Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse-Chapter 77: A Person’s Arduous Survival, Part 1
After drying Mina’s fur, Evelyn began to inspect her right leg and arm. She hadn’t felt it during her escape, but now she realized her right calf was broken. The bone had snapped—it probably happened when a rock struck the back of her knee. All Evelyn could do was find two wooden boards and splint her leg. The injury on her arm was a deep gash from someone’s knife, which she’d only just now noticed.
She had plenty of other wounds, but none were serious. Evelyn wiped her face clean, took out a mirror to check a cut on her forehead, and started disinfecting and dressing her injuries.
After the earthquake, Evelyn was surprised to hear birdsong. They would land on the branches, chirp a few times, and then fly away.
Mina was shivering from the cold, so Evelyn added some more wood to the fire. An hour and a half later, all her wounds were treated. Evelyn took out a pre-packaged meal and wolfed it down for breakfast. Then, she pulled a shovel from her space and prepared to clean up the cave.
’It looks like I’ll have to recover here for a few days.’ Her leg hurt too much to walk, so she had no choice but to take shelter in the cave and recuperate.
After clearing the dead grass and leaves out of the cave, Evelyn took out a small tent. She had read the assembly instructions long ago, and even with a broken leg and an injured arm, her movements were still deft and efficient.
She laid a moisture-proof mat on the ground, then opened the tent’s carrying bag and spread the fabric flat. Separating the rainfly from the inner tent, she began to assemble the main body first. She took out the poles, threaded them through the sleeves on the inner tent, and raised the structure, securing it to the ground. Finally, she draped the rainfly over the top and hammered in the stakes. A thick pad, a sleeping bag, and a pillow inside, and it was done.
The cave entrance wasn’t large. Evelyn pulled a security door from her space and used it to block the opening. She opened the small ventilation window on the door to allow for air circulation.
Evelyn took out a battery pack and a standing lamp, and the cave instantly lit up.
’This will have to do for now. I’ll just have to hole up here for a few days.’
Ever since leaving Corinth, Evelyn had barely gotten a decent night’s sleep. Every day was spent clearing roadblocks and driving. On top of that, her period had started a few days ago, leaving her drained. Her dark circles and the bags under her eyes were severe. After surviving the earthquake, even someone made of iron would be at their breaking point.
Evelyn made a small nest for Mina by the fire, lining it with a soft pad. She filled a plastic bowl with water and sunflower seeds and set it nearby. She was going to get some rest.
She didn’t care if the sky fell down. Right now, she desperately needed to close her eyes and sleep for a few hours.
"Mina, don’t you go sneaking outside, you hear? If you need to go potty, use that basin over there."
She had placed a litter box just inside the security door. Evelyn pointed toward it, then limped over and crawled into her tent.
Thankfully, the cave was very dry, with no standing water or leaks. Lying in her sleeping bag, Evelyn was fast asleep less than ten seconds after closing her eyes.
Evelyn’s sleep was fitful. She startled awake nearly every hour. Seeing the firewood still CRACKLING in the fire and Mina fast asleep beside it, she would manage to close her eyes again, only to jolt awake a short while later.
Even though the mountains were quiet, Evelyn couldn’t shake the feeling that the ground was still shaking. Only after concentrating for a long time did she realize it was just a phantom sensation.
Her crossbow and combat knife were always beside her pillow, within easy reach. Evelyn checked the time. It was noon. The rain had lightened, and the birds in the mountains were chirping more merrily.
"Mina, what are you doing?" The squirrel was running in circles outside, unable to find the tent’s entrance and letting out anxious SQUEAKS.
Evelyn unzipped the flap wider and scooped it inside.
"You’re such a little pest. Can’t leave me alone for a single second, can you?"
Evelyn placed it beside her pillow and started talking to it out of boredom.
At one in the afternoon, Evelyn got up. The fire was about to die out, so she quickly added more wood. She took out a thermometer and checked the temperature. It had dropped to seventeen degrees. ’No wonder it feels so cold.’
’I wonder how Officer Graham and the others are doing.’ Thinking of them, Evelyn’s spirits sank.
"SQUEAK..." Mina leaped onto her shoulder and peered through the ventilation window with her. Evelyn stroked its head.
"Do you want to go outside?"
Mina suddenly jumped down, ran over to its little nest, and curled into a ball, looking as if nothing could convince it to leave.
Evelyn smiled and sat down beside it.
At two in the afternoon, Evelyn went back into the tent for a nap, sleeping straight through until six in the evening.
The rain outside had stopped, though water was still dripping from the trees. Evelyn opened the security door, planning to use the restroom outside.
Mina followed her, sticking to her like glue. It even followed when she went to relieve herself, leading to a standoff under a tree between one human and one squirrel.
Evelyn felt exasperated. ’It’s just a little animal, but I really can’t go with it staring at me.’
"Hey, buddy, could you please not stare at me?" Evelyn picked up a small stone and tossed it aside. Mina immediately scurried over to investigate.
Back in the cave, Evelyn picked Mina up, determined to have a talk with it. But first, she needed to check whether the little critter was male or female.
"You look like a boy, huh? Nod if you are." Mina, in a particularly haughty fashion, turned its head and ignored her. Evelyn felt mentally drained.
The evening wind carried a biting chill. Evelyn gave it a long lecture, but the squirrel didn’t seem to take in a single word.
Evelyn couldn’t help but give a wry smile. ’Has the apocalypse finally driven me crazy? Lecturing a squirrel for this long...’
Evelyn was wearing a fall-weather shell jacket. On her bottom half, she wore only a pair of baggy athletic shorts to accommodate the splint on her broken leg. A spark from the fire POPPED. Evelyn took out a calendar and crossed off October 20th.
After dinner, Evelyn checked the security door, then braced a long pole against the back of it. ’In truth, the door is only really good for keeping out the wind and rain,’ she mused. ’If a black bear or a bison came by, it could flip this thing over with a single nudge.’
Evelyn added more wood to the fire. ’I don’t know why... I was alone back in Building D, too. But now, all by myself in this desolate wilderness, I’m actually starting to feel unnerved.’
’Of course, there might be other people in these mountains. After the earthquake, not counting those who went missing, there were still several hundred survivors. They might have fled into the mountains as well.’
Staring into the flames, Evelyn scoffed at herself. ’These hands are stained with plenty of blood. I wasn’t afraid when I was killing, but now I’m hiding in the mountains and getting scared?’
As night fell, the occasional bird call still echoed through the trees. Evelyn held a stick, idly poking at the glowing red embers in the fire.
