The night felt especially long. Evelyn Ford gave Officer Graham some basic stitches and first aid, but whether he would survive now depended on his own willpower.
The sounds of crying from Buildings D, B, and E never ceased throughout the night. At nine oâclock, Evelyn Ford carried her medical kit to Lauren Kellerâs apartment. Laurenâs grandparents were preparing the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Keller. Evelyn stitched the wound on Laurenâs back, then returned home.
Back in her own apartment, Evelyn slid to the floor, her hands trembling uncontrollably. After a long while, she stood up, stripped off her protective suit, and revealed a pair of bloodshot eyes.
After a long-overdue hot bath, Evelyn ate a meal and lay down to sleep. She had thought she wouldnât be able to fall asleep, but to her surprise, she slept soundly until eight in the evening.
She had just gotten up and washed her face when she heard Mrs. Graham calling for her from outside the door.
"Ford, Chester... heâs not doing well. Please, you have to come take a look. Iâm begging you."
"Donât panic. Iâll go get my medical kit. You head back upstairs first."
After grabbing her medical kit, Evelyn hurried to the twelfth floor. Officer Grahamâs condition was critical. His injuries were too severe, and he was running a fever from an infection. Evelyn cleaned and redressed his wounds. Looking at his innocent, unknowing daughter, Evelyn felt a knot in her chest. âHow is such a small child supposed to survive without her father to protect her?â
"I have some herbal medicine at home. Brew it and make him drink it."
Mrs. Graham looked pleasantly surprised. "Ford, thatâs wonderful! But if we take it, will you have any left for yourself? We canât take something you need to survive."
Evelyn nodded. "Heâs in critical condition. Keep a close eye on him. If anything changes, ring this bell on your balcony." Evelyn had spotted a small toy bell in their apartment. It would be easier than having Mrs. Graham run back and forth.
Mrs. Graham thanked her profusely again. Just as Evelyn was turning to leave, Mrs. Graham emerged from a room with a box and handed it to her. Evelyn opened it to find a surprisingly heavy, small golden pig.
"Like you said, it has to be a give and take. Ford, this isnât worth much anymore, but you saved Chesterâs life. Our family doesnât know how we can ever repay you."
Evelyn took the box, then pulled a lollipop from her pocket and handed it to Wendy.
"Heâll get better."
The bodies of the neighbors who had died were also moved into Apartment 601. It seemed that from that day on, the number of poison moths began to decrease. So did the number of people.
Lauren Kellerâs grandmother couldnât bear the shock and passed away the next day. Now, her family consisted only of her and her grandfather, who had Alzheimerâs. On the third day, Officer Graham finally pulled through and regained consciousness.
Arguments continued to erupt from the Collins familyâs apartment next door every day. On the fourth day, the torrential rain suddenly stopped. The people in the complex began venturing out to search for supplies. Lauren Keller and Evelyn Ford teamed up, heading for the food factory on Crestview Road.
Lauren Keller had grown quiet and withdrawn, but she now carried herself with a new, tenacious strength.
There were many people out searching for supplies. Assault boats frequently collided, and everyoneâs tempers grew shorter and shorter. The slightest friction could lead to people drawing weapons on one another.
The floodwater was unbelievably foul. Anyone who fell in and was pulled out would vomit for a long time afterward.
There were also collapsed, hazardous buildings and rebar submerged in the water, which could disembowel someone with a single careless move.
As they passed a hotel, they saw people brawling over blankets. Elsewhere, someone whose assault boat had been stolen stood screaming curses.
"This is insane, Evelyn. The whole world has gone insane," Lauren Keller watched it all with cold eyes, muttering to herself.
The two of them had come out in a single assault boat. Lauren piloted it from the front while Evelyn sat in the back, armed with a crossbow and a knife. Some had tried to seize their boat, but after witnessing Evelynâs ruthlessness, no one else dared to get close.
It was uncertain if any supplies were even left at the food factory. When Evelyn and Lauren arrived, they didnât see anyone around. Lauren was worried their boat would be stolen, so they agreed on a plan: Evelyn would go in first to scout. If she found any food, sheâd bring it out in batches while Lauren stood guard outside.
Carrying a waterproof bag, Evelyn climbed through a glass window. It was a cannery. Since canned goods were sealed, the poison moths couldnât have gotten to them.
The production floor and warehouse below were completely flooded. Luckily, factory ceilings were higher than residential ones, so the water only reached the third floor. Once inside, Evelyn put on a high-intensity headlamp and began to search. It was clear someone had already been there; the place was a mess. However, she found several dozen boxes of canned meat hidden under a tarp in a corner.
Evelyn put thirty boxes away, then carried the remaining six outside. Firstly, their assault boat was too small to hold much. Secondly, having too many supplies would make them a target. It was always best to avoid trouble when possible.
Lauren hadnât expected to find so many cans, and a rare smile touched her stoic face. Evelyn wanted to go back inside for another look, so she left the crossbow with Lauren.
It wasnât safe to linger. She did a quick sweep of the upper floors. In addition to ten more boxes of cans, she found two cases of water hidden in an office. A drawer yielded a bag of crackers, two instant noodle cups, and a pack of spicy strips. Evelyn left one box of cans where sheâd found the others and put the rest away.
"Water?" Laurenâs eyes went wide.
Evelyn passed the water out, then jumped down from the windowsill and back onto the assault boat.
"Yeah. One case for each of us. And these snacks, weâll split them half and half."
Lauren shook her head. "Iâll take a case of water, but you should take an extra box of cans. You did more of the work. The snacks are yours."
Evelyn took back the crossbow and gave her an amused look. "Come on, donât be like that. Staying alive is what matters."
Lauren turned away to wipe at her eyes. Evelyn pretended she didnât notice, securing their haul and camouflaging it with some torn curtain fabric. For the return trip, Lauren piloted again while Evelyn kept watch from the back.
Just as they were leaving the factory complex, they encountered a group of men. The men eyed Evelyn and Lauren and their boat, but after spotting the knife and crossbow in Evelynâs hands, they kept their distance.
Evelynâs gaze was cold as she clutched the crossbow, ready to fire at a momentâs notice. She didnât relax her grip until they had put some distance between them.
"I thought they were going to try and rob us."
Lauren was anxious to get home, worried about her grandfather with Alzheimerâs, so Evelyn didnât dally. They headed back as fast as they could. Though they encountered a few more problems along the way, they dealt with them without incident.
Back at Building D, Evelyn could hear Frances Yates wailing. The sight of Evelyn and Lauren returning with a full haul seemed to enrage her. She flew at them like a madwoman, but Evelyn, her face cold, sent her flying with a kick.
"Asking for it?"
"Who are you saying is asking for it, Evelyn Ford?! If you hadnât provoked my mom, would she be acting like this?" Danielle Collins screamed at the top of her lungs. Evelyn was about to kick her as well, but Harvey Sullivan, the Collinsâs son-in-law, hurriedly pulled his wife back.
"Ford, youâre back," Harvey said. "Donât mind Danielle. Look... her brother went out for supplies and still isnât back. Theyâre just worried sick. Seeing you come back... it made them emotional."
Harvey Sullivanâs eyes were fixed on the supplies Evelyn was carrying, his other hand gripping Danielle tightly.