Chapter 25: Downpour, Poisonous Moths

The torrential rain had been falling for twenty-five days, and the radio was intermittently picking up some voices.

[The global superstorm is worsening... All citizens, protect yourselves... Poisonous insects have been sighted in multiple regions... Water levels continue to rise... Landslides...]

The signal was terrible, so only bits and pieces like this came through clearly.

Another elderly person in Building D froze to death. People who die of hypothermia have a peculiar trait: they wear a smile, as if in the middle of a pleasant dream. His family was heartbroken. The man was eighty years old; he had celebrated his birthday just a month before the cataclysm struck.

The survivors had already chopped down all the nearby landscaping trees. Officer Graham went out every other day, but he didn’t always have something to show for it. Sometimes, he would even return covered in injuries.

Eventually, several people from Building D approached him. Everyone had come to grasp the reality of the situation: in this world, you couldn’t survive without being capable. Yet no matter how capable a person was, they were still weak and vulnerable alone. So, they formed a small team and began going out in groups to search for firewood and supplies. There was strength in numbers, and they wouldn’t have to fear running into robbers.

Having just recovered from her illness, Evelyn Ford gave her apartment a thorough cleaning and decided to treat herself.

This was the first time Evelyn Ford had cooked since the water and power had been cut. She sat in her kitchen, listening to the meat sizzle and spit oil on the grill pan.

An idea struck her, and Evelyn Ford went to the bedroom to get her tablet. The temperature was so low that it booted up very slowly. Fortunately, she had downloaded several thousand movies and TV shows, along with countless novels. Evelyn Ford found a lighthearted animated show and started watching.

It was a rare moment of pure enjoyment. Eating grilled meat while watching a show... ’Even if the world is ending outside,’ she thought, ’what does it matter to me right now?’

After eating her fill and taking a hot shower, Evelyn Ford lay in bed, satisfied. As she drifted off to sleep, she thought she saw herself from her past life, scavenging for food in a pile of trash. Her legs kicked out, and she jolted awake in terror.

——

The next day, Lauren Keller came upstairs to find Evelyn Ford, looking fraught with worry.

"Evelyn, my grandfather hasn’t been doing well for the past two days. I don’t know what’s wrong with him. No matter how I coax him, he refuses to eat."

Evelyn followed Lauren to her apartment and saw the old man lying in bed, staring blankly. Dementia was an incurable disease; she had no expertise in the area and didn’t know how to diagnose or treat him.

"Is he on a hunger strike, or has he just lost his appetite?"

Lauren Keller froze, looking at Evelyn Ford in disbelief. "Now that you mention it... I’m only just realizing it. It really does seem like my grandfather is on a hunger strike."

Evelyn motioned for her to step out of the room. Once they were in the living room, Evelyn chose her words carefully and said in a low voice, "I think your grandfather has moments of clarity. He knows your grandmother and your parents have passed away. He’s heartbroken and might be thinking of starving himself to death. On the other hand, it’s also possible he feels for you and wants to save all the food for you."

Lauren Keller stared blankly at the bedroom door. Suddenly, she sank to the floor, clutching her head and sobbing quietly.

"’He knows everything, Evelyn,’ she cried. ’He knows everything.’"

Evelyn patted her shoulder. "Don’t blame yourself too much."

Evelyn felt a bit down herself as she left Lauren Keller’s apartment. ’This damn apocalypse,’ she thought. ’It really is trying to destroy the world and wipe out every last human.’

Evelyn decided to go out, but she didn’t venture far this time. She went to a park about three kilometers away. The ground there was higher, so the floodwater wasn’t too deep. Due to the heavy rain, few people were out. She found a deserted spot, chopped down a few trees, and stored them in her space. She left only a small bundle on her inflatable boat. When she saw a group of people approaching with chainsaws to fell trees, she quietly slipped away.

She took out her thermos and had a sip of hot tea. Evelyn Ford gazed at the gloomy gray sky and swore under her breath.

After leaving the park, Evelyn went to the adjacent commercial street. Even though residents had already looted the area, she operated on the principle of leaving no stone unturned. She managed to scavenge two cotton comforters that others had missed.

It was getting late. ’The haul was mediocre,’ she thought, ’but based on the recent pattern of this extreme weather, violent gale-force winds will follow the rain. I’d better get home fast.’

The water level had now completely submerged the fourth floor. When Evelyn returned to Building D, she brushed the poisonous moths off her protective suit before unloading the two comforters and the firewood. It took her two trips to haul the supplies and the inflatable boat back up to the tenth floor.

She had just gotten home when Mrs. Graham came rushing down the stairs. Seeing Evelyn, she heaved a huge sigh of relief.

"’Ford, you’re finally back.’"

Seeing her panicked state, Evelyn followed her up to the twelfth floor. She had assumed Officer Graham’s old injuries had flared up, but it turned out to be Wendy who was in trouble.

"’Ford, Wendy hasn’t been herself since this morning. She has a high fever, and these red spots have appeared on her body. Is it a fever with an allergic reaction?’"

Officer Graham, Mr. Graham, and Mrs. Graham stood by, watching Wendy nervously. Evelyn had no choice but to examine the red spots on her body first.

"’Wendy’s condition looks a lot like chickenpox. I remember having the exact same symptoms when I had it as a child.’"

The words had barely left Evelyn’s mouth when Mr. Graham slapped his thigh and sighed. "It must be chickenpox. It has an incubation period of several days. Wendy has been a bit listless for the past few days. It’s all my fault. I wish I had realized sooner."

"’Dad, don’t blame yourself. It’s not serious,’ Officer Graham said, trying to comfort his father, but his own expression remained tense and showed no sign of relief."

"’Ford, chickenpox clears up on its own, right?’"

"’It does, but it’s also contagious. Any of you who haven’t had it before could be infected.’"

The members of the Graham family looked at each other, each trying to recall if they had ever had chickenpox. Fortunately, everyone but Mrs. Graham had. Once you’ve had chickenpox and it scabs over, you develop an immunity and won’t get infected again. The chances of a recurrence are also very small.

"’But the recovery process takes a long time, right? And it’s awful. Is there any medicine she should take?’"

"’She can use a topical ointment, like an antibiotic cream, or take oral herbal remedies—things like anti-inflammatory liquids or pediatric fever-reducing formulas.’"

Mrs. Graham quickly pulled out a medicine box and started rummaging through it.

"’We have an anti-inflammatory liquid! Should I give it to Wendy now?’"

"’Yes. Once the pox starts to break out, don’t let her scratch them. If she does, you’ll need to apply ointment, and they could leave scars. You also have to be extra careful about infection, especially now, with germs everywhere.’"

Officer Graham jotted everything down on a piece of paper. As Evelyn was about to leave, he offered her a bag of supplies. This time, she didn’t take the whole bag, accepting only a single potato.

Back home, Evelyn quickly took off her protective suit, goggles, and mask. She turned on the electric heater and drank a glass of hot water. Once her hands and feet had warmed up, she began to sort through the day’s haul.

She left the firewood on the balcony to dry. The comforters, which she had found in a burlap sack in a warehouse, were still in their original packaging and perfectly clean.

Evelyn hadn’t yet touched the fruit she had in her space. She washed an apple and took a bite, then pulled out her tablet to continue the animated show she hadn’t finished.