The RV slowly came to a stop. No one was in the mood to admire the magnificent waterfall.
Evelyn Ford got out and headed toward the corpse pit, the others scrambling to follow.
"It stinks so bad. What if there are germs? We’d better put on our masks."
As they neared the pit, waves of putrid stench drifted on the cold wind and assaulted their nostrils. Evelyn Ford took out a mask and goggles and put them on. When she reached the edge of the pit, the chattering group fell silent.
"So it really is a corpse pit."
About a kilometer past the waterfall, in The Plum Grove, an enormous abyss of a pit appeared before them. Inside were countless ghastly white skeletons.
"There are no fresh tire tracks or footprints on this road, and the sides are overgrown with weeds. These bodies have been here for a while—at least two or three years."
After speaking, Ethan Dawson used a stick to poke at a nearby piece of charcoal. "They must have tried to burn them before. This is all charred wood. My guess is that as more people died, they couldn’t keep up with the burning. That’s why these bodies were handled so sloppily. For so many to die at once... could it have been a disease?"
’Not necessarily,’ Evelyn thought, dismissing Ethan Dawson’s theory.
She was suddenly reminded of the incident two years ago when Tarr City drove out its refugees. When she and Ronan Kendrick had gone to Tarr Base, the administration had submitted several different plans for population reduction.
Expulsion had been the most humane option. The one that had left a lasting impression on Evelyn was a proposal to poison the base’s lower-class residents en masse.
’Bases must keep in touch with each other. If Tarr Base was looking to downsize, what about the others?’
Evelyn Ford stared at the innumerable bodies in the pit. Regardless of how they had died, no one could remain unmoved by the sight of so many corpses.
"So many skeletons... must be a thousand of them, at least. Sigh."
"Are there old people and children, too? Look at this skeleton. Judging by the size, it was a child of five or six."
Evelyn’s gaze darkened. "Bring a barrel of gasoline. Let’s burn them."
"Dumping the bodies here... it seems there’s a base or town not far from here."
"I actually think the base is nowhere near here," Taylor Vance said. "Dumping so many bodies together is a breeding ground for disease. To protect the local environment, it would be safer to dispose of them more than twenty kilometers away."
"Mr. Vance, it’s the apocalypse. Who cares about the environment anymore? With this many dead, a leader’s first instinct would be to dispose of the bodies as quickly as possible, not as thoroughly as possible."
Quincy saw things from the perspective of the lower class, whereas Taylor Vance saw them from the perspective of a leader.
Ethan Dawson and Miles Vaughn returned to the RV for the gasoline. The pit was too large, so they could only douse the periphery.
Evelyn Ford took out a match, lit it, and tossed it into the corpse pit. The gasoline ignited instantly.
Burning rotten corpses smelled even worse than regular ones, the odor acrid and overwhelming. Even with masks on, the stench was unbearable. The group had no choice but to retreat to the RV to discuss their next move.
"Our goal is to get into Frelia without entering a base, but what do we do if Frelia isn’t accepting refugees?"
"What’s so hard about that?" Evelyn Ford chuckled. "The world is a big place. We can just find somewhere to settle down. Our goal was never Frelia itself, just finding a decent place to live."
"Frelia is huge. It doesn’t have just one entrance. As long as we don’t enter the towns and bases, with an area of hundreds of thousands of square kilometers, no one can stop us."
Staring at the inferno raging in the pit, Evelyn spoke calmly. "Of course, things are different from a few years ago. With resources growing scarcer and the weather getting worse, the upper class is banding together, carving out territory, strengthening their forces, and hoarding all the resources. The refugees at the bottom have nothing and are forced to wander endlessly in search of a place to rest."
Fortunately, they weren’t lacking supplies. All they needed was a safe place to live.
"Evelyn, that waterfall has a really strong flow. Should we collect some water to take with us?"
Quincy was still worried they didn’t have enough water. With so many people, they used a lot for washing faces and clothes, not just for drinking and cooking.
"We don’t need to stock up. We have enough," Evelyn said. "And it’s best not to drink from wild sources anyway. Have you all forgotten the corpses in that oasis pond?"
At the mention of this, everyone turned in unison to look at Ethan Dawson.
Ethan Dawson gave a wry smile. "I’m already traumatized by that."
"Should we wait for the bodies to finish burning before we leave, or leave now?"
Evelyn Ford glanced at the time. "Let’s go now. The rain has stopped, so the road should be easier to travel."
Everyone returned to their seats, and the RV slowly pulled away. Evelyn watched the thick black smoke rising in the distance. For some reason, a deep sense of unease washed over her.
Leaving The Plum Grove behind, they entered an endless expanse of wooded plains. Several streams murmured as they flowed, and vast stretches of rime-covered trees came into view.
The scenery was picturesque. Birds took flight from the Rimefrost Forest, their calls echoing through the air.
"So this is Frelia. It’s so beautiful," Wyatt Vaughn marveled, holding Zoe in his arms.
"Yeah, it’s gorgeous. Living in a place like this would be amazing."
"It’s beautiful, alright, but the temperature dropped by more than ten degrees the moment we left The Plum Grove." Officer Graham showed everyone the thermometer.
"The temperature is dropping too fast." Evelyn Ford glanced out the window. The sky was dark and oppressive, filling her with a sense of dread.
"Evelyn, I’m worried we’re in for a severe storm tonight," Officer Graham said, his expression serious. "The humidity is extremely high, and the storm clouds are gathering fast. We need to find some relatively flat ground to avoid potential mudslides and cave-ins."
"Mr. Graham, it’s just been light rain for the past few days. I don’t think we need to worry that much."
Officer Graham glanced at Quincy. "I’m worried that light rain was just a warning."
Quincy’s smile vanished. "So what do we do?"
"First, we need to get away from these streams. If a storm hits, the currents will get violent, the water will rise, and the banks could easily collapse. We could even have a flood on our hands."
Evelyn remained fairly calm. As far as she could see, the land was flat, making the chance of a mudslide slim.
’This sudden drop in temperature isn’t a good sign.’
Evelyn used the walkie-talkie to tell the other vehicle to stay close. This entire area was a network of crisscrossing streams. If they wanted to find a flat, dry spot, their only option was to press on.
"Acid rain, fireballs, earthquakes... those are much scarier than a simple rainstorm." The memory of the dozen-plus wrecked vehicles on Whirlwind Highway made Quincy shudder.
"Don’t you jinx us!" Wyatt Vaughn glared at Quincy. "Say something positive for a change. Stop saying such gloomy stuff, it’s creepy. The main problem is that every time you spout nonsense, it comes true."
Quincy didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "My luck can’t be that bad, can it? I’m really just talking nonsense."
"From now on, you’re only allowed to say good things. You’re a walking jinx."
Quincy raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright! My bad. I won’t spout any more nonsense."