While Madison was menacing Eugene, William finally freed himself.
He rolled and crawled toward his father, gazing at his father's body and weeping silently.
"Madison!"
Gavin, standing off to the side, wiped the tactical dagger clean, straightened up, and called out to Old Mac, who continued to subdue Eugene.
"Stop playing tricks on him. Bring him here; I have something to ask!"
"Understood, boss!"
Madison responded loudly, emphasizing "boss" as she leaned in close to Eugene's face, locking her gaze with his.
Meeting Madison's intense stare, Eugene nodded repeatedly and murmured, "I understand. I understand."
"That's excellent!"
Madison scoffed coldly, seized Eugene by the shoulders, and marched him toward Gavin.
Eugene was lifted so high that his feet barely grazed the ground before Madison unceremoniously tossed him in front of Gavin.
Gavin stood over Eugene, lifting his chin from the tarred road, and asked, "How's Ennis faring?"
"What else could it be? I just got outside the town and saw thousands of zombies surrounding that RV, rushing toward me!"
"How many?" Gavin frowned.
"I don't know, but at least thousands. You know Ennis is a large town!"
"And then?" Gavin narrowed his eyes.
"Then William saw his father inserting the insurance..."
"I'm worried about the zombie horde!"
Gavin abruptly interrupted Eugene, leaning closer as he emphasized, "When you left Ennis, did the zombies follow you toward our current location?"
With that, Gavin leaned down and hoisted Eugene up.
Eugene steadied himself with Gavin's support. Just as he was about to brush off his clothes, he felt Gavin's grip tighten around his neck!
With one hand, Gavin lifted Eugene off the ground.
Observing Eugene struggle in his grasp, Gavin remained silent for a moment before turning to Madison. "Old Mac, there's a woman unconscious in the RV. Go check on her."
"Haha, this scene is quite refreshing! I'm on it!"
Madison laughed as she strode toward the RV, opened the door, and stepped inside.
Once Madison entered the vehicle, Gavin stared at Eugene for a few moments before throwing him aside.
Thud.
After Eugene hit the ground, he had no time to feel the pain before he instinctively clutched his neck and began coughing.
After a fit of violent coughs, Eugene rose, gasping for breath, and spat venomously at Gavin. "You're impressive!"
"Stop with the nonsense. What's the status of the zombie horde?" Gavin asked coldly.
Hearing this, Eugene rubbed his neck vigorously and replied, somewhat sheepishly, "All I know is that the last time I saw them, they were still chasing our two cars. As for what happened after, how would I know? I couldn't see anymore. Anyway, the road ahead is definitely overrun by zombies. Damn it!"
At that moment, Eugene sensed something was amiss.
He had been to Dallas, but the roads there had already been claimed by zombies, and he had even encountered several of them.
Now, the road to Ennis was also blocked by the undead!
Eugene's face turned pale, and Gavin exhaled, saying, "We're not without hope just yet. Don't look so desperate. I'm going to Ennis to assess the situation. Perhaps there's a way out."
"As for you, keep that police officer—who's only half a father—under control. His cries are about to attract every zombie in Texas!"
With that, Gavin gestured toward William and his half-father.
Seeing this, Eugene couldn't help but scoff. "Shit, I'm not some damn follower playing basketball behind you! You... damn it!"
As Eugene spoke, his pupils constricted, and he instinctively rubbed his neck, taking a silent step back.
Noticing that Gavin remained unfazed, Eugene took a breath and dragged William away from his father while cursing, "Let me go! I want to take one last look at my dad. How could you just kill him like this? He might still be alive... he might still be moving... he...?!"
William continued to struggle and babble nonsense. Tired of his whining, Eugene finally kneed him hard in the neck.
Ultimately, William lost consciousness and was unceremoniously tossed into the passenger seat of the old Ford by Eugene.
After dealing with William, Eugene returned to Gavin, standing there awkwardly for a moment.
