Chapter 422: Chapter 422: Fleeing the Rainstorm (1)
The early morning wind was bitingly cold. Just as the sky began to lighten, the rain intensified. A few small birds could be seen struggling in the muddy water, already on the verge of death. Their downy feathers were soaked and matted, and their occasional, faint chirps were drowned out by the thunder and rain.
Evelyn Ford used a branch to fish out a nearby bird, carefully nudging it onto the raft. It was a titmouse, shivering so hard from the cold that it couldn’t make a sound.
Evelyn Ford put it into her space. ’Whether it lived or died was up to its own fate.’
The woods had turned into a rainforest, and moving the raft was extremely difficult. If Ronan Kendrick hadn’t been clearing a path up ahead, the group behind them might have been completely stuck.
Officer Graham’s raft had fallen twenty meters behind. It wasn’t a great distance, but with the heavy rain and thick fog, visibility was down to five meters. Evelyn Ford tied a string of bells to the back of her raft to help the group behind them find their way and keep up.
All the branches Ronan Kendrick chopped down were stored in her space, which cleared the obstruction and added to their firewood supply.
Evelyn Ford had also put the two dogs into her space. She’d let them out once the others caught up. She couldn’t bear to see them shivering so hard they were hiccupping.
"We can’t get through up ahead. We have to clear a path."
Evelyn Ford handed a dry towel to Ronan Kendrick, then pulled two machetes from her space to help him clear the branches.
"This will go faster if we work together. It feels like the temperature is dropping today, and everyone’s going to catch a cold. We need to find a place to build a fire and get warm, and soon."
Ronan Kendrick glanced at her. "How are you doing?"
"I’m fine. I put on a raincoat, and I have a Warm Baby stuck on me too."
The two of them began clearing the branches, and the others slowly caught up from behind.
After entering the forest, Evelyn Ford had completely lost her bearings. The compass was malfunctioning again, and without the sun, it was impossible to determine their direction. All they could do was follow the flow of the water.
The trees in this forest were all spruce, Korean pine, and Scots pine. Evelyn Ford guessed they had entered the Cobalt region, since the forests in Oakhaven consisted mainly of Korean pine and spruce.
The Korean pine trunks were coated in resin, which was good for starting fires. Evelyn Ford scraped some off and put it into a basin on the raft.
"Holy crap, there’s a dead snake in the water! Scared the hell out of me!" Quincy’s panicked voice came from behind. Evelyn Ford glanced back, but the fog was too thick. She heard him but couldn’t see him.
’The sun had been so intense before the storm, so it was normal for snakes to be out and about. When the torrential rain hit, their burrows must have flooded. Aside from a few aquatic species, most snakes can’t survive in water for long. Eventually, they just die.’
After clearing the obstruction, Evelyn Ford pushed their raft forward and blew her whistle, signaling for the others to hurry and catch up. ’Especially now, it’s crucial to stay calm and conserve energy. Shouting is just a waste of stamina and makes everyone anxious.’
"If we head left, we should be able to get out of this forest."
Ronan Kendrick put the machete away. He had a scratch on his face. Just as Evelyn Ford reached out to wipe away the blood, the wound closed and healed completely.
"Let’s wait for them. We can rest here for half an hour."
Evelyn Ford took out a cup and some Dried Beef and handed them to Ronan Kendrick so he could regain some strength. She gathered the nearby branches into her space, and when the other rafts caught up, she released the two wolf-dogs.
Having not seen them for hours, the wolf-dogs were ecstatic and tried to pounce on them. Seeing that their fur was dry and they were in high spirits, Evelyn Ford felt relieved.
"Evelyn, we finally caught up! I just saw a dead snake in the water—it was a meter long! I thought it was alive for a second; it really gave me a jump."
As soon as Quincy’s raft pulled up, he started rambling. Evelyn Ford glanced at Zoe, who was strapped to his chest; the little girl appeared to be asleep.
"Too bad it wasn’t alive. We could have had roast meat."
Quincy nodded. "Yeah, that’s a shame."
"Miss Ford, we just hit a big rock and almost fell into the muddy water."
Evelyn Ford handed the Dried Meat she was holding to Wendy. "You have to be careful. There are a lot of rocks under the water."
"Now that everyone’s here, let’s rest for a bit. Ronan Kendrick said we can get out of these woods by heading left. Let’s pull together and make sure we’re out before dark." After speaking, Evelyn Ford took a bottle from her bag and handed one pill to each person.
"These are Cold Prevention Pills. They’re incredibly bitter. Once you take one, you’ll feel a warmth in your stomach, but the bitter taste will linger in your mouth for hours."
"How bitter could it be?" Quincy sniffed the pill. It had a light, fresh scent and was green. Skeptical, he tossed it straight into his mouth.
Two seconds later, Quincy’s entire face contorted.
"GACK..."
"Evelyn, are you sure this isn’t poison? This is the most bitter thing I’ve ever tasted! You’re a real genius for making something like this."
The corner of Evelyn Ford’s mouth twitched. "Thanks for the compliment. Don’t spit it out. You’re not getting another one."
The others had the same reaction as Quincy after taking their pills. But the Cold Prevention Pills were highly effective; before long, a warmth spread through their bodies and stomachs.
Once they had rested, the group set out again. The Korean pines were sparser here, making it easier to paddle the rafts. However, a large patch of thick weeds blocked their path, bringing the raft to a halt.
The weeds weren’t worth burning, so Evelyn Ford had no intention of storing them in her space. She and Ronan Kendrick each grabbed a sickle. A single swing of the sharp blades cleared a large swath of the vegetation.
A thick layer of pine needles floated on the muddy water. To keep them from getting wedged in the gaps of the raft, Evelyn Ford had to use a pole to push them aside.
By the end of the day, every part of her body ached. She was exhausted, hungry, and cold. The thunder kept her constantly on edge. Drained both mentally and physically, her body was starting to give out. They had been stuck wandering this forest for two full days. A wave of helplessness washed over her. Evelyn Ford let out a heavy sigh, took out her cup for a sip of hot water, gave herself a silent pep talk, and went back to clearing the path.
At four in the afternoon, after enduring another violent thunderstorm, the group finally emerged from the forest and reached the main road. The situation here wasn’t much better, though. Mudslides and collapses had completely destroyed it. The water was deep, but it was mostly thick sludge. Falling in would be a death sentence.
Evelyn Ford tested the depth with a pole. The sludge was nearly two meters deep and extremely soft. The water flowing over it was turbulent enough that they wouldn’t need to paddle; the current would carry them. The crucial thing was to keep the raft balanced. If it capsized, they would be thrown into the sludge.
"The road has turned into a swamp. Can we even get across safely?"
"Hey, look up ahead. Between those two spruce trees... is that a body? Or am I just seeing things?"
Evelyn Ford looked over. The fog was too thick. She could make out a shape wedged there, but she couldn’t tell what it was.
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