Chapter 416: Chapter 416: The Rainstorm Strikes Again 2
Evelyn Ford took the towel Ronan Kendrick handed her and roughly wiped the rain from her face.
The downpour slammed into the ground, sending up huge splashes. The thunder was deafening, as if it would tear a rift in the oppressive, black sky. With every clap of thunder, countless rocks tumbled down the mountains surrounding the farm, the steady THUD THUD THUD grating on everyone’s nerves.
"What a calamity."
Faintly, Evelyn heard a sigh, but the sounds of rain, thunder, and hail all blended together, and she couldn’t make out who had spoken.
Evelyn felt a sudden drop in temperature. The fierce wind made the trees on the mountain creak and groan, and goosebumps instantly broke out on her arms.
"Let’s get a fire going in the fireplace. The temperature’s dropped."
Evelyn looked at Officer Graham and Wendy. "Let’s rest for a while. We can go back out to dig the drainage ditches once the thunder and lightning stop."
"This sudden rain and cold snap really caught us by surprise. There was no warning at all."
Evelyn shook her head with a wry smile. "A few days ago, Quincy told me a wind was blowing from the Southwest and the stench was fading, so he figured it was going to rain. I didn’t pay it much mind, but I guess he was right after all."
The four of them sat around the fireplace while Officer Graham brewed ginger tea over the flames. Wendy stared blankly at the wood, which burned a brilliant crimson.
Once the ginger tea was ready, everyone had a bowl. Outside, the rain was getting heavier with no sign of letting up, but the thunder and lightning had ceased. They grabbed their hoes and went back out to continue digging the drainage ditches.
They had already built a five-foot-high waterproof berm around the cistern when they first dug it, but Evelyn still didn’t think it was enough. She took Ronan Kendrick and Wendy to reinforce it. Wendy was shivering from the cold, and her palms were pale and waterlogged, so Evelyn told her to go back to the cabin, but she absolutely refused.
"Miss Ford, I can’t just stand by and let everyone else do the work. I’m not a kid anymore. If you can do it, I can do it. I want to share the responsibility with you."
Her youthful face was filled with determination. Even when a piece of wood debris, carried by the rushing water, gashed her calf and drew blood, her expression didn’t change.
Evelyn didn’t press her further. The relief work was urgent. They had to secure the berm around the cistern before the rainwater began to pool.
The raincoats were all but useless; filthy water poured down their collars, soaking them completely. Evelyn shivered, then heaved a large rock onto the berm. When the others weren’t looking, she pulled some clay from her dimensional space and used it to plaster the rocks together.
A few hours later, all four drainage ditches were dug, and the work to secure the cistern was finally complete. Evelyn clutched her forehead. A large hailstone had struck her there earlier, and blood had gushed from the wound. She hadn’t had time to bandage it and, figuring it would heal on its own in a few hours, had simply ignored it. But now, dizzy from the blood loss, she haphazardly wiped at the gore on her brow. Just as she was about to go check on the ditches, Ronan Kendrick tore a strip of fabric from his inner shirt and tied it firmly around her head.
Ronan knew she wouldn’t just go back and rest; she wouldn’t waste the time. He could only rein in his temper and perform the most basic first aid he could.
"Must be nice being so tall. Your shirt is still clean, while my hair is just caked in mud." Evelyn had tried to lighten the mood with a joke, but Ronan just pursed his lips, refusing to play along.
"Ronan..."
"It’s going to thunder again. Get back to the cabin." As he spoke, a clap of thunder ripped through the air, and he dragged Evelyn back inside.
The cabin floor was already a wet mess of water, mud, and grit. Shivering, Evelyn pulled off her boots. She looked down at her pale, waterlogged feet and stomped them twice in disgust.
"Are your feet bothering you?"
Ronan squatted down to examine them, but Evelyn just smiled. "It’s nothing. They’re just numb from the cold. They’ll be fine once I move them around a bit."
Just then, Wendy and Officer Graham came back inside. The father and daughter looked just as wretched, especially Officer Graham. He already walked with a limp, and after taking a fall outside, he was now covered in muddy water from head to face.
Evelyn quickly washed up and properly treated the gash on her forehead. She’d been busy all day and was so hungry her stomach was cramping. She hurried to get dinner started. Ronan was still in the bathroom, and when he finished, he urged Officer Graham to go in and wash off the grime. Unwilling to waste water, Officer Graham just took a ragged towel and started wiping the mud from his face.
"We’re not short on water. You don’t have to conserve it," Ronan said before walking away. Watching his retreating figure, Officer Graham couldn’t help but smile.
"Dad, what are you smiling at?"
"It’s nothing. Wendy, you go wash up."
Wendy looked at the leaves and dirt on her father’s forehead and shook her head with a sigh. "You go wash up. I’ll mop the floor."
These days, they all had to cook and eat as separate groups. Tonight, Evelyn prepared a rather lavish meal; after going hungry all day, they needed to replenish their strength.
With the drainage ditches dug, the water couldn’t pool up anymore, no matter how hard it rained. More than the downpour itself, it was the thunder and lightning that was truly terrifying.
Evelyn brought out the dishes, and everyone gathered around the fireplace to eat. Wendy’s eyes lit up at the sight of braised pork belly and stewed ribs on the table.
"Miss Ford, we’re having a feast tonight!"
"That we are. We didn’t even have lunch. Aren’t you starving?"
"I’m starving! My stomach has been growling nonstop."
Evelyn placed a piece of braised pork belly in Wendy’s bowl. "Go on, eat up. Make sure you get your fill."
Officer Graham looked at the fragrant spread, his eyes growing misty.
"We could have just had something simple. You didn’t have to go to all this trouble."
Evelyn waved her hand dismissively. "Nonsense. I was starving today myself. I doubt any of us will get much sleep tonight, so how can we face it on an empty stomach? The meat is in the kitchen cellar, and we all eat the same."
Officer Graham smiled. "That’s not what I meant. You’ve never been stingy with any of us."
"We’re all in this together, so don’t be polite. Eat up. We might have more drainage work to do tonight."
Evelyn placed a piece of braised pork belly in Ronan’s bowl as well. "You worked hard today."
Ronan glanced at the gauze on her forehead, his lips tightening, but he said nothing.
Evelyn smiled and gave his palm a discreet squeeze under the table.
"I’m afraid this rain will go on for days. The hailstones are huge. Paul Pence and Miles Vaughn got hit by them earlier, too. Luckily, neither of them was hit in the eye." A shadow of worry still lingered on Officer Graham’s face.
"If only we had an airplane... we’d be safe if we flew up into the sky, wouldn’t we?" Wendy asked, looking at Officer Graham.
Evelyn smiled. "Flying during a thunderstorm is extremely dangerous. It’s easy for a plane to get struck by lightning and crash."
Wendy’s mouth fell open. "So planes aren’t safe either?"
"That’s right."
"Then what are we going to do? The rain isn’t going to flood the farm again, is it?"
"We’ll just have to take it one step at a time. Immeasurable Mountain is at a high elevation, so we probably won’t be flooded."
’Of course, Evelyn wasn’t so sure herself.’
"By the way, have we heard from Ethan Dawson today?" Officer Graham asked suddenly.
"No, the walkie-talkie’s been silent all day. He’s probably busy with his own emergency preparations. Fairgate Farm is on higher ground than we are, so they’re likely safer."
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