Evelyn Ford wasn’t too concerned about the time difference. The Earth’s rotation created the cycle of day and night. Since sunrise occurred at different times for each longitude, time discrepancies were inevitable.
After finishing the crocheted collar, Evelyn Ford set down her yarn, mixed a bowl of flour, and started preparing the dough to rise.
"Evelyn, are we having buns for lunch?"
Evelyn nodded. "What kind of filling do you like?"
Wendy stroked her chin. "I like chive and egg."
"You got it."
Ronan Kendrick liked crab roe buns, so Evelyn Ford took out some hairy crabs. Officer Graham and Wendy both put down what they were doing and came over to help. Quincy glanced back and saw everyone gathered together, working. He was the only one sitting up front, driving, with no one to talk to. He suddenly felt a little lonely and bored.
However, the vehicle was a bit bumpy. After placing all the prepared buns into the steamer, Evelyn Ford stored it in her dimensional space to start the steaming process. Cooking in the RV wasn’t safe, especially since steaming buns required a gas canister and a stove, and Evelyn certainly wasn’t going to risk using those inside.
At twelve noon, the vehicle in front slowly came to a stop. As soon as it was stationary, Ethan Dawson opened his door and walked over.
"Evelyn, do you have any motion sickness medicine? Everyone’s feeling a bit carsick except for me and Miles Vaughn. Mr. Vance and Mr. Lowell even threw up."
Evelyn didn’t have any motion sickness medicine, but white vinegar and lemons could both help with it.
"That’s weird. We didn’t get carsick at all, and we have to put up with Quincy’s terrible driving."
Evelyn had just finished her sentence when Quincy coughed. "If you’re going to bad-mouth me, could you at least do it behind my back?"
Evelyn rubbed her nose and handed Ethan Dawson a bottle of white vinegar and a few lemons.
"You guys cooked?"
"We steamed some buns."
Ethan Dawson looked a little embarrassed. "In that case, we’ll cook dinner tonight."
"Sounds good."
The buns were already steamed. Officer Graham and Wendy stir-fried two more dishes, and once the table was set, they could eat.
"We saw a lot of crows today, and there were stone mounds everywhere. I went to check just now. Every single mound has a skull on top of it. They look man-made, too. It seems people really do live in the Forbidden Zone. I just don’t know if they’re still alive."
Quincy clapped Ethan Dawson on the shoulder. "Impressive. You have the presence of mind to observe the surroundings while driving. Plus, you’re so fast! You left me in the dust a few times."
Ethan Dawson smiled. He hadn’t expected Quincy’s driving skills to be so... average. After two days of driving, his own wrists were a little sore.
Evelyn Ford saw him rubbing his wrists and glanced at the others. "Peter Owens, Miles Vaughn, you two rotate with Ethan Dawson on driving duty."
Miles Vaughn nodded quickly. "Got it. I can drive this afternoon."
"Miles’s hands are frostbitten," Joelle Finch said softly. "They’re still shaking."
Evelyn Ford looked at Peter Owens. "Peter, can you drive?"
"I know how to drive, but my sense of direction isn’t very good."
"That’s okay. You just have to drive straight. You don’t need a sense of direction for that."
Miles Vaughn suddenly spoke up. "I can drive. My hands are fine. They shake a little, but I can control it."
Evelyn smiled. "It’s okay. Focus on recovering for now."
Joelle Finch grew anxious. On one hand, she was worried about Miles Vaughn’s hands. On the other, Miles had just woken up and told her he was still a little dizzy, which definitely made him unfit to drive. But she worried her comment had made it sound like she was helping Miles shirk his duties. Worried that the others would misunderstand him, she felt both anxious and guilty.
Evelyn Ford, on the other hand, hadn’t read that much into it. They had plenty of people; if one person couldn’t do something, they’d just find someone else who could. She didn’t dwell on such things.
After lunch, Evelyn decided to take a nap, since she had nothing to do in the afternoon anyway.
She didn’t expect, however, that Joelle Finch would come over to explain what had happened earlier. Joelle’s hands and feet were frostbitten, and she walked with a slight limp. Her lips were chapped and bleeding. After rushing through her explanation, she watched Evelyn Ford anxiously.
"I get it. Shaky hands and dizziness definitely mean he shouldn’t be driving. Let Miles Vaughn rest properly. I didn’t misunderstand. I know what kind of person Miles is; he’s not one to slack off. You should rest and recover too."
Joelle Finch’s face turned bright red. Then, with a serious expression, she promised, "I’ll work hard from now on. I can cook, clean, and do laundry."
Evelyn Ford understood her anxiety. Other than Miles Vaughn, she didn’t know anyone else in the group very well. For the past two days, she had done nothing but lie down and rest. This special treatment only made her more uneasy, constantly worrying she’d be abandoned. Add to that her impulsive comment earlier, and she was now afraid she had provoked everyone’s dislike.
Evelyn Ford patted Joelle Finch’s shoulder. ’Sensitive people tend to overthink the smallest things, getting caught up in anxiety about what they might gain or lose.’
"Once your hands have healed up a bit, you can help with the cooking."
Hearing this, Joelle Finch let out a sigh of relief. ’Being given a job means she’s still useful.’
"Okay, I’ll be sure to cook well."
Evelyn nodded. "Go back and rest."
"What did my sister-in-law want to talk to you about?" Wyatt Vaughn asked curiously after they got back to the RV.
"It was nothing. Oh, by the way, you should chat with her more. The three of us—you, me, and her—are the only women of a similar age in this group. She doesn’t know me well, but you’re different. You can help her open up."
Wyatt Vaughn nodded. "I will. I’m feeling much better now, Evelyn. Can you give me something to do, too? Just lying around every day doing nothing is making me anxious."
"What is there to do in the RV? Can you drive?"
Wyatt Vaughn nodded. "I can."
"Alright then. Once you’ve fully recovered, you can take a turn driving."
"Okay. My driving is decent—a little better than Quincy’s. You don’t have to worry."
Quincy sidled up to them mournfully. "Bad-mouthing me again."
"We’re just telling the truth. You were swerving all over the place this morning. I almost fell out of my bunk a few times." After saying this, Wyatt Vaughn couldn’t help but cover her mouth to hide a giggle.
Evelyn yawned and went back to the upper bunk to catch up on sleep.
That afternoon, Officer Graham drove while Wendy continued knitting. Wyatt Vaughn and Quincy played cards with Zoe.
Evelyn slept while Ronan Kendrick read a book.
Evelyn slept straight through from noon until three in the afternoon. But when she woke up, Ronan Kendrick told her something had happened outside.
"What’s wrong?" Evelyn wiped the sleep from her eyes and stretched lazily.
Ronan Kendrick pulled open the curtain for her to look outside.
"Holy shit." Even someone as calm as Evelyn couldn’t help but curse.
"When did all these gray wolves show up outside? This doesn’t look like a beast tide."
Quincy and Wyatt Vaughn were huddled together, holding Zoe and trembling. Officer Graham gripped the steering wheel and asked Ronan Kendrick what to do.
Wendy, however, was calm. She was actually still sitting by the window, knitting.
"These gray wolves don’t seem to want to attack us. Mr. Graham, try moving the RV forward a little."
Evelyn quickly jumped down from her bunk. There were at least nine hundred gray wolves outside, if not a thousand. They had surrounded the two RVs, their green eyes fixed on the people inside.
"When did they show up?"
"Three minutes before you woke up."
Evelyn... ’If I’d known, I would’ve just stayed asleep.’