Madison, who was gathering toiletries and razors into a packaging bag, heard the crunching sound and quickly leaned over to shout at Gavin.
"It tastes delicious, man, don't forget me!"
"Yeah, it's happening right now. Have a Coke first."
Gavin tossed the capped bottle of ice-cold cola, and Madison deftly caught it.
For football players, throwing and catching are second nature, even if what's thrown is less than desirable...
Well, that thing is truly impossible to catch, and no one in their right mind would throw that.
In any case, after Madison gulped down the ice-cold cola, he let out a deep sigh of relief.
"Ha, damn, this feels so good!"
"Even if you asked me to empty this store, I wouldn't lack strength at this moment. It's exhilarating!"
With that, Madison quickly took another sip of his cola.
But just as he was drinking, Gavin suddenly frowned, looking toward the direction of the broken glass.
Over there, he thought he heard a faint engine sound?
Gavin promptly set down his saber, shifted the hamburger to his left hand, took a large bite, then drew his gun with his right and walked toward the door.
"Madison!"
He called out, then pushed open the convenience store door and headed straight for the gas pump.
Inside the store, upon hearing her name, Madison set down the Coke and the packaging bag without a word and stood at the door with the spray gun in hand.
As the two of them braced for what was to come, a Ford F-150 suddenly sped toward Dallas at a speed of at least 100 miles per hour.
Whoosh!
The roar of the engine zipped past the gas station.
Madison exclaimed in astonishment, gripping the convenience store door with her mouth agape.
"Damn, what just flew past?"
"Ha, you tell a good joke."
Watching the Ford recede, Gavin took a few steps back with his gun, coming to stand beside Madison.
"But now is not the time for jokes. We need to act quickly. I'm worried that car just now will bring back the zombies that were lured away from the gas station, or worse, attract even more."
"Well..."
Hesitating, Madison narrowed her eyes and tentatively asked Gavin, "That car was too fast, much faster than us. Even if the zombies heard it, they wouldn't be able to catch up, right?"
"Yeah, they can't catch up, but have you ever tested how long zombies will chase after a sound once they detect it?"
Gavin replied as he holstered his pistol and took another big bite of his burger.
The burgers sold at roadside convenience stores are far from gourmet. The bread is much thicker than that found at KFC and other major chains, and the cheese and beef patties are smaller as well.
Yet Gavin still savored every bite.
It wasn't hunger that drove him, but the torment of his stomach from the alcohol.
Feeling the fullness from the burger, he continued speaking to Madison.
"In the manor, whenever there's a sound that attracts zombies, they quickly rush to the source and gather."
"Because the sound sources there have fixed locations."
"But what if the fixed sound source is replaced with a mobile one, and that source is moving so quickly that the zombies can't keep up?"
"For a zombie that can never reach the source of the sound, will it eventually stop when it loses the sound, or will it keep moving in the direction where the sound faded away?"
At this point, Gavin patted Madison on the shoulder.
"Before we witness something with our own eyes, we shouldn't rely on speculation and luck to guide our actions. This is survival, not Mark Twain's epic novel. I don't like taking risks..."
"You don't like taking risks, I know, I understand what you mean."
Madison interrupted, nodding earnestly.
Gavin smiled with relief and returned to the store to grab a Coke for himself.
He wasn't worried about Madison's thought process. After all, football is one of the most tactical sports in the world.
Every big name in football, even those without genius-level intellect, can at least memorize and understand countless tactics and make split-second choices in the ever-changing game.
As long as Madison doesn't get too nervous, he rarely makes mistakes, just as he does on the field.
After swallowing the last bite of his hamburger whole, Gavin took a hearty sip of his cola, then collected all the raw patties, bread, and vegetable leaves in the store into three large bags.
At the same time, the microwave emitted a beeping sound.
As Gavin retrieved the burgers, Madison was loading four full bags into the bed of the truck.
When he returned to the store, he found Gavin waiting for him with a burger.
"Wow, I'm flattered that the team leader actually gave me a burger. Next time I shake my towel at the water dispenser, I'll be more vigorous!"
Madison teased, taking the burger and biting into it heartily.
After finishing most of the burger in one bite, Madison glanced past Gavin and smiled wryly.
"Just this one?"
"Eat it first to fill your stomach, or do you want to fill up and then mix it with cola, stopping by the side of the road at the risk of being devoured by zombies?"
Gavin snorted and continued his search of the convenience store.
Madison flicked his tongue dismissively and swallowed the rest of the burger in a second bite.
Once he finished the burger, he took his empty Coke cup to the machine and filled it up again.
Madison picked up the cup and gulped down the drink. After quenching his thirst, he burped contentedly and said to Gavin, who was busy filling his cigarette case, "This is the most Coke I've drunk since starting college."
"I love football because it gives me so much, but I also hate it because it takes away all my happiness, damn!"
After saying this, Madison slung the spray gun over his back and headed for the innermost storage room of the convenience store.
He knocked hard on the closed door to ensure there were no zombies struggling behind it.
Once satisfied, he opened the storage room and took a look, his eyes landing on the empty oil drums neatly stacked against the wall.
These spare oil barrels are quite common in America and have appeared in many games; they're the kind with a square body and a hose extending from the barrel mouth.
Madison stretched out his large hand, picked up four oil drums, and walked to the gas pump, attempting to drain it thoroughly.
Their exploration was methodical; Gavin was not idle, and Madison was not slacking either.
Before long, the bed of the Tyrannosaurus Rex pickup truck was filled with their findings.
While continuing to load the four barrels of diesel into the truck bed, Madison looked at the items piled up and grimaced.
"Damn, so many cans of tomatoes, corn, beans, fruit, canned meat, canned soup, canned fish, canned shrimp..."
"Am I supposed to live with these cans for the rest of my life?"
"And a dozen cans of awful oatmeal?"
After stating this, Madison didn't expect Gavin to respond to his complaints. He set down the oil barrel and planned to continue filling it.
But just as he was walking toward the convenience store, the sound of a car in the distance made him stop abruptly.
"Gavin, there's traffic coming from the direction of Dallas!"
He quickly shouted to Gavin, removing the spray gun from his back and cradling it in his arms.
Inside the convenience store, upon hearing Madison's warning, Gavin set down the plastic bag full of work gloves, socks, and underwear, drew his gun, and stepped outside.
After glancing at Madison, Gavin listened for a moment, then spoke with a peculiar expression.
"Old Mac, does this sound seem familiar to you?"
"Familiar?"
Madison listened for a moment, and then his eyes widened in surprise.
"It's the Ford from earlier!"
As Madison reached this conclusion, the Ford, traveling at a speed of at least 100 miles per hour, barreled toward them from the direction of Dallas.
As the vehicle approached, Gavin couldn't help but roll his eyes.
The car was now moving even faster, reaching a speed of at least 112 miles per hour!
The car raced toward the gas station, its hoarse roar growing louder with each passing moment.
"Shut your foul mouth, William! I don't need your reminders!"
"I just dispatched an entire troupe of actors. Do you really think I hesitate to finish one more of you? At the very least, I'll sever your foot and cram it down your throat!"
Whoosh!
The Ford sped past the gas station, leaving only the echo of its passage to linger in the dim night sky for what felt like an eternity.
As the sound quickly faded away, Gavin swallowed, casting a speechless glance at Madison.
Meeting Gavin's gaze, Madison inhaled deeply and spoke in a hushed tone.
"I suppose when he drove to Dallas, he had no idea the zombies were on their way."
"I guess you're right..."
Sizzle!!!
Before Gavin could complete his response to Madison, a sharp screech of brakes pierced the air from a distance.
The car came to an abrupt halt!