One Set After Another

"Ugh..."

Gavin and Madison were cut off by Doris.

Winnie slapped a hand against her own face with a sharp smack.

"Mom!"

Winnie let out a low growl, her voice slightly raspy.

"That wasn't the boss's fault! Our whole family agreed to take this trip to Dallas!"

As she spoke, she dragged her mother toward the RV, then turned to Gavin and spoke rapidly.

"Boss, I'll get my mom to stew some meat for you. Her stew is amazing, just wait and see~"

"Mom, please stop crying and hurry up and make breakfast. I'm starving to death, just stop it!"

Watching Winnie and her mother disappear into the RV, Madison rolled his eyes in silence and walked over to Gavin's side.

"That kid is more like her mother than her mother is, you know what I mean?"

"Uh-huh."

Gavin responded noncommittally.

Seeing this, Madison let out a breath and sighed.

"As for her mom, don't take it to heart. Our winning the championship had nothing to do with her family's deaths."

"Besides, if they had stayed in a big city like Houston instead of driving toward Dallas, they might not have even survived this long."

"We didn't hurt them; we saved them."

Having said that, Madison looked at Gavin with concern, afraid that his boss might be having a mental breakdown.

Gavin looked at the worried Madison, blinked, and shook his head with a smirk.

"What are you thinking about? I don't care who lives or dies; I'm just thinking about the road ahead."

"Zombie activity is too easily influenced by the living. If there are other survivors in the towns after Ennis, heaven knows how their actions might scramble the distribution of the undead."

With that, Gavin picked up his binoculars to scan the far side of the lake, then lowered them and continued.

"Call Eugene and William. Let's all get inside the RV; don't wait for an invitation from Doris."

"What are we going to do out in the open? We don't even have a tent or folding chairs. Are we just going to stand there and be target practice for the air?"

Gavin pulled the RV door open.

Doris, who had been sobbing in front of the stove, turned around in a hurry, staring at Gavin in terror.

Beside her, Winnie quickly rushed over, grabbed Gavin's hand, and asked.

"Boss, are you going to help me talk some sense into my mom? That would be great!"

Watching Winnie's dramatic display, Gavin pulled his hand back to ruffle her hair and said.

"Don't make faces. I'm not in the mood to hurt your mother; it's just not safe outside, and everyone needs to get into the RV."

After speaking, Gavin glanced around the cabin.

The interior of the Ford F450 was remarkably spacious. The front of the cabin held a sofa and a dining table, the gas stove and microwave were directly opposite the entrance, and the rear contained the shower, bathroom, and bed.

Doris had knocked her head on the gas stove and passed out when she first boarded.

As for now, Gavin pushed Winnie toward her mother, then sat down at the dining table without ceremony, resting his hands on the surface.

Outside, Madison shouted for Eugene and the other man to get on board, then followed them in and sat opposite Gavin.

The seat at the table was a bit cramped for him. After shifting a few times, he eventually left the table to sit on the sofa, where he could finally stretch his legs out comfortably.

When Eugene climbed in, he kicked William, examined the layout of the RV, and chuckled.

"This RV is really something. I wanted to buy one myself back in the day."

"But I had my eye on a towable trailer; they have more space and are cheaper. Too bad I couldn't afford even the cheap ones. Damn America, screw the White House, f*ck!"

With that, Eugene sat down opposite Gavin and began fidgeting with the roses on the dining table like he had ADHD.

William stood in the aisle, hesitating for a long time before Madison gestured for him to sit on the sofa.

Near the gas stove, seeing everyone sitting in silence, Winnie instinctively pursed her lips and pulled on her mother, whispering.

"Mom, hurry up and cook!"

"I know, sob, I know."

With a group of grown men invading the RV, Doris was too terrified to keep crying and began scrambling to prepare the ingredients.

Winnie squeezed in next to Gavin, forcing her way onto the seat, and leaned over the table to ask.

"Boss, what are we talking about? Are we planning how to deal with the sick people outside?"

"We're planning how to make sure the zombies outside don't deal with us!"

Gavin quipped, then tapped the table and scanned the group.