Feeling increasingly uncomfortable, he snorted and said, "I'll check on that woman you mentioned. During my time in the army, I treated some minor injuries. It's all... er, experience!"
Without waiting for Gavin's response, Eugene made his way toward the RV.
Gavin approached the retching little girl and regarded her silently.
Sensing Gavin's presence, the child retched again before looking up at him with her light blue eyes.
Seeing the vomit on the little girl's mouth, Gavin couldn't help but swallow hard.
"So disgusting."
He muttered, then returned to the Tyrannosaurus Rex to fetch a bottle of water, unscrewed it, and handed it to her. "Rinse your mouth."
"Thank you... thank you...!"
Before the little girl could finish her gratitude, she spotted the nearby young zombie and vomited again, sobbing as she did so.
Gavin didn't rush her; instead, he leaned against the RV and lit a cigarette.
After taking a couple of puffs, the little girl composed herself, rinsed her mouth, and looked up.
"Thanks!"
She said earnestly. "I'm Winnie, Winnie Baker. I know you. My brother loves watching you play rugby!"
With that, Winnie glanced at her brother in disappointment.
Upon further inspecting the bloody wound on her brother's head, she retched again and turned back to Gavin, adding, "My parents and I thought he was just sick, but that's not an illness, is it?"
"Maybe it's an illness, maybe not. But I don't want him to have the chance to infect anyone else," Gavin replied, taking a long drag from his cigarette.
Watching the smoke swirl and fade, Winnie inhaled deeply and said to Gavin, "I understand. A lot of people got the same sickness. They threw my dad to the ground, and my mom was almost dragged out of the car by them. She slammed the door hard and knocked herself out."
"So you were the one who crashed through with your car. You're quite brave, kid."
Gavin nodded in approval.
The situation in the RV was quite clear; they were only able to escape Ennis because the little girl in front of him had stepped on the accelerator like a champion.
This aligned with Gavin's observations. Even those fortunate enough to survive the early stages of the apocalypse must possess certain qualities to advance further.
For instance, Eugene's decisiveness and the little girl's calmness and courage.
As for luck, that hardly needed emphasis.
After all, when everyone else turned into zombies, fortune had already favored those who remained human.
When complimented by Gavin, the little girl didn't puff up like other children might. Instead, she shook her head like a miniature adult. "I can't drive, but I've seen my dad do it. But once I start running, I can't drive anymore. Thank you for helping me."
"Alright, if God doesn't mind lending a hand, why should I be stingy in offering you assistance? Do I really need to show off that I'm cooler than God?"
Gavin exhaled a cloud of smoke and waved at the little girl while holding the cigarette. "Let's go see your mother. I hope her condition won't take up too much of our time."
After speaking, Gavin turned and walked toward the RV, with the little girl trailing closely behind, deep in thought.
As an American girl, she had formed a small gang with the other girls in her class since the third grade of elementary school.
Thus, in this small group of strangers, it was likely that the more assertive ones were the leaders, and they were concerned about whether their mothers would continue to waste their time.
Reflecting on this, Winnie's small face became contorted in thought for a moment before she abruptly turned to look at the passenger seat of the Ford.
Upon clearly seeing the unconscious policeman, her eyes brightened, and she immediately wore an expression that said, "I am very clever."
Meanwhile, Gavin had already reached the RV. Madison was helping the woman sit inside, while Eugene stood on the steps, cursing.
"If you ask me, a couple of slaps will bring her back to her senses. She only has a minor scrape on her head. A couple of slaps will do the trick!"
"Silence, redhead!"
As Madison hurled insults at Eugene, he seized the woman's chin and shook it from side to side. The motion was perhaps a bit too forceful, causing the woman to blink open her eyes in a dazed confusion.
"This is... wait, Edward! Winnie!"
The moment she regained consciousness, the woman screamed and attempted to sit up, but as soon as she put forth any effort, a wave of dizziness washed over her, and she staggered backward.