She Had Some Real Skills

At that, William immediately did as Eugene said, pinching his ear hard.

He gradually steadied his breathing as he endured the pain.

Once he was sure William's breathing no longer sounded conspicuous, Eugene grinned and continued soothing him in a low voice.

"That's it, buddy. Stay calm."

"The zombies showed up right after we climbed up there. That bastard Gavin definitely had something up his sleeve. I bet even if I hadn't asked him for a gun, he'd have found the right moment to suggest this."

"I thought this was all our own choice, but now it looks like he may have chosen everything for us. What a fucking bastard. Ha!"

Eugene reached over and patted William on the shoulder. They were lying head to head, close together.

After calming William down some more, Eugene glanced at the approaching zombies and said casually,

"But none of that matters. What matters is whether we can see our families. Whatever you see in a moment, remember what I said: dig your nails into your ear, feel the pain, and steady your breathing!"

"Trust me. Once this is over, Gavin will be begging us to do things for him."

"Even if he builds some huge doomsday camp in the future, we'll be the best explorers around. So what if that bastard's the boss? He'll still need our help. Ha!"

With that, Eugene gave William's shoulder a hard pinch.

The zombies were getting closer, and Eugene couldn't keep talking.

The two fell completely silent, their faint breaths rising and falling.

At the temporary camp in the distance,

Gavin watched the zombie horde pour out from the forested area and charge along the road, sweeping past Palmer Town like a wave.

Their limbs were twisted, their steps unsteady, their faces grotesque, and their purpose unwavering.

But they still didn't spot William and Eugene...

During the rush, eight zombies even crashed into the GG Billboard's support pillar.

William and Eugene didn't draw their attention at all.

Even though only half the horde had passed the GG Billboard, Gavin had seen enough and stopped watching.

He walked over to the RV, tapped on the window, and smiled at Madison.

"I'm pretty sure zombies have an absolutely terrible sense of smell."

"As for their eyesight, I can't say for sure. But I know they're bad at searching for targets that don't move, like frogs."

As he finished, Gavin handed Madison the binoculars.

After Madison had a look, Winnie took them, and even Doris leaned over to peek through them.

When the binoculars made their way back to Gavin, he smiled at the three women in the RV, who were looking excited, and said,

"Well? Feels great, doesn't it? Zombies aren't unbeatable. At least they can't pinpoint every one of us!"

"Yeah, boss! We can play hide-and-seek with them!"

Winnie was the first to respond, excitedly echoing Gavin.

Madison and Doris didn't say anything, but Gavin could sense how Eugene and William's successful escape had boosted the team's morale.

And if Eugene and William had died, would the team's morale have dropped?

So what if it had? Letting the threat of zombies hang over everyone would also help them face reality and stay alert. It would make them easier for Gavin to manage, too.

But there was no need to face reality just now. Gavin tapped the window and called out,

"Doris, how much longer until breakfast? I've been waiting so long the flowers have wilted!"

"Huh? Sorry... Five more minutes, just five!"

Doris clenched a fist to her chest and made the promise with unusual conviction.

While Doris got busy, Winnie pushed open the RV door and ran over to Gavin.

She wrapped both arms around his leg and whispered,

"I thought they were really going to die. You knew they'd be safe, didn't you? You wouldn't let us die right in front of you, would you, boss?"

As she spoke, Winnie slowly let go of Gavin's pants.

She lifted her little face to look at him. Her golden hair shone brighter in the morning sun, as did the Gavin reflected in her eyes.

Gavin met her expectant gaze, gave a mischievous grin, and tapped her on the forehead.

"I take back what I said about you being little. You're already trying to guilt-trip me at your age. You must be doing pretty well at school, huh, kid?"

"What are you talking about, boss? I don't understand a thing. I'm going to do my homework~"

Winnie immediately turned and ran back to the RV, but just as she was about to climb aboard, she stopped short!

"Wait!"

Her eyes widened. She turned to Gavin, disbelief written all over her face, and asked,

"Boss, if everyone turns into zombies, then my teachers will also..."

Before Gavin could answer, Winnie let out a delighted "Oh!" She waved her arms and hopped into the RV, then shouted impatiently at Doris,

"Mom! Woohoo! I never have to do homework again!!!"

"Fuck..."

Outside the RV, Gavin couldn't help laughing and cursing. Then he turned to look at the GG Billboard.

After the zombie horde swept past like a river, Eugene and William waited until it had run at least a kilometer away before climbing down from the GG Billboard, getting into the car, and taking off.

Eugene parked the Old Ford not far from the Tyrannosaurus, then silently opened the door and walked over to Gavin, shaking his head.

Gavin tossed him a cigarette and asked,

"Why the head shake? Didn't you find the people you were looking for in the horde?"

"No. The people we were looking for are beyond saving."

Eugene took a deep drag and gave a bitter smile.

"Gavin, your suggestion was a good one. I never want to go home again. I'm sure William feels the same."

"Guess what we saw. His little brother was barely ten yards from my sister. My sister had even lost her shoes. Fuck this zombie apocalypse!"

Eugene exhaled a lonely ring of smoke.

Gavin was silent for a moment, then pointed at William, who hadn't gotten out of the car, and asked,

"So he wants to sit there alone for a while?"

"Let him sit there and cry while biting his nails. He's just a little kid who hasn't been weaned. I wasn't wrong."

Eugene pursed his lips as he looked at William.

Gavin nodded thoughtfully and said,

"Fine. Let him be for a while. Let's go eat."

"What? The stew's ready? Took the fucking chef long enough! Damn, that smells good!"

Eugene took a deep sniff, rushed to the Old Ford, and kicked the door hard.

"Quit moping around! Who do you think you are, Shakespeare? Get over here and eat, idiot!"

Without waiting to see whether William agreed, Eugene dragged him toward the RV.

After dealing with William, Eugene went back to the Old Ford, popped the trunk, and pulled out a case of beer.

He held it up toward Gavin in the distance and grinned.

"Look at this, Quarterback. You jocks never get to drink the good stuff!"

"Fuck you, Eugene! You think we're monks? We don't just drink the hardest liquor. We only go for the hottest girls, too!"

As soon as Eugene finished, Madison shoved open the door and instinctively jumped in with a retort.

Eugene shook his head in disdain and shot back,

"Get outta here, N-word. You'd die if you didn't brag, wouldn't you?"

As he insulted her, he handed Madison a beer.

Madison bit off the cap, downed more than half the bottle in one go, and let out a satisfied burp.

Nearby, Winnie stepped down from the RV holding a camping blanket and spread it out.

When Doris set the most important dish, a pot of stew, on the blanket, Eugene quickly tossed Gavin a beer and grabbed himself a spot.

As Gavin opened his beer, Doris brought over a plate of rice and asked him nervously,

"I... I haven't really cooked rice before. Do you think this turned out okay?"

"Trust me, nothing hits the spot better than this, Doris!"

Gavin tried to reassure her as he carried his plate over to the blanket.

He'd barely sat down when Winnie served him a generous ladleful of meat and broth, with about eight parts meat to two parts broth.

Gavin took a spoonful. It was surprisingly good. The style was different from his own cook's stew, but the broth was rich, and the beef was tender and savory.

Winnie hadn't been joking. Her mom really did have some real skills!