Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse

Watching his practiced yet rough movements, Evelyn Ford almost laughed.

"What are we eating tonight?"

"Braised spare ribs, red-braised pork, and some steamed greens. How does that sound?"

Ronan Kendrick nodded. "That sounds perfect."

Evelyn Ford was already familiar with the staff in the surgical department. There was Dr. Jasper Miller, forty-five, who had once been an intern under her father. The other two doctors, Finn Wyatt, thirty-seven, and Scott Lawrence, thirty-eight, were both from Marris. The nurse was Danielle Reid, twenty-five.

There were a lot of patients again today. In the afternoon, they brought in a middle-aged man whose left forearm had been bitten off by a wolf.

A man who bore a strong resemblance to him was crying beside the bed. "Doctor, please save my brother! Nothing can happen to him! His wife is gone, and his daughter is only seven years old." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Dr. Miller called Evelyn Ford over to help treat the patient’s wound. The severed forearm was gone, so all they could do was debride the wound and bandage it.

"Step back. Don’t crowd us."

The man was too distraught to listen, his entire body trembling. Meanwhile, the man on the gurney had already lost consciousness.

Evelyn Ford took a pair of scissors, cut away his clothing, and began to clean the wound.

The forearm had been brutally torn off by the wolf, and shredded flesh still clung to the stump.

Evelyn Ford’s expression remained unchanged as she worked. Seeing she could handle it on her own, Dr. Miller went to attend to other patients.

"Doctor, please save him! It’s all my fault. He wouldn’t have been bitten if he wasn’t trying to save me. What am I going to do? How can I face Sunny? Brother, please, wake up."

As he cried out, he lunged forward to grab the injured man, but Evelyn Ford sent him flying with a swift kick.

"Shut up! If it’s all your fault, then stop crying and start taking some responsibility!"

The man, stunned by the kick, clutched his chest and froze. The others stared at Evelyn Ford in horror. A flicker of amusement crossed Dr. Miller’s eyes; in that moment, he saw a reflection of his old mentor—Evelyn’s father—who had once scolded him with the same sternness.

The injured man’s name was York Quinn. He had once been an executive at a publicly traded company. When the apocalypse arrived, his family died one after another, leaving only him, his younger brother, and his daughter.

He’d been getting by at the base, using the points from the Hunting Squad to keep himself fed and warm. But he never expected that an accident today would cost him his arm.

The first thing he did upon waking was ask Evelyn Ford if his brother was alright. When he saw his missing arm, he secretly wiped away tears, terrified he would no longer be able to provide for his daughter.

There were countless others just like him who had lost their homes and loved ones. And as they fought desperately to survive, fate showed no pity for their suffering. Instead, it only seemed to grind them down further.

The terrifying thing about a natural disaster is that you can never fight it.

After her shift ended, the mournful cries from the clinic, the desperate eyes, and the exhausted faces still lingered in Evelyn Ford’s mind.

Dr. Miller informed her that the medical department worked a six-day week, so she could take the next day off if she wanted. Evelyn Ford declined.

By the time she got back to the apartment building, Evelyn Ford had already managed to reset her mood. ’Don’t bring work home with you.’ That was a lesson her parents had taught her as a child.

She opened the door to find Ronan Kendrick was already back. She immediately sensed something was off.

’Did he not catch any prey?’

’Or was he bullied and ostracized by his squad mates?’

"What’s wrong? Why the long face?"

Ronan Kendrick looked up at her, seeming to hesitate.

"If you have something to say, spit it out," Evelyn Ford said, losing patience. "Don’t just hem and haw."

"A woman came by earlier with two men. She told me to hand over the two little ones. I threw them all downstairs."

Evelyn Ford...

"Ahem... you threw them downstairs? Are they... still alive?"

Ronan Kendrick shook his head, and Evelyn Ford’s heart leaped into her throat.

"I don’t know. But no one saw me do it."

"I didn’t see anyone downstairs when I got back. Where did you toss them?"

Ronan Kendrick pointed to the window. Evelyn Ford opened it and looked down. Three figures lay in an indentation in a large snowdrift below, their condition unknown.

"If no one finds them by tonight, I’ll go down, put them in my dimensional space, and then dump them somewhere else. I’m guessing they’re already dead anyway."

Ronan Kendrick looked completely unconcerned. "Good enough."

"Don’t be so reckless! There are cameras around here. Besides, you can’t just kill people in broad daylight! Have you lost your mind? But I recognize that woman. Back in Silver River, she tried to steal Mina. I can’t believe she’s still at it. She actually tracked down where we live. Those two men looked like bodyguards... but she couldn’t possibly afford bodyguards on her own."

Ronan Kendrick looked at her, his gaze dark. "They said they were following orders from a Miss Holloway. I’ll kill her. Don’t worry."

Evelyn Ford’s head began to throb. "Did you say Miss Holloway?"

"Yes."

"I thought this Miss Holloway was only interested in kidnapping men. Why is she going after animals now? The woman’s insane."

Evelyn Ford glanced at the time. She had to get dinner started; Officer Graham and the others would be here soon.

"Don’t do anything rash. I’m guessing this Miss Holloway is the ’princess’ of the Holloway Family. Their home is probably a fortress. Going after her would be suicide."

Ronan Kendrick started to argue, but fell silent when Evelyn Ford shot him a glare.

"Okay, let’s get cooking. Officer Graham and the others will be here soon. I’ll get the ingredients out, you go wash the vegetables."

Ronan Kendrick put Mina down and obediently went to fetch water and wash the vegetables. Just as Evelyn Ford got the rice steaming and the ribs simmering, Quincy arrived with Officer Graham and the others.

She hadn’t seen them in months, and everyone had changed. Officer Graham looked much older. Wendy’s hair had grown out. Roy Henderson and Owen Chapman had both shot up in height and were turning into fine young men.

"Miss Ford, I missed you so much."

Roy Henderson and Owen Chapman rushed forward to hug Evelyn Ford, and Wendy ran over to cling to her leg.

"Alright, alright, I missed you all too. No crying now."

"Wendy, did you miss me?"

"Yes." Evelyn Ford was stunned to hear Wendy speak.

"Wendy suddenly started talking after the earthquake," Officer Graham explained from the side. "After you disappeared, she cried all the time, insisting she had to find you."

Officer Graham’s eyes were also red-rimmed. Looking at them, Evelyn Ford knew they must have endured immense hardship to make it to the base.

Quincy was wiping away tears behind them. Evelyn Ford noticed they had even brought her gifts; Wendy presented her with a hair ribbon tied in a bow.

Her eyes stung with unshed tears, and she quickly ushered everyone to sit down.

"Let me introduce you all. This is Ronan Kendrick. Ronan, these are my friends: Mr. Graham and his daughter, Wendy; Roy Henderson; Owen Chapman; and Quincy, who’s like a brother to me."

"Hello."

"Hello, hello! Just call me Mr. Graham. Since you’re Ford’s boyfriend, we’re all family now. Wendy, say hello to your brother-in-law."

Evelyn Ford nearly choked on her water. ’How is this getting more and more absurd?’

"No, Wendy, just call him Ronan. Roy, Owen, you too. He’s also on the Hunting Squad, so you all should get to know him."