Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse-Chapter 59: High Temperature, Car

Evelyn Ford’s injuries were quite serious this time, so it looked like she would need to rest for a while. Besides, her period was due soon, and she didn’t have the energy to go out scavenging for supplies.

When she went to give Quincy his share of the supplies, she found him at home making a fan using the materials Officer Graham had left over.

"You’re actually giving me two? Are you sure?"

Evelyn Ford nodded. "Didn’t you say we’d split it fifty-fifty?"

"I was just kidding. You’re the one who did all the hard work to get them. One is enough for me, though I wouldn’t mind an extra box of bullets."

Evelyn Ford scoffed. "That’s the deal. If you don’t want it, give it all back." With that, she reached out to take the items back. Quincy quickly hid them behind his back, giving her a wary look.

"You gave them to me, so they’re mine now. No take-backs!"

"Do you even know how to use one? Be careful you don’t accidentally shoot yourself."

Her words seemed to strike a nerve. Quincy’s face flushed with anger. "I’m not that stupid! Anyway, you’re the one who’s injured. Go back and rest. I’m busy."

Evelyn Ford glanced at the scrap metal on the floor, shook her head in disdain, and sauntered away. Watching her arrogant retreat, Quincy was so mad his chest ached.

By the afternoon, the scratches were showing signs of infection. The wounds were too large and hadn’t been stitched, so some inflammation was inevitable. In addition to being red, swollen, hot, and painful, they were now oozing pus and blood.

Worried about necrosis, Evelyn Ford cleaned the wounds all over again. She scraped out the pus, disinfected the area, applied more ointment, and took an antibiotic. To prevent the infection from worsening, she didn’t even dare to lie down, catching up on sleep while sitting upright.

Fortunately, by the next morning, the wounds had begun to improve. Perhaps she had built up some immunity from her previous illnesses, because despite the severe injury and infection, Evelyn Ford surprisingly didn’t develop a fever. This was good news. It seemed her body was finally adapting to the harsh, extreme weather.

But just as her wounds were beginning to heal, her period started. Evelyn Ford spent another few days in bed. By the time she had recovered her strength and ventured out again, Quincy had already become very familiar with Officer Graham and the others.

Evelyn Ford had no idea how much longer the extreme heat would last. Many things had deviated from their original course in this life. The black acid rain that should have arrived a month into the heatwave never came.

The only thing she could do now was work on improving her physical fitness and preparing enough cooked food to last one or two years.

Quincy was adapting well in Building D. With him on the team, their scavenging runs had yielded some unexpected windfalls.

One day, while Evelyn Ford was still asleep, she was startled by the sound of an engine roaring to life downstairs. Thinking they had unwelcome visitors, she grabbed her crossbow and rushed to the balcony, only to see that it was Quincy and the others returning.

She was surprised to see them pull up in a van. The roads outside were completely destroyed; even bicycles and e-bikes couldn’t get through, let alone a vehicle that large.

In this heat, the tires could explode or melt. They were setting up a makeshift garage downstairs. When Evelyn Ford came down, the group was bustling with activity.

"Evelyn Ford, come check out our haul! We found this van in a factory warehouse. It was submerged in water, but it still runs."

Besides the van, they had brought back a good amount of supplies this time, including instant noodles and bottled water.

"How did you manage to drive it back?"

Quincy wiped the sweat from his brow. "Other cars wouldn’t have made it, but this kind of van is the most durable. Aside from the smell and the noise, it’s practically top-of-the-line."

Officer Graham chuckled as he unloaded things from the van, giving Quincy a thumbs-up.

"Quincy is incredible. It’s all thanks to him that we found so much tonight."

Quincy raised his eyebrows smugly. "It was nothing. I couldn’t have done it alone. Luckily, we had Mr. Graham, a total powerhouse, plus Roy Henderson and Owen Chapman as capable helpers. Besides, I only found this stuff by looking at the map Evelyn Ford drew, so the credit isn’t all mine."

’He really does have a knack for finding supplies,’ Evelyn’s opinion of him was starting to change.

"While we were loading up tonight, I saw people moving around in one of the buildings across the way," Officer Graham said, his eyes glancing at the van with a flicker of worry. "Looks like there are still quite a few people left in the city."

"And several buildings in Norcast are on fire. If it spreads this way, we might have to evacuate."

Evelyn Ford gazed outside thoughtfully as Officer Graham continued.

"Supplies are getting harder and harder to find. If we can’t find a source of water, we won’t last three days. If this heatwave never ends, the ground will just keep cracking, and the groundwater won’t surface. If we don’t leave, all we can do is wait to die."

Officer Graham’s words shattered the earlier joyful atmosphere. Everyone knew this was a real problem they would soon have to face. There was no escaping it.

"But where would we even go? Is Corinth going to become a sea of flames?" Roy Henderson asked quietly.

"Maybe we should go to the base," Owen Chapman suggested, looking at the others. It was what he considered their best option.

"What about you two?" Officer Graham looked toward Evelyn Ford and Quincy. After all, among everyone in the building, their situations were the best.

"Don’t be so pessimistic," Quincy said. "The fire is still in Norcast. Corinth is huge, it won’t reach us here. All the trees outside are gone, and there are wide firebreaks between all the buildings. With nothing to fuel it, the fire can’t spread. Even if it did, that would be a year or two from now. As long as we’re alive, there’s always a way to survive."

Quincy stepped forward and patted each of them on the shoulder. When he reached Evelyn Ford, she quickly stepped back to keep him from touching her still-healing wounds.

Quincy grinned. "Besides, we have a car now, right? We’ll keep an eye out for gasoline on our supply runs. If the day comes when we need to make a run for it, we just have to hit the gas. The six of us will leave together, nice and tidy. No one gets left behind."

"Evelyn, say something," he urged, nudging her with a look to help reassure everyone.

"I pretty much agree with Quincy," Evelyn Ford said, not really knowing what else to add.

"Alright, stop looking so glum, everyone," Quincy said. "Mr. Graham, let’s hurry up and divide the haul. Now that we have water and ramen, Wendy can have a little extra to eat."

Officer Graham also composed himself. They divided up the supplies, and everyone headed upstairs to their own apartments.

"Evelyn, why don’t you want to go to the base?"

Evelyn Ford and Quincy were walking at the back of the group. When they reached the tenth floor, he didn’t immediately unlock his door, but stopped Evelyn to seriously ask his question.

"After everything that’s happened, would you still trust strangers?" Evelyn Ford retorted.

"Of course I’d be on guard and stay vigilant. And I’m especially afraid of running into the kind of women who are always crying."

The corner of Evelyn Ford’s mouth twitched, but she didn’t reply.

"Of course, most of the bad people I’ve run into have been men. Like those two thugs who tried to rob me last time. If you hadn’t shown up, I’d probably be dead."

"So, is that why you don’t want to go to the base? Because you’re afraid of running into bad people?"