The late-night wind was bone-chilling. After watching the moon for half an hour, Evelyn Ford returned to the RV. There were only three beds inside the vehicle. At the very back was a bunk bed, with Zoe and Wendy sleeping on the bottom. Since Wyatt Vaughn wasn’t feeling well, she took the bed by the window. Quincy and Officer Graham slept on the sofa.
The RV’s interior was very spacious, so it didn’t feel crowded even with seven people. Just as Evelyn Ford finished making the bed, Ronan Kendrick came over. The two of them would take the top bunk. Evelyn slept on the inside, a little worried she might fall off.
If it weren’t for the electric blanket under the mattress pad, the nighttime temperature in the wilderness would be cold enough to kill someone.
"The quilt is so clean, and the sofa is so soft. This is absolute heaven."
"Quincy, put a thick pad on the sofa. Don’t let the electric blanket touch your skin directly, or you’ll scorch yourself."
There was a cabinet under the bed Wyatt Vaughn was sleeping in, which contained blankets and pads.
Quincy hummed a tune as he laid out the pad. Evelyn Ford closed the RV door, and the desert fell silent. There was no other sound but the whistling of the wind.
"What time are we getting up tomorrow?"
"You want to drive?"
Quincy chuckled. "Can I drive? To be honest, I’ve never driven an RV before."
Evelyn Ford nodded. "Then you can drive tomorrow. Everyone else can sleep in."
"Is it time to sleep? Good night, Daddy. Good night, Mommy. Good night, Auntie. Good night, Uncle. Good night, Mr. Graham. Good night, Miss Wendy." After she finished, Zoe immediately dove under the covers and giggled shyly.
"Wow, Zoe can say good night now. That’s amazing." As her father, Quincy’s heart completely melted.
Evelyn Ford glanced at Zoe. "Take your cold medicine before you go to sleep."
Zoe’s little face fell. "Auntie, the medicine is so bitter."
"What medicine isn’t bitter? Do you want to have a runny nose?"
Zoe sniffled and shook her head frantically. Evelyn Ford smiled and handed her the medicine while Quincy cheered her on from the side. "Our Zoe is so great, so brave, so amazing."
Giddy from Quincy’s constant stream of praise, Zoe popped the medicine into her mouth and swallowed it down like a brave soldier.
Quincy applauded while continuing to shower her with compliments.
Everyone else laughed at the scene. Zoe puffed out her little tummy. "Auntie, I’m super good at taking medicine."
Evelyn Ford ruffled her hair. "You’re the best. Okay, time for sleep."
Climbing onto the top bunk, Evelyn Ford drew the privacy curtain. She swiftly rolled to the inside wall and wrapped herself tightly in the quilt.
Ronan Kendrick lay down beside her and reached out to pull her into his arms.
"Not tired?" Ronan Kendrick was in an excellent mood as he met Evelyn Ford’s reproachful gaze. He even lowered his head and nuzzled her nose with his.
’How could I not be tired?’ Evelyn Ford glared at him accusingly. She reached out, intending to give his waist a hard pinch, but his midsection was so lean she couldn’t get a grip.
"Seems like you’re really not tired. Want to go again?"
Evelyn Ford’s expression changed. She wrapped herself tightly in the quilt and turned her back to him.
Ronan Kendrick chuckled softly and pulled her back again. "Just teasing. Go to sleep."
Quincy was up by six-thirty in the morning. He was incredibly excited at the thought of driving today. He went to the small kitchenette next to the sofa, took some meat from the refrigerator, and started making breakfast for everyone.
After Quincy got up, Officer Graham woke up too. He washed his face and began to help Quincy. Zoe and Wendy got up one after the other to use the restroom. Seeing Zoe’s messy hair, Officer Graham borrowed Wendy’s comb and tied her hair into two little pigtails.
"Zoe... Zoe." When Wyatt Vaughn woke up, she tried to speak, and to her surprise, she could actually make a sound. Quincy was thrilled. When he confirmed that she could speak and even get out of bed, he couldn’t stop his eyes from welling up.
Wyatt Vaughn had never seen Quincy look so vulnerable and was stunned speechless for a moment.
"D-don’t cry. I’m okay now."
"I’m just so emotional."
When Zoe saw Quincy wiping away tears, she started sniffling too.
"Right, how did we end up in a vehicle? Where did this RV come from? Where did you find me? And my brother?"
Wyatt Vaughn had a lot of questions, which Quincy answered one by one. As for the RV, he explained it tactfully and told her not to ask too many questions, just to focus on resting.
Only after they finished talking did Evelyn Ford pull back the curtain and climb down from the top bunk. Wyatt Vaughn’s complexion looked much healthier, but her limbs were frostbitten, and her hands still trembled slightly.
Miles Vaughn and Joelle Finch were awake too. However, Joelle’s leg was injured from a fall, so she couldn’t get out of bed yet.
Breakfast was noodles with braised meat sauce, and each bowl was topped with a fried egg. The aroma made Evelyn Ford’s stomach rumble.
"Evelyn, what’s the plan for cooking?"
Evelyn Ford glanced at everyone. "We’ll take turns. Whoever is driving doesn’t have to cook."
After breakfast, Quincy took his place in the driver’s seat. Evelyn Ford took out two boxes of yarn, deciding to knit a sweater to pass the time. Ronan Kendrick began polishing his longsword, while Wyatt Vaughn and Zoe went back to bed to catch up on sleep.
"Wendy, which color do you want?"
Wendy pointed to the pink yarn. "Can I have this one?"
"Of course. Are you going to knit a sweater or a scarf?"
Wendy thought for a moment. "I want to knit a sweater for my dad."
Evelyn Ford’s mouth twitched as she pictured Officer Graham in a pink sweater. She gave Wendy a thumbs-up.
With nothing else to do, Officer Graham also took out the dagger he carried and began to polish it. At seven-thirty, the RV slowly started moving. Evelyn Ford glanced at the weather outside; there was no dense fog, but the sky was a vast, pale white, and the ground was covered in a thick layer of frost.
Quincy’s driving skills were mediocre at best. The Rocksea Forbidden Zone was littered with rocks, making for a bumpy ride. He was too timid to drive fast, and in less than half an hour, Ethan Dawson’s vehicle had left them far behind.
Even Officer Graham couldn’t watch anymore. "Evelyn, let me drive this afternoon."
Evelyn Ford had no objection. Although Officer Graham walked with a slight limp, it didn’t affect his driving at all.
Quincy looked back at Ronan Kendrick. "Ronan, what’s for lunch? I want to eat braised pork belly."
Ronan Kendrick deliberately thwarted him. "Anything but braised pork belly."
Quincy gritted his teeth. "Ronan Kendrick, you’ve got some nerve."
Ronan Kendrick ignored him and continued polishing his blade.
At ten in the morning, the vehicle officially entered the heart of the forbidden zone. The area was filled with many strange stone mounds that resembled burial mounds. Bones were crushed between the stacked rocks, and a skull was placed on top of each one.
"Those are wolf skulls," Ronan Kendrick said softly.
Officer Graham nodded. "This must be some kind of ritual offering."
After entering the heartland, Evelyn Ford noticed many more crows in the sky. The entire area felt strangely eerie. The magnetic fields were chaotic, rendering compasses completely useless. Evelyn also made another important discovery: there was a one-hour time difference between the Rocksea Forbidden Zone and the outside world.
After they entered the Rocksea Forbidden Zone, the hour, minute, and second hands on her pocket watch had all stopped moving at once. About an hour later, they all resumed moving simultaneously. The RV’s digital clock had done the same thing—time had frozen upon entry and only began to advance again an hour later.