Everlyâs eyes, full of curiosity, swept around the room before finally resting on the wall directly opposite the main door.
Six electronic screens were mounted there.
The screens were constantly on, each connected to one of six hidden cameras installed around the gas station and its surroundings. Everly scanned them one by one: two cameras monitored the highway, one was mounted on the gas stationâs roof, another in a corner of the supermarket, and the remaining two were inside residential buildings, pointing at the living room on the first floor and the hallway on the second floor, respectively.
With these monitors, even underground, one could have a complete grasp of the entire gas stationâs situation.
âAlthough thereâs still much to improve, sooner or later, I will create a perfect underground shelter. That way, even if the Third World War breaks out and nuclear bombs fall on our land, these thick, sturdy walls and doors will keep war and radiation at bay. With the supplies stored here, we will survive until the very end and successfully make it through the apocalypse!â Old John said passionately.
At that moment, Everly was simply struck with a mix of amazement and curiosity. She thought Old Johnâs ideas were unusual and his interests uniqueâhe was willing to expend so much manpower and resources to build an underground shelter for a war that might never come.
It wasnât until much later that she happened to hear from Shelly that a group like her grandfatherâs actually had a proper name: âdoomsday survivalists.â These were people who firmly believed the apocalypse was inevitable and actively prepared for it, armed with survival knowledge and skills, always planning ahead.
âŠ
Because the underground shelter was so cluttered that there was barely any room to step, Old John stood with Everly at the entrance for a moment, sharing some of his grand vision, and then carried her back to the surface.
Time had passed faster than she had imagined. It felt as if she had only walked around the gas station briefly, yet when she returned to the surface and looked at the clock, it was already noon.
Old John fed Everly some formula. Once her stomach was full and she had been coaxed to close her eyes and fall asleep, he went over to the garage beside the house and began hammering and tinkering to assemble the car.
Old John owned a vehicle himself. It was a black pickup truck with a high chassis; its bumper, tires, and rear end were reinforced with metal. The modified inline-six engine could exceed a thousand horsepower, giving it top-tier performance for towing, hauling, or high-speed driving.
Originally, when he heard the news that Everly had been kidnapped, he was supposed to drive his own truck to Sunken City to catch a plane. But, unfortunately, his newly ordered upgraded engine had just arrived. To install it, Old John had disassembled the pickup almost completely. So when Shellyâs call for help came, he hadnât even reassembled the truck yet. In the end, he had to catch a ride with someone else, barely making it to the airport before the flight took off.
Now that the child was safely back, he needed to work hard and get the truck assembled as quickly as possible. The area around the gas station was desolate, and the nearest town was ten kilometers away. Without a vehicle, everything was inconvenientâŠ
Everlyâs nap was interrupted by the constant banging and clanging from downstairs.
She had slept deeply, though. Lying in her crib for a while, picking at her feet and feeling lazy, she thought about how she might spend the boring afternoon. As she gazed out the window, her spirits lifted. She suddenly realized that she had arrived at her new home. Her new guardian was Old John, a kind, patient, and responsible elderly man. Unlike Shelly, he would never leave a little baby alone in the house all afternoon.
Everly had rarely cried in the past. She had tried, only to find that no matter how much she sobbed, Shelly wouldnât come; he would find her bothersome and deliberately leave her in a corner, ignoring her entirely. But now was different. Old John loved her, and she was no longer a helpless burden.
Since she was awake, she might as well make some noise to get Old Johnâs attention. Her grandfather liked herâhe would take care of her.
Thinking this, Everly excitedly wriggled upright in her crib, opened her mouth, and let out a loud âWaaah!â
A babyâs cry is incredibly piercing. Hearing it, the hammering and clanging from downstairs immediately stopped. Soon after, the sound of footsteps âthump-thumpâ came up the stairs, and Old John appeared at the doorway.
âOh, my little Everly, donât cry, donât cry, Iâm here⊠Come on, letâs go downstairs together. Grandpa will show you the big truckâŠâ
The old man removed his oil-stained apron and gloves, scooped up the crying baby from her crib, and held her close, gently bouncing her up and down. Strangely enough, the little girl who had just been wailing nonstop immediately stopped crying when she was in her grandfatherâs arms. She stared at Old John with her big, watery blue eyes for a moment, then a smile lit up her red, chubby face.
âPi⊠pi, pick-upâŠâ Everly babbled in baby talk.
She wanted to see the truck.
âThatâs right, the pick-up⊠Come on, Grandpa will take you downstairs to see it.â Old Johnâs heart almost melted at her soft, cute words. He held his granddaughter securely, repeatedly spelling out âpick-upâ in English to teach her the word, while carrying Everly outside to circle around the half-assembled truck.
âLook here, this is the hood, this is the fender, this is the side mirrorâŠâ
The pronunciations were too complicated for her to mimicâfor now. But the word âpick-upâ she practiced a few times and got surprisingly good at.
The grandfather and granddaughter circled the truck, reading and repeating together, having a wonderful timeâuntil, in the distance, the roar of an engine suddenly came from the far end of the road.
Old John followed the sound and looked toward the far eastern end of Highway 466, where a plume of dust was rising. A vehicle was driving straight toward them along the road.
