Chapter 144: You Can Let It Go

After the girl opened her eyes, her breathing was still very faint.

She saw Megan crouching beside her first, then noticed Jack, Justin, and the others standing around them, and her eyes sharpened with suspicion. She tried to sit up, but her body had barely moved before it gave out and she sank back down.

"Don't move," Megan said softly. "You're very weak. You can't get up yet."

The girl said nothing. She just stared at her. When Megan reached out to examine her, the girl pulled her hand away at once.

Megan stopped and quietly explained how they had found her and what had happened since. It made no difference. No matter what Megan said, the girl stayed on guard, her eyes flicking from one person to the next.

After a moment, Megan turned to Jack.

"You should all step outside. There are too many people in here."

Jack and the others glanced at one another and reluctantly turned to go.

"They're getting a bed ready at the underground clinic," Jack said quietly to Megan on his way out. "Once she's stable, we'll take her back."

"All right." Megan nodded. "I'll stay with her."

Jack didn't disturb them any further. He led the others out of the storeroom and went back to hauling cable and RCCUs.

When the footsteps faded, only Megan and the girl remained. Megan didn't rush to get closer. She sat down a short distance away and placed the medical case and the water where the girl could see them.

"I won't touch you," Megan said. "Lie there and rest. You can talk once you have some strength."

The girl still didn't answer.

Megan didn't ask for her name or where she had come from. She only watched her breathing now and then. After a while, she picked up the water bottle and held it where the girl could see it.

"Do you want some water?"

The girl looked at the bottle for a long moment, then gave a small nod.

Only then did Megan move closer. She helped the girl lift her head a little and brought the bottle to her lips, letting her take one small sip at a time.

After a few sips, the tension in the girl's body finally eased a little. Her eyes were still wary, but she no longer pulled away from Megan's hands.

Megan didn't push her. She stayed where she was and told her, quietly and every so often, that it was safe here for now and no one would make her do anything.

After a while, the girl finally spoke. She was still very weak, and her voice was so soft it was barely audible.

"My name is Wendy."

Megan nodded without asking anything more and placed the bottle within easy reach.

"I'm Megan. Rest now. Tell me whatever you want to, whenever you're ready."

Wendy looked at her for a while, and her lips moved. But just as she was about to speak, something seemed to come back to her. Her breathing quickened, and her fingers dug into the clothes beneath her.

Megan stopped immediately.

"It's okay. There's no hurry. Just look at me and breathe slowly. There's no one else here, just the two of us."

It was a long time before Wendy's breathing steadied. She closed her eyes for a while, and when she spoke again, her voice was still very weak.

When the heat wave began, she and her parents and little brother had been forced out of their home. Fewer and fewer places remained where they could shelter from the heat, so they had followed the other refugees, hoping to find the convenience store everyone was talking about.

On the way, they met a man named Johnson.

At first, Johnson was very friendly. He offered to show them the way and said he knew where to find water and food. Wendy's parents had been cautious, but their supplies were nearly gone, so in the end they decided to follow him for the time being.

It wasn't long before Johnson showed what he really wanted.

He tried to control her family and force them to scavenge for him. Her parents refused. They tried to take the two children and leave, but they never got away.

Wendy stopped there. She closed her eyes and said nothing for a long time.

Megan didn't press her, and she didn't make her relive the details.

After a while, Wendy spoke in a voice that was barely more than a murmur.

"They're all dead. That monster killed them."

Afterward, Johnson had taken her with him and kept moving. On the way, they ran into a pack of Ashen Hyenas, and to save himself, he left her where she stood and ran.

Wendy had thought she would die there too.

But as the Ashen Hyenas drew closer, they seemed to sense something. They stopped, watched for a while, then turned one after another and left in a different direction.

She didn't know what had happened. She hid there for a long time, and once she was sure they weren't coming back, she returned to the place where her family had been killed.

She buried her parents and her brother with the last of her strength, took what little water and supplies she had left, and set out again for the convenience store.

From then on, she walked alone.

Her water ran out quickly, and the heat kept getting worse. She hid during the day and traveled at night, and more than once she nearly collapsed. In the end, she found this electronics mall and stumbled inside, hoping to find water, or at least a place to escape the heat.

"All I remember is walking in."

Wendy paused and looked at the stacked cartons beside her.

"After that, I don't remember anything."

Megan didn't say anything. She just moved the water bottle a little closer.

Wendy looked at her. The wariness in her eyes hadn't fully faded, but she was no longer as tense as when she first woke.

As she listened, a suspicion slowly took shape in Megan's mind.

She was quiet for a moment, then described the appearance the Poison King had worn when he showed up at the settlement, along with a few of his more distinctive features.

"Is the Johnson you met this man?"

Wendy stared at her. She thought it over, then gave a small nod.

"I think so."

Megan felt a weight lift from her.

"Then you can let it go now," she said gently. "That man is dead. We avenged you."

Wendy looked stunned. She forgot how weak she was and asked quickly, "He's dead? Are you telling me the truth?"

"I am."

Megan briefly told her what had happened after the Poison King came to the settlement and how he had ended up.

Wendy stared at her blankly and didn't say anything for a long time.

It looked as though she wanted to laugh, but the tears came first.

Then she couldn't hold it in any longer. She covered her face with both hands and broke down sobbing. She cried until her whole body shook, as if she were trying to let out all the fear, despair, and pain she had carried for so long.

Outside the storeroom, Jack and the others heard her crying and hurried back.

