Chapter Twenty: Would That Hit the Mark?

Seeing that her mother had awakened, Winnie rushed forward, clinging to the door of the camper as she shouted, "Mom! Edward is dead, but I'm still alive!"

"How could this be... Oh, God..."

Suddenly hearing the news of her beloved son’s death, the woman sat up and grabbed her daughter’s hand, tears instantly welling in her eyes. "I shouldn't have listened to your father. We shouldn't have gone to Dallas for some celebration. We shouldn't have started this trip. Oh, God, is this your punishment for me?"

"How could it come to this? Why? Oh, my God, what am I going to do? I..."

"Uncle Red!"

As the woman wept incoherently, little Winnie suddenly turned to the visibly impatient Eugene and said earnestly, "Can you make my mom lie down quietly for a while, just like you did with that policeman?"

"What?" Eugene’s eyes widened in exaggerated shock.

Winnie continued, "I think it would be better that way. I'm not the only one who thinks my mom is being too noisy, am I? She's always like this—at home, out and about—I really admire how my dad puts up with her. So, can you help her out and let her get some rest?"

"Aha, you little... I like you, kid! Hahaha!"

Hearing this, Eugene laughed loudly, climbed onto the step, and reached out to grab the woman by the neck. He then looked up at Madison and sneered, "Did you hear that, shit-head? It’s the kid’s request!"

Before the woman could struggle, Eugene applied a sharp, sudden force, knocking her unconscious. Having dealt with the woman, Eugene hopped off the camper with a grin and gave Winnie a rough pat on the head.

Nearby, Gavin watched the farce while flicking ash from his cigarette, then clapped his hands lightly.

*Clap... clap...*

After drawing everyone’s attention, Gavin said calmly, "I am glad to see more than one rational person here. But I may be happy too soon, as there are new dangers waiting for us. We have no time to waste here. Eugene, take the Ford; Madison, drive the camper; kid, go look after your mother. We must take a look toward Ennis!"

Gavin pulled a map from his pocket to confirm the surrounding terrain. He pointed to a fork in the road outside Ennis and told the group, "If we reach the area before the zombie horde blocks the intersection, we will rush through it and head straight across Ennis. But if they are already blocking the way and we have no chance to bypass them..."

Gavin pointed to the area near Palmer, which they had just passed, and continued, "Most of the highways around here are flanked by dense forests shaped by the East Coast sea winds; there are very few clearings wide enough for vehicles. Fortunately, the Palmer farm—the remains of the Palmer resort—likely still has an undeveloped meadow connected to an artificial lake. If we can't get through Ennis, we will turn back and camp near the lake, waiting for the horde to pass Palmer, or we’ll lure them into speeding through the area ourselves!"

"It's settled. Get in your vehicles. We’re going to go say hello to the zombies!"

With that, Gavin put the map away and headed toward his Tyrannosaurus. Watching him walk away, Eugene hesitated for a moment, then instinctively blurted out, "That’s fucking too Naz— cough!"

Seeing Madison glare at him, Eugene quickly corrected himself. "I mean, it’s a bit undemocratic. I thought he’d at least ask for a show of hands or something. Believe me, I didn't mean anything by it."

"If you didn't mean anything by it, then go pat the ass of that old Ford of yours and pray it doesn't leave you and the little cop stranded in a horde of zombies to get fucked while we’re trying to run, you asshole!" Madison cursed. He gestured for the little girl to come over, then moved the unconscious woman onto the camper’s bed.

After settling her in, Madison spoke to Winnie as she boarded. "Take care of your mom, kid. When I was your age, I was already running the streets of Chicago."

"No problem, I can do it. If she wakes up, I’ll do my best to put her right back to sleep!" Winnie replied, holding her head high.

Madison’s face stiffened. "Uh, you don't have to be quite that strict. Just stay inside the vehicle, no matter what, and don't shout!"

After the reminder, Madison got into the driver’s seat, slowly started the camper, and followed the Tyrannosaurus toward Ennis. Eugene, meanwhile, performed a drift in place to turn around, trailing behind the camper while cursing and slapping his steering wheel, though it was unclear what he was saying.

After driving about ten kilometers toward Ennis, the Tyrannosaurus gradually slowed to a stop, and the camper and the Ford followed suit. Gavin hopped out, grabbed his binoculars, walked to the front of the camper, and used his momentum to leap onto the roof.

Watching Gavin’s agile movements, Eugene, who had just stepped out, clicked his tongue in wonder and grinned. "Promise me, quarterback, you won't turn into a zombie!"

"Even if you turn into a zombie ten thousand times, my boss will still be just fine. Keep your mouth shut." Madison, who had also stepped out, shoved Eugene with his elbow, sending him stumbling, and looked up at Gavin on the roof.

Gavin scanned the distance with his binoculars. The sight of the massive horde made his scalp tingle. The number of zombies was certainly more than a thousand; he estimated at least three thousand! It looked just like a high school campus on holiday.

At least a kilometer away, the horde had not only completely occupied the road, forming a blockade nearly seventy meters long, but was also slowly spreading into the forests on both sides. Gavin had observed that once sprinting zombies lost their target, they generally reverted from a sprint to a jog, just like the zombies at the gas station, continuing in the direction the target had disappeared. However, if a zombie fell or hit an obstacle during the pursuit, the one that got back up didn't always continue in the original direction.

In twenty seconds of observation, Gavin saw three zombies fall. One stayed in place, spinning in circles, while the other two wandered off in different directions into the forest.

As for the core concern—the intersection that would decide their fate—Gavin shook his head. Even with the binoculars, he couldn't see the fork in the road, which meant the horde had already pushed at least a kilometer or two past it.

Confirming the situation, Gavin jumped down from the camper and beckoned to Madison. "The intersection is a dead end. Let's head to Palmer. Hurry."

"Don't worry, Gavin. Maybe we'll even get to roast some meat by the artificial lake and get some sleep while we're at it," Madison replied optimistically.

Gavin patted his arm, went to the bed of the pickup truck, and retrieved two glass bottles of cola. He tossed one to Madison and brought the other to Eugene. "Stay close to me. I’ll pick a suitable spot to leave the road."

"For the sake of the cola, I'll keep my eyes peeled, fucker." As Eugene answered, he struck the bottle cap against the edge of his boot, then took a long drink of the cold soda.

"Ah..." Breathing a sigh of relief, Eugene raised the bottle to Gavin and laughed. "Glass bottle cola is the only real stuff. Thank God for Mexico!"

Gavin understood what he meant. In the US, there were two main types of cola: the glass-bottled version was imported from Mexico, relatively expensive, and sweetened with cane sugar. The domestic US version used cheaper corn syrup and plastic bottles that didn't require an extra environmental tax. The taste was simply not the same.