When the car got close, a shiny bald head appeared from the driverâs side window.
âHey, Old John! Thank goodness youâre back! My carâs almost out of gas, and I was just worrying about how to make it the rest of the way!â The bald man raised a hand, greeting Old John enthusiastically.
âHey, Pete, long time no see. Still the usual R-grade fuel?â
âThatâs right, fill âer up with R.â The bald man retracted his body, turned the steering wheel, and drove the car into the gas station, stopping in front of the R-grade pump.
He knew Old John. Since Old John was holding a small baby in his arms and couldnât move easily, he just tilted his chin to indicate that Pete should get out and pump the gas himself. Pete understood, stepping down from the car with his round belly, inserting the nozzle into the tank, and while fueling, he turned his head and chattered away at Old John.
âOld buddy, youâve been gone a long time. My tank was half full yesterday, and I meant to top off when I passed here, but you werenât around. I figured the fuel I had would last me from the town to the motel if I drove carefully, but I forgot about Highway 466âs terrible road conditions! Damn it⊠how many times have people complained? Why hasnât the road department fixed it yet⊠On the way back, the car ran out of gas halfwayâluckily I found half a barrel in the trunk for emergencies, or Lina and I wouldâve been stuck out there⊠Oh, and this little one in your armsâis that your granddaughter? Sheâs adorable, tiny, and not like you at allâŠâ
Old John clearly didnât want Pete to keep talking about Everly. He spoke up, subtly steering the conversation elsewhere to cut off Peteâs rambling: âDid you go to Old Jonesâs motel?â
Pete had just been rambling out of boredom. When Old John asked, he nodded casually and said, âYeah. My daughter Lina works as a kitchen assistant over there, but recently I heard itâs not safe in that areaâseveral girls have gone missing. I was worried about Lina, so I went to pick her up and weâre staying home for a while.â
After saying this, Pete puckered his lips and pointed toward the back seat of his car.
Following his gesture, Everly finally noticed that a young girl was sitting in the back seat. Her features resembled Peteâs a little, but she was far prettier than her fatherâa striking blonde beauty who could easily catch anyoneâs eye on the street. The girl seemed upset with her father; she was sitting with her arms crossed, scowling, and staring at the wasteland outside, clearly sulking.
Catching the keywords in Peteâs words, Old Johnâs eyes flickered. âAre you talking about that recent case of a young girl going missing repeatedly?â
âYeah,â Pete replied.
âBut I heard those missing-person cases mostly happened along US-34. Old Jonesâs motel is on Highway 466âthatâs pretty far apart, isnât it?â
Pete shrugged. âAt first, the missing girls were all around Highway 34. Later, families with daughters along that road became more cautious and didnât let their kids go out at night. Maybe the culprit couldnât catch anyone there anymore, so they just moved to a different area. According to my friends in the street world, the last two girls who disappeared lost contact near Highway 466.â
âDid anyone report it to the police?â
Pete shook his head. âWho would dare⊠You know that area is Redwood Society territory. They often do shady business behind the scenes. People worry about the cops snooping around. When girls go missing, everyone just goes to the gang for helpânobody notifies the police. But even the Redwood Society searched for a long time and couldnât find either of the two girls. The night before last, another girl disappeared. I got really worried, so I went and brought my daughter backâŠâ
âSo thatâs how it isâŠâ Old John lowered his head and stroked Everly, a thoughtful look appearing in his eyes.
Everly felt puzzled as well.
For some reason, the things Pete had just mentionedâthe string of young girls going missing, the local gang that found nothing, and his reluctant daughter being brought homeâtogether gave her a very familiar feeling, as if she were on the verge of remembering something in the next instant.
But memory is a frustrating thing: when you donât mean to think about it, it intrudes uninvited, slipping into your mind without warning and giving a strong sense of familiarity. Yet when you rack your brain trying to recall, itâs like a pearl stuck in a strawâyou can almost grasp it, but it stubbornly wonât come out.
After thinking for a long time, Everlyâs face scrunched up in frustrationâshe couldnât remember anything at all.
Ugh, how annoying!
Pete continued chatting casually with Old John for a few more minutes. Once the tank was full, he paid and drove onto Highway 387, heading south toward the small town of Lemot at the far end.
After Peteâs car disappeared over the horizon, Old John returned to the house, took out his phone, and called Mike. He had intended to share his newly obtained information, but the call rang for a long timeâno one answered, and it eventually went to voicemail.
Old John frowned.
He thought for a moment and then called a contact at the state police, planning to reach Officer Sharonâs number. Still, there was no answer.
It could be understandable if one person missed a call, but two people not answering was unusual.
Worried about a possible misjudgment, Old John tried several more times, but both phones only gave a busy signal.
He was almost certain that the two officers had encountered an unexpected situation. The culprit, able to abduct so many girls in succession without being caught, was a particularly tricky adversary, and Old John was deeply concerned for the two policemen.
He used his phone to call his former employer at the Dwight State Police Department, as well as the St. Mona City Police, the station closest to the eastern section of Highway 466. He reported the situation and urged both to dispatch reinforcements quickly to investigate near the motel.
After hanging up, Old John sat at the table in heavy silence, staring off for a long while.
He had done everything he could⊠hoping that the two officers were safe.