Megan turned and shook her head slightly to tell them not to worry.

Jack and the others stopped a short distance away and didn't come any closer.

Wendy cried for a long time before her voice gradually quieted. Megan stayed beside her the whole while. Only when Wendy's emotions had settled did she hand her the bottle and let her drink a few small sips.

Wendy wiped her tears and looked at Jack and the others standing nearby.

"Thank you."

Her voice was still weak, but her tone was solemn.

"Thank you for avenging my parents and my brother."

Jack and the others were completely lost, with no idea why she was saying this.

Megan explained briefly. When they heard it, they looked at one another.

" What a cruel twist of fate." Chen murmured.

Jack soon thought of something else.

"You said the Ashen Hyenas had already gotten close to you, and then suddenly left?"

"Yes." Wendy nodded faintly. "I don't know why. I was sure I was going to die."

"They must have picked up the scent of water," Jack said. "That's probably why they gave up on you and went to look for it."

Wendy looked at him in confusion. “How do you know that?”

Jack told her briefly about the Ashen Hyenas that had come to the settlement and what had happened afterward.

Wendy listened and said nothing for a long while.

Jack waited a moment before saying, "Either way, you can't stay here."

Wendy looked at him blankly. "If I don't stay here, where can I go?"

"Come back to the convenience store with us," Jack said. "Megan needs to give you a proper examination, and you need time to recover. This isn't a good place for you to stay."

Wariness returned to her eyes, and she shook her head almost on reflex.

"I won't go."

Jack didn't push. He just looked at Megan.

Megan sat down beside Wendy again and patiently talked to her. Wendy was still hesitant.

Only when Megan promised to stay with her the whole time and not leave her alone with anyone else did she finally soften.

She looked at Megan, then at Jack and the others a short distance away. After a long silence, she gave a small nod.

"Okay."

Seeing that Wendy had agreed, Jack turned to Megan.

"Take her back first. I'll stay here and wait for Vane and Noah."

Megan nodded. "All right."

She helped Wendy slowly to her feet. Wendy was still very weak, and after only a few steps she began to sway. Megan held her arm with one hand and braced her waist with the other and walked her slowly toward the entrance.

Jack followed beside them, carrying the medical case and what was left of the water.

It took a long time for the three of them to make it back outside.

When Wendy saw the CUEVs and the Tesla parked near the entrance, her steps slowed. She looked at the vehicles she had never seen before, then at Jack and Megan beside her, and her eyes filled with shock.

Jack and Megan didn't explain.

Megan walked her to the Tesla, opened the passenger door, and carefully helped her in. Once Wendy was settled, Megan fastened her seat belt.

Just as Megan was about to go around to the driver's side, two CUEVs appeared in the distance.

Soon Vane and Noah drove up to the entrance in turn. When the CUEVs had stopped, Vane got out and walked over.

"The bed's ready."

Jack nodded. "Good. You two stay here and help Justin and the others haul what we found back. Bring as much as you can."

"Got it," Vane and Noah said together.

Jack put the medical case and the water in the Tesla and got into the back seat.

Megan took the driver's seat and glanced back at Wendy, who was gaping at the world outside.

"We're heading back now. If you start to feel unwell on the way, tell me."

Wendy didn't answer. She just stared at the three CUEVs.

Megan smiled, started the Tesla, and slowly pulled away from the electronics mall. Vane and Noah watched them go, then joined Justin and the others in loading cable and RCCUs onto the cargo beds.

The Tesla was soon back at the settlement. Megan drove straight to the entrance of the underground clinic.

Jack got out first and took the medical case. Megan unfastened Wendy's seat belt and carefully helped her out of the car.

The three of them walked slowly down the newly finished steps into the underground clinic.

The moment she stepped inside, Wendy shivered. She looked up at the floor still under construction, the pallet columns, and the boards lined up along the walls, and shock crossed her face again.

Megan didn't stop to explain. She simply helped her toward the bed that had been prepared. She had meant to have Wendy lie down at once, but when they reached the bed, she suddenly stopped.

Both Jack and Wendy looked at her, puzzled.

Megan glanced at Wendy's dust-covered clothes. " She should take a shower first."

Jack understood immediately and was about to nod when he saw Wendy's mouth fall open.

"W-wash up?"

"Yes. It's right nearby."

Wendy still couldn't believe it. Megan took her arm again and led her back up the steps to the surface, then slowly toward the makeshift bathroom that had been built beside the shelter.

Outside the bathroom, Megan turned to Jack.

"Go get Helen from the shelter and ask her to help Wendy wash. I'll go back and get some clean clothes."

"Okay."

Jack went into the shelter and fetched Helen, while Megan returned to the convenience store for clothes.

With Helen's help, Wendy was soon finished. She changed into the clean clothes Megan had brought, and Megan helped her back to the underground clinic.

This time, Megan had her lie down on the inflatable mattress and examined her carefully. Apart from the severe dehydration and the weakness left by heatstroke, Wendy had a number of scrapes and sunburns, but nothing was seriously infected.

"Nothing serious," Megan said as she put her things away. "Rest well, and you'll recover gradually."

Wendy looked at her and said softly, "Thank you."

Megan only adjusted the mattress for her. "Get some sleep. I'll come check on you later."

Once Wendy was settled, Megan and Jack left the clinic and went back to the Tesla parked by the entrance.

They had barely gotten in when Megan said, "We should get a few more beds ready."

Jack, about to start the car, turned to look at her.

"Why?"