Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse

"Trying to leave? Too late."

Evelyn didn’t kill them. The three didn’t seem like truly evil men. She would wait for Ronan Kendrick to return and have him hypnotize them. She should be able to get some valuable information out of them then.

She sealed their mouths with black tape, tied them back-to-back, and tossed them into a corner.

Evelyn went up to the second floor, a pretense to retrieve food from her space without being seen.

She placed the marinated fish on the grill. Before long, a rich aroma filled the first floor. In the corner, the three men swallowed frantically. They hadn’t eaten fish in years.

Just as Evelyn finished cooking the fish, there was a knock at the door. She placed the grilled fish on a nearby pan and hurried to open it.

With a CREAK, the door opened. As the three men walked in from outside, the stench of blood wafted into Evelyn’s nose.

Seeing they weren’t injured, Evelyn looked away and promptly locked the door behind them.

"Holy shit, who are these three?"

"They came to rob me. I grilled some tilapia. Want some?"

At the mention of robbers, Quincy couldn’t help but laugh out loud. ’These guys have the worst luck, trying to rob Evelyn of all people.’

"Yes! I’m starving. Evelyn, let me tell you, today we..."

Quincy launched into a rapid-fire account of the day’s events. Ronan Kendrick and Ethan Dawson ignored the three men in the corner and sat down by the stove.

"So this is Annie. Why is she all wrapped up like this? Is she hurt?"

Evelyn hummed in acknowledgment and then told Quincy what had happened after she found Annie.

After hearing the story, Quincy’s eyes turned red. "How could this happen? Are the others really gone? Did Annie say so herself?"

"Annie’s throat is injured, so she can’t speak for now. But her mind is clear. I’m not sure about the others, but Serena Lynch and Chase Underwood... they’re likely gone."

Quincy stroked Annie’s head. "If you hadn’t found her, Annie probably wouldn’t have made it. Evelyn, are we taking her back with us?"

"Of course."

That went without saying.

The topic cast a pall of silence over the group. In the corner, the three men were dizzy with hunger. As the aroma wafted into their noses again and again, their stomachs couldn’t help but RUMBLE loudly.

Evelyn glanced at the men and said quietly, "Ronan, I need you to hypnotize them in a bit. I have some questions for them."

"Alright."

After they finished the grilled fish, Annie woke up. Seeing an unfamiliar man sitting by the bed, she stared with wide, frightened eyes.

Their eyes met, and Quincy was the first to react. "Evelyn, Annie’s awake."

"Her color looks much better." Evelyn brought the medicinal broth to Annie’s lips. "Annie, drink another bowl of medicine and go back to sleep. Your injuries will heal quickly."

Annie was very well-behaved. Even though the medicine was bitter, she drank it all.

"Annie, are you hungry? Do you want to eat something?"

Evelyn quickly stopped Quincy. "Her digestive system is severely damaged. She can’t eat solid food yet. It’ll probably be half a month before she can eat properly."

"Not even plain congee?"

"Congee is fine, but it’s best if she doesn’t eat at all for the next few days."

Ronan Kendrick and Ethan Dawson hauled the three men from the corner up to the second floor. Thinking their end had come, the trio trembled in fear.

Ronan ripped the black tape off one man’s mouth and warned coldly, "If you don’t want to die, be cooperative. I ask, you answer."

Evelyn was busy, so the task of interrogation fell to him. He had observed them earlier and concluded they weren’t deep or cunning. There was no need for hypnotism.

The man nodded hastily. ’I knew we shouldn’t have come to steal supplies today,’ he thought. ’We didn’t get anything, and now we’re going to lose our lives over it.’

"Where do you live?"

"A refugee camp."

Ethan Dawson and Ronan Kendrick exchanged a look. Both were a little surprised that the three lived in a refugee camp.

"When did you start living in the refugee camp?"

"Five years ago."

Ronan nodded. "In the area where you live, which squad under The Black Dragon Gang collects protection fees?"

"The Eagles."

"How many people are in your area? Do you know the ratio of men to women, or of young to old?"

The man paused, confused as to why Ronan wanted to know this.

"It’s mostly men. For every ten people, I’d say there are about five young men, one child, three women, and one old person."

The breakdown was simple and direct. After the apocalypse, children, the elderly, and the disabled were the first vulnerable groups to be eliminated. Those who survived were the ones with superior physical strength, endurance, and mental fortitude.

Where there is oppression, there is resistance, like with Wendy Lawrence today. But her resistance only came after her daughter was beaten to death. Many people were like her, living like beasts of burden, but the moment the pillar supporting their will to live was gone, they would immediately rise up and fight back.

"We were really wrong. We were just so hungry. The Eagles took three catties of our grain, and we had no other choice but to come out and look for something. Please don’t kill us. Ask me anything you want to know. Just let us live. I’ll do anything."

The man’s tone was desperate. "We just wanted to steal a little something, we absolutely had no intention of hurting anyone, I swear."

Ronan nodded. "Alright. I have a few more questions. The Second Base..."

After Annie fell asleep, Evelyn and Quincy talked for a long time. They spoke of Corinth and Wyrmrest Base, and eventually, of Serena Lynch, Chase Underwood, Roy Henderson, and Owen Chapman. They also talked about Secretary Hawthorne, Cherie, and the other young people who had been swept away by the sea.

Evelyn rested her chin in her hand, her expression a little lost.

"Evelyn, sometimes I think there’s something wrong with me."

Evelyn looked at Quincy. "In what way?"

Quincy pointed to his head. "Especially when I’m alone. I get this intense urge to scream and shout, to fly into a rage. And sometimes, I just really want to cry. Isn’t that neurotic?"

Evelyn’s expression turned serious. "When did it start?"

"Maybe after my kitten died. Or maybe when we were trapped in the office building. During that time, I was incredibly irritable. I even wondered if I’d caught rabies."

He burst into laughter after saying this. "Later, I went back to Prosperity Gardens with you and met Mr. Graham, Wendy, Roy Henderson, and Owen Chapman. We foraged for supplies together, fled from danger together... I actually felt more at ease back then. Even though we were short on water and food, living on the edge of death every day, it didn’t feel as exhausting as it does now."

Evelyn slapped Quincy on the shoulder. "Quincy, are you depressed?"

"No way. I’d believe it if you said I was crazy, but depression? Can someone like me even get depressed?"

"Quincy, I’m not kidding. Your symptoms sound a lot like high-functioning depression. The more someone seems carefree, the more severe the depression can be. I’m sorry, I can’t believe I didn’t notice anything was wrong."

"It’s not your fault, why are you apologizing to me? Actually, I think I have a split personality."

Evelyn... She had worried for nothing.

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