Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse

Chapter 151: Dense Fog, Heavy Rain 12

"Dr. Ford, how is my mother?"

Evelyn Ford looked at the unconscious woman, her brow furrowed slightly. These people had just settled in. The floor was covered with dirty clothes, and the woman lay comatose on top of them, a tattered quilt draped over her body.

A few damp coal briquettes were drying by the nearby fire pit. A black plastic bucket held half a container of dirty water—the water they used to mix with the coal.

Some pots, pans, and bowls were stacked in a corner.

A myriad of smells assaulted Evelyn Ford’s nose.

The woman wouldn’t last much longer. Evelyn Ford observed her swollen limbs and body. Chronic starvation and the long trek had completely drained her vitality. The moment she finally found a place to rest, all her underlying health problems erupted at once, and her body simply collapsed.

After a few moments of silence, Evelyn Ford got up and led the girl outside. The others who had fled with them watched Evelyn, their eyes filled with anticipation.

"Dr. Ford, this is for you."

They had only been here for a little over a month and hadn’t grown much cabbage. The girl had pulled two heads and now stuffed them into Evelyn Ford’s hands, their roots still caked with mud and yellow ants.

"Your mother isn’t going to make it through the night." Though it was difficult to say, Evelyn Ford spoke the truth.

"How is that possible? We just settled in! My mom said our lives would get better from now on. She said that once all these disasters end, she and Dad are going to take me home."

Evelyn Ford didn’t know how to comfort her and could only remain silent.

"She was fine just a few days ago. Are you sure you didn’t misdiagnose her? You didn’t even use any tools to examine her. I have one more clean bowl... I’ll give it to you. Please, help me save her, won’t you? My mom can’t die. I’m begging you."

Just as the girl was about to drop to her knees, Evelyn Ford quickly grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Go back inside. Go and have a proper talk with her. You should keep the cabbage. It looks like a heavy rain is coming in a few days."

"Don’t go, Dr. Ford! You can’t give up on her. You’re a doctor!"

Evelyn Ford nodded. "I am a doctor, but I don’t have any medicine to bring the dead back to life. She was already hanging on by a thread on your way here. Once she arrived and felt safe, she relaxed, and her fighting spirit just vanished."

The girl sank to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. Watching her, Evelyn Ford thought of her own past. She crouched down and patted the girl’s shoulder.

"Go and talk to her. She can hear you."

The girl lifted her tear-streaked face and ran back into the shack. Evelyn Ford picked up the cabbage heads, placed them by their door, and then walked away.

She glanced back at the people living there. ’Maybe they can’t figure it out, either,’ she thought. ’Why is there so much suffering in this world?’

The moment the first drop of rain fell, thunder cracked in response.

People returning from the coal mines hurried home, though some grabbed buckets and basins to start collecting the rainwater.

Bolt after bolt of lightning struck down, the resulting booms as loud as explosions, striking fear into everyone’s hearts.

Some of the more timid children were so frightened they started bawling, and Evelyn Ford could occasionally hear parents scolding them.

"ACHOO."

Evelyn Ford’s nose felt irritated, and she couldn’t stop sneezing. Ronan Kendrick walked over, tilted her chin up, and carefully inspected her face.

"You inhaled dust and insects from the dense fog."

A chill ran down Evelyn Ford’s spine. "Insects? No wonder my nose has been so itchy. I can’t stop sneezing and my nose won’t stop running."

Evelyn Ford took out some herbs, intending to mix an insecticide for herself.

Ronan Kendrick suddenly held his wrist out in front of her. "This way is faster."

Evelyn Ford winced. ’The thought of it makes my teeth ache.’ "If I keep drinking your blood, am I going to turn into a vampire?"

Ronan Kendrick scoffed. "What do you think this is, a cultivation novel? Are you trying to become an immortal or a demon?"

With a fierce growl, Evelyn Ford bit down on his wrist. After a long moment, she released him. Staring at the bloody bite marks, she felt a bit awkward.

"My teeth seem... a little sharp."

Thunder boomed outside. Evelyn Ford licked her lips, then suddenly grabbed Ronan Kendrick by the neck and lunged at him.

"Ronan Kendrick, I’m going to bite you to death!"

While Ronan Kendrick stared in stunned silence, Evelyn Ford patted his cheek and then burst out laughing.

"I’m just messing with you! Look how scared you were. But seriously, your blood has quite a kick. My head is spinning."

Evelyn Ford rubbed her temples. Listening to the pitter-patter of the rain outside, she swayed as she made her way back to her room.

After she closed the door, Ronan Kendrick blinked. Feeling a bit of discomfort, he quickly popped out his colored contacts. When Mina rubbed up against his leg, he lifted the dog up with one hand.

"Has Evelyn lost her mind?"

Mina wagged her tail.

Ronan Kendrick pointed to himself. "Or am I the one who’s going crazy? My head feels a little dizzy, too. I guess I’m feeling the aftereffects as well."

Ronan Kendrick looked at his wrist. The bite marks had already healed and vanished, but the phantom pain of the bite lingered.

"Being bitten has quite a kick, too," he muttered.

The downpour had been raging for a day and a night. Because the ground was riddled with pits from the previous acid rain, the water hadn’t started to pool and cause flooding yet.

However, after the storm began, the temperature plummeted to five or six degrees Celsius. The cold seeped deep into everyone’s bones, and many people started to cough.

Besides the cold, there was another reason for their illness: they had inhaled the dust and insects from the dense fog.

After drinking Ronan Kendrick’s blood, Evelyn Ford had fallen into a deep slumber. She didn’t wake up until the third day.

Evelyn Ford looked at the black grime oozing from her skin and couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

"What’s happening to me?" Evelyn Ford asked, looking at Ronan Kendrick, who was sitting at the foot of her bed staring intently at her. She awkwardly averted her gaze.

"It started oozing out yesterday. It’s probably the toxins in your body. I was going to help you wash it off, but..."

Ronan Kendrick glanced her up and down before continuing, "I figured you’d get angry, so I decided against it."

"Well, thank you so much for not helping," Evelyn Ford said, her voice hoarse. "How long was I out? Is it still raining? What’s it like outside? Has the water started to rise? Have any of the houses collapsed?"

"You slept for three days. I haven’t been outside, so I don’t know what the situation is."

Evelyn Ford asked hesitantly, "Don’t tell me you haven’t eaten anything for the past three days and have just been sitting at the foot of my bed this whole time?"

Ronan Kendrick nodded. "I was afraid you were going to die, so I kept watch over you. I’m glad you didn’t."

Having just woken up, Evelyn Ford’s limbs felt like jelly, and her whole body was weak. Hearing the rain outside, she sighed.

"If I had died, would you have buried me?"

Ronan Kendrick didn’t answer, just continued to stare at her. Evelyn felt uneasy. "Forget it, then."

"Evelyn, I don’t want you to die."

After saying that, he abruptly stood up and left her room. Watching his retreating figure, Evelyn Ford couldn’t help the corners of her lips from curling into a smile.

’I don’t want to die, either,’ she thought. ’I’m going to live through this, no matter what it takes.’

After five days of torrential rain, the floodwaters began to rise. Steep slopes started to collapse, the water submerged the first floors of buildings, and no one could go outside anymore.

Many people began to suffer from sudden nosebleeds and fainting spells.

After the thunder and lightning ceased, Evelyn Ford could still hear people shouting her name, pleading for her to come and save them.

But the rain was too heavy. She couldn’t get out either.