Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse-Chapter 46: High Temperature, Scavenging for Supplies 1
Evelyn Ford smoothed out the paper and placed it inside one of Lauren Keller’s law books.
A photo frame lay in the corner. Evelyn Ford picked it up and turned it over. It was covered in a thick layer of grime, and it took her a long time to wipe it clean.
It was a family portrait of Lauren Keller’s family. Evelyn Ford looked at Lauren Keller in the photo. She was holding a university acceptance letter, her smile bright and radiant.
She should have had a bright and glorious future.
As Evelyn Ford was heading upstairs, Officer Graham was just coming down. From the looks of it, he was about to head out to find supplies.
He was tall, dressed in tattered clothes, with long, greasy hair and a scruffy beard. His eyes had a fierce look to them, making him seem like someone you wouldn’t want to mess with.
"I saw a snake downstairs."
Evelyn Ford understood what he meant. ’Even a small snake is still meat.’
"The temperature is too high during the day. It’ll be safer to go out at night."
Heatstroke was no joke. At these temperatures, if you got it, there was no chance of survival.
"I understand. I’m planning to check some places farther away in a couple of days. I’ll have to lock Wendy in the house, so I was hoping you could keep an eye on things for me."
"No problem." Evelyn Ford had no plans to go out for now. She was still running a bit of a fever, and exposing herself to the scorching sun would be a death sentence.
Wendy was a well-behaved child, and Evelyn Ford was more than willing to look after her.
Because of her fever, Evelyn Ford had no appetite, but her stomach was growling with hunger. After a moment of indecision, she decided to make a crucian carp and tofu soup to whet her appetite.
She took out a crucian carp, a block of tofu, and a small piece of pork. She cleaned the carp and scored both sides diagonally. The tofu was cut into small cubes and blanched in boiling water. After washing the pork, she minced it, mixed it with salt, scallions, and ginger, and then stuffed it into the carp’s belly.
She heated oil in a pan and fried the crucian carp until both sides were golden brown. She then added shredded ginger and cooking wine, stir-frying briefly before adding hot water. Once the water boiled, she put in the tofu and let it simmer on low heat for thirty minutes before it was ready to eat. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
The creamy white carp soup was savory and delicious. Evelyn Ford’s appetite returned instantly. Paired with a bowl of rice, she felt like she had come back to life.
—
The next evening, Officer Graham left under the cover of darkness. After he was gone, Evelyn Ford went to his place to check on Wendy. Officer Graham had said Wendy was already asleep, but when Evelyn Ford went in, she found the little girl standing on a chair, her small body pressed against the window, watching the outside with tears streaming down her face.
She was very young, but she knew everything that was happening.
Evelyn Ford didn’t say anything, just stood beside her, keeping her company.
Officer Graham didn’t return until the third day. During those three days, Evelyn Ford took Wendy to scavenge in the neighboring buildings. Tables, chairs, books, pots, and pans were all on their list of targets.
Wendy, wearing a sun-protective outfit that Evelyn Ford had modified for her, trailed huffing and puffing behind her. Occasionally, they would run into the five people from Building E. They were like frightened birds, the slightest sound making them tremble in panic.
If they went to Building A, Evelyn Ford would go to Building B. They coexisted in this harmonious yet distant way.
So far, Evelyn Ford hadn’t found any other survivors in the entire residential complex.
Officer Graham’s haul this time was decent. He had a beat-up tricycle loaded with a good amount of stuff. However, seeing the injuries on his arms and face, he must have run into some serious danger. Since he didn’t mention it, Evelyn Ford didn’t ask.
Officer Graham gave Evelyn Ford five packs of instant noodles. Evelyn Ford didn’t refuse them. The packages were covered in dirt, but he had been careful not to crush the noodle cakes when he brought them back.
"The roads outside are even harder to travel. A lot of places have collapsed, and snakes pop out from time to time. The worst part is the green bottle flies. The moment those things see you, they swarm around your head, and you can’t shoo them away. They’re smelly and loud. I also ran into a lot of people out there. Some of them just collapsed and died while walking."
Officer Graham sighed. "When I passed the city library, I made a point to go in and check things out. It used to be a shelter, but I didn’t expect it to be completely empty of people."
Evelyn Ford’s eyes lit up. "The books in the library, are there any left?"
"Gone. There are snake carcasses everywhere. The library is filthy and chaotic, not a clean spot to be found. The books were all burned for warmth."
Evelyn Ford couldn’t help but feel disappointed, but she quickly came to terms with it.
After returning, Officer Graham didn’t rest for long before heading to the residential complex behind theirs to search for more supplies. This time, he took Wendy with him.
Wearing a mesh hat and carrying a steamer pot she had scavenged, Evelyn Ford headed back to Building D. The BUZZING of blowflies filled her ears. These things fed on carrion, and if you got close enough, you could smell the sour stench they gave off.
The complex was littered with snake carcasses. Aside from the stench of decay, these flies were the most annoying thing.
On the twelfth floor of the adjacent Building C, Evelyn Ford found a generator and two bottles of engine oil in one of the apartments. In the study, she also discovered a hidden compartment. After studying it for an hour, she finally managed to open it, revealing a safe hidden inside. This reminded Evelyn Ford of a safe she had found a long time ago while scavenging at a pharmaceutical company. She had completely forgotten about it, and it had been sitting in her space, unopened, ever since. Tapping on the safe in front of her, Evelyn Ford was suddenly struck by a sense of curiosity.
The safe required a password. Evelyn Ford sighed. ’Oh well, I’ll figure it out when I get home.’
This home had other unexpected treasures. There were over a dozen clean, intact books. Evelyn Ford picked up a couple to flip through and found they were all about architecture. It seemed the owner of this apartment had worked in the construction field.
In the bedroom, there was also a very beautiful lamp. Evelyn Ford checked it; the lamp was in perfect condition, undamaged. She stored it in her space, along with the low table it was sitting on.
The bedroom floor was littered with clothes and shoes, both men’s and women’s. In a box on the top shelf of the wardrobe, Evelyn Ford also found several unopened bottles of shampoo and body wash.
After finishing her search of this apartment, Evelyn Ford moved on to the one next door.
The situation in this one was far more grim. There was a skeleton right by the entrance, and the apartment was swarming with blowflies. The combination of stuffy heat and the stench of rot made it hard for Evelyn Ford to breathe, and she gasped for air several times.
A family of five had lived here. Evelyn Ford gathered their skeletal remains, placed them in one room, and covered them with a cloth before she began to search.
There was no food left in the home. The leftover snake meat in a pot had grown green mold. But Evelyn Ford wasn’t looking for food anyway. Tables, chairs, bookshelves, books, and knives were her real targets.
There had been children in this family. In the study, Evelyn Ford found two unopened cans of milk powder. Inside a cabinet, there was also a stack of tattered banknotes and two marriage certificates.
Evelyn Ford didn’t touch these items. She closed the drawer and went into the adjacent bedroom.
This bedroom likely belonged to an elderly person. There were a few boxes on a simple vanity, but also a highly decomposed snake. Evelyn Ford picked up a clean box, and upon opening it, she saw a verdant green jade bracelet inside.
The search continued. The first apartment on the tenth floor had been home to an elderly couple. The handkerchiefs and fans they used for square dancing were in the most conspicuous spot by the door. In the bedroom, two skeletons lay side by side on the bed, a wheelchair beside it.
On the balcony, several flowerpots were toppled on the ground. The shoe rack next to them had fallen apart, and shoes were scattered everywhere.
