Chapter 475: Only 5 People Alive

Chapter 475: Chapter 475: Only 5 People Alive

There was even a small table in the corner with four boys slumped over it. They looked to be only seven or eight years old.

The entire village was eerily silent, as if every living, breathing thing was lying here.

Zoe Sawyer controlled the door, panning it across the nearby houses. She truly didn’t see another person.

There wasn’t even a single living chicken or duck.

"Several families’ black dogs are gone too. Looks like this was premeditated." Evan Keller crossed his arms, his fingers tapping lightly on his biceps, his tone thoughtful.

Considering the geographical location, the state of this village, and Mrs. Ford’s physical condition, it was quite obvious how they got here.

"Zoe, pull the door out first. Pinpoint the location, then contact the nearest police station." Heath Hale could tell with a single glance that the people lying on the ground were beyond saving.

Livor mortis was visible on their exposed skin, and the bodies were also in a state of rigor mortis. They had been dead for at least several hours.

"Got it!"

Zoe Sawyer pulled the door back behind a large tree not far away. After confirming no one was around, she reached her hand out, acquired the coordinates, and sent them directly to Evan Keller.

Using the location Zoe Sawyer had sent, Evan Keller found the number for the nearest local police station. He called and informed them of the situation.

"You said... Brellwood?" The officer who answered the phone frowned upon hearing the name and double-checked the location.

"Yes, that’s the place." Evan Keller didn’t understand the officer’s hesitation. He glanced at the location name on his phone and nodded.

The officer’s tone was hesitant. "But according to my records, the residents of Brellwood were relocated from the mountain twenty years ago under a government initiative."

Besides, the area was densely wooded and the mountain roads were treacherous. The fastest they could get there would be an hour.

"I don’t know about that. Just send people over, and be quick about it!" Evan Keller was in no mood to argue. He gave the officer the coordinates, urged him to bring backup, and hung up.

’Regardless, I have to send people over.’

While Evan Keller was communicating with the police station, Sean Hughes looked at the photos he had just taken of Mrs. Ford and Rivers. He murmured to Heath Hale beside him, "These two still look familiar. I’m going to run a check."

Heath Hale nodded, then turned his gaze to Zoe Sawyer.

Just then, the situation back at the village changed again.

Mrs. Ford and another woman emerged from a low, dark, earthen hut nearby, both with smiles on their faces.

After coming out, they glanced at the bodies lying in the clearing, and their smiles widened.

"Mrs. Ford, I’ll go get Aunt Melody and the others. You wait here!" The woman kicked at one of the bodies on the ground, tossed out the sentence, and ran toward a pigpen behind the earthen hut.

Zoe Sawyer controlled the door, following her.

The woman stopped at another small earthen hut next to the pigpen, then ducked inside.

Zoe Sawyer watched her, frowning as she followed. They had already looked into this hut; it was filled with firewood and there had been no sound.

’Could there be people hiding in there?’

The woman ignored the dim interior and expertly navigated around the stacks of firewood, reaching the area behind them.

She reached out and pulled open a wooden door on the floor, revealing a cellar underneath.

Zoe Sawyer couldn’t help but gasp.

’I didn’t even notice there was a cellar in there!’

"It’s dark in there and surrounded by firewood. It would be hard to find a cellar unless you physically stumbled upon it. Don’t overthink it." Heath Hale noticed the flicker of disappointment in Zoe Sawyer’s eyes and patted her shoulder comfortingly.

Zoe Sawyer let out a soft breath. ’Right, no point in dwelling on this now. I’d better follow her down and see what’s happening.’

With that thought, Zoe Sawyer maneuvered the door to follow the woman into the cellar.

The cellar wasn’t large, but it was covered with tattered mats. The pillows and blankets on top were coated in a layer of dust.

The lighting was poor. A small lamp sat in the corner, but its weak glow at least illuminated the entire cellar.

Besides the woman who had just entered, there were two other people in the cellar.

One of them looked to be around Mrs. Ford’s age. She was sitting near the cellar entrance—likely the "Melody" the woman had mentioned—with a cold expression, her eyes fixed on a motionless human figure lying not far away.

The other person was a young woman. Her feet were twisted into an unnatural position, and blood was streaming from her thighs and arms.

On each of her cheeks was a gruesome X-shaped mark.

The flesh around the wounds was torn and peeled back. Looking closer, one could faintly see flecks of black rust within them.

It was clear the perpetrator had used brutal force.

After hanging up, Evan Keller let out a long breath. He looked up just in time to see the scene in the cellar. He then pointed at the young woman on the floor, whose life hung in the balance, and said, "The situation in here isn’t good either. Especially her. If those wounds aren’t treated soon, she could get tetanus."

No sooner had he spoken than Evan Keller saw the woman who had entered the cellar walk over to the victim. She kicked her a few times, then checked under her nose. After confirming she was still breathing, the woman couldn’t resist spitting on her before walking back to Aunt Melody’s side.

"Aunt Melody, that fatso and the old hag have been thrown in."

"Mrs. Ford wants us to go out and drag the rest of them into the pit to be buried." The woman put her arm around Aunt Melody’s and softened her tone.

Aunt Melody withdrew her gaze and looked to her side. She then patted the woman’s head and said, "Mila, you’ve worked hard. What about Rivers? Is she still out there?"

The woman called Mila nodded. "Yeah. Mrs. Ford said the pit isn’t big or deep enough, so she told her to keep digging."

"We need to hurry, finish them off, and get out of here."

"Alright, let’s all go up!" Aunt Melody stood up and patted Mila’s arm, signaling for her to go first. "You go up first, then take over for Rivers. The two of us can handle dragging the bodies."

’Leaving it all to that pregnant Rivers, who knows how long it’ll take to dig the pit. It’s better to split the work!’

"Okay!"

Mila had no objections and quickly climbed out.

Having seen this, Evan Keller had a good grasp of the situation. He turned to Heath Hale and said, "It looks like there are only five living people left in this little mountain village."

"The police will take about an hour to arrive. Let’s take a team over first, restrain these four, and then survey the scene."

The number of dead at the scene was too high; they had to get these people under control as quickly as possible.