Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse

Chapter 150: Dense Fog, Ant Swarm 11

After she was done, Evelyn Ford went to find Officer Graham and relayed exactly what Miles Vaughn had said.

Officer Graham was left speechless for a moment, but he had no intention of pursuing the matter.

It hadn’t rained for a month straight, and the safe zone was suddenly facing a water shortage. Evelyn Ford gazed at the dark, gloomy sky, wondering what mischief the heavens were plotting now.

The chickens in the pen were clucking non-stop, their calls fraying everyone’s nerves. Evelyn Ford saw someone heading toward the villa where Taylor Vance and his two companions lived, likely to ask for help.

Fortunately, Taylor Vance was a man with foresight. Every time it rained, he had everyone collect as much rainwater as they could. After being filtered, the water could be stored for a long time in earthen jars.

Six months ago, the safe zone had set up a small kiln to fire some earthen jars, specifically for storing the filtered rainwater.

Evelyn Ford was playing Gomoku with Ronan Kendrick when Serena Lynch called for her from outside. When she stepped out, she saw Serena standing in the thick fog, carrying Annie on her back.

Annie was now a year and two months old and could already say a few words. Evelyn Ford gently pinched his little cheek.

"Evelyn, I just found a ton of yellow ants in my vegetable garden."

"Yellow ants?"

"Yeah, right at the base of the plants. They’ve chewed the roots right through."

"Let me come take a look."

The two of them went to Serena Lynch’s home, where Evelyn Ford saw a pile of uprooted vegetables by the door. Their roots had been chewed hollow, their leaves had withered and yellowed, and yellow ants were crawling all over the ground.

"Did they just show up today?"

"I’m not sure. I haven’t been out to the garden for the past couple of days. I only noticed when I came to pick some corn and saw that the stalks were chewed hollow at the base."

"We should be able to get rid of them. I’ll go mix up some solution for you to spray."

"Alright, thanks for your help."

On her way back, Evelyn Ford also saw dense swarms of black ants. They looked like they were moving, marching in a line out of a hole and disappearing into a crack at the base of the villa’s wall.

And this wasn’t an isolated incident. Over a stretch of a hundred meters, Evelyn Ford spotted four or five different columns of migrating ants.

’Normally, when ants move house, it means rain is coming.’

Back home, Evelyn Ford checked her own vegetable garden and, sure enough, discovered over ten yellow ant colonies.

Evelyn Ford pulled up all the herbs and vegetables in her garden, then grabbed some insecticide and started spraying. But even after using nearly half the bottle, the yellow ants were completely unaffected. She hurried back upstairs, grabbed some medicinal ingredients, and started making her own Poison Powder.

"What are you doing?" Ronan Kendrick heard the noise and came out of his room, looking puzzled as he watched Evelyn Ford sort through herbs.

"The vegetable garden is full of ant colonies. I tried insecticide, but it didn’t kill them, so I have to make my own Poison Powder. Also, there are tons of black ants moving house on the road outside."

Ronan Kendrick went downstairs, scooped up a shovelful of dirt, and stared at the yellow ants within it. After watching them for a few seconds, he went back outside.

"It’s probably going to be a downpour."

Evelyn Ford sighed. "I suspect the same thing. We need the water, but if a major storm hits, a lot of the more fragile houses could collapse in the flood."

Ronan Kendrick clearly wasn’t on the same page. "We need to slaughter the chickens in the pen, clear out the dirt floor on the first level, and lay down some stones or wooden planks. Otherwise, it’ll be a mud pit if it floods."

Evelyn Ford nodded. "Alright, but I have to finish this Poison Powder first and give some to Serena Lynch and the others. If we don’t wipe these things out, they could multiply and turn the whole safe zone into one giant anthill."

Evelyn Ford had a fear of dense clusters, and just the thought of that image made the hair on her arms stand on end.

Evelyn Ford mixed a large bucket of the Poison Powder. After putting on a mask and gloves, she started applying it to the garden. The powder was potent; within minutes of being sprinkled, all the yellow ants crawling in the soil were dead.

Evelyn Ford kept some for herself and took the rest to share with the others.

After giving portions to Serena Lynch, Quincy, and Officer Graham, Evelyn Ford brought the remainder to Taylor Vance’s group. She told them about the yellow ants and the migrating black ants.

"Ronan Kendrick and I think a major storm is coming. After you use the powder, you should probably warn everyone to start preparing."

Taylor Vance didn’t take the warning lightly. He rushed to the vegetable garden to see for himself. It was just as Evelyn Ford had said; the ground was teeming with yellow ants. They were tiny, only two millimeters long, making them difficult to spot without close inspection. His expression darkened as he looked at the chewed-off roots.

"Zion Lowell, distribute the rest of the Poison Powder. Mr. Hawthorne, go notify everyone. Tell them to get ready for a possible storm."

Evelyn Ford left after giving them the warning. When she got home, she started clearing the dirt floor on the first level and hauling in stones from outside to pave it.

Ronan Kendrick had already slaughtered all the chickens in the pen. The two of them worked through the night, getting everything in order. Evelyn Ford soaked the chicken feathers in water, then laid them out on the balcony to dry.

Others, conserving water, didn’t bother washing them. They just dried the feathers, collected the soft down, and stuffed it into the linings of their clothes for extra insulation.

When the survivors in the safe zone heard that a major storm might be coming, it felt like their world was about to end. Every disaster they had endured began with a torrential downpour. No one wanted to relive those days.

Now, being told another deluge was likely on its way, those who couldn’t take the blow simply broke down and wept.

Taylor Vance went to personally inspect everyone’s homes. Some structures looked like they might collapse and needed to be evacuated. But some people refused to move. After trying to persuade them at length, Taylor Vance could only shake his head and walk away.

Quincy and Officer Graham went out to dig up a few more cartloads of coal. When Taylor Vance said they didn’t have enough Poison Powder, Evelyn Ford made another half-bucket.

Meanwhile, the swarms of black ants outside were multiplying. They were on the walls, in the cracks, and in the pits etched by the acid rain—a dense, crawling mass that was everywhere.

Officer Graham and his group followed Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick’s lead and paved over their vegetable gardens. But no one had the heart to slaughter the chickens they had worked so hard to raise.

"ACHOO."

Evelyn Ford had just stepped out with her medical kit when the thick fog choked her, sending her into a sneezing fit. When she wiped her face, she felt not only damp mist but also a layer of fine dust.

In the distance, she could faintly hear the sounds of complaining and cursing. Such sounds had been a constant backdrop since the cataclysm began.

They had finally managed to have a few stable days—enough food to eat, a place to sleep—and now another disaster was looming. For everyone, it was not just a physical ordeal, but a form of psychological torture.

They lived in constant fear, day and night, terrified that disaster would strike at any second.

Evelyn Ford covered her mouth, suppressing a few coughs. The young girl leading the way glanced back at her, her eyes filled with apology.

"Dr. Ford, I’m sorry for the trouble."

Evelyn Ford shook her head. Though she was wearing a mask, she didn’t dare speak. It felt like the thick fog would pour into her mouth the moment she opened it.

Arriving at the mall, Evelyn Ford saw the patients she needed to treat. They were refugees who had fled from Veridia Town and were now all crowded together on the third floor.