Evelyn Ford and Taylor Vance discussed the plan to expand the cave. It appeared to be a natural formation with solid rock walls, so there was no risk of collapse even if they expanded it.
"If we expand inward, Dotty can use the entire outer area for growing vegetables and pumpkins. I took a look; the shelters you built can be moved. We’ll be able to place them directly inside the newly excavated sections of the cave."
Evelyn Ford nodded. "My idea is also to excavate smaller chambers. A large-scale expansion could easily cause a collapse, but if we dig a series of smaller rooms, we can avoid that problem. The downside is that it will be more labor-intensive."
Evelyn Ford tested a spot. The earth inside the cave was extremely hard, making it difficult to dig.
"You told me before that after the cold air hit, things started mutating, and plants and animals began to grow faster. At that rate, the pumpkins and corn we’ve planted will probably be mature in about two months."
"Mmm, I did a rough calculation. That timeline sounds about right."
Taylor Vance suddenly sighed. "It’s really not easy. It’s just one disaster after another. If it weren’t for you and Ronan Kendrick, I’m afraid none of us would have survived."
"The most important thing is that we all stick together. As long as we’re united, we can get through any hardship."
"Right. We can’t just give up."
—
The pumpkin seeds they had sown earlier had sprouted. Once the seedlings grew to about ten centimeters, they could be transplanted into the soil. With Ethan Dawson and Quincy joining the effort, the vegetable patch was starting to take shape. Ronan Kendrick had built a fence around it, sectioning off different areas for different types of plants.
Evelyn Ford assigned tasks to Wendy and Zoe. The vegetable patch and the chicken coop were now their responsibility. Every day, they had to clean the coop, feed the chicks, and check the survival rate of the vegetable and pumpkin seedlings. If they found a dead seedling, they had to replace it with a new one immediately.
After Taylor Vance awoke, the others showed no signs of stirring. Quincy would go into the large bunk room to check on them countless times each day, and seeing his disappointed expression made everyone’s heart heavy.
"That Zion Lowell... he’s always been healthier than me. Hasn’t gotten sick in years. How could he be in a coma for so long?" As his friend and partner for decades, Taylor Vance couldn’t rest easy until Zion Lowell woke up.
"Yeah, it seems the stronger and healthier someone was, the longer they’re staying in this coma," Officer Graham added, finding it strange as well.
In an attempt to wake the others sooner, Taylor Vance tried various methods. He taught Wendy and Zoe songs and had them go into the bunk room to sing for half an hour, three times a day—morning, noon, and night.
Every night before going to sleep, he would also recite a prayer for the others. When people feel powerless, they often place their hopes in the divine, attempting to trade sincerity for a miracle.
On the stone walls of the cave, Evelyn Ford saw the word "Peace" carved over and over with tree branches.
The days slipped by. In the blink of an eye, a month and a half had passed since the first cold front hit.
The survival rate of the transplanted pumpkin seedlings was very high, with about a hundred plants taking root.
That night, just as Evelyn Ford was envisioning a bountiful harvest from a hundred pumpkin plants, a dry retch from the large bunk room made her jump.
’Did someone wake up?’ Ethan Dawson and Taylor Vance were still staying in the large bunk room. A moment later, Evelyn Ford heard their panicked voices.
"Evelyn Ford! Ronan Kendrick! They’re all vomiting blood!"
Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick exchanged a glance, then quickly got up and headed out.
The coppery stench that hit them at the entrance was so strong it made them recoil. Evelyn Ford pulled out two masks. Only after they put them on did they switch on a flashlight and step inside.
"What’s going on?"
Seeing Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick, Taylor Vance hurriedly explained the situation.
"Miles Vaughn reacted first. He spat up a mouthful of blood. I was just about to check on him when Peter Owens, who was next to him, started convulsing and then got a nosebleed."
Evelyn Ford scanned the room. "Only those two are reacting?"
Taylor Vance nodded. "They’re lying next to each other. They both started vomiting blood, one after the other, about twenty seconds apart."
Evelyn Ford shone her flashlight into a wooden bucket. Sure enough, it contained large, congealed blood clots.
"They have internal injuries. See? It’s all clots. The people who woke up first vomited blood, but there were no clots like this."
Taylor Vance frowned. "So the later someone wakes up, the longer their body needs to heal on its own?"
Evelyn Ford nodded. "That’s a possibility. Let’s get them some warm water first."
Evelyn Ford took out another half a tablet of the special medicine, intending to give it to the two men. ’The medicine is running low,’ she thought. ’I can’t figure out the formula, and I don’t know if Quincy remembers it. There’s not much left at all.’
Officer Graham and the others crowded around. The bunk room was already dim, and with so many people packed inside, the air grew stagnant. Evelyn Ford told everyone to go outside for now.
"Miles Vaughn and Peter Owens should wake up tomorrow."
"They’re finally waking up." Officer Graham breathed a sigh of relief and went with Wendy to boil water.
The two men were still vomiting blood, so Evelyn Ford went back inside to check on them. Peter Owens’s face was deathly pale, his lips completely colorless. His entire body convulsed as he heaved.
Miles Vaughn’s condition was slightly better. Moreover, Evelyn Ford noticed the red threadworms they were coughing up were larger than the others’—almost the size of earthworms.
"I’m afraid we’ll need to prepare another dose of antiparasitic medicine," Evelyn said. "The red threadworms have been in their bodies for too long; they’re starting to get bigger."
Ethan Dawson glanced at the red threadworms in the bucket. "They don’t get into the brain or the internal organs, do they? By the way, neither of them has a fever."
Hearing Ethan Dawson’s words, Evelyn Ford suddenly remembered something. ’Everyone had splitting headaches before and after the cold front hit. That must have just been a reaction to the abrupt weather change. If these threadworms had entered their brains... with worms this big living in there for a month or two, they would have been left mindless by now.’
"They probably don’t enter the brain."
Outside the room, Quincy overheard this and, frightened, pulled Zoe into a tight hug.
"We don’t have any medical equipment, so there’s no way to do a thorough examination. We can only hope for the best." Evelyn Ford felt a little uneasy herself.
Ronan Kendrick patted her shoulder reassuringly. "They don’t enter the brain or other organs. This type of threadworm only consumes stagnant blood. They rely on it to survive. Once all the stagnant blood is expelled, they die."
Hearing Ronan Kendrick’s explanation, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.
In the morning, Peter Owens and Miles Vaughn stopped vomiting blood. They each regained consciousness for a few minutes, long enough to be given some water and medicine before they fell back into a deep sleep.
Around seven that evening, Peter Owens woke up for good. The good news was that while his throat was covered in blood blisters, his vision was completely fine.
"I’m... hungry."
He managed to force out two words. Quincy quickly fed him some of the prepared gruel. Looking at his deathly pale face, everyone felt a wave of relief.
At ten that night, Miles Vaughn also awoke. His vision was a bit blurry, but it wasn’t a major issue. When he heard that Wyatt Vaughn and Joelle Finch still hadn’t woken up, he nearly fainted again.
"They’ll all wake up. Don’t worry."
"That’s right. They might even wake up tomorrow or the day after. You two focus on recovering your strength. We’re starting work on excavating the new chambers in a few days, and no one gets to slack off." Taylor Vance patted Miles Vaughn’s shoulder, offering him some encouragement.