Chapter 24: Well Done, Partner

“Rice?”

Doris was a little surprised. She had not expected Gavin to like that sort of food.

After all, in America, rice was grown mainly for export. Americans themselves rarely put it on the dinner table.

As it happened, there was a small bag of rice in their vehicle. After recalling where it was kept, Doris wiped away her tears and went to retrieve it from the cupboard.

The bag held only 5.4 kilograms—not much, but certainly enough for several meals.

Once she had confirmed that she could more or less satisfy the appetite of their leader, Doris finally let out a reluctant sigh of relief and began frying the meat, which had been tied up with herbs, in a skillet.

Amid the sizzling of the meat, Eugene leaned against the window beside the dining table, staring gloomily outside.

On the sofa nearby, Madison shifted from side to side several times. Something seemed strange, so he turned to Eugene and cursed.

“Can you stop shaking your damn leg?”

“Huh? Was I shaking my leg?”

Eugene froze, instinctively planting his foot firmly on the floor before slapping his thigh hard.

“All right, buddy, I’ll keep an eye on this leg of mine. You know how a man’s foot is like a cat’s tail—sometimes I don’t even notice it. Ha ha.”

With a light chuckle, Eugene’s expression seemed to improve slightly, but his eyes remained fixed outside, not daring to relax for even a moment.

Gavin lay across the passenger seat, tossed his cigarette butt out the window, then closed the window and propped both feet on the dashboard.

His left hand rested naturally over his chest, while his right arm bent down beside his waist, his fingertips faintly touching the grip of his Colt Python. Gavin spoke lazily.

“Nervousness is the most useless emotion. When we have some free time, I’ll take you out scavenging and help you have some fun with the zombies. You won’t be nervous anymore after that.”

“Huh? Nervous? Me? How could I be?”

Eugene hurriedly shook his head and sneered.

“When I was fighting in Iraq, you were still playing football at university. Do you really think I’d get nervous?”

“Quarterback, don’t mistake me for some Hollywood pansy. I’m a real tough guy—the kind who’s been to war!”

When he finished, Eugene angrily rapped his knuckles against the dining table.

Gavin merely chuckled and silently closed his eyes.

On the sofa, Madison spat and sneered.

“You? A tough guy? Come talk to us after you stop shaking your leg!”

“Gavin and I fought our way out of a mansion full of zombies. What have you ever been through? Driven around in that junker while making eyes at the little cop’s daddy?”

“Fuck you, Madison! Can’t you shut that filthy mouth of yours?”

Eugene gloomily raised his middle finger at Madison, who responded by raising both of his.

Amid their quiet bickering and the sounds of Doris frying, roasting, and stewing meat, Gavin fell into a deep sleep.

No one knew how much time had passed before Gavin suddenly awoke.

The instant he opened his eyes, his right hand instinctively seized the Colt Python and drew it.

Cock­ing the hammer, Gavin sat up from the passenger seat and looked toward the hurried footsteps that had roused him.

William was sprinting from the rear of the vehicle toward the front, binoculars in hand.

“What happened?”

Madison had never gone to sleep. The moment he saw William running, he immediately asked the question.

At the same time, Eugene suddenly scrambled up from the dining table, drool hanging from half his face. Sleepy and panicked, he asked,

“What’s going on? Are the zombies here? ...Slurp...”

Halfway through the sentence, Eugene noticed the drool. His face darkened, and he hurriedly wiped his mouth hard with his sleeve.

Nearby, Doris was stewing meat. When she saw Eugene wiping away his drool with his sleeve, she quickly lowered her head.

They’re so filthy and disgusting. Boo-hoo... Oh God...

Just as Doris was berating herself inwardly, William anxiously handed the binoculars to Madison and said,

“It looks like zombies are coming!”

“Really? Let me see!”

Eugene immediately cut in and tried to snatch the binoculars, but Madison quickly moved them away and cursed.

“Go back to sleep, you stupid tough guy who claimed he was going to stand watch. Shit!”

After insulting Eugene, Madison raised the binoculars and looked outside, but even after staring for a long while, he could not see a single zombie.

