Chapter 426: Chapter 426: Cold Air 1
Once the door was installed, the cold draft was instantly blocked outside. With several logs braced against it from behind, not even an elephant could knock it down.
Everyone’s pots and pans had been filled with rainwater. Officer Graham and Wendy were already starting to cook. There was still plenty of pork left over from last night. Once the water boiled, they tossed a few compressed biscuits and some minced meat into the iron pot. Breakfast was as simple as that.
Yunnis Denton glanced around. "Shouldn’t we set up a place to sleep?"
Claudia Schultz shook her head. "I don’t think we need to. Once this super cold front passes, we can leave."
"But how are we going to last without a place to sleep?"
"We can sleep leaning against the cave wall. I’m too exhausted to bother. I’m going to get some rest now."
Evelyn Ford took her silver needles out of her bag and began treating the few people suffering from facial paralysis.
—
One hundred kilometers away, the most powerful cold front in recorded history was sweeping in from the Northwest. Wherever it passed, the wind and rain ceased. Trees were instantly coated in a layer of frost. It was as if the pause button had been hit on the entire world.
Evelyn Ford had everyone chop more wood and bring it into the cave. Though the door seemed indestructible, she wanted to reinforce it just in case. In addition to bracing it with logs, they stacked all the loose stones from inside the cave against it.
Ronan Kendrick said the cold front would make landfall within days. He could already feel the frigid wave approaching.
Fortunately, the cave was large enough that it didn’t feel too crowded, even with so many people. Evelyn Ford used an oilcloth to create a partitioned-off area. Since everyone was living together, she couldn’t make special arrangements for herself, but this small hardship was nothing to her.
"Miss Ford, I think I hear someone crying outside."
Evelyn Ford listened for a moment before shaking her head. "That’s not crying. It’s just the wind howling."
Wendy held a stick, endlessly poking the burning logs. "I’m feeling a little anxious."
Evelyn Ford patted her on the shoulder. "Don’t be anxious. We’re all here together."
A wild pheasant squatted next to Wendy, also warming itself by the fire. After two days with the group, it was no longer very afraid of them.
On their fourth day hiding in the cave, the downpour outside suddenly intensified, followed by deafening claps of thunder that seemed to come from directly overhead.
Evelyn Ford covered her ears, her lips pressed into a thin line as she stared at the fire.
"The thunder today is terrifying. It hasn’t let up at all," Christina Thorne said, her face fraught with worry. "If this continues, I’m afraid the cave might collapse."
Claudia Schultz shot her a look. "Don’t say such things."
Just then, Ronan Kendrick suddenly strode over. Seeing the look on his face, Evelyn Ford immediately got to her feet.
"What’s wrong?"
"Add more wood to the fire. The lightning is getting too frequent. The super cold front will be here very soon."
Evelyn Ford’s expression grew taut. She quickly added more wood to the fire. The flames danced wildly, and sparks burst out with a sharp HISS and CRACKLE.
Evelyn Ford slipped behind the oilcloth partition. She added two sweaters under her raincoat and stuck several Warm Babies all over herself. Unsure if it was just psychological, she still felt it wasn’t enough. She took out a large pouch of herbs, brewed a concoction, and had everyone drink a large bowl. The herbal medicine was bitter and astringent, but within three minutes of drinking it, a warmth spread through their entire bodies.
Evelyn Ford was worried about Ronan Kendrick and made him put on several Warm Babies as well.
At five in the afternoon, Evelyn Ford’s ears suddenly began to ache. She wasn’t the only one.
"What’s happening? My ears are killing me! No, wait—the pain is shooting to the top of my skull!" Quincy’s panicked voice cried out. Aside from Ronan Kendrick, every face was contorted in agony.
Even little Zoe burst into tears from the pain. Evelyn Ford clutched her head, squeezing her eyes shut. Her own ears and head were throbbing with unbearable pain; she couldn’t spare a thought for anyone else.
Just then, Ronan Kendrick reached out and pressed the acupressure points on Evelyn Ford’s temples and behind her earlobes. After a few moments of pressure, her headache subsided slightly.
"Get out a helmet and put it on. The cold front is here."
Evelyn Ford raised an eyebrow. Ignoring the pain in her ears, she went behind the oilcloth and retrieved several helmets. She put one on and handed another to Ronan Kendrick. Ronan Kendrick put the pheasant and the wolfhound into his space and put on his helmet as well.
There were only three helmets left—not enough to go around. Evelyn Ford gave one to Zoe and one to Wendy. She offered the last one to Officer Graham, but he pushed it away through gritted teeth, motioning for her to give it to Quincy. Quincy, in turn, ended up putting the helmet on Wyatt Vaughn’s head.
Just then, a low wail began to build—WHOOOOOSH. The door at the cave mouth started to POUND under the force of the wind. In that split second, Ronan Kendrick suddenly pulled Evelyn Ford into an embrace, forcing them both flat on the ground.
"Get down! Get close to the fire and get down, now!"
As Ronan Kendrick finished speaking, the cave seemed to be frozen solid. Everyone lost consciousness. Evelyn Ford was curled in Ronan Kendrick’s arms as a white mist poured in through the cracks around the door, quickly enveloping the entire cave.
Outside the cave, the wind, rain, and lightning had vanished. The world was nothing but a vast, white mist. All the trees froze solid in an instant. A bird, just about to take flight from a branch, fell to the ground. With a CRACK, it became a frozen specimen.
HUUUU... WHOOOO...
Some ten-odd hours later, a gale began to tear through the forest. The ice encasing the tree branches was shaken loose by the fierce wind, shattering as it hit the ground.
When Evelyn Ford woke again, she found herself inside her space. Ronan Kendrick was unconscious by the well. She rushed over to check on him. His face was flushed, his body was burning up, and his heartbeat was erratic. She quickly tried to take his pulse but couldn’t find one.
Terrified, Evelyn Ford called Ronan Kendrick’s name over and over, but he remained completely unresponsive.
’Wait a minute...’
’How did Ronan Kendrick and I get into the space? Where is everyone else?’
Evelyn Ford searched the entire space but couldn’t find anyone else. She retrieved a folding cot from her storage area, placed Ronan Kendrick on it, and checked his condition again. It was still terrible. His heart was beating erratically—sometimes racing, sometimes slowing to a crawl—and his face was terrifyingly pale.
Evelyn Ford tried to leave the space. When she opened her eyes again, she was back in the cave, curled up in Ronan Kendrick’s arms. A thin layer of frost covered them both. The nearby fire had been extinguished, plunging the entire cave into darkness.
Evelyn Ford patted Ronan Kendrick’s cheek. She was hypothermic, and her ears and head still ached. Her brow furrowed as she looked at the others, all still unconscious. She took out a pine torch and a lighter, intending to relight the fire.
"Ronan. Ronan, wake up! Ronan."
Evelyn Ford called his name several more times, but Ronan still didn’t respond. Remembering his double in the space, she didn’t have time to overthink it. She tried to pull him into the space with her and, to her surprise, it worked.
The instant Ronan Kendrick’s body entered the space, the "him" on the folding cot vanished. Evelyn’s mind reeled with questions, but she had to push them aside for the moment.
Evelyn Ford used her consciousness to check on the cave. Everyone else was still there, except for her and Ronan.
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