Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse-Chapter 72: On the Escape Route 3

Evelyn Ford marked her path as she went, making sure she wouldn’t get lost on the way down. After about forty minutes, she had ventured deep into the mountains.

She found a grassy spot to sit down, took a bottle of water from her space, and downed it in a few gulps. Then, Evelyn began to survey her surroundings.

Though many trees had died, the mountain forest remained dense. The ground was littered with animal droppings, and small blades of grass and wild vegetables were sprouting up everywhere. After a ten-minute rest, Evelyn took out her Crossbow, ready to venture deeper into the mountains.

She remembered a news report from her childhood: that Broken Cloud Mountain, in addition to being an ecological botanical garden and wildlife sanctuary, was also rich in various mineral resources. A group of people had been caught illegally mining for silver there and were all sentenced to death.

Evelyn had only one purpose for coming to the mountain: to find ore.

Though the chances of success were slim, Evelyn wanted to try her luck. As she ventured into the heart of the mountain, the path grew difficult. Just then, the grass ahead rustled. Evelyn swiftly fired a Crossbow Arrow. She walked over and parted the grass. It was a gray rabbit—a fat one, though its pelt was unfortunately ruined.

She retrieved the Crossbow Arrow, stored the rabbit in her space, and continued on her way.

"Ouch!" Suddenly, something hit the back of her head. Evelyn spun around to find the culprit and spotted a large, brownish-tan squirrel in a pine tree. It was clutching a pinecone shell in its paws. When it saw Evelyn looking, it immediately threw it at her. Evelyn tilted her head, and the shell landed in the grass.

CHITTER CHITTER... It seemed angry. It scurried a little higher, plucked another pinecone, and threw that one at Evelyn too.

Evelyn wasn’t one to be trifled with. She scooped up a handful of small pebbles and began to return fire.

Ten minutes later, the squirrel conceded defeat. It had run out of its limited supply of pinecones. Evelyn gave it a short whistle. The squirrel’s long, fluffy tail wagged frantically a couple of times. It suddenly leaped down from the tree and slowly shuffled over to Evelyn.

Evelyn squatted down too. She took a bag of sunflower seeds from her space and held out a handful to the squirrel.

"Hey, little fella. Where are your parents?"

The squirrel twitched its ears and tail, its nose wiggled slightly, and it began to nibble at the seeds.

Evelyn tentatively reached out and gave its tail a quick stroke. ’So fluffy. It feels really nice.’

The squirrel glanced up at her before returning to the seeds, not shying away from her touch.

"It must be fate that we met. I came into the mountains to look for something. How about you be my guide?"

The squirrel paid her no mind. She just smiled and gave its ear a gentle pinch.

"If you agree, flick your tail. If you don’t, stop eating my food."

The squirrel flicked its tail. Evelyn’s brow arched. "Fine. I’ll do you the favor of taking you with me."

Once the squirrel finished the handful of seeds, Evelyn stood up, and it promptly leaped onto her shoulder. The duo—one human, one squirrel—immediately set off toward the deeper parts of the mountain.

When they reached a hollow in the mountains, the squirrel hopped down, sniffed the ground, and began to nibble on some nearby wild greens. (Squirrels are omnivores; they eat plants too.) Evelyn walked over for a look. On the soil’s surface next to the greens was a layer of white crystals. She pinched off a bit and sniffed it—no scent. On a whim, Evelyn stuck out her tongue and licked it. It was very salty, with a trace of bitterness.

Evelyn’s heart began to race. She took a hoe from her space and started digging into the side of a small slope. The soil was soft, but after digging down about thirty centimeters, she hit something hard. Shoveling away the loose dirt, she pulled out a small flashlight. Large, yellowish-white stones met her eyes.

’This is saltpeter.’ Saltpeter could be used not only for making ice but also for black powder. Evelyn’s eyes lit up. She started digging away the top layer of soil with renewed speed.

Large chunks of Raw Saltpeter Stone were exposed. Evelyn quickly collected them into her space. When she was done, only a huge pit remained. She looked around the area but found nothing else. Placing the squirrel back on her shoulder, she picked up her Crossbow and kept walking.

CHITTER CHITTER...

The squirrel on Evelyn’s shoulder flicked its tail. Evelyn reached up, took hold of its tail, and began to gently knead it. The squirrel leaned over and sniffed her clothes and hair. It must have caught a whiff of something unpleasant, because its expression soured.

Evelyn had crossed an entire mountain without finding a single sign of water. She took out a bottle of water and let the squirrel have a small drink.

"Little fella, do you know where to find more of this? The kind you drink, GULP GULP. Can you take me to it?"

The squirrel’s little, jet-black eyes darted around as if it were processing Evelyn’s words. It leaped from her shoulder, scurried up a large nearby tree all the way to the top, and then vaulted to another tree.

Seeing it leap farther and farther away, Evelyn hurried after it, but she still lost sight of it.

’Looks like the little squirrel’s gone.’ Evelyn felt a pang of disappointment. She was sad for a moment, but then collected herself and prepared to search for water on her own. Just then, a pinecone hit her on the forehead. Evelyn looked up to see the squirrel perched on a nearby pine tree, baring its teeth at her.

"You didn’t leave?" Surprise filled Evelyn’s voice. She picked up the pinecone and tossed it back at the little squirrel.

"I thought you’d left."

The little squirrel chittered twice, gesturing toward the distance. Evelyn quickly ran to the base of the tree and looked up at it. "You know where there’s water, don’t you?"

The squirrel tilted its head, watching her. Evelyn patted her shoulder. "Come on, take me there. I’ll give you some yummy treats."

She took a bag of mixed nuts from her space, poured some into her palm, and held it out to the squirrel. The little creature’s nose twitched, and it immediately leaped down.

Half an hour later, Evelyn found herself in a marshy area. There was a pool of water, small but very deep—about the size of a garden pond. The water was exceptionally clear and sweet. Evelyn took the empty buckets and water tanks from her space.

She had a water pump, but it was too loud. Worried it might attract trouble, Evelyn opted to use a few hoses to siphon the water into her tanks. Then, an idea struck her. She took out some shampoo, filled a basin with water, and washed her hair. Luckily, the shampoo she’d bought was unscented. The wind quickly dried her short hair. Looking at the pool, Evelyn decided she would tell Officer Graham and the others about it when she got back down the mountain, so they could collect some water too.

Marshes were a magnet for all kinds of animals. Evelyn decided to hide and lie in wait. If she could hunt a muntjac or an elk, this trip would be a huge score.

She had told Quincy she’d be back in two hours, but it was clear now that wasn’t going to happen. Still, based on the understanding they’d developed over their time together, she knew Officer Graham would handle things properly. Evelyn hid in a patch of rushes, cradling the squirrel in her arms as she warily scanned her surroundings.

’Washing her hair felt so much better.’ Thankfully, she hadn’t gotten lice, and her hair wasn’t falling out. Evelyn put on a clean black hat and wrapped a scarf around her neck. The squirrel sniffed her clean hair and seemed to grow much fonder of her.