Chapter 413: Chapter 413: Poisonous Rat Infestation (2)
Evelyn Ford held a machete, tossing the rat she’d just killed directly into the fire.
"Wyatt Vaughn, Joelle Finch, you two go check that the cabin doors are shut tight."
Thinking of Fairgate Farm, Evelyn Ford took out her walkie-talkie and started calling Ethan Dawson.
They were probably under siege by rats as well. Evelyn intended to tell him about the fire barrier method, but she called for a long time without any response from his end.
"Evelyn Ford, there are more and more rats outside. What do we do?"
"Everyone stay calm. Reinforce the fire barrier. Don’t get bitten, and don’t take off your masks or gloves."
After giving her instructions, Evelyn went back to the cabin and grabbed a box of bombs. These bombs weren’t very lethal, but when lit and thrown, the powder that burst out would ignite.
"Light the fuse on top, then throw it outside. Throw it far."
Evelyn distributed the bombs from the box to everyone. After taking them, the others quickly spread out.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The bombs were thrown, and the rats in the distance began to shriek and scatter.
"Ah, I’ve been bitten!" Austin Moss’s terrified voice cried out from nearby. Everyone looked at him, but no one dared to take a step closer.
Just as Evelyn was about to go over, Ronan Kendrick and Officer Graham were already walking toward Austin Moss, knives in hand. A terrified Claire Moss jumped in front of her father, thinking Officer Graham was going to kill him. Panicked and frightened, she pleaded with Officer Graham to spare her father’s life.
"Don’t kill him, Butler Graham! Please, don’t kill my dad!"
Officer Graham pulled her aside. Ronan Kendrick had already torn open Austin Moss’s sleeve, revealing the wound from the poisonous rat’s bite.
Then, before Austin Moss’s horrified eyes, he used his knife to carve away the piece of flesh with the bite marks.
"Go to the kitchen, wash the wound, then find a piece of cloth and wrap it up quickly."
After speaking, Ronan Kendrick returned to Evelyn Ford’s side, picked up a bomb, and continued to throw them.
Claire Moss realized she had misunderstood Officer Graham and Ronan Kendrick. Just as she was about to apologize, the two had already moved away.
"Dad, I’ll go with you."
Austin Moss shook his head. "I can handle it. You go help them kill the rats."
Meanwhile, the box of bombs was nearly empty. The fire was spreading and about to reach the greenhouse, but they couldn’t worry about that now. The immediate priorities were to eliminate the poisonous rats and protect the cabins.
"Evelyn Ford, what about the greenhouse and the livestock pens?"
"Forget about them. We eliminate the rats first." Evelyn could now only sense the dense swarm of rats outside by the sound they made; the sky was filled with flames, making it impossible to see clearly.
The farm didn’t have much vegetation, so the fire wouldn’t spread wildly or reach the nearby mountains.
"Have all the rats that jumped in been cleared out? Did any get into the cabins?"
"One of the cabin doors wasn’t shut. A few rats got in, but my sister-in-law and I already killed them," Wyatt Vaughn said.
"Good. Everyone spread out a little. Don’t worry about the rats outside. As soon as one jumps over the fire, kill it immediately with a long knife. Don’t scream. If you get bitten, carve out the flesh with a clean knife, wash it with water, and then bandage it."
No one knew how they managed to last until dawn. Faced with the poisonous rats, all they could do was swing their knives tirelessly.
The air was filled not only with a foul stench, but also the smell of cooked rat meat and burnt fur.
As the sky began to lighten, everyone collapsed onto the ground, their knives still dripping with blood. The occasional squeak of a rat could still be heard from outside. Afraid of the flames, the rats no longer dared to approach the fires. Evelyn returned to her cabin for a pair of binoculars. The fires were almost extinguished, and the wind whipped the ashes into the air.
A thick layer of grime and congealed blood had formed on the knives, which even gave off a faint, rotten smell.
Evelyn Ford got up and looked at the group.
"We’ll go back in two groups to change clothes and wash up. Aunt Crane, you and Claudia Schultz go make some food."
Evelyn then looked at Austin Moss. "How’s your wound?"
"The bleeding has stopped." A piece of flesh had been carved from Austin Moss’s arm. It would be a lie to say it didn’t hurt. The situation last night had been too urgent to properly treat or medicate the wound.
"Everyone get some rest. The poisonous rats haven’t been wiped out. Now that the sun is up, they’ll retreat to their holes, but they might come back to attack us again tonight."
Back at the cabin door, Evelyn took off her protective suit, mask, face shield, and shoes, leaving them outside. She had to take a bath immediately, or the stench clinging to her would make her throw up.
Thankfully, she had everyone make hundreds of sets of masks and face shields beforehand. Just as Evelyn entered the bathroom, Ronan Kendrick came in and casually shut the door behind him.
"I checked. Our cabin is clean. The windows and doors were shut all night. Not a single rat got in."
Evelyn Ford looked at Ronan Kendrick. "I’m going to take a bath. What are you doing in here?"
Ronan Kendrick smiled. "I need to wash up, too. Let’s do it together."
Evelyn pointed outside. "Mr. Graham and Wendy are out there."
"Mr. Graham went to deal with the rat corpses, and Wendy went to help." As he spoke, he flexed his wrist.
Evelyn produced two bathing tubs. She had plenty in her storage space, after all—enough for everyone to have five.
Ronan Kendrick let out a muffled chuckle and began taking off his shirt without another word.
After washing up, Evelyn put on a clean protective suit and went to let the others take their turn. By now, no more rats were getting in. Quincy and Miles Vaughn had added more wood to the fires, and the flames, which had been dying down, roared back to life.
"Everyone, go wash up. Ronan Kendrick and I will keep watch here. Don’t worry about the rats outside for now. We’ll clean them up together after we eat."
Hearing this, Quincy and the others finally stopped.
"I never want to see another rat for the rest of my life. They’re disgusting and terrifying. Just like the cockroaches last time—a massive swarm. There’s nowhere to even step outside, just rat corpses everywhere."
Quincy pulled off his mask, and the mix of smells in the air instantly made him gag repeatedly.
"Go back and change your clothes first. When you come back out, everyone put on a protective suit. Leave the clothes you took off by the door. They all have to be destroyed."
Just then, a CRACKLE... CRACKLE... came from Evelyn’s walkie-talkie. Guessing it was Ethan Dawson, she quickly answered.
"Ethan Dawson?"
"It’s me, Master Ford. Are you all okay?" Ethan Dawson’s voice was hoarse, and he was coughing constantly. In the background, people could be heard crying and talking.
"We’re alright. What about you?"
Ethan Dawson sighed. "It’s pretty bad over here. We lost one person and have five injured, but the rats have retreated."
Evelyn quickly told him about the fire barrier method.
"We ended up using that trick too, but there were just too many rats. The cabins are a complete mess. Luckily, I had locked up the livestock and grain securely, so we didn’t suffer any major losses."
Evelyn didn’t know how to comfort him.
"Master Dawson, the poisonous rats retreated after the sun came up. They’ll probably be back tonight."
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