Seeing that her mother had awakened, Winnie rushed forward and called out to her while gripping the door.
"Mom, Edward is dead, but I'm still alive!"
"How could this be... Oh my God..."
Upon hearing the news of her beloved son's death, the woman sat up, grasped her daughter's hand, and tears immediately filled her eyes.
"I shouldn't have listened to your father. We shouldn't have gone to Dallas to celebrate. We shouldn't have started this trip. God, is this your punishment for me?"
"How could this happen? Why is this happening? Oh my God, what should I do? I..."
"Uncle Red Hair!"
Just as the woman was crying incoherently, little Winnie suddenly turned to Eugene, who appeared impatient, and spoke earnestly.
"Can you let my mom lie down quietly for a while like that police officer did before?"
"What?"
Eugene glared exaggeratedly at Winnie's words.
Winnie continued speaking to him.
"I think it's better that way. I'm not the only one who thinks my mom is noisy, am I?"
"She's always like this, at home and outside. I admire my dad for being able to tolerate her."
"So can you help her and let her rest for a while?"
"Ahaha, you little brat, I like you!"
After hearing Winnie's words, Eugene bounded up the stairs with a hearty laugh and reached out to grab the woman by the neck.
Then he raised his head and glared at Madison, sneering.
"Did you hear that, you bastard? This is the kid's request!"
As soon as he finished speaking, before the woman had time to struggle, Eugene exerted his strength and rendered her unconscious.
After dealing with the woman, Eugene jumped out of the RV with a grin and ruffled Winnie's hair roughly.
Meanwhile, Gavin flicked the ash from his cigarette, watching the spectacle unfold before him, then clapped his hands lightly.
Snap... Snap...
After drawing everyone's attention with the sound of applause, Gavin said calmly, "I'm glad to see more than one sensible person here."
"But my joy may be premature, for new dangers await us."
"We don't have time to waste here. Eugene drives the Ford, Madison drives the RV, and you, kid, go take care of your mom. We have to head to Ennis and take a look!"
With that, Gavin pulled a map from his pocket and confirmed the nearby terrain.
He pointed to the fork in the road outside Ennis Town on the map and addressed everyone.
"If we reach the zombie horde and they haven't blocked us at the fork, we'll rush to it and pass through Ennis Town!"
"And if they have already blocked the fork, leaving us no chance to detour..."
Gavin gestured toward the town of Palmer they had just passed and continued, "The roadsides here are mostly lined with dense forests shaped by the east coast winds. There are very few large open spaces for vehicles to traverse."
"But fortunately, Palmer Farm—that is, the farm site preserved by Palmer Resort—probably still has an undeveloped grassland connected to the artificial viewing lake."
"If we can't get through Ennis, we'll turn back and set up camp near the artificial lake, waiting for the Ennis zombie horde to pass through Palmer, or we could artificially lure them to speed through the Palmer area!"
"That's settled! Everyone, get in the car; let's go say hello to the zombies!"
After he finished speaking, Gavin tucked the map away and strode toward the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Watching Gavin's retreating figure, Eugene paused for a moment and spoke instinctively.
"This is too damn natural... cough cough!"
At that point, Eugene noticed Madison looking at him, so he quickly altered his words and continued, "I mean, it's a little undemocratic. I thought he could at least ask who's for it and who's against it or something like that. Believe me, I don't mean anything by that."
"If you don't mean anything else, then go pat the back of your old Ford and pray it doesn't leave you and the little policeman in the zombie swarm to get eaten while we run away, jerk!"
Madison cursed, then waved to the little girl and carried the unconscious woman to the bed in the RV.
After settling the woman down, Madison said to Winnie as she climbed into the car.
"Take care of your mom, kid. When I was your age, I was already living on the streets of Chicago."
"No problem, I can do it. If she wakes up, I will try my best to help her go back to sleep!"
Winnie quickly raised her little head and replied.
Upon hearing this, Madison's face froze.
"Well, there's no need to be so strict. Just don't get out of the car, and don't shout!"
After the reminder, Madison took her place in the driver's seat, slowly started the RV, and followed the Tyrannosaurus Rex toward Ennis.
Eugene lingered behind the RV, cursing and slapping the steering wheel, though no one could discern what he was saying.
After driving about ten kilometers toward Ennis, the Tyrannosaurus Rex gradually came to a stop, and the RV and Ford naturally halted as well.
Gavin jumped out of the vehicle, approached the RV with an eight-fold scope, took a running start, and leaped onto the roof, pushing off the side of the RV.
Watching Gavin's swift movements, Eugene, who had just exited the car, was astonished and said with a sly grin, "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 fine. Shut your stinky mouth."
Madison got out of the car and elbowed Eugene, causing him to stagger. At the same time, she looked up at Gavin perched atop the vehicle.
Gavin held the eight-fold telescope and surveyed the massive group of zombies in the distance, feeling a twinge of unease.
The number of zombies in this horde was surely over a thousand; Gavin estimated at least three thousand!
As he gazed at the throng, he couldn't help but recall the scale of a high school holiday from his previous life!
At that moment, the horde was at least a kilometer away, completely occupying the road and forming a blockade nearly seventy meters long.
The edges of the zombie group slowly spread toward the woods on both sides.
After observing, Gavin determined that when the sprinting zombies lost their target, they generally transitioned from sprinting to jogging, much like the gas station zombies before, continuing in the direction where the target had vanished.
However, during the chase, if a zombie fell or encountered an obstacle, the ones that managed to rise again might not return to their original course.
Gavin scanned for more than twenty seconds and spotted three fallen zombies.
One remained in place, spinning around, while the other two staggered off in different directions, disappearing into the forest.
Gavin's focus remained on the fork in the road that would determine their fate.
He shook his head. Standing atop the RV, he couldn't even see the fork in the road, even with the eight-fold telescope, which meant the horde had crossed it at least one or two kilometers away!
After confirming this grim reality, Gavin jumped down from the RV and waved to Madison.
"There's no chance at the fork in the road. Let's head to Palmer and hurry."
"Don't worry, Gavin. Maybe we can even have a barbecue by the lake and catch some sleep," Madison responded optimistically. Gavin patted her arm, then went to the bed of the pickup truck and retrieved two glass bottles of Coke.
After tossing one bottle to Madison, Gavin approached Eugene with the other and said, "Follow me later; I'll choose a suitable place to leave the road."
"For Coke's sake, I'll keep my eyes open."
As Eugene replied, he raised his boot and struck the mouth of the Coke bottle sharply, then brought the chilled bottle to his lips and took a sip.
"Ha..."
Eugene sighed in relief, raised his Coke toward Gavin, and laughed. "It has to be in a glass bottle to be authentic. Thanks, Mexico!"
Gavin understood what Eugene meant. There are two primary varieties of cola commonly available in the United States. The one found in glass bottles is imported from Mexico, which is relatively costly and sweetened with sucrose.
In contrast, American cola employs less expensive corn syrup and is sold in plastic bottles that avoid additional environmental fees. How can it possibly taste right?