Chapter 26: Absolutely Impossible!

After finishing his words, Gavin silently exchanged glances with William. Upon meeting Gavin's gaze, William quickly lowered his head, unwilling to look back.

Nearby, seeing William remain silent, Eugene spat on the ground in frustration and angrily patted the body of the Tyrannosaurus vehicle.

“Bullshit,” he muttered, propping himself against the dinosaur.

“Do you think this is Saving Private Ryan? Risking our lives to save your brother who’s probably turned into a zombie? You want us to run back to Ennis and be some meaningless heroes?”

“Fuck that. Movies lie. If you want to go, go alone. This old Ford’s yours—I’m not going crazy with you.”

Saying this, Eugene released the dinosaur, rubbed his fiery red hair heavily, then paced irritably in circles before turning to Gavin.

“Let him go. Damn it, let him take my broken car. Give him whatever he wants, even let him eat extra at mealtime. That bastard!”

“Enough, Eugene. Let William think it over himself,” Gavin said, shaking his head as he got up and headed toward the RV.

Halfway there, he turned back, rummaged through the pickup for a large bottle of juice, and carried it back inside.

Passing by Old Mac, who was watching the commotion, Gavin casually said, “Old Mac, you’re not sleeping yet? Hurry up and get some rest.”

“Alright, I’ll sleep in the driver’s seat. Call me if anything happens,” Old Mac replied, following Gavin into the RV and closing the door behind them.

Since Eugene hadn’t come inside, he likely wanted to speak with William alone—giving them some space was better.

Once Gavin was inside, Doris turned around anxiously and asked, “Are we... really going to Ennis?”

“Don’t worry. Even if we do explore Ennis, I won’t bring you along. Just stay here and cook well—make breakfast and lunch. I’m counting on you for that,” Gavin waved her off and settled onto the sofa, his eyes watching Madison as she lay down in the driver's seat.

Adjusting her position, Madison pondered before saying, “Honestly, we should check out Ennis. A large number of zombies have been lured away from there. Besides, if we want to survive the apocalypse, eventually we have to explore every town.”

She glanced back at the mother and daughter quietly eavesdropping nearby, smiling as she continued, “With what we’ve scavenged so far, it won’t last us a week. And now with two more women, when we searched the convenience store, we didn’t think about grabbing any feminine supplies.”

Doris awkwardly turned to look at the oven, while Winnie smiled, giving Madison a thumbs-up.

Gavin nodded thoughtfully at Madison’s reasoning and smiled.

“Yeah, just the fact that a large horde has been drawn away from Ennis makes me not mind going there to gain experience for future explorations.”

“As long as the vehicle isn’t restricted, we keep a safe distance from it during explorations, and choose routes with a clear retreat, I think our chances are good.”

“Besides, even ignoring feminine products, we do need to restock on medicine. Ennis, with so many zombies drawn away, is a perfect place to practice.”

“But unfortunately, William has a hundred ways to persuade me, and he picked the one I absolutely can’t agree to.”

“To risk all of us for his brother who might be dead or alive?”

“Are you kidding? We don’t even have a stable camp yet—how could we do such a stupid thing? How did he even become a cop? Did Batman write his recommendation? Fuck!”

Gavin sneered and shook his head.

Seeing this, Madison nodded and laughed, “You’re right. We shouldn’t risk our lives for such nonsense. Even if we were supposed to explore Ennis, after his request, we shouldn’t go near it.”

“To risk our lives for someone we just met? What if after a few days, he wants us to be his lackeys? That damn rookie cop from Dallas!”

She tapped her headrest and smiled, “I’m going to sleep. Boss, wake me if you need me.”

“Alright, sleep well. I’ve got this,” Gavin patted the chair back to reassure her, then reached out to Winnie.

“And you, kid, give me the binoculars.”

“I can keep watch too, boss,” Winnie teased, nudging Gavin and handing him the binoculars. Gavin stroked her golden hair and shook his head.

“If you’re bored, go lie down.”

“All right then,” Winnie nodded and obediently went to bed.

Yet as she climbed in, her gaze lingered on the photo by the bedside.

The picture of their family—her father’s smile and her brother’s mischievous wink—filled Winnie’s mind.

She scrunched her nose, climbed over to take down the photo, turned her back to tuck it into a corner, then curled up silently on the bed.

Thus, the RV fell utterly silent, save for the sounds of Doris moving around and cooking, and occasionally her soft sobs.

Gavin sighed deeply. He couldn’t expect everyone to be strong just because he was.

After all, the apocalypse had only just begun a few hours ago. Each member of this makeshift team carried their own pain and pressure—even Madison was no exception.

Suddenly, the RV door was yanked open with a bang. Eugene cursed loudly as he plopped down beside Gavin.

Glancing at the driver’s seat, Eugene grinned and said, “Big Black’s asleep too. Ha! I thought he was as tough as King Kong.”

“Fuck you, Eugene. I’m not asleep!” Madison lay there, flipping him the middle finger lazily.

Eugene snorted, “Alright, sleep then. I’ll keep watch for you!”

“You? You’ll drool while keeping watch. Drink too much soda, then piss. Don’t let the water dribble out of your mouth, buddy!”

Madison retorted, then turned over to find a more comfortable position.

Eugene sat restlessly, shifting his legs every few minutes.

Twenty minutes later, Eugene looked out the window at William and cursed, “He’s just sitting there? In this cold? What an idiot!”

Another thirty minutes passed.

Rubbing his head, Eugene muttered quietly to Gavin, “Quarterback, you don’t think he’s really going back to Ennis alone, do you? Has he lost his mind?”

Half an hour later, Eugene impatiently stood and went to check on Doris, muttering, “Stewing meat is so damn slow. If it weren’t for the smell, I wouldn’t even want breakfast!”

Grumbling, he went into the bathroom and stayed there for a while before coming back.

Back on the sofa, Eugene glanced at the silent Gavin, as if wanting to say something.

After five minutes of silence, Eugene slapped his thigh and suddenly said, “Quarterback, you gave William back his USP. What about my Ruger 101 and the Governor’s shotgun? I don’t feel safe without them!”

“Oh?” Gavin finally responded, his gaze deep as he looked at Eugene.

“So you’ve decided to risk your life with him?”

“What?” Eugene was startled by Gavin’s words, shaking his head frantically.

“Don’t lump me in with that idiot. Who the hell wants to deal with him? I just want my guns back—do I need a reason for that?”

“Cut it out, Quarterback. The world’s ended out there. How am I supposed to survive without my gun? At least give me a knife. I can’t just bite those fucking zombies, can I?”

He stared into Gavin’s eyes, waiting for a reply.

Gavin thought for a moment, then nodded. “After we finish eating, I’ll return your guns.”

“Deal!” Eugene cheered, slapping his thigh excitedly.

But after his excitement, he hurriedly added, “Don’t get the wrong idea, man. I’m not the kind to throw myself into danger. Even if you stupidly agree to William’s request, I’d ditch you and go it alone!”

“You think I carry guns just to risk my life with that kid? No way. You’ve got the wrong idea. I’m not that kind of guy!”

“I just don’t feel safe, you know what safety means, right?”