At the same time, Gavin approached Madison with his gun in hand and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Let me see.”

“You’re awake? You only slept for a little while?”

Madison asked in surprise and handed over the binoculars.

Gavin accepted them, simultaneously returning his handgun to its holster. Eugene frowned as he watched the pistol disappear.

“Damn, that Colt is beautiful. No wonder it’s a rich man’s gun. It must be worth thirty iPhones!”

Though he sounded mocking, Eugene was actually wondering how Gavin had awakened instantly and drawn his weapon on instinct. He was secretly astonished by Gavin’s vigilance.

Hearing Eugene’s remark, Madison instinctively shot back,

“You have no taste. That revolver has the same style as Elvis Presley’s. You couldn’t buy it for fewer than fifty iPhones!”

“That’s enough.”

Gavin peered through the binoculars and gave a reminder. Madison immediately fell silent, and Eugene stopped talking as well.

Gavin first watched toward Ennis for a moment. After confirming that he could see nothing, he immediately turned to look toward Palmer.

While searching for the zombies through the binoculars, Gavin asked William,

“They’re coming from the direction of Palmer, right?”

“Ah, yes, that’s right—not from Ennis!”

William nodded emphatically. Gavin exhaled and said calmly,

“Make that clear the first time next time.”

“I understand...”

William lowered his head and silently leaned against the vehicle, saying nothing more.

After observing the area, Gavin confirmed the zombies’ whereabouts and immediately spoke to the waiting group.

“There’s no need to worry. The group is much smaller than the one coming from Ennis. They’re more than two kilometers away, and there are roughly... six or seven hundred?”

“I think they followed Eugene’s old Ford here from the direction of Hutchins.”

Gavin lowered the binoculars and handed them to Madison, who immediately looked toward Palmer.

The binoculars passed from one person to the next. Just as Winnie came over and eagerly took her turn looking through them, Gavin walked to the vehicle door.

He patted William encouragingly on the shoulder and smiled.

“Well done, buddy.”

“I’ll do my best... do my best not to turn into my dad!”

William gritted his teeth as he replied. Gavin nodded, then pushed open the motorhome door.

Clatter!

The sound startled Winnie so badly that she nearly dropped the binoculars.

Under everyone’s worried gazes, Gavin calmly jumped down from the vehicle and went to the bed of the Tyrannosaurus to retrieve a bottle of mineral water.

After taking a satisfying drink, he raised the bottle toward the people inside the motorhome and smiled.

“Get whatever you want yourselves.”

“Shit, anyone would think you were here on vacation. Weren’t you putting on a whole performance earlier? How come you don’t care anymore?”

Eugene muttered as he strode down from the motorhome. He picked out two glass bottles of cola and opened them both.

William took a deep breath and followed Eugene down. He reached out to take the extra bottle Eugene had picked up.

To his surprise, Eugene quickly pulled it away and laughingly cursed at him.

“This isn’t for you, pansy. Go get your own.”

With that, Eugene handed the cola to Winnie, who had just climbed down from the vehicle.

“Here, kid. Don’t let the half-weaned cop steal it from you.”

“Bullshit! Why would I steal a child’s drink?”

William cursed back, found a cola of his own, and opened it, taking a large gulp as if in defiance.

Seeing him like that, Eugene nodded and smiled.

“Now you’re starting to look like a cop.”

“Whatever!”

William raised his middle finger at Eugene. Eugene paid him no attention, turned away, and leaned against the motorhome, looking toward the roads near Palmer.

In the distance, hundreds of zombies jogged past Palmer in a sprawling horde. Eugene tilted his head back and cursed at the sky.

“Fuck this! Are we really going to have to live alongside those things from now on? Damn zombie apocalypse!”

“Enough. I haven’t even complained yet. Try guessing what kind of life I used to have, then look at me now. Heh.”

Gavin tightened the cap on his bottle of mineral water and smiled at Eugene.

At the same time, Madison climbed down from the vehicle. Gazing at the vaguely visible horde of zombies, he asked Gavin,

“Boss, the zombies from Hutchins are heading toward Ennis. Will that affect our plans?”