novelraw Chapter 138: A Major Reversal
Chapter 138: A Major Reversal
That night, a nearby building suddenly collapsed. Its foundation had been corroded, leaving everything below the first floor completely hollow. The hundred or so people living inside all perished overnight. Not a single person was saved.
The residents of the high-rises were terrified and began to move to lower ground. Evelyn Ford decided to relocate to the villa complex. After she told Officer Graham and the others, everyone agreed. Chase Underwood and Serena Lynch also decided to move with them.
There were plenty of houses in the villa complex, but by the time they arrived, most were already occupied. Officer Graham found an empty villa at the far edge. All its doors and windows were missing, but its location on the periphery was actually a plus—it was both quiet and secure.
There were nine of them but only four rooms. Officer Graham and Wendy took one room, Chase Underwood and Serena Lynch took another, and Roy Henderson and Owen Chapman shared a third. As for the last room, Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick shared it. As usual, Evelyn slept on the bed while Ronan Kendrick slept on the floor. That left Quincy to squeeze in with Roy and Owen.
Officer Graham took Quincy and the others to scavenge for suitable doors and windows from the various buildings in the base. Meanwhile, Evelyn Ford, Ronan Kendrick, Chase Underwood, and Serena Lynch went to the Undercity to dig up soil, planning to plant a vegetable garden at the villa.
Once the doors and windows were installed, they would still need to find firewood.
A week later, two-thirds of the base’s survivors had left. Those who remained were still fighting over soil and firewood.
Officer Graham had considered leaving, but Evelyn Ford’s sixth sense told her it wasn’t the right time. As long as she stayed, the others naturally wouldn’t go either.
That evening, Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick went to the administration building again. They had only intended to find some wooden planks for firewood, but on the top floor, they stumbled upon a shocking scene.
Three middle-aged men, trussed up like chickens, had been thrown into an office on the top floor. The moment Evelyn saw the door was locked, she knew something was amiss. Before entering, she double-checked the plaque on the door. It read "Taylor Vance."
The three men were on the verge of death. By the time Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick arrived, one of them was already fading fast.
Their mouths were sealed with black electrical tape, and the hemp ropes binding them were tied in dead knots.
Evelyn walked over and ripped the tape off one of the men’s mouths. The man gasped for air, his eyes pleading with her.
"Please, you have to save Mayor Vance and Secretary Hawthorne! I’m Zion Lowell, from the base’s management. The Holloway and Hooper families joined forces to set us up. We had a traitor in our ranks. The Hoopers and Holloways took all the supplies, and... and our people... they killed them all."
Evelyn glanced at Ronan Kendrick, then untied the ropes binding the three men. Director Lowell’s limbs were chafed raw and blistered. He was filthy; after days without food or drink, his clothes were covered in grime. Evelyn frowned as she looked at him.
"You said the Holloway and Hooper families joined forces and took everything. So why didn’t they kill you? Why leave you here instead?"
A vicious glint flashed in Director Lowell’s eyes. "They kidnapped Professor Rhodes. Donovan Hooper coerced the professor’s son into killing us, but he couldn’t go through with it. In the end, he just locked us in here and left us for dead."
Donovan Hooper is the patriarch of the Hooper Family. Just mentioning the name made Director Lowell’s hands tremble.
"What’s the situation outside?" he asked.
"Everyone thinks the officials took the supplies and fled. At first, people were furious and heartbroken. Many chose to commit suicide, while others followed the tire tracks leading away from the base. After a few days, two-thirds of the survivors were gone. Now, only the old, weak, sick, and disabled who couldn’t leave are left."
When Evelyn finished, Director Lowell’s eyes turned red.
Mayor Vance and Secretary Hawthorne were still unconscious. Evelyn took a cup from her pocket containing a medicinal brew she had prepared. After she had them drink it, Evelyn and Ronan Kendrick prepared to leave, but Director Lowell stopped them.
"Young lady, since you’ve started, you might as well see it through to the end. If you save our lives, I can give you something in return."
Evelyn eyed him skeptically. "Didn’t you say they took everything?"
"A cunning rabbit has three burrows. We wouldn’t have survived to our age if we didn’t have a few backup plans."
Evelyn appreciated his attitude. He wasn’t being condescending; in fact, he was being rather frank.
"What do you have to offer?"
"Everything except medicine."
Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "Do you have planes and trucks?"
Director Lowell clutched his chest, coughing, then shook his head with difficulty. "No. I just have some water and a bit of food."
Evelyn snapped her fingers. "Fine. We’ll save you. But if you dare go back on your word, I won’t be so courteous."
Evelyn took out a knife and began toying with it in her hand. Director Lowell gave a wry smile and nodded.
"I won’t break my promise. As long as you save those two, the supplies are yours."
Evelyn glanced at Ronan Kendrick, who immediately understood. He hoisted one man under each arm, while Evelyn supported the remaining Director Lowell as they left the administration building.
’Even leaders need bargaining chips to save their own lives.’
Evelyn and Ronan Kendrick brought the three men back to the villa and laid them out in the living room. Evelyn went to her room to get some herbs she had gathered from Stag’s Leap Mountain. Once Officer Graham and Quincy heard the full story, they began to treat the men’s wounds and change their clothes.
The three had been beaten before being tied up, and they all had other serious injuries.
Evelyn glanced at them, impressed by their resilience. ’Men in their forties and fifties, yet they stubbornly clung to life after so many days without food or water.’
"You’re really the base leaders? You really didn’t abandon everyone and run off?"
Quincy asked again for confirmation. Enduring the intense pain, Director Lowell explained the situation to him one more time.
Quincy was so furious he could have exploded. "Just what you’d expect from the great families. Treacherous, cunning, and utterly inhuman."
Director Lowell gave a bitter smile. At least Taylor Vance and Secretary Hawthorne were still alive.
Evelyn administered the medicine and treated their wounds. The two men woke up briefly before passing out again.
Chase Underwood and Serena Lynch, who had taken on the task of gathering firewood since joining the group, were incredibly diligent, constantly bustling in and out.
At six in the morning, Director Lowell finally succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep. Shortly after, Taylor Vance woke up.
’I never thought I’d get a chance to interact with such high-level leaders,’ Evelyn mused. ’Let alone witness them in such a pathetic state.’
"How many days has it been since the acid rain ended?"
"Nine days."
Taylor Vance nodded. "Looks like there’s no catching them now."
Evelyn cleared her throat. "Since you’re awake, I should let you know that Director Lowell made a deal with me. We save you, and we get water and food in return. You’re the top leader here. You’re not going to go back on his word, are you?"
Taylor Vance shook his head. "We won’t. Thank you. I never expected to be rescued alive... I’d already given up hope. And young lady, please don’t call me a leader. Right now, I’m nothing."
Evelyn just smiled and said nothing more.
Since there were no more rooms in the villa and the surrounding houses were all occupied by other survivors, Director Lowell and the two other men had to continue sleeping on the floor in the living room.
Three days later, the three men’s injuries had improved enough for them to walk around.
"Director Lowell, where are the supplies you mentioned?"
Director Lowell had grown familiar with Evelyn by now. Seeing her so bluntly demand the supplies, he couldn’t help but let out an exasperated laugh.
"I haven’t forgotten. I’ll take you to get them tonight."