Evelyn Ford guessed the special medicine was working. Wendy hadn’t vomited any blood, which was likely related to her already changed constitution.
"HURK..." In the bunk room, Quincy’s retching grew louder. Worried, Officer Graham went back inside to take another look.
"Quincy, are you feeling any better?"
"I... HURK!"
Officer Graham scrambled back a few steps, terrified of being sprayed by the black blood and threadworms Quincy was spewing.
"My stomach hurts," Quincy said, clutching his abdomen while still vomiting blood.
"Evelyn, something’s wrong with Quincy!" Officer Graham shouted in alarm. Evelyn Ford had been talking with Ronan Kendrick, but she immediately headed for the bunk room when she heard the call.
"What’s wrong?"
"He says his stomach hurts."
"I... I’m blind," Quincy managed to say, before vomiting another mouthful of blood.
Evelyn Ford waved her hand in front of his eyes. Quincy’s gaze was vacant; all he could make out was a faint glimmer of light and a blurry shape moving before him, which was how he knew someone was there.
"You can’t see?"
"Evelyn, I can’t see. And my stomach hurts."
Evelyn Ford pressed on his abdomen. "What kind of pain is it? Don’t panic. Just try to calm down."
"It’s a cramping pain that comes in waves."
"It’s probably related to the blood you’ve been vomiting. Can you not see at all, or is it just blurry?"
"It’s blurry. I can see a little bit of light."
Evelyn Ford had a good idea of what was going on.
"The light in the cave is dim, and you’ve been unconscious for over twenty days. Blurry vision is normal. It should clear up in a couple of days. For now, sit up, rinse your mouth, and drink some hot water."
"What about the others? Evelyn, are they all awake?"
"No. So far, only Ronan Kendrick, Wendy, Mr. Graham, you, and I are awake. The others are still unconscious."
Quincy lowered his gaze, lost in thought. He fumbled his way into a sitting position, and Officer Graham quickly steadied him.
Evelyn Ford poured him a glass of water. Quincy began to dry heave again, but this time, he didn’t bring anything up.
After rinsing his mouth and drinking a glass of hot water, he seemed much better.
"Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere else?"
"My throat hurts."
"Try not to talk for now. Your throat must be strained after not using it for so long. I’ll go prepare some medicine for you."
Quincy stopped Evelyn Ford. "How are Zoe and Wyatt Vaughn? Where are they?"
"In the bunk room on the other side."
"How many days was I unconscious?"
"Twenty-three days."
Quincy looked dazed. "I was really out for that long."
When Evelyn Ford went out to prepare his medicine, Wendy was already cooking. Since Quincy was awake, she was going to make him a bowl of lean pork porridge.
"How is he?" Ronan Kendrick asked, handing her the medicine pot.
"Not good. His vision is impaired, his throat and stomach hurt, and he’s vomiting blood. The later someone wakes up, the worse their condition is."
Wendy’s brow furrowed as she listened. "Poor Quincy."
After brewing the medicine, Evelyn Ford was about to take it to Quincy when he emerged, supported by Officer Graham.
He had talked too much right after waking up, and now his throat was too sore for him to speak. What’s more, blood blisters had formed inside it.
"You have blood blisters in your throat, so it’s probably inflamed. You’ll need to take some anti-inflammatories. After being unconscious for over twenty days, all sorts of problems are cropping up."
Quincy gave a wry smile and made a pleading gesture.
"Don’t worry, Quincy. You’ll definitely get better," Wendy added, coming over to pat his shoulder reassuringly.
Quincy nodded, looking much more at ease.
"Drink your medicine first. You can’t rush your recovery, so just focus on resting for a few days. It’s very cold outside, so we won’t be going anywhere for a while. If you need the toilet, ask Mr. Graham or Ronan Kendrick to help you. Otherwise, just rest."
Quincy pointed toward the other bunk room, and Evelyn Ford continued, "Don’t worry. They’ll wake up."
Quincy rested for two days, and both his vision and his voice returned to normal. However, his weight had plummeted after vomiting so much blood, and he was now thin as a rail.
Evelyn Ford gave him another third of a dose of the special medicine, allowing him to purge the last of the black blood and red threadworms from his system. Only then did a bit of color return to his face.
Surprisingly, Zoe woke up two days later. Perhaps due to her young age, her case wasn’t severe, even though she also vomited a little black blood. Within a few hours of waking, she was back to her lively, energetic self. Despite being less than two years old, she could already walk steadily. She started following Wendy to tend the vegetables every day and looked to be a future natural at gardening.
"Why is everyone else taking so long to wake up?"
Evelyn Ford was just as puzzled. "I thought Ethan Dawson or Nathan Xavier would wake up after Quincy. They seem so much stronger and healthier. Even Quincy is awake, yet there’s still no sign of life from them."
"You have to look beyond the surface to the underlying truth. It just proves my constitution is better than theirs. Did you forget what I told you all? I have a long lifeline. I’m hard to kill." With that, Quincy took Zoe and went to go till the soil.
"Looks like Quincy’s back to his old self."
Ronan Kendrick nodded. "This is better. His silence before was rather unsettling."
But with Quincy around, life was never dull.
"There’s a noise outside. I’ll go check." Ronan Kendrick’s ear twitched. Grabbing a long knife, he went to the mouth of the cave. He moved the boulder sealing the entrance just enough to peer out through the gap.
"The wind is picking up! A second cold front is about to hit! Everyone, get back inside, now!" Ronan Kendrick’s voice rang out, startling them all.
"Quincy, get Zoe and Wendy and come back! Mr. Graham, stop what you’re doing! Everyone back to the cabins!"
Evelyn Ford shut the door to the main bunk room tightly. Quincy ran into their cabin, carrying Zoe, while Wendy and Officer Graham also scrambled back inside.
"What’s going on? There’s a second wave?"
Evelyn Ford added more wood to the fire under the heated brick bed. Holding a kerosene lamp, she pressed her lips together and stared outside.
"Quiet now. Let’s just hunker down," Evelyn Ford said, tossing the quilts from the bed to Quincy for everyone to cover themselves with. She and Ronan Kendrick sat in front of the heated bed, bundled in thick army coats.
"WHOOOOSH..." A savage wind raged outside the cave. Frost was blasted from the tree branches, and a thick fog enveloped the mountains. A few small surviving animals, just about to venture out, were immediately driven back into their burrows by the frigid gale.
A continuous "CRACK... CREAK..." sound rose and fell as trees were toppled by the wind. Their trunks, frozen brittle, snapped as the new wave of cold air swept through the valley. All the towering trees in the wind’s path were broken.
"The wind outside sounds terrifying, like ghosts wailing."
Quincy’s muffled voice came from beneath the quilts. Evelyn Ford felt a wave of relief, certain that at least no one would pass out this time.
However, the arrival of the new cold front still took a significant toll on them.
"My ears hurt so much."
"I feel like I’m going to throw up."
"My bones are aching. Am I getting arthritis?"
The moment Quincy poked his head out, Evelyn Ford shot him an irritated look.
Quincy was bewildered. "Don’t you guys feel sick? Oh, no, I think I’m going to be sick again."
Of course, Evelyn Ford felt sick too. Her ears had started ringing again.