Chapter 3: The Stench (1)
[…zzzz… Welcome to today’s news flash… Yesterday, during the transfer of a detainee, [redacted]… Sanlia State Police, in cooperation with Tai State Police, launched [redacted], and the whereabouts of [redacted] are still unknown. Police in both regions remind residents to stay vigilant and report any suspicious individuals to the authorities as soon as possible…]
[…A family annihilation occurred last night in Minneapolis. The victims were the Hornet family living in [redacted]… Police revealed that the method of the crime is highly similar to the [redacted] case in Heden State three years ago, raising suspicion of a serial killer, though the possibility of a copycat crime has not been ruled out…]
[…At 22:04 last night, a rare astronomical phenomenon appeared in the sky: [redacted], attracting numerous spectators… Astronomers said that “[redacted]” refers to the alignment of the Sun, Earth, and [redacted], a rare event that occurs once every forty-five years…]
[…zzz… That concludes today’s news flash. Thank you for listening, and we’ll see you again tomorrow!]
At the dining table, Shelly gulped down the last hard slice of bread with cold water.
Not far away, on the sofa, Everly clutched her baby bottle and, while the old radio crackled with the morning news, drank every last drop of milk.
The bottle was too large, and the cold milk weighed on her stomach like a stone. After finishing it, she felt so full that she burped repeatedly and felt like vomiting.
But Everly endured it.
She only got milk twice a day—morning and evening. No matter how much she cried at other times, Shelly wouldn’t feed her. If she didn’t finish her morning milk, by the afternoon she would be unbearably hungry. If she accidentally vomited, it would be even worse: Shelly wouldn’t clean it up. The milk on her body and clothes would gradually dry and harden over time, sticking around her mouth, the folds of her neck, and the front of her clothes, forming chunks that reeked of sour, pungent milk.