Chapter 18: Rainstorm, Poisonous Moths 14

Evelyn Ford’s expression didn’t change as she methodically packed the bag and strapped it to her back. She only followed Quincy out of the laboratory after he had urged her for a third time.

"This way," Quincy said, holding a torch in one hand and clutching the curtain wrapped around his body with the other. "There’s a security door here. We can go down from here." Evelyn didn’t hesitate, following him through the door.

The only sounds in the stairwell were their footsteps and the crunch of poison moths underfoot. Though Quincy was a young man, prolonged starvation had left him in poor physical condition. He gasped for breath every few steps.

Since Quincy couldn’t keep up, they had to stop and rest frequently. Fortunately, the others didn’t pursue them. Upon reaching the fourth floor, Evelyn entered an office to observe the situation outside the window. The downpour continued, and the water level had nearly reached the fourth story. She slid open the glass window, pulled a coil of rope from her waterproof bag, and tied it to the window frame. Then, Evelyn climbed onto the sill, grabbed the rope, and prepared to jump.

"Wait! I don’t see your assault boat. Are you sure it’s really down there?"

Evelyn nodded. "Of course. Straighten out your things so they don’t get snagged on the windowsill. I’m going down first."

With that, Evelyn began to slide down the rope. Just before she touched the water, she glanced up and saw no sign of Quincy. She materialized the assault boat, stepped onto it steadily, and then shrugged off the waterproof bag from her back.

"Get down here, now!"

"I’m a little afraid of heights! What if I fall? Will you save me? I can’t swim!"

Evelyn was speechless.

"The fall won’t kill you. Stop wasting time. You have five seconds. If you’re not down by then, I’m leaving."

Terrified, Quincy scrambled onto the windowsill. "Don’t go! I’m coming right now!"

He gripped the rope with the resolve of a man facing his doom. He glanced down, and any relief he felt at seeing the assault boat was instantly erased by the sight of the deep, filthy floodwaters, causing him to recoil.

"Five... four... three..." Evelyn began to count down. Seeing how ruthless she was, Quincy couldn’t afford to be scared any longer. He squeezed his eyes shut and slid down. At the last second, Evelyn grabbed his ankle and hauled him onto the boat. She immediately fired up the engine, and the assault boat shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Meanwhile, back inside the building, Nathan Neal led a group of people to the laboratory, only to find it empty.

"Supervisor Shaw, it’s all true! A female thief came to our company to steal medicine. Quincy wanted to leave, so he led her to the lab, and they stole all the specialized medicine from the safe."

"This female thief, she didn’t have any accomplices?"

Nathan Neal shook his head. "I didn’t see any. She said she had an assault boat and that she came alone."

Henry Shaw stared menacingly at Nathan Neal. "Then why didn’t you go with them? Why tell us about it? Are their accomplices coming later, leaving you behind as a mole? Nathan Neal, I’ve told you before: this building is the only safe place right now. We have food, and the building is tall enough that it won’t be flooded to the top. Going outside is suicide. Would Quincy really follow a strange woman that easily? He’s notoriously difficult. This isn’t some trap you and Quincy cooked up, is it? Maybe there was no ’female thief’ at all."

Nathan Neal was both indignant and furious. "It’s all true! I didn’t go with them because I don’t trust that woman. Besides, what they did was illegal! How could I associate with criminals like them? Supervisor Shaw, I’m telling the truth! When the rescue teams arrive, we can report them to the police. Let the cops arrest Quincy and that woman."

’Call the police? The world outside is probably in chaos. Arrest my ass.’

By now, Evelyn and Quincy were nearing Fairview Apartments. Evelyn glanced back at Quincy, who was waving his torch to ward off the poison moths, and sheathed the dagger hidden in her sleeve. ’Having been reborn into this life, how could I so easily trust a stranger?’ Her initial promise to take him along was just a ruse to get the medicine. She was surprised when, after Nathan Neal vanished, Quincy’s first instinct was to tell her to run. But it was only when he asked her to go back for his cat that she genuinely decided to save him.

"I never got your name," Quincy said. "You sound very young. Are you out looking for medicine because someone in your family is sick? Aren’t you scared? Look over there... is that a body floating in the water?"

Evelyn glanced over, completely unfazed.

"We’re just strangers who met by chance. No need for names. As for the body, I saw plenty of them back at your office building. What’s there to be afraid of?"

Quincy gave a dry laugh. "Right."

When they reached Fairview Apartments, Quincy sighed, looking at the familiar complex in its current state.

"I never thought I’d make it back here alive. Thank you... my nameless heroine."

Evelyn mentally redefined the word "heroine." ’I’m clearly more of a bandit and a thief.’

"Here’s five boxes of the medicine for you," Evelyn said. "You might be able to trade them for supplies."

In a rare act of charity, Evelyn offered the medicine. Quincy didn’t stand on ceremony, taking the boxes and stuffing them inside his clothes. He then climbed through a small window in the fourth-floor corridor. Once she saw him land safely inside, Evelyn prepared to head home.

"Stay safe!" Quincy’s voice was muffled by the downpour, but Evelyn still heard him. She gave a perfunctory wave and disappeared into the night once more.

Just as she was nearing Prosperity Gardens, two assault boats shot out from the side, flanking her in a surprise attack. The men aboard brandished long knives.

Evelyn’s reaction was swift. As they closed in, she produced two Crossbows, firing left and right in a rapid counterattack. The men were all sent to a watery grave before they could even get near her.

Evelyn watched the water’s surface. The last man hadn’t been killed by the Crossbow Arrows. As he tried to lunge at her, she plunged a knife into his heart. Blood sprayed across her goggles. Even through her protective suit, she could smell the metallic tang of blood.

She had killed. It was the first time she had ever killed someone, in this life or her last. She felt nothing in particular, only a sense that something inside her had finally broken through the surface. She raised her hand to wipe the blood off her goggles. After scanning her surroundings and finding nothing unusual, she retrieved the Crossbow Arrows from their bodies. ’These things aren’t cheap. Can’t let them go to waste.’ She also took everything from their assault boats.

As for the two blood-soaked assault boats, Evelyn wasn’t bothered by the gore and stored them directly in her dimensional space.

Back at Building D, Evelyn carried her haul upstairs. Her protective suit was still stained with blood that the downpour hadn’t washed away completely. The resident of 701 opened their door and was stunned to see her.

"Ford, you’re back?" The woman’s tone and expression made it seem as though she’d been certain Evelyn would die out there.

’Several families had seen me leave the night before last. Looks like after only a day and two nights, they’d all written me off for dead.’

Evelyn ignored her and continued up the stairs. Arriving at her own front door, she saw the lock had been hacked at with an axe or a knife. A cold smile touched her lips.

’It seems my coming back alive is going to be a disappointment for some people.’

It took her four trips to haul everything inside. That night, everyone in Building D knew that Evelyn Ford had returned, not only laden with supplies but also stained with blood.

The next day at noon, Evelyn was awakened by a knock on her door. When she saw Officer Graham standing outside, her eyes darkened.