Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse-Chapter 45: High Temperature, Snake Infestation 9

Chapter 45: Chapter 45: High Temperature, Snake Infestation 9

"I’ll talk, I’ll talk! There are only eight of us. The people we captured... there are three women and two kids. They’re all locked up in Building E, apartment 1102. I’ve told you everything, can you just let me go?"

The dagger sliced across his neck, and the man collapsed instantly.

Officer Graham wiped the blood from the blade, dragged the man outside, and threw him into a patch of mud.

"What are you thinking, Mr. Graham?" Evelyn Ford asked, looking at him.

"Eradicate them, root and stem."

Evelyn Ford looked toward Building E and nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

The two of them arrived at Building E and found that the snake carcasses here hadn’t been cleared away. They struggled up to the eleventh floor. Evelyn Ford looked at the number plate for 1102 and raised a hand to knock on the door.

From inside came the sound of cursing, along with a woman’s suppressed sobs and pleas for mercy. The two exchanged a look. Evelyn Ford made a throat-slitting gesture, and Officer Graham nodded.

The instant the door opened, the Crossbow Arrow in Evelyn Ford’s hand shot out, piercing his throat. The short, stout middle-aged man fell back rigidly, blood gushing from the wound. A brief "GURGLE GURGLE GURGLE" escaped his lips, and with his eyes wide open, he was dead.

Evelyn Ford pulled out the Crossbow Arrow. Officer Graham took the lead, and they entered the apartment. A shirtless man lying on the sofa had just sat up at the sound when Officer Graham slit his throat. Evelyn Ford scanned the room. Two women were in the living room, their hands and feet bound. Their clothes barely covered their bodies. Their eyes were numb, and they were covered in injuries. Next to them was a dog cage. Inside, two children whose age and gender were impossible to tell were tied up. Seeing the Crossbow Arrow in Evelyn’s hand, the two of them shrank back in terror.

From the bedroom came a man’s lewd laughter and a woman’s faint cries. Officer Graham strode over and kicked the door open. He sent the man flying with a kick, and before the man could even react, his knife was already plunged into his chest.

The floor was covered in trash—all sorts of drink bottles and plastic wrappers. On the balcony was a plastic bucket, and getting close revealed the pungent stench of urine. Evelyn Ford took out her combat knife and walked toward the dog cage. The two children inside were frozen with fear.

"I’m not going to kill you."

With a swift motion of her knife, the lock chain snapped with a CLICK. She pulled the two of them out, cut the hemp ropes on their bodies, and tore the black tape from their mouths. Then, Evelyn Ford walked over to the two women.

They were only now starting to show some reaction, staring blankly at Evelyn Ford. Evelyn looked at their wrists and ankles. The ropes had cut deep into their flesh, the wounds festering and swollen. It was a ghastly sight.

Evelyn Ford said nothing. After cutting their ropes, she forcefully tore down the tattered curtains and covered their bodies with the fabric.

Officer Graham confirmed that all three men were dead, then walked over to Evelyn Ford and gave her a slight nod. He threw the three bodies out the window, and the smell of blood and filth in the room lessened somewhat.

Having dealt with the group, the two planned to head back. Wendy was home alone, and Officer Graham was very worried.

"Can we go with you?"

The woman Officer Graham had saved looked at him hesitantly and asked in a low voice. It was less of an inquiry and more of a plea.

"They’re all dead. You’re safe now."

"You’re a police officer." The woman looked at Officer Graham’s right hand, her tone certain.

"Looking for the police is useless in this world. It’s every man for himself now."

"You have calluses from holding a gun. My husband was a police officer, too. I don’t know if you’ve ever met him." When she mentioned her husband, a flicker of light appeared in her lifeless eyes, but it quickly faded.

"What’s his name?"

"Jude Dunn."

Officer Graham looked at the woman, his expression complicated. "Jude Dunn was my colleague. After the torrential rains, I never saw him again."

The woman gave a stiff nod, then lowered her head, no longer looking at Officer Graham.

Officer Graham whispered, "I’m sorry," and turned to leave. He knew what his duty was now. It wasn’t to save others, but to remember the promise to his wife and protect his daughter with his life. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

After Evelyn Ford and Officer Graham left, a long silence fell over the room. The victims huddled in their own corners. Even though the physical ropes were gone, the ropes on their minds still held them fast.

Back home, the cool temperature inside the apartment allowed Evelyn Ford to finally relax.

As she wiped the blood from the arrowhead, her mind was filled with the image of that dog cage holding people.

That night, Evelyn Ford had another nightmare. She dreamt she was locked in a narrow cage, her limbs bound and a rope around her neck. She screamed for help. Then, several men covered in blood appeared before her. They walked up to her, looking her up and down.

"This two-legged sheep we caught is a good one. Let’s stew it later."

"No, it’s best when roasted."

"We have to steam it."

"It’s a two-legged *sheep*, so of course we should make it into Mutton Skewers! HAHAHAHA..."

Startled awake, Evelyn Ford touched her forehead. The searing heat told her she had a fever.

After taking some fever-reducing medicine, Evelyn Ford leaned back on the bed. Because of the high temperature, she had already put away the mattress and bedding, leaving only a pillow and a cooling mat. The air conditioner was still on, but her body alternated between hot and cold, and her vision was starting to blur.

’If I die just like this,’ Evelyn Ford thought, ’will there be an afterlife?’

Amused by her own thought, Evelyn Ford raised a hand and tapped her forehead.

"’Stop thinking such nonsense.’"

’Only by living is there a future. Darkness or light, you have to be alive to see which one it will be.’

By dawn, Evelyn Ford’s high fever had subsided a bit. She heard movement outside her door and opened it to find Officer Graham collecting the skeletal remains in the building.

"’They deserve a proper burial.’"

Evelyn Ford saw him carrying the remains out into the hallway. Wendy followed him closely, like a little puppy. Evelyn went back inside to put on a mask and gloves, then came out with a block of solid alcohol and a lighter.

Downstairs, all the skeletal remains were burning in a pile. The weather was hot, so Wendy and Evelyn Ford stood in the shadow of the corridor while Officer Graham watched the fire intently.

A few hours later, the fire died out. So many people, and in the end, all that was left was a pile of bone fragments and ash.

Officer Graham dug a pit downstairs, collected the ashes into a suitcase, and carefully placed it in the pit.

On her way back upstairs, Evelyn Ford passed the ninth floor. Seeing the door to 902, she pushed it open and went inside.

Standing in the room, Evelyn Ford felt her spirits sink. There were still some clean books in Lauren Keller’s room. Evelyn wiped them down and put them away.

A crumpled piece of paper fell from a crack in the bookshelf. Evelyn Ford bent down to pick it up. Seeing the messy handwriting on it, her gaze darkened.

Nana Doyle and her daughter had wanted to take over 902. Lauren Keller sensed they were about to make a move against her and hid in the bedroom, locking the door from the inside. She thought she had escaped disaster, but then the apartment filled with snakes. Knowing she couldn’t get away, Lauren Keller chose to end her own life after leaving this short suicide note.

[Evelyn Ford, if you find this letter, I’m happy you’re safe.]

[I should have listened to you and not been such a bleeding heart. It’s just a shame I don’t have the chance to correct my mistake.]

[Live on, my dear Evelyn.]