Chapter 419: Chapter 419: Rainstorm Strikes Again 5
Evelyn Ford looked at Ethan Dawson. "Your farm had so much gasoline. Did it all get flooded?"
"You want gasoline? Sorry, by the time I was getting ready to come over, they were already loading the gasoline onto a truck. When they saw me leave, they probably decided to leave as well."
Quincy was shocked. "Leave? The roads outside have all collapsed, how can they leave? And the rain is so heavy now, you can’t drive. Never mind a truck, even a tank couldn’t handle this."
Evelyn Ford had originally planned to go collect the gasoline from Ethan Dawson’s farm, but after hearing what he said, she abandoned the idea.
"I’ll ride back and see if they’ve left. If not, I’ll bring a few barrels over."
Evelyn Ford waved her hand. "No need. Let them have it."
That night, Evelyn Ford stored the horse in her space. When Ethan Dawson asked about it the next day, Evelyn simply said she had set it free. Although Ethan Dawson felt it was a shame, he didn’t say anything.
On the fourth day of the torrential rain, everyone began to build rafts and weave straw raincoats. As the floodwaters rose ever higher, every face was etched with anxiety and fear.
"What do I do if I can’t swim? I’m so scared."
"The rain is so heavy... It doesn’t look like it’s ever going to stop."
"We finally managed to settle down. I don’t want to leave."
...
Taylor Vance found Evelyn Ford. Before he could even speak, Evelyn Ford interrupted him.
"Mr. Vance, I won’t let you stay behind."
Taylor Vance gave a bitter smile. "But I’m just a burden. If I flee with you all, I’ll only weigh you down. Evelyn, I’ve truly lived long enough."
"Mr. Vance, dying is easy, living is hard. But no matter how hard it is, you have to live. If you stay here alone, do you think we could leave with a clear conscience?"
When they started chopping wood to build rafts on the third day of the torrential rain, Evelyn Ford knew that leaving was inevitable.
"Evelyn, don’t feel burdened. In a world like this, you have to look out for yourself first."
Evelyn Ford said nothing, just stared at Taylor Vance.
Ultimately, Taylor Vance conceded. "Alright, I promise I’ll leave with you. If I fall behind on the way, don’t rescue me. You all just keep moving forward. Don’t turn back for my sake."
Evelyn Ford nodded. "Alright."
On the sixth day of the torrential rain, Evelyn Ford distributed a small bundle of supplies to everyone, wrapped in plastic sheeting. Each weighed about five pounds and contained a lighter, a whistle, a packet of medicine, and some grain seeds.
"We have the compressed biscuits and dried pumpkin we all made a while back. There are two hundred pounds of biscuits and three hundred pounds of dried pumpkin. Let’s divide them up."
"Each person can take twenty pounds at most," Officer Graham reminded them. "Any more than that, and we won’t have the strength to row." He wasn’t being stingy; the heavier their packs, the harder it would be.
"There are some pots and pans here. Come and get them if you want any."
The floodwaters outside the cabin had already submerged the levee. It looked like they’d have to leave ahead of schedule; they wouldn’t even make it eight days.
Evelyn Ford glanced at the rafts nearby. The large ones could seat three or four people, the small ones, two.
Officer Graham even cut up the oilcloths and distributed the pieces. Some people tried to take extra, terrified of starving after they left. Others just stared blankly at the downpour outside, their faces numb.
"Evelyn, I’m not leaving," Aunt Crane said suddenly. "You don’t need to prepare anything for me."
Everyone stared at her in surprise. "Aunt Crane, the water is already in the cabin! We have to leave now. The back of the cabin is already starting to give way; the whole thing is going to collapse!"
"I’m not leaving. You all go on. I don’t have the courage to keep fleeing. Whether I live or die by staying, I’ll accept it. If I die here, I’ll have no regrets."
