"Dr. Ford, how is my mother?"
Evelyn Ford looked at the unconscious woman, her brow furrowed slightly. These people had just settled in. The floor was covered with dirty clothes, and the woman lay comatose on top of them, a tattered quilt draped over her body.
A few damp coal briquettes were drying by the nearby fire pit. A black plastic bucket held half a container of dirty waterâthe water they used to mix with the coal.
Some pots, pans, and bowls were stacked in a corner.
A myriad of smells assaulted Evelyn Fordâs nose.
The woman wouldnât last much longer. Evelyn Ford observed her swollen limbs and body. Chronic starvation and the long trek had completely drained her vitality. The moment she finally found a place to rest, all her underlying health problems erupted at once, and her body simply collapsed.
After a few moments of silence, Evelyn Ford got up and led the girl outside. The others who had fled with them watched Evelyn, their eyes filled with anticipation.
"Dr. Ford, this is for you."
They had only been here for a little over a month and hadnât grown much cabbage. The girl had pulled two heads and now stuffed them into Evelyn Fordâs hands, their roots still caked with mud and yellow ants.
"Your mother isnât going to make it through the night." Though it was difficult to say, Evelyn Ford spoke the truth.
"How is that possible? We just settled in! My mom said our lives would get better from now on. She said that once all these disasters end, she and Dad are going to take me home."
Evelyn Ford didnât know how to comfort her and could only remain silent.
"She was fine just a few days ago. Are you sure you didnât misdiagnose her? You didnât even use any tools to examine her. I have one more clean bowl... Iâll give it to you. Please, help me save her, wonât you? My mom canât die. Iâm begging you."
Just as the girl was about to drop to her knees, Evelyn Ford quickly grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Go back inside. Go and have a proper talk with her. You should keep the cabbage. It looks like a heavy rain is coming in a few days."
"Donât go, Dr. Ford! You canât give up on her. Youâre a doctor!"
Evelyn Ford nodded. "I am a doctor, but I donât have any medicine to bring the dead back to life. She was already hanging on by a thread on your way here. Once she arrived and felt safe, she relaxed, and her fighting spirit just vanished."
The girl sank to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. Watching her, Evelyn Ford thought of her own past. She crouched down and patted the girlâs shoulder.
"Go and talk to her. She can hear you."
The girl lifted her tear-streaked face and ran back into the shack. Evelyn Ford picked up the cabbage heads, placed them by their door, and then walked away.
She glanced back at the people living there. âMaybe they canât figure it out, either,â she thought. âWhy is there so much suffering in this world?â
The moment the first drop of rain fell, thunder cracked in response.
People returning from the coal mines hurried home, though some grabbed buckets and basins to start collecting the rainwater.
Bolt after bolt of lightning struck down, the resulting booms as loud as explosions, striking fear into everyoneâs hearts.
Some of the more timid children were so frightened they started bawling, and Evelyn Ford could occasionally hear parents scolding them.
"ACHOO."
Evelyn Fordâs nose felt irritated, and she couldnât stop sneezing. Ronan Kendrick walked over, tilted her chin up, and carefully inspected her face.
"You inhaled dust and insects from the dense fog."
A chill ran down Evelyn Fordâs spine. "Insects? No wonder my nose has been so itchy. I canât stop sneezing and my nose wonât stop running."
Evelyn Ford took out some herbs, intending to mix an insecticide for herself.
Ronan Kendrick suddenly held his wrist out in front of her. "This way is faster."
Evelyn Ford winced. âThe thought of it makes my teeth ache.â "If I keep drinking your blood, am I going to turn into a vampire?"
Ronan Kendrick scoffed. "What do you think this is, a cultivation novel? Are you trying to become an immortal or a demon?"
With a fierce growl, Evelyn Ford bit down on his wrist. After a long moment, she released him. Staring at the bloody bite marks, she felt a bit awkward.
"My teeth seem... a little sharp."
Thunder boomed outside. Evelyn Ford licked her lips, then suddenly grabbed Ronan Kendrick by the neck and lunged at him.
"Ronan Kendrick, Iâm going to bite you to death!"
While Ronan Kendrick stared in stunned silence, Evelyn Ford patted his cheek and then burst out laughing.
"Iâm just messing with you! Look how scared you were. But seriously, your blood has quite a kick. My head is spinning."
Evelyn Ford rubbed her temples. Listening to the pitter-patter of the rain outside, she swayed as she made her way back to her room.
After she closed the door, Ronan Kendrick blinked. Feeling a bit of discomfort, he quickly popped out his colored contacts. When Mina rubbed up against his leg, he lifted the dog up with one hand.
"Has Evelyn lost her mind?"
Mina wagged her tail.
Ronan Kendrick pointed to himself. "Or am I the one whoâs going crazy? My head feels a little dizzy, too. I guess Iâm feeling the aftereffects as well."
Ronan Kendrick looked at his wrist. The bite marks had already healed and vanished, but the phantom pain of the bite lingered.
"Being bitten has quite a kick, too," he muttered.
The downpour had been raging for a day and a night. Because the ground was riddled with pits from the previous acid rain, the water hadnât started to pool and cause flooding yet.
However, after the storm began, the temperature plummeted to five or six degrees Celsius. The cold seeped deep into everyoneâs bones, and many people started to cough.
Besides the cold, there was another reason for their illness: they had inhaled the dust and insects from the dense fog.
After drinking Ronan Kendrickâs blood, Evelyn Ford had fallen into a deep slumber. She didnât wake up until the third day.
Evelyn Ford looked at the black grime oozing from her skin and couldnât make heads or tails of it.
"Whatâs happening to me?" Evelyn Ford asked, looking at Ronan Kendrick, who was sitting at the foot of her bed staring intently at her. She awkwardly averted her gaze.
"It started oozing out yesterday. Itâs probably the toxins in your body. I was going to help you wash it off, but..."
Ronan Kendrick glanced her up and down before continuing, "I figured youâd get angry, so I decided against it."
"Well, thank you so much for not helping," Evelyn Ford said, her voice hoarse. "How long was I out? Is it still raining? Whatâs it like outside? Has the water started to rise? Have any of the houses collapsed?"
"You slept for three days. I havenât been outside, so I donât know what the situation is."
Evelyn Ford asked hesitantly, "Donât tell me you havenât eaten anything for the past three days and have just been sitting at the foot of my bed this whole time?"
Ronan Kendrick nodded. "I was afraid you were going to die, so I kept watch over you. Iâm glad you didnât."
Having just woken up, Evelyn Fordâs limbs felt like jelly, and her whole body was weak. Hearing the rain outside, she sighed.
"If I had died, would you have buried me?"
Ronan Kendrick didnât answer, just continued to stare at her. Evelyn felt uneasy. "Forget it, then."
"Evelyn, I donât want you to die."
After saying that, he abruptly stood up and left her room. Watching his retreating figure, Evelyn Ford couldnât help the corners of her lips from curling into a smile.
âI donât want to die, either,â she thought. âIâm going to live through this, no matter what it takes.â
After five days of torrential rain, the floodwaters began to rise. Steep slopes started to collapse, the water submerged the first floors of buildings, and no one could go outside anymore.
Many people began to suffer from sudden nosebleeds and fainting spells.
After the thunder and lightning ceased, Evelyn Ford could still hear people shouting her name, pleading for her to come and save them.
But the rain was too heavy. She couldnât get out either.