Evelyn Ford couldn’t help but laugh. After recording the video, she glanced at the time. It was already two in the morning.
She added some firewood to the campfire and yawned.
’They’ve been holding it in for too long; it’s good for them to let loose a little,’ she thought. ’But I’m getting a bit sleepy.’
The two returned to the RV. Evelyn Ford brewed a pot of tea to sober up. Ronan Kendrick seemed a little drunk. He sat dazedly on the sofa, just watching her without saying a word.
"Does your head hurt?"
Ronan Kendrick shook his head. "I don’t feel anything."
"Drink some tea to sober up, or you’ll definitely wake up with a headache tomorrow."
Evelyn Ford handed him the tea and sat on the sofa across from him.
"Before we leave tomorrow morning, let’s bury that man here."
Evelyn Ford looked out the window. "This place is quite beautiful. There’s a creek and all sorts of strange, pretty plants."
Ronan Kendrick nodded. "Okay."
Neither of them spoke again, just watching the night scenery outside the window. The RV’s lights were off. Evelyn rested her chin in her hand, listening to the others’ laughter. A wave of drowsiness washed over her, and just as her head was about to hit the glass, Ronan sat down beside her and gently rested her head on his shoulder.
When Evelyn Ford woke the next morning, she was greeted by the aroma of egg tarts. She could hear Ronan Kendrick and Officer Graham talking outside. Evelyn sat up in bed, dazed for a moment, then wrapped herself in a coat and pulled back the privacy curtain.
"Mr. Graham, you’re up so early."
Officer Graham smiled. "My internal clock wakes me up at six in the morning. I said I’d make blueberry egg tarts yesterday, and they turned out great. Have a taste. Ronan Kendrick said they’re delicious."
Evelyn Ford glanced at Ronan Kendrick. He was standing to the side with a smile, his hair slightly messy. The silver-white color gave him a languid, decadent air.
"It’s good. Not too sweet."
He picked one up for Evelyn Ford. The egg tart was still steaming as she took a bite right from his hand.
’It really is delicious.’
"The weather’s nice today. No wind, no snow, and no fog." Evelyn Ford glanced outside, then stepped out of the vehicle and stretched.
Quincy and the others were still snoring away. In the other vehicle, only Taylor Vance and Zion Lowell were awake.
Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick grabbed a hoe and a shovel and headed for a slope behind them.
"Where are you two going?"
"The man from Stone Village who warned us hasn’t been buried yet."
To prevent crows from digging up the body, Evelyn Ford took out a body bag, placed the man inside, and then lowered him into the deep pit.
They filled the pit with dirt. There was no need to build a burial mound. Evelyn Ford took out a handful of maple seeds and scattered them evenly around the area.
"Let’s go."
Ronan Kendrick took Evelyn Ford’s hand. When they returned to the RV, Wyatt Vaughn, Wendy, and Zoe were all awake.
"Quincy was really drunk. He got up and threw up three times last night. Miles Vaughn and Ethan Dawson are about the same; they’re still not sober. I went and asked, and they said they’re skipping breakfast. I brewed a pot of sobering soup for them."
Officer Graham was always so considerate. Even though they had left the farm, he was still the group’s caretaker.
"Then let’s eat first. We can set off as soon as we’re done. I wonder if we’ll be able to leave the Rocksea Forbidden Zone today."
Breakfast was beef noodles. Evelyn Ford, uncharacteristically, ate two large bowls. Her appetite was starting to rival Ronan Kendrick’s. He, on the other hand, wasn’t eating as much as he used to.
After breakfast, Evelyn Ford drank a large glass of the sobering soup. Even though she hadn’t drunk much last night, her tolerance was so low that she still felt a little dizzy.
Although Taylor Vance and Zion Lowell were eager to drive, Taylor was showing signs of a cold, likely from being out in the chilly wind last night. So, the driving duty fell to Ronan Kendrick.
"I’ll drive the other vehicle. Everyone else is still asleep." Zion Lowell was in relatively better physical shape; driving would be no problem for him.
"Alright, let’s get going then. We’ll stop for a break at one in the afternoon."
Sitting in the passenger seat, Evelyn Ford took out her binoculars to observe the road conditions ahead.
"No problems. Let’s move out."
The vehicle started moving slowly. Evelyn Ford turned on the music player and put on some soft music.
Two hours later, the decent weather suddenly changed. A torrential downpour began, the sky filled with dark clouds, and a tornado swept across the wasteland.
"What the hell? I just woke up, and the weather’s already changed?"
Quincy, his hair a total mess, stared out the window in horror. "The sky went dark the moment I opened my eyes. This is insane."
"There’s a tornado! Everyone, sit back down! Ronan Kendrick, find a low-lying area to stop the vehicle!"
The binoculars were useless for seeing the road ahead now. They could only rely on experience and luck to outrun the tornado behind them.
A tornado is a violent, small-scale vortex of air formed by powerful convective air movements during intensely unstable weather conditions.
’When caught in a tornado in the wild, you can’t outrun it,’ she remembered. ’You have to find shelter quickly. If there’s no shelter, it’s best to hide in a low-lying area, and you must stay away from trees and slopes.’
At that moment, not far behind the RV, a churning, pillar-like tornado was chasing them. A bolt of purple lightning suddenly flashed across the sky, followed by a deafening RUMBLE of thunder that echoed through the heavens.
Ronan Kendrick quickly steered the vehicle to the left. Just as the tornado was about to catch up, he drove down a slope, and the RV landed securely in the low ground below.
When Zion Lowell caught up in the other RV, Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick both let out a sigh of relief. But just as the tornado brushed past them, lightning began to strike one bolt after another, giving them no chance to breathe.
The weather in the wild was unpredictable, especially in the Rocksea Forbidden Zone, which couldn’t even be captured by satellites. No one dared to make a rash move. Everyone sat in their seats, holding their breath, waiting for the lightning to stop.
’Evelyn Ford truly regretted not installing a lightning rod on the RV. Hopefully, the lightning would end soon. If it struck and damaged her vehicle, she’d be angry enough to spit blood.’
After what felt like an eternity, the lightning stopped, the downpour ceased, and the heavy, dark clouds began to part. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. Ronan Kendrick drove the RV out of the low ground. A beam of white light refracted through the clouds, and everyone was a little surprised to see the sudden sunlight.
"What the hell is with this weather? One minute it’s a tornado, the next it’s lightning, and now the sun is out."
In truth, it had been a very, very long time since any of them had seen the sun. Although they were complaining, they couldn’t resist getting out of the RV to feel the unexpected sunshine.
The eleven o’clock sun was very warm, and the temperature instantly rose from ten degrees below zero to two degrees above.
"The sun’s out! The sun’s out!" Zoe hopped up and down, the fear from the tornado and lightning vanishing in that moment.
Evelyn Ford stretched out her hand, wanting to feel the long-lost sunlight.
But just then, a bolt of purple lightning descended, striking Evelyn Ford directly.
Another RUMBLE echoed as Evelyn Ford collapsed to the ground, convulsing. Black smoke poured from her mouth and nostrils. She thought she could smell her own hair burning, and she could hear Ronan Kendrick shouting her name.
Before she passed out, Evelyn Ford had only one thought. ’I’ve actually been struck by lightning.’