Seeing their attempts to persuade her were futile, everyone looked to Evelyn Ford. But Evelyn said nothing, simply continuing with her tasks. ’Aunt Crane has already made up her mind to stay,’ she thought. ’Arguing would be pointless.’
On the seventh day of the torrential rain, the water inside the cabin was already thigh-high. Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick donned their straw raincoats, gloves, and hats. After stowing the last of their things in her space, they walked out of the cabin.
Ronan Kendrick lifted the wolfdogs onto a raft. They were both wearing small raincoats made of oilcloth. Evelyn Ford and Ronan each shouldered a pack, neither of which looked very heavy.
They chose one of the smaller rafts. With the two dogs, it was a tight squeeze once they were on board.
The raft assignments were as follows. Five small rafts: Officer Graham, Wendy, and Ian Yates.
Ethan Dawson, Taylor Vance, and Zion Lowell.
Quincy, Wyatt Vaughn, and Zoe.
Miles Vaughn, Joelle Finch, and Peter Owens.
Three large rafts: Austin Moss, Claire Moss, Nathan Xavier, and Drako.
Paul Pence, Penelope Parker, Patrick Pence, and Yunnis Denton.
Christina Thorne, Claudia Schultz, Chet Lawrence, and Raymond Shepherd.
"We’re leaving again."
Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick took the lead. Ronan had a good sense of direction and great strength, so he rowed. Evelyn stayed in the back, bracing the sides of the raft to keep it as steady as possible. Following their example, the others boarded their own rafts. Thanks to the tires supporting them, the rafts floated easily.
The two wolfdogs lay sideways across the raft. Though frightened, they were well-behaved, neither barking nor fidgeting.
"Everyone, lean forward as much as you can. Don’t sit bolt upright, or you’ll throw off the balance. You all have emergency supplies and weapons. If we get separated, just focus on staying alive."
With that, Ronan Kendrick pushed the raft forward, charging out of the farm into the thunder and torrential rain. Right behind them were Officer Graham and Quincy. Neither wanted to be separated from Evelyn Ford, so they followed close and steady.
Aunt Crane stood in the cabin doorway, watching the rafts depart. She raised a hand and waved twice. Over the past two days, the others had helped her build a wooden platform just below the roof beams, ten feet above the floor. As long as the floodwaters didn’t cross that safety line and the cabin held, she would be able to survive.
The rain fell in sheets, and mudslides and flash floods cascaded down the mountainside. Evelyn Ford ignored the water streaming down her face, focusing on balancing the raft. A thick fog blanketed the mountains. Without a compass, everyone feared getting lost or being left behind. They stuck close to the raft ahead, not daring to fall back even an inch.
A loud RUMBLE of thunder echoed. Just as they emerged from Immeasurable Mountain, lightning struck the trees on both sides of their path, snapping them in half. Ronan Kendrick had to divide his focus between paddling and dodging the rocks tumbling down the mountainside.
As they passed Fairgate Farm, Evelyn Ford glanced over and saw that its cabins had already collapsed.
On the rafts behind them, two people were paddling. On theirs, however, Ronan Kendrick was in charge of both paddling and navigating, while Evelyn Ford focused on keeping the raft balanced.
Some crews mishandled their rafts, crashing into trees or getting swamped by the current and dumped into the muddy water. A moment’s hesitation could mean being swept away, since they were traveling with the flow of the flood.
"Ronan, is that a body or a rock floating up ahead?"
The rain was coming down so hard that Evelyn Ford couldn’t see clearly.
Ronan Kendrick’s voice was calm. "It’s a body."
’We’ve only just left Fairgate and we’re already seeing bodies. There must have been a lot of refugees living around here. Most of them probably didn’t make it.’
Ronan Kendrick steered around the corpse and kept paddling. Evelyn Ford glanced back; everyone was still behind them. A whistle hung from each person’s neck—if anyone was swept away, they were to blow it immediately. As she looked up at the oppressive, black sky, Evelyn’s eyelid began to twitch.
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