Building D, Evelyn could hear Frances Yates wailing. The sight of Evelyn and Lauren returning with a full haul seemed to enrage her. She flew at them like a madwoman, but Evelyn, her face cold, sent her flying with a kick.

"Asking for it?"

"Who are you saying is asking for it, Evelyn Ford?! If you hadn’t provoked my mom, would she be acting like this?" Danielle Collins screamed at the top of her lungs. Evelyn was about to kick her as well, but Harvey Sullivan, the Collins’s son-in-law, hurriedly pulled his wife back.

"Ford, you’re back," Harvey said. "Don’t mind Danielle. Look... her brother went out for supplies and still isn’t back. They’re just worried sick. Seeing you come back... it made them emotional."

Harvey Sullivan’s eyes were fixed on the supplies Evelyn was carrying, his other hand gripping Danielle tightly.