"I estimate the Ennis Zombie Horde is about sixteen kilometers away from us. At their fastest, they could be patrolling near our location in about two hours."

"There are only a few scenarios that could play out, so I'll keep this brief."

As he spoke, Gavin rapped his knuckles heavily against the dining table, the sound sharp enough to make Doris, who was cooking, look over.

"On one hand, it's highly likely the zombies will follow the road through Palmer Town. In that case, we don't need to do anything. We just observe their movement, confirm the bulk of the horde has passed, and then we hit the road toward Ennis."

"But once we're spotted and pursued, we'll likely have three options."

Gavin traced an arc across the table with his hand.

"First, if they spot us before they pass the lake, we can drive around it, try to use the lake to draw them away from the road, and then dash onto the road on the other side to head for Ennis."

"Second, if the zombies surround us from both sides of the lake, we can drive into the forest, try to shake them off with speed, and then hike through the woods, bypassing Ennis to head toward the vicinity of Corsicana to scout the situation."

"Finally, if we're completely surrounded—to the point where even the forest is crawling with them—we jump into the artificial lake and try to drag them into the water."

"Zombies can't swim, and they move much slower in the water than we do. We can choose to break out in the direction where there are fewer of them."

"Of course, there's plenty of open space around us. Even if they close in, we have a good chance of shaking them off in the open, but that requires taking a bit of a risk."

"I'll make the call quickly based on the situation when the time comes. All you need to do is listen clearly to my orders and stick close to me!"

"I've been concise enough. If anyone doesn't get it, go to the driver's seat, look at the surroundings, and simulate the routes I mentioned in your head!"

With that, Gavin leaned back in his chair and looked at the group.

Hearing his plan, Eugene grinned thoughtfully and said, "No wonder the big black guy calls you boss. You're like a paranoid john afraid of catching something—you've got a plan for everything. You're alright!"

"Eugene!"

Madison immediately slapped his thigh and growled at him.

Seeing this, Eugene hurriedly scrambled toward the window, waving his hands at Madison. "Don't be so sensitive! I'm impressed, I'm admiring you, I don't mean anything else by it!"

"It better stay that way!"

Madison snorted coldly and leaned back against the sofa, falling silent.

After a moment of silence, Doris, who was busy tying up a large piece of meat with string, couldn't help but tremble as she asked, "So, have people really all turned into zombies? I mean, could it be that only Ennis is like this?"

"Don't be stupid, Mom. Dad was bitten to death by those things; it's not like you didn't see it!" Winnie interrupted, looking at her with dissatisfaction. "Besides, haven't you watched TV? The zombies in shows are always spread across the whole country. You can't get through to Grandma or Nana on the phone, can you?"

"I... I... sob..."

Doris started crying again.

Gavin rolled his eyes, pulled out a cigarette, grabbed Winnie's arm, and said, "That's enough. Let your mother finish cooking; I'm waiting to eat!"

With that, Gavin glanced at the listless William. "And you!"

Gavin turned his head and continued to snap at William. "If you still can't let go of your father and brother, then do something to distract yourself like Doris. For instance, take the binoculars and keep watch for us, you damn Dallas cop!"

After saying this, Gavin handed the binoculars to Eugene, signaling him to pass them to William.

Eugene stood up, shoved the binoculars into William's chest, and barked, "Get to your post, man! Can't you even handle a simple job like this?"

With that, Eugene dragged William toward the back of the RV, forcing him to keep watch from the window by the bed.

Once William was settled, Eugene returned to the table, shaking his head with a cold smirk. "I don't trust that kid with my life. I'll keep an eye on the outside, too."

"I'm not worried about you, Eugene. Suit yourself. I need to get some rest; I didn't sleep at all last night." Gavin replied, patting Eugene's arm before leaving the table to head for the passenger seat, where he reclined the backrest.

"Old Mac, wake me up when the food is ready."

He called out to Old Mac, then sat in the passenger seat and opened the window to smoke.

Old Mac nodded, then walked up behind Doris and asked, "Hey, miss, do you have any rice? My boss likes his stew with rice!"