Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse-Chapter 69: Leaving 4

The temperature dropped to twenty-eight degrees, and the air grew humid. At midnight, the convoy came to a halt. The burly man who served as the messenger appeared again, this time announcing a five-hour rest. They were to be on the road again at five in the morning sharp.

Evelyn Ford quietly slipped away from the group. This was the border between Corinth and another city, flanked by high mountains that offered good cover. She ducked into the mountains, intending to find a cave to change her undergarments and wash up.

She wouldn’t wash her face, neck, or hair. The dirtier, the better.

Many of the trees in the mountains had withered and died from the scorching sun. Wearing night-vision goggles, Evelyn moved silently through the grove of dead trees. She found a cave in a mountain hollow, checked it with a flashlight, and only when she was sure no animals were hiding inside did she enter.

She took a basin of water from her space, quickly washed her body, and changed into clean underclothes. Evelyn had no time to admire the rare full moon. She put the basin back in her space and immediately left the cave.

On her way back, to avoid any unnecessary trouble, she dug up half a bag of wild vegetables and even caught a gray rabbit. But just as she was about to head down the mountain, she heard some... indescribable sounds coming from a small grove nearby.

’They’re about to starve to death and they still haven’t forgotten to fool around.’ Evelyn plugged her ears and hurried away.

"What took you so long?"

"What’s wrong?"

"A few people just went up to the front to beg for food. A dispute broke out, and the ones begging were beaten to death."

"Looks like that group at the front isn’t to be trifled with, killing so brazenly."

Quincy nodded. "They might really be relatives of some powerful figure at Wyrmrest Base."

Evelyn Ford smiled but didn’t continue the conversation. She revealed the rabbit from beneath the wild vegetables, and the others were astonished.

"You actually went and caught a rabbit!"

"I got lucky and ran into it. I see a lot of people have started fires to cook. Let’s get out and make something to eat too."

After getting out of the car, they built a small earthen pit next to the vehicle. Roy Henderson and Owen Chapman went to gather firewood while Evelyn Ford skinned the rabbit and skewered it on a branch.

Nearby, quite a few people were also roasting giant rats, and others were rinsing rice to cook congee. Evelyn’s group blended in among them, drawing no attention.

"Friend, can we trade with you? We’ll give you three bowls of congee for half a rabbit."

Officer Graham stood up to negotiate. When he saw the white rice congee in the other party’s pot, he was tempted.

"Five bowls."

The bowls were of average size, just regular small porcelain bowls for meals. The other party’s iron pot was filled to the brim with congee. Though a bit thin, it at least had rice grains and broth.

The man hesitated for a moment. Then he watched as Evelyn Ford took a plastic bag from her pack, pulled out a half-full packet of chili powder, and sprinkled some on the rabbit meat. He couldn’t help but swallow.

"Deal."

After the man left, Officer Graham squatted down and looked at Evelyn Ford apologetically.

"Sorry, I acted on my own without discussing it with you."

"We’re a team now. Anyone can make decisions. No need to worry about things like that. Besides, even if you hadn’t agreed, I would have. It was a good deal."

"Evelyn’s right," Quincy added. "We’re a team. The most important thing is to help and support each other until we reach the base, not to squabble over every little thing within our group. All right, tomorrow I’ll try my best to catch a rabbit, too. I’ll do my best so you all can eat the fruits of my labor."

Officer Graham worked the hardest in the group, but he also felt the most insecure. Because he had a three-year-old child with him, the others often had to help him watch Wendy. So as not to drag the group down and to show his gratitude, he was always the one who put in the most effort.

After the rabbit was roasted, Officer Graham took their half over to make the trade. He came back with five bowls of congee and gave half of his own bowl to Wendy.

Evelyn Ford glanced at it. There was a layer of rice grains at the bottom of the bowl, and a little white sugar had been sprinkled in. The flavor was faint, but you could taste the sweetness.

"My dream is simple now," Quincy said. "Just to be able to eat my fill every day, sleep well, and not have to live in fear."

Evelyn Ford glanced at Quincy. "That’s not a simple dream."

"Yeah, just eating your fill is hard enough. But the temperature has dropped so much now... Do you guys think the disaster is over?"

Evelyn Ford looked up at the big, bright moon, an inexplicable unease settling in her heart. She had a feeling this was the calm before the storm.

Back in the car, everyone prepared to get some rest, but Evelyn Ford couldn’t fall asleep. She kept a mental count of how many people were walking back and forth past their vehicle.

The spare tires had been moved from the back and tied to the roof to prevent anyone from deliberately puncturing them. At four in the morning, someone quietly approached the rear of the vehicle. Evelyn Ford and Officer Graham’s eyes snapped open at the same time. The instant the intruders were about to make a move, the two of them threw open the car doors, clapped their hands over their mouths, and swiftly knocked them unconscious.

"They were after the gas and tires," Officer Graham said, looking at the two men on the ground.

"You go back. I’ll handle this."

Evelyn Ford nodded. As soon as she got back in the car, Quincy and the others woke up. Evelyn briefly explained what had just happened. Two minutes later, Officer Graham returned.

"I threw them in a ditch. They’re still alive. I cut off two of their fingers."

"Looks like we’ve been targeted," Officer Graham said coldly, wiping the blood from his dagger.

At five o’clock sharp, the convoy set off. The morning’s journey was relatively smooth, with no roadblocks. It wasn’t until four in the afternoon that the convoy stopped in a small town. Seeing the collapsed buildings and cracked roads, each vehicle sent out two people to clear the way as per the usual rule, while the others entered the nearby standing houses to start scavenging.

"How much longer until we reach the base? We’ve been traveling for three days already. Didn’t they say it was only about thirty kilometers? Why are we taking such a long detour?"

Inside an RV, a young man was complaining while the others could only try to soothe him in low, hushed tones.

"Why didn’t the old man send a plane to pick me up? He just had to make me go by car. It’s exhausting. And I have to travel with all these dirty, smelly refugees."

"That woman over there. Bring her here, let me have a look."

A young girl next to Evelyn Ford was dragged away. Two large men hauled her in front of the RV, tossed her a towel, and told her to wipe her face clean. The girl was trembling with fear but didn’t dare to resist, so she could only carefully wipe her face.

"Tsk, not bad looking. Clean her up and bring her on board."

A lazy voice drifted out from the vehicle. No one dared to look over, and everyone lowered their heads and continued with their work.

—

Clearing the roadblock and filling in the road took a full three hours. By the time the convoy set off again, it was already seven in the evening.

In the car, Evelyn Ford used a needle to pierce the blisters on her palm, squeezing out the pus before tearing off the dead skin.

"Didn’t they say this road was fine? Why are we clearing roadblocks every day?"

"This road just needs roadblocks cleared. The other routes were all washed out by the floods."

"Evelyn, let me borrow the needle."

Evelyn Ford passed the needle to Quincy. When she saw the dense cluster of blisters covering his palm, her own scalp prickled.