Chapter 17: Downpour, Poisonous Moths 13

"If the rescue team doesn’t come soon, are we really going to be trapped here until we die? Quincy, are we going to make it out of here alive?"

"I don’t know. Hurry up and find some food. Henry Shaw and Sean Vaughn have already looted all the food from the upper floors. If we can’t find anything on this level, we’ll have to keep going down."

"But have you forgotten? Mindy Channing and the others died in the cafeteria after being attacked by those poisonous moths. I’m too scared to go down there."

"Then you can just wait here and starve," the man said impatiently, waving his torch. Through the glass window in the door, Evelyn Ford saw two figures wrapped tightly in curtain fabric. The smaller one was hiding behind the larger one. As they drew closer, Evelyn could hear the SIZZLE of the sparks.

’Looks like there really are other survivors in this building. In that case, there’s no need for me to search the upper floors.’

Evelyn Ford placed one hand on the doorknob, her body pressed against the wall.

They went into the office next door. Evelyn Ford heard the sound of them ransacking the place. A few minutes later, the man named Quincy cursed and kicked the door, making it creak. It seemed they hadn’t found any food.

"Quincy, help me! These poisonous moths are swarming me, and my torch is about to go out!" the other person screamed.

"You’re so stupid. Stop yelling."

"I’m scared, Quincy! Don’t leave me behind."

"I told you to shut up." With a CLANG, Quincy ripped down the office curtains, lit them on fire, and threw them in front of the other person. He then went back to ransacking the place for supplies.

Evelyn Ford heard footsteps approaching her office. She slowly raised her dagger. The person stopped outside the door but made no move. Just as Evelyn thought they would either push the door open or just leave, there was a knock.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK... "Is anyone in there?"

"Quincy, what are you doing? Who are you talking to?" The other person dragged the burning curtains over to Quincy’s side, looking around fearfully.

"Let’s just go back upstairs. These poisonous moths are terrifying."

"Could the person inside open the door? We mean no harm. There are just two of us, and we’re both employees of this company. I’m Quincy, from the research lab."

"Quincy, is there really someone in there?" The other person shrank behind Quincy, staring timidly at the door.

"Shut your mouth. Don’t say another word," Quincy growled. The other person pouted, aggrieved, but obediently fell silent.

"I know someone’s in there. I’m very familiar with this place. If there’s something you want, I can help."

The other person shot Quincy a glare, as if to condemn his actions.

After weighing her options, Evelyn Ford opened the door. With a CLICK, the three of them were exposed to each other’s sight. Of course, Quincy and his companion also saw the cold gleam of the dagger in Evelyn’s hand.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" the companion demanded first. Evelyn Ford ignored them and looked at Quincy instead.

"You said you know this place. So tell me, what’s the situation in this building right now?"

"You’re a girl?"

The moment Evelyn Ford spoke, both of them froze. Although she was fully equipped, wearing goggles and a mask under her protective suit, and her face was hidden, Evelyn was tall—about the same height as Quincy. Subconsciously, they had both assumed she was a man.

"Is that a problem?" Evelyn Ford closed the door and crossed her arms, sizing up Quincy.

"I didn’t make a sound. How did you know someone was in here?"

Quincy scanned the office with his torch. Seeing no one else, his guard lowered considerably.

"Like I said, I work in the lab. My sense of smell is very sharp; I can detect even the faintest scents. Besides, the smell of insecticide on you is very strong. May I ask when you got in here?"

"Two hours ago."

"To hide from the storm, or to look for something? Seeing as you’re fully equipped, you must have come prepared. So... do you have an assault boat?"

Evelyn Ford had already guessed Quincy’s motive.

"I do." Evelyn Ford toyed with the knife in her hand, her eyes fixed on Quincy.

"Okay, I’ll talk. After the torrential rain started on April 1st, a lot of employees working overtime got stranded in this building. Some people left, braving the storm, but the ones who stayed behind hoped the rain would stop. After two or three days of non-stop rain, we started waiting for a rescue team, but one never came. We couldn’t get through to the police or the fire department. Later, we even wrote ’SOS’ on the windows, but no one ever came to rescue us. Then the water and power went out, the network signal disappeared, the downpour continued, the water levels rose, the temperature dropped, and then... these poisonous, man-eating moths appeared."

As Quincy spoke, a flicker of fear crossed his eyes.

"Have you seen the bodies? There are some on every floor below. They were all company employees. Two people froze to death when the temperature dropped, so everyone gathered and moved to the top floor. Before the moths appeared, Henry Shaw and Sean Vaughn had already looted and hidden all the food from the upper floors. We had no choice but to go down to the cafeteria and the lower levels to find food. We never expected... the moths showed up. They bit several people. Anyone who was bitten died quickly, and then their bodies were devoured by the moths."

"How many people are still upstairs?"

"Including me and Nathan Neal, there are twenty-four people. Apart from Henry Shaw, Sean Vaughn, and their few lackeys, there are fourteen of us without food. Today, it was my and Nathan Neal’s turn to come down and search."

Evelyn Ford rubbed the knife in her hand, mulling over Quincy’s words.

"What are you looking for? If I help you, can you get me out of here?"

Evelyn Ford looked at Quincy, their eyes meeting. Evelyn didn’t speak, and Quincy patiently waited without rushing her.

"Quincy, what are you talking about? This is our company! If you let her take company property, you’ll go to jail, you know that?"

Quincy let out a cold laugh. "Go to jail? Whatever. Right now, I just want to get out of this hellhole."

"You want to go home? What floor do you live on?" Evelyn asked.

"I live in Fairview Apartments, on the twenty-sixth floor!" He was so excited he was almost incoherent, looking at Evelyn Ford as if she were a goddess.

"Alright. I want life-saving medicine."

"I’ll take you to the lab. There’s some newly developed medicine there."

Evelyn enjoyed dealing with smart people like him. They struck a deal instantly. Evelyn picked up an extinguished pine torch from the floor, lit it from Quincy’s torch, and then opened the door.

"Let’s go."

"No, Quincy, you can’t take her! This is company property! I won’t let you take it! When the rescue team gets here, I’m calling the police!"

"Suit yourself."

Seeing the two of them about to leave, Nathan Neal shot Evelyn Ford a look that could burn holes. "You bandit! This is robbery! You’re going to jail for this!"

Evelyn Ford looked at Nathan Neal without a word, then raised her torch and strode off without a backward glance.

The lab was on the forty-eighth floor. The special medicine Quincy had mentioned wasn’t in large supply—only forty boxes. Evelyn followed him inside, unzipped her protective suit, and took out a black waterproof bag. Once she had stowed the items away, Quincy glanced behind them, his voice turning cold.

"Nathan Neal is gone. Let’s go, quickly. He’s gone to the top floor to warn them."