Evelyn Ford felt a cramping pain in her abdomen. When she realized what it was, she felt awful.

"I think I got my period."

Evelyn Ford’s lips turned pale as she huddled in Ronan Kendrick’s arms, completely listless.

She struggled to sit up. The assault boat was fairly large and could seat seven or eight people. She wanted to go to the back to change her pad; it was still a bit embarrassing to do something like that in front of Ronan Kendrick.

Ronan Kendrick silently braced the assault boat with both hands, doing his best to keep it steady before turning his back to her.

Evelyn Ford gave a bitter smile. ’When it rains, it pours. If I had known, I would have brewed myself a decoction to delay my period.’

After she was done, Evelyn Ford stuck several Warm Babies to her body, focusing on her lower back and abdomen. She pulled on a military greatcoat and swapped her shoes for a pair of fleece-lined rain boots.

"Ronan Kendrick, here are your gloves."

Ronan Kendrick took the gloves. He wasn’t particularly cold, but he didn’t want to make Evelyn Ford worry, so he obediently put them on.

"Much warmer now."

After drinking a bowl of brown sugar water from her space and taking a painkiller, the pain in her lower abdomen had mostly subsided.

"Do your legs still hurt?" Ronan Kendrick asked, wiping her face with a towel.

"They don’t hurt."

"And your fingers?"

Evelyn Ford smiled. "My fingers have already scabbed over. Don’t worry, nothing hurts."

"You have to tell me if you feel unwell." Ronan Kendrick was still worried. "Don’t just bottle it up. If you don’t tell me, I’ll get scared."

Evelyn Ford’s nose stung with the urge to cry. "Ronan Kendrick, are we going to make it out of here alive?"

"We will."

———

At six o’clock, day broke. Thank heavens, the endless night had not arrived.

The assault boat had already traveled over forty kilometers, but all they could see was still a boundless expanse of water.

The water had gradually calmed. There were still occasional strong winds and light rain, but the hurricane hadn’t reappeared for several hours.

Although it was daytime, the sun was nowhere to be seen. Evelyn Ford took out a thermometer and saw that the temperature had dropped to sixteen degrees.

Ronan Kendrick was also wearing a military greatcoat. Once they had gradually acclimated to the smell of the water, they both removed their gas masks, putting on wool hats and surgical masks instead.

An endless sea stretched out in every direction, with no land in sight. Even though they were following the compass, Evelyn Ford had no idea if they were on the right course.

Fortunately, she had enough food and water in her space. But when she thought of the others, her heart grew heavy.

The fate of the people she had spent every day with was unknown. Even the most cold-hearted person could not remain indifferent to that.

A flicker of determination showed in Evelyn Ford’s eyes. ’The harder things get, the more I have to fight to survive.’

"It’s going to rain again."

Evelyn Ford quickly pulled on her raincoat. A cage holding Mina and Lola was strapped to the assault boat. Evelyn had also tucked a hot water bottle inside it and covered the top with a sheet of oilcloth.

Evelyn Ford moved to the front to take the helm for the next two hours. Ronan Kendrick hadn’t rested in a long time.

"Put on your raincoat and go rest in the back. My legs don’t hurt anymore, so I can take over for a while."

Seeing her insistence, Ronan Kendrick swapped places with her.

"It’s going to rain hard," Ronan Kendrick said grimly, staring at the sky for a few moments.

SPLAT. A raindrop hit her shoulder. Evelyn Ford held out her hand and realized the wind was coming from the south. They had to change direction.

"We can’t travel against the wind; the drag is too strong. We have to head north."

Evelyn Ford immediately changed course, and Ronan Kendrick helped stabilize the boat from the back.

’If only we had a small yacht, we wouldn’t be in such a sorry state.’

Evelyn Ford sighed. ’For now, all we can do is face this head-on.’

At twelve noon, a thick fog rolled in over the sea, rendering binoculars and night-vision goggles useless. The compass was acting erratically, so discerning their direction became a matter of pure instinct and luck.

After resting for two hours, Ronan Kendrick came to relieve Evelyn Ford, who quickly moved to the back to deal with her period crisis.

The rain fell harder and harder. Evelyn Ford took out a water pump to drain the water collecting in the boat. The boat’s drain valve wasn’t working, and bailing with a basin was too slow, so the pump was her only option.

A strong tailwind pushed the assault boat, making it go even faster. They had already given up on trying to navigate.

"The wind has stopped."

Evelyn Ford sat down behind Ronan Kendrick, and they huddled closely together.

A huge wave crashed toward them, suddenly lifting them and the assault boat high into the air. Evelyn Ford quickly stored the water pump in her space and threw herself flat against the boat’s floor.

Ronan Kendrick was a steady hand at the helm. Even after being tossed more than ten meters into the air, he managed to land the assault boat smoothly back on the water.

Two hours later, the fog grew even thicker. They were completely blind to anything more than three meters away.

More terrifying than the giant waves were the periodic tremors from the deep. Evelyn Ford felt like she was developing PTSD from the earthquakes; the slightest vibration sent a heart-stopping jolt of fear through her.

The rain continued to fall, alternating between a downpour and a drizzle. Ronan Kendrick turned to look at Evelyn Ford, gently wrapping his right arm around her.

"Don’t be afraid."

Evelyn Ford leaned into his embrace and raised a hand to wipe the condensation from her eyelashes.

In just a few short days, Evelyn Ford had lost six or seven pounds. Her defined abs were gone; now, she could feel the sharp outline of her ribs.

Ronan Kendrick took out his colored contacts, and his mismatched eyes made him look even more severe.

By their third day adrift, Evelyn Ford’s injuries had mostly healed. They had gradually adapted to life on the water. Aside from the still-awkward process of using the toilet, they could handle everything else perfectly.

The pervasive fog meant they had no idea where they were; all they could do was let the wind carry them onward.

During that time, Ronan Kendrick had her drink another bowl of his blood. Evelyn Ford passed out for three hours. When she woke up, she didn’t feel any different, but she discovered her strength had increased significantly when she tried to lift something.

Her body also seemed more resistant to the cold. The temperature dropped to fourteen degrees, but to Evelyn Ford, it felt no different than twenty-four.

「On the fourth day, the rain stopped.」

Evelyn Ford took some adult milk powder from her space and mixed a large glass. ’I haven’t been getting enough nutrients lately. I need to catch up.’

Ronan Kendrick had a sweet tooth, but he didn’t seem to care for the sugary milk.

"If you don’t drink this, you’re getting the glucose solution."

Ronan Kendrick disliked the taste of glucose even more, so he downed the milk in one go.

"If it doesn’t rain this afternoon, we’re having a barbecue."

Evelyn Ford looked at him with an amused smile. "Alright."

True to her word, it didn’t rain that afternoon. Ronan Kendrick stopped the boat, and they sat in the back. They set up a battery pack and an electric griddle, and then Evelyn Ford brought out meat and vegetables.

Evelyn Ford brushed a layer of oil on the griddle and laid down some slices of pork belly. "The water doesn’t seem to stink as much anymore. Or maybe I’ve just gotten used to it."

"The smell has definitely faded."

Ronan Kendrick’s gaze was fixed on Evelyn Ford. ’Ever since he took out his colored contacts,’ she thought, ’it’s like he’s a different person. More mysterious, more inscrutable.’

His intense stare made Evelyn Ford a little flustered, and she shot him a glare. Ronan Kendrick lowered his gaze and chuckled softly, reaching out to tuck a stray strand of her hair behind her ear.

Compared to the desperate flight for survival over the past few days, this quiet moment felt exceptionally precious and